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Ballet Notes Apollo & Russian Seasons & Theme and Variations March 23 – 27, 2011 Greta Hodgkinson in Theme and Variations. Photo by Andrew Oxenham. Orchestra Celia Franca, C.C., Founder George Crum, Music Director Emeritus Karen Kain, C.C. Kevin Garland Artistic Director Executive Director David Briskin Rex Harrington, O.C. Music Director and Principal Conductor Artist-in-Residence Magdalena Popa Lindsay Fischer Principal Artistic Coach Artistic Director, YOU dance / Ballet Master Peter Ottmann Mandy-Jayne Richardson Senior Ballet Master Senior Ballet Mistress Aleksandar Antonijevic, Guillaume Côté*, Greta Hodgkinson, Jiří Jelinek, Zdenek Konvalina, Heather Ogden, Sonia Rodriguez, Piotr Stanczyk, Xiao Nan Yu, Bridgett Zehr Kevin D. Bowles, Lorna Geddes, Tomas Schramek, Hazaros Surmeyan Keiichi Hirano, Tanya Howard, Stephanie Hutchison, Etienne Lavigne, Patrick Lavoie, Stacey Shiori Minagawa+, Tina Pereira, Jonathan Renna, Rebekah Rimsay, Jillian Vanstone Jordana Daumec, Elena Lobsanova, McGee Maddox, Alejandra Perez-Gomez, Jenna Savella, Robert Stephen, Brett van Sickle Danyla Bezerra, Ryan Booth, Adji Cissoko, Chen Cui, Krista Dowson, Nadine Drouin, Naoya Ebe, Giorgio Galli, Selene Guerrero-Trujillo, Grace Hanley, Juri Hiraoka, Kathryn Hosier, Lise-Marie Jourdain, James Leja, Alexandra MacDonald, Elizabeth Marrable, Chelsy Meiss, Ji Min Hong, Shino Mori, Tiffany Mosher, Andreea Olteanu, Marissa Parzei, Brendan Saye, Christopher Stalzer, Joseph Steinauer, Dylan Tedaldi, Nan Wang, Aarik Wells, Sarah Elena Wolff RBC Apprentice Programme / YOU dance: James Applewhite, Eugenia Brezzi, Skylar Campbell, Esabelle Chen, Shaila D'Onofrio, Jackson Dwyer, Francesco Gabriele Frola, Alexandra Inculet, Natalie Ogonek, Asiel Rivero Lorna Geddes Joysanne Sidimus Pointe Shoe Manager / Assistant Ballet Mistress Guest Repetiteur Ernest Abugov Jeff Morris Shelby-Jai Flick Assistant Stage Manager/ Stage Manager, YOU dance Stage Managers *Guest Artist-in-Residence + Maternity Leave Page 2 national.ballet.ca Violins • Benjamin Bowman Concertmaster Stephen Sitarski, Guest Concertmaster Lynn Kuo, Assistant Concertmaster Dominique Laplante, Principal Second Violin James Aylesworth • Jennie Baccante Csaba Koczó • Sheldon Grabke • Xiao Grabke • Nancy Kershaw Sonia Klimasko-Leheniuk Yakov Lerner Jayne Maddison • Ron Mah Aya Miyagawa Wendy Rogers Filip Tomov Joanna Zabrowarna Paul Zevenhuizen Violas Angela Rudden, Principal Theresa Rudolph Koczó, Assistant Principal Valerie Kuinka Johann Lotter Beverley Spotton • Larry Toman Bassoons Stephen Mosher, Principal Jerry Robinson Elizabeth Gowen, Contra Bassoon Horns Gary Pattison, Principal Vincent Barbee Derek Conrod • Scott Wevers Trumpets Richard Sandals, Principal Mark Dharmaratnam Rob Weymouth Trombones David Archer, Principal Robert Ferguson David Pell, Bass Trombone Tuba Sasha Johnson Harp Lucie Parent, Principal Timpany Michael Perry, Principal Percussion Robert Comber, Principal Kristofer Maddigan Mark Mazur Cellos Maurizio Baccante, Principal Olga Laktionova Andrew McIntosh Marianne Pack Elaine Thompson Paul Widner Orchestra Personnel Manager and Music Administrator Jean Verch Basses Hans J.F. Preuss, Principal • Paul Langley Robert Speer Cary Takagaki Librarian Lucie Parent Flutes Leslie J. Allt, Principal Maria Pelletier Shelley Brown, Piccolo Oboes Mark Rogers, Principal Karen Rotenberg Lesley Young, English Horn Clarinets Max Christie, Principal • Emily Marlow Gary Kidd, Bass Clarinet Assistant Orchestra Personnel Manager Raymond Tizzard Extra Players Anne Armstrong, Violin Pamela Hinman, Violin Mark Johnston, Violin Renée London, Violin Hiroko Kagawa, Violin Phoebe Tsang, Violin Sonia Vizante, Violin Melissa Wilmot, Violin Rebekah Wolkstein, Violin Josh Greenlaw, Viola Nicholaos Papadakis, Viola Orly Bitov, Cello Jill Vitols, Cello Tom Hazlitt, Bass Colleen Cook, Clarinet Christine Passmore, Horn • On Leave of Absence The 2010/11 season is presented by Wednesday, March 23 at 7:30 pm Saturday, March 26 at 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm Thursday, March 24 at 7:30 pm Sunday, March 27 at 2:00 pm Friday, March 25 at 7:30 pm Conductor: David Briskin, Music Director and Principal Conductor: Apollo & Russian Seasons (all performances), Theme and Variations (Mar 27) David LaMarche, Guest Conductor: Theme and Variations (Mar 23, 24, 25, 26) Apollo Choreography: George Balanchine* Staged by: Ib Andersen Music: Igor Stravinsky, Apollon Musagète By arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., publisher and copyright owner. Lighting Design: Robert Thomson Répétiteur: Rex Harrington Premiere: Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt, Paris, June 12, 1928 The National Ballet of Canada Premiere: February 18, 1999 Apollo is a gift from THE VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE, THE NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA Apollo Zdenek Konvalina (Mar 23, 26 eve) Aleksandar Antonijevic (Mar 24, 26 mat) Guillaume Côté (Mar 25, 27) Terpsichore Sonia Rodriguez (Mar 23, 26 eve) Greta Hodgkinson (Mar 24, 26 mat) Xiao Nan Yu (Mar 25, 27) Polyhymnia Elena Lobsanova (Mar 23, 26 eve) Rebekah Rimsay (Mar 24, 26 mat) Heather Ogden (Mar 25, 27) Calliope Jillian Vanstone (Mar 23, 26 eve) Bridgett Zehr (Mar 24, 25, 26 mat, 27) Leto, Mother of Apollo Stephanie Hutchison Hand Maidens Chelsy Meiss or Kathryn Hosier Tanya Howard or Alexandra MacDonald Intermission Page 3 Russian Seasons Choreography: Alexei Ratmansky Staged by: Tatiana Ratmanskaya Music: Leonid Desyatnikov, The Russian Seasons © Compozitor Publishing House, St. Petersburg, 2006 Soprano: Susana Poretsky Violin Soloist: Stephen Sitarski Costume Design: Galina Solovyeva Lighting Design: Mark Stanley Répétiteurs: Rex Harrington and Magdalena Popa Premiere: New York City Ballet, New York City, June 8, 2006 The National Ballet of Canada Premiere: March 23, 2011 Russian Seasons is made possible in part by a grant from the New Creations Fund of The National Ballet of Canada, Endowment Foundation. The appearance of Susana Poretsky is made possible by a generous donation from the Frank Gerstein Foundation. GRETA HODGKINSON, HEATHER OGDEN, XIAO NAN YU ELENA LOBSANOVA, JENNA SAVELLA, JILLIAN VANSTONE GUILLAUME CÔTÉ ALEKSANDAR ANTONIJEVIC, ZDENEK KONVALINA, MCGEE MADDOX, CHRISTOPHER STALZER, ROBERT STEPHEN (Mar 23, 25, 26 eve) CHELSY MEISS, SONIA RODRIGUEZ, BRIDGETT ZEHR JORDANA DAUMEC, TANYA HOWARD, LISE-MARIE JOURDAIN PIOTR STANCZYK RYAN BOOTH, NAOYA EBE, JONATHAN RENNA, DYLAN TEDALDI, BRETT VAN SICKLE (Mar 24, 26 mat, 27) I Greta Hodgkinson, Guillaume Côté Heather Ogden, Elena Lobsanova, Jillian Vanstone, Jenna Savella Christopher Stalzer, Robert Stephen, McGee Maddox, Aleksandar Antonijevic, Zdenek Konvalina (Mar 23, 25, 26 eve) Sonia Rodriguez, Piotr Stanczyk Chelsy Meiss, Lise-Marie Jourdain, Tanya Howard, Jordana Daumec Naoya Ebe, Dylan Tedaldi, Jonathan Renna, Ryan Booth, Brett van Sickle (Mar 24, 26 mat, 27) II Xiao Nan Yu Heather Ogden, Elena Lobsanova, Jillian Vanstone, Jenna Savella (Mar 23, 25, 26 eve) Bridgett Zehr Chelsy Meiss, Lise-Marie Jourdain, Tanya Howard, Jordana Daumec (Mar 24, 26 mat, 27) III Greta Hodgkinson, Guillaume Côté Elena Lobsanova, Jillian Vanstone, Jenna Savella Christopher Stalzer, Robert Stephen, Zdenek Konvalina (Mar 23, 25, 26 eve) Sonia Rodriguez, Piotr Stanczyk Lise-Marie Jourdain, Tanya Howard, Jordana Daumec Naoya Ebe, Dylan Tedaldi, Brett van Sickle (Mar 24, 26 mat, 27) IV Xiao Nan Yu, Heather Ogden Guillaume Côté, Aleksandar Antonijevic (Mar 23, 25, 26 eve) Bridgett Zehr, Chelsy Meiss Piotr Stanczyk, Ryan Booth (Mar 24, 26 mat, 27) Page 4 national.ballet.ca V Greta Hodgkinson Elena Lobsanova, Jillian Vanstone, Jenna Savella Robert Stephen, Zdenek Konvalina, Christopher Stalzer (Mar 23, 25, 26 eve) Sonia Rodriguez Lise-Marie Jourdain, Tanya Howard, Jordana Daumec Dylan Tedaldi, Brett van Sickle, Naoya Ebe (Mar 24, 26 mat, 27) VI Xiao Nan Yu, Heather Ogden, Greta Hodgkinson, Guillaume Côté Jillian Vanstone, Christopher Stalzer, Robert Stephen, McGee Maddox, Aleksandar Antonijevic (Mar 23, 25, 26 eve) Bridgett Zehr, Chelsy Meiss, Sonia Rodriguez, Piotr Stanczyk Tanya Howard, Naoya Ebe, Dylan Tedaldi, Jonathan Renna, Ryan Booth (Mar 24, 26 mat, 27) VII Heather Ogden McGee Maddox, Aleksandar Antonijevic, Zdenek Konvalina (Mar 23, 25, 26 eve) Chelsy Meiss Jonathan Renna, Ryan Booth, Brett van Sickle (Mar 24, 26 mat, 27) VIII Elena Lobsanova, Jenna Savella Robert Stephen, Christopher Stalzer (Mar 23, 25, 26 eve) Lise-Marie Jourdain, Jordana Daumec Dylan Tedaldi, Naoya Ebe (Mar 24, 26 mat, 27) IX Xiao Nan Yu, McGee Maddox Heather Ogden (Mar 23, 25, 26 eve) Bridgett Zehr, Jonathan Renna Chelsy Meiss (Mar 24, 26 mat, 27) X Guillaume Côté (Mar 23, 26 eve) Piotr Stanczyk (Mar 24, 26 mat, 27) Zdenek Konvalina (Mar 25) XI Xiao Nan Yu, Heather Ogden, Elena Lobsanova, Jillian Vanstone, Jenna Savella, Christopher Stalzer, Robert Stephen, McGee Maddox, Aleksandar Antonijevic, Zdenek Konvalina (Mar 23, 25, 26 eve) Bridgett Zehr, Chelsy Meiss, Lise-Marie Jourdain, Tanya Howard, Jordana Daumec, Naoya Ebe, Dylan Tedaldi, Jonathan Renna, Ryan Booth, Brett van Sickle (Mar 24, 26 mat, 27) XII Entire Cast Intermission Theme and Variations Choreography: George Balanchine* Staged by: Lindsay Fischer Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, The final movement of Suite No. 3 for Orchestra in G major, Op. 55 Set and Costume Design: Santo Loquasto Lighting Design: Robert Thomson Répétiteur: Mandy-Jayne Richardson Premiere: Ballet Theatre (later known as American Ballet Theatre), New York City, November 26, 1947 The National Ballet of Canada Premiere: February 18, 1998 Page 5 Theme and Variations is a gift from THE VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE, THE NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA. HEATHER OGDEN and GUILLAUME CÔTÉ (Mar 23, 27) JILLIAN VANSTONE and DYLAN TEDALDI (Mar 24, 26 mat) ELENA LOBSANOVA and PIOTR STANCZYK (Mar 25, 26 eve) Tina Pereira, Jordana Daumec, Jenna Savella, Tiffany Mosher, Brett van Sickle, Keiichi Hirano, Etienne Lavigne, Patrick Lavoie (Mar 23, 25, 26 eve, 27) Chelsy Meiss, Jordana Daumec, Jenna Savella, Tiffany Mosher, Brett van Sickle, Jonathan Renna, Nan Wang, James Leja (Mar 24, 26 mat) Chelsy Meiss or Ji Min Heng, Sarah Elena Wolff, Nadine Drouin, Juri Hiraoka, Lise-Marie Jourdain, Selene Guerrero-Trujillo or Elizabeth Marrable, Alejandra Perez-Gomez or Alexandra MacDonald, Krista Dowson, Christopher Stalzer, James Leja or Kevin D. Bowles, Ryan Booth, Nan Wang or McGee Maddox, Giorgio Galli, Joseph Steinauer, Brendan Saye, Aarik Wells * The performance of Apollo and Theme and Variations, Balanchine® Ballets, are presented by arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust and have been produced by arrangement with the Balanchine Style® and Balanchine Technique® Service standards established and provided by the Trust. Approximate timing Apollo – 30 minutes Intermission – 20 minutes Theme and Variations – 21 minutes Intermission – 20 minutes Russian Seasons – 39 minutes The performance will run approximately 2 hours 10 minutes. Notes on the Ballets Apollo George Balanchine regarded Apollo as his artistic coming of age. He wrote, “In its discipline and restraint, in its sustained oneness of tone and feeling, the score was a revelation. It seemed to tell me that I could dare not use everything that I, too, could eliminate.” The ballet depicts Apollo, the young god of music, who is visited and instructed by three Muses, who were also children of Zeus and therefore his half-sisters: Calliope, Muse of poetry, whose symbol is a tablet; Polyhymnia, Muse of mime, whose symbol is a mask that represents the power of gesture; and Terpsichore, Muse of dance and song, whose symbol is a lyre. Igor Stravinsky, who possessed a strong interest in Greek mythology, conceived of and composed the score as a ballet. It was with this work, his second ballet set to the music of Stravinsky, that Balanchine, at age 24, Page 6 achieved international recognition and began his lifelong partnership with the composer. Apollo had its premiere on June 12, 1928 by Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes at the Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt in Paris. It was premiered by Balanchine’s own company, New York City Ballet on November 15, 1951 at City Center of Music and Drama in New York. The National Ballet of Canada first performed Apollo as part of an “All Stravinsky” programme on February 18, 1999. Russian Seasons In a remarkably brief time, the gifted Russian choreographer Alexei Ratmansky has risen to the top ranks of international dancemakers. Formerly the Artistic Director of the Bolshoi Ballet and now Artist-in-Residence with American Ballet Theatre, Mr. Ratmansky combines the solid classical technique of his Russian training with a modern palette to reinvigorate both traditions. Artistic Director Karen Kain has commissioned Mr. Ratmansky to create a new Romeo and Juliet that will open the National Ballet’s 60th Anniversary Season on November 16th, 2011. “Alexei Ratmansky is a brilliant choreographer and I think it is important Toronto audiences get to know him. Working on Russian Seasons gave him a wonderful opportunity to get to know our dancers as he prepares to cast Romeo and Juliet, and I am thrilled to add this exquisite piece to our repertoire.” said Ms. Kain. Created for New York City Ballet in 2006, Russian Seasons is an inventive and exciting combination of dance and musical flavours. The ballet uses classical steps with elements of folk and jazz mixed in. The New York Times described it as “such a marvel of dance that when the curtain fell, it was like awakening from a vivid dream.” Set to a score of four concertos for strings and solo soprano by Russian composer Leonid Desyatnikov, the ballet features six couples in a series of thematic vignettes loosely centered around the Russian Orthodox liturgical calendar. Theme and Variations George Balanchine wrote that Theme and Variations, one of the choreographer’s bestknown works, was intended, “to evoke that great period in classical dancing when Russian ballet flourished with the aid of Tchaikovsky’s music.” And while the work is a beautiful and exuberant tribute to the Petipa legacy, it is also pure Balanchine. Set to the final movement of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Suite No. 3 for Orchestra in G major, the ballet consists of a set of 12 variations, through which the vocabulary of classical dance is explored and celebrated. A corps of 12 women forms the basis of the ballet’s choreographic excursions, and their dances are interwoven with the solo performances of a principal couple. A grand polonaise builds to the climactic finale for the entire cast of 26 dancers. Theme and Variations is one of the most technically demanding in the Balanchine canon, especially for the male dancers, whose variations are not only of an astonishing intricacy, but are intended to be danced at great speed. Theme and Variations had its premiere on November 26, 1947 by Ballet Theatre (later known as American Ballet Theatre). The first performance starred Alicia Alonso and Igor Youkesvitch and was hailed an immediate success by critics and audiences alike. It was not until February 5, 1960 that Balanchine’s own company, New York City Ballet, premiered this work. The National Ballet of Canada first performed Theme and Variations on February 18, 1998 at the Hummingbird Centre. Selected Biographies Karen Kain, C.C., LL.D., D. Litt., O.Ont. Artistic Director Acknowledged as one of the leading classical ballerinas of her time, Karen Kain is also one of Canada’s foremost arts advocates, bringing the same passion and dedication she exemplified as a dancer to her roles as a spokesperson for Canadian culture and as the Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada. A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Ms. Kain studied at Canada’s National Ballet School, graduating in 1969 when she joined The National Ballet of Canada. After quickly rising to the rank of Principal Dancer, she came to the attention of international audiences when she won the Silver Medal at the Moscow International Ballet Competition in 1973. This led to a highly successful career on stages throughout the world, dancing a wide range of classical and modern roles with such companies as Roland Petit’s Ballet de Marseilles, The Bolshoi Ballet, Hamburg Ballet, London Festival Ballet, Paris Opéra Ballet and the Eliot Feld Company. Ms. Kain retired from dance in 1997 after a nationwide farewell tour and, shortly afterwards, assumed the position of Artist-in-Residence with the National Ballet. In 1999, her role was expanded to that of Artistic Associate and in June of 2005, she was appointed Artistic Director of the company. Ms. Kain has received numerous accolades and awards throughout her career. She is a Companion of the Order of Canada, the first Canadian recipient of the Cartier Lifetime Achievement Award and was named an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by the government of France. In 1997, she was honoured with a Governor General’s National Arts Centre Award and received a Governor General’s Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in 2002. From 2004 to 2008, Ms. Kain was Chair of the Canada Council for the Arts. In 2007, she received the Barbara Hamilton Memorial Award for demonstrating excellence and professionalism in the performing arts. In 2008, the Karen Kain School of the Arts officially opened. The school Page 7 was named after Ms. Kain for her significant contributions to the arts over her career. George Balanchine Choreographer, Apollo, Theme and Variations George Balanchine was born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1904. He joined the Mariinsky Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet at the age of 17. In 1924, Mr. Balanchine was invited by Serge Diaghilev to join his Ballets Russes. Mr. Balanchine was subsequently hired as Ballet Master in 1925, a position he held until the company was dissolved in 1929. In 1933, Mr. Balanchine formed his own company Les Ballets and shortly thereafter met the American dance connoisseur Lincoln Kirstein, which led him to move to the United States. In collaboration with Mr. Kirstein, Mr. Balanchine formed School of American Ballet and American Ballet, which was the resident ballet company at the Metropolitan Opera. Mr. Balanchine worked with the revitalized Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in the 1940s and finally served as Artistic Director of New York City Ballet, now housed in the Lincoln Centre in New York City. Mr. Balanchine held this position until his death in 1983. Ib Andersen Staging, Apollo Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Ib Andersen was accepted into the School of the Royal Danish Ballet at age seven. He joined the Royal Danish Ballet at age 16 and became a Principal Dancer at 20 – the youngest principal in that company’s history. In 1980 at George Balanchine’s invitation he joined New York City Ballet, which led to a successful partnership wherein Balanchine created roles for him in Ballade, Mozartiana and Davidsbündlertänze. In 1987, Mr. Andersen choreographed his first work, and in 1990 he retired from NYCB and began to stage Balanchine ballets around the world. In 2000, Mr. Andersen was named Artisic Director of Ballet Arizona. Mr. Andersen has choreographed over a dozen original ballets and reinterpreted the classic works for Ballet Arizona. Mr. Andersen’s skills as a stager of Balanchine works were recently praised by The New York Times and his most recent ballet Diversions was presented at the prestigious Ballet Across America Festival at the Kennedy Center. Page 8 As a member of The George Balanchine Trust, Mr. Andersen is part of a select group of individuals permitted to stage ballets by the great master. The Trust is an independent organization formed to oversee the licensing and production of Balanchine works. Robert Thomson Lighting Designer, Apollo, Theme and Varations Robert Thomson is one of Canada’s most versatile and active lighting designers. He has received numerous awards over his 30-year career including a Sterling Award and four Dora Mavor Moore Awards. For The National Ballet of Canada, Mr. Thomson served as Resident Lighting Designer for 12 seasons. His lighting designs include Don Quixote, Blue Snake, The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, Manon, La Sylphide and Paquita. He also designed James Kudelka’s world premieres of Swan Lake, The Miraculous Mandarin and Spring Awakening plus the revivals of Washington Square and Désir. His many designs for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival include The Homecoming, Dangerous Liaisons, Zastrozzi, Romeo and Juliet, Caesar and Cleopatra, Into the Woods and King Lear. For the Shaw Festival, he served as Head of Lighting Design and designed for 24 seasons with credits including Cavalcade, St. Joan and Cyrano de Bergerac. Mr. Thomson designed the Canadian Opera Company’s globally acclaimed production of Bluebeard’s Castle and Erwartung directed by Robert Lepage, with recent mountings for Seattle Opera and Opéra de Québec. His more recent projects include Fernando Krapp Wrote Me This Letter and The Cosmonaut’s Last Message… for Canadian Stage; Krapp’s Last Tape/Hughie for Chicago’s Goodman Theatre; Comedy of Errors and Buried Child for the National Arts Centre; August: Osage County for Citadel Theatre; King Lear starring Christopher Plummer for Lincoln Center Theater; Désir and The Taming of the Shrew for American Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House. Santo Loquasto Set and Costume Designer, Theme and Variations Santo Loquasto began designing costumes for legendary New York theatre producer Joseph Papp in the early 1970s. He has collaborated with choreographer James Kudelka on various works including Alliances for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, The Heart of the Matter for Joffrey Ballet and The Comfort Zone and The End for San Francisco Ballet. For The National Ballet of Canada, they created Pastorale, The Actress, Spring Awakening, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, The Firebird and An Italian Straw Hat. Mr. Loquasto also designed A Touch of the Poet, Three Days of Rain, Shining City and Twyla Tharp’s The Times They Are A-Changin’, all of which appeared on Broadway. In 2005, he was voted into the Theater Hall of Fame. Mr. Loquasto has won numerous awards for his designs including Tony Awards in 1977, 1989 and 1990 and the Drama Desk Award in 1989 and 1990. Among his extensive list of nominations are Academy Award nominations for designs in Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway, Radio Days and Zelig. Alexei Ratmansky Choreographer, Russian Seasons Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Alexei Ratmansky is a choreographer and former ballet dancer. He is Artist-inResidence and the Artistic Advisor at American Ballet Theatre and the former Artistic Director of the Bolshoi Ballet. Mr. Ratmansky was a Principal Dancer with the Kiev Ballet, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Royal Danish Ballet. Mr. Ratmansky has created ballets for the Dutch National Ballet, Kirov Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and the State Ballet of Georgia, where his Dreams of Japan, choreographed for American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Nina Ananiashvili, earned the Golden Mask Award from the Theatre Union of Russia in 1998. His 2003 work, The Bright Stream, created for the Bolshoi Ballet, led to his appointment as Artistic Director of the company the following year. In 2005, he choreographed a full-length production of The Bolt and re-staged Le Corsaire (2007) and Flames of Paris (2008). In 2010, he created an acclaimed new Nutcracker for American Ballet Theatre. The Critics’ Circle in London named the Bolshoi Ballet “Best Foreign Company” under Mr. Ratmansky’s direction in 2005 and 2007 and he received their National Dance Award for The Bright Stream. He received the 2005 Prix Benois de la Danse for his choreography of Anna Karenina for the Royal Danish Ballet and the 2007 Golden Mask Award for Best Choreographer for Jeu de Cartes, created for the Bolshoi. His ballets for New York City Ballet include Russian Seasons and Concerto DSCH and On the Dnieper, and Seven Sonatas for American Ballet Theatre. Tatiana Ratmanskaya Staging, Russian Seasons Tatiana Ratmanskaya was born in the Ukraine and trained at the Kiev Ballet School. As a dancer she performed with the Ukranian National Ballet, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Royal Danish Ballet. She was a guest artist with the Imperial Russian Ballet and Copenhagen International Ballet Festival and performed in galas in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tokyo, Berlin, Bratislava, Prague and Vilnius. Ms. Ratmanskaya created many roles in works by her husband, the celebrated choreographer Alexei Ratmansky, including Whipped Cream, 98 Steps, Jurliberlu, Sarabande, Water, Turandot’s Dream, Bolero, Anna Karenina and Old Woman Falling Out. She has staged Mr. Ratmansky’s works for companies around the world including Bright Stream for the Latvian National Opera and American Ballet Theatre, Bolero for the Bolshoi Theatre Choreographic Workshop, Anna Karenina for Lithuanian National Opera, Finnish National Ballet and Mariinsky Ballet and Russian Seasons for Het Nationale Ballet in Amsterdam and The National Ballet of Canada. Leonid Desyatnikov Composer, Russian Seasons Leonid Desyatnikov was born in 1955 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. He is a graduate of the Leningrad Conservatory and a member of the Composers Union. He has been a freelance composer since 1984. Mr. Desyatnikov has penned four operas, several cantatas and numerous vocal and instrumental compositions. The composer defines his style as “the emancipation of consonance, the transformation of the banal, minimalism with a human face”; his favourite genre is the “tragically naughty bagatelle.” His principal compositions include Rosenthal’s Children (an opera in two acts; Vladimir Sorokin, libretto), Poor Liza (a chamber opera in one act; Leonid Desyatnikov, libretto, after the novella by Nikolai Karamzin); Gift (a cantata based on the verses of Gavrila Derzhavin), A Leaden Echo (a piece for voice and instruments based on the verses of Gerard Manley Hopkins) and The Rite of Winter 1949 (a symphony for choir, soloists and orchestra). Since 1996 Mr. Desyatnikov has worked closely with Gidon Kremer, both as a composer (Wie der Alte Leiermann, the chamber orchestra version of Sketches for Sunset, Russian Seasons and as an arranger of compositions by Astor Piazzolla. He has also composed the music for such films as Sunset, Lost in Siberia, Moscow Nights, Hammer and Sickle, Giselle’s Mania, His Wife’s Diary, The Prisoner of the Mountains and Moscow (Grand Prize, 4th Biennial Film Music Festival, Bonn, 2002). Susana Poretsky Soprano, Russian Seasons Susana Poretksy joins The National Ballet of Canada for Leonid Desyatnikov’s Russian Seasons after she premiered the piece with the New York City Ballet and sang subsequent performances with Het Nationale Ballet in Amsterdam and San Francisco Ballet. Previous performances include Suzuki in Madama Butterfly (Los Angeles Opera); Margret in Wozzeck, Anna in Maria Stuarda, Fenena in Nabucco (San Diego Opera); Pauline in Pique Dame (Los Angeles Opera, Washington National Opera); Adalgisa in Norma, Charlotte in Werther (Royal Swedish Opera); the title role of Carmen (La Monnaie, Fort Worth Opera); Marina Mnishek in Boris Godunov (Nationaltheater Mannheim); Fenena in Nabucco (Arena di Verona); Adalgisa in Norma (New Israeli Opera); and Maddalena in Rigoletto, Dryade in Ariadne auf Naxos (Metropolitan Opera). Ms. Poretksy has sung Bernstein’s Jeremiah Symphony with the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra and also with the New York Philharmonic debut under the baton of Kurt Masur as well as L’Orchestre de Paris. Other performances include Mozart’s Requiem at the Teatro San Carlo in Napoli, Mozart’s Mass in C minor and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genova, Verdi’s Requiem with the Washington Chorus and at the Liguria Festival, and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis at the Golda Meir Performing Center in Tel Aviv. Galina Solovyeva Costume Designer, Russian Seasons Galina Solovyeva was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. In 1975 she graduated as a costume and set designer from the Leningrad State Institute of Theatre, Music and Cinema. From 1975 to 1992, she was resident costume designer at the Mariinsky Theatre (formerly Kirov Opera and Ballet Theatre), St. Petersburg and in 1992 immigrated to the US. Working with the Mariinsky, Bolshoi and Mihailovsky Theaters in Russia, Ballet Internationale (Indianapolis), New York City Ballet, Het National Ballet (Amsterdam) and many other international companies, she has designed costumes for more than 100 ballets, operas and theatrical productions. Some of the productions include Othello, Eugene Onegin, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Le Corsaire, The Bolt, The Nutcracker, Firebird. The productions of Romeo and Juliet, Semyon Kotko and Swan Lake have toured to the US. In addition to ballet and opera, she worked with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival from 1996 to 2001 designing costumes for Uncle Vanya, Force of Nature, Rosmersholm and Enter the Guardsman. Mrs. Solovyeva was honoured with a Barrymore Award nomination in 2000, received the Nika Award in 2001 and The Golden Soffit (St. Petersburg) Award in 2001 and 2008. Mark Stanley Lighting Designer, Russian Seasons Mark Stanley is currently the Resident Lighting Designer for the New York City Ballet where since 1986, he has designed over 180 premieres for their repertory including works for Peter Martins, Christopher Wheeldon, Susan Stroman, Kevin O’Day, Christopher D’Amboise, Alexei Ratmansky, William Forsythe, Ulysses Dove, and others. In addition, he has designed for Susan Marshall, David Gordon, Doug Varone, Tim Rushton, Nicolo Fonte, Lynn Taylor Corbett, and numerous ballet companies across Europe and the US. Mr. Stanley previously served as Resident Designer for the Page 9 New York City Opera, lighting over 20 new productions for the resident and touring companies. He has designed plays for The Kennedy Center, Huntington Theatre Company, Long Wharf, Ordway, Goodspeed, The Night Kitchen Theater and on PBS for Live from Lincoln Center and Great Performances. Mr. Stanley heads the lighting design programme at Boston University, is on the board of The Gilbert Hemlsey Lighting Programs, and is the author of The Color of Light Workbook. David Briskin Music Director and Principal Conductor One of the most highly respected and versatile conductors at work today, an insightful interpreter of works from not just the ballet repertoire but the operatic, symphonic and choral traditions as well, David Briskin enters his fifth season as Music Director and Principal Conductor with The National Ballet of Canada. He brings a rich and varied musical experience to his position with the National Ballet, having served as Conductor with American Ballet Theatre for seven years, leading performances at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York’s City Center and in major opera houses around the world. As a guest conductor, Mr. Briskin appears regularly with New York City Ballet and San Francisco Ballet and has also conducted for such companies as Houston Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal. He also served as conductor for The Juilliard School’s Dance Division for 12 years. In addition, he has conducted symphony orchestras and opera productions throughout North America, Europe and Asia, appearing with, among others, the Pittsburgh, Detroit, Baltimore, Indianapolis and Shanghai symphony orchestras and such opera companies as Calgary, Manitoba, Opera Carolina and Lake George. He also served for six years as the Music Director of the Masterwork Chorus and Orchestra, conducting annual performances of Handel’s Messiah at Carnegie Hall. In 2008, Mr. Briskin was appointed Director of Orchestral Studies at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music and Conductor of the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Briskin attended the Indiana University School of Music and received a Bachelor of Music Degree in orchestral Page 10 conducting from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a Master’s Degree from Queens College, City University of New York. David LaMarche Guest Conductor David LaMarche has been working as a conductor in the dance world for more than 25 years. He served as Music Director for the Dance Theatre of Harlem from 1993 to 1998 and conducted many of the company’s premiere performances, both in the US and on tour in Europe, Africa and South America. In addition to conducting, he composed and arranged several scores for the company’s repertoire. As a guest, he has conducted for The Joffrey Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Ballet British Columbia, San Francisco Ballet, New York City Ballet, Houston Ballet, the Rome Opera Ballet and the Paul Taylor Company. The orchestras he has directed include the Houston Symphony, Lyric Opera Orchestra of Chicago, Pacific Symphony, National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada, Tokyo Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Moscow Radio Orchestra, Tivoli Festival Orchestra and the Orchestre Lamoreux of Paris. In April of 2007, he was a guest on the faculty of Princeton University, as Music Director for performances with the Princeton Atelier programme. He is currently in his 11th year on the conducting staff of American Ballet Theatre and is Music Director of the Limón Dance Company. Mr. LaMarche is a graduate of Boston University and resides in New York City. Ernest Abugov Stage Manager Ernest (Ernie) Abugov has served as Stage Manager of The National Ballet of Canada since 1973, working with every Artistic Director in the company’s history from Celia Franca to Karen Kain. He has travelled with the company all over the world, touring to Israel, Asia, Europe, Mexico and throughout North America. Mr. Abugov has worked with many of the world’s most renowned choreographers who have created original works for the National Ballet including John Neumeier, William Forsythe and Glen Tetley. Mr. Abugov was born in Montréal, Québec. Before beginning his long association with the National Ballet, he worked with Les Feux Follets, The Charlottetown national.ballet.ca Festival, La Poudriere Theatre and The Studio Lab Theatre. He worked at Expo ’67 in Montréal, stage managing over 4,000 puppet shows. Mr. Abugov also toured with Harry Belafonte. In what little spare time that he has, Mr. Abugov guest-lectures to theatre students. Jeff Morris Stage Manager Jeff Morris studied technical theatre production and administration at Ryerson Theatre School. He has worked as Production Stage Manager for Toronto Dance Theatre and with the Fringe Festival of Independent Dance Artists, in addition to a broad range of Toronto’s independent dance artists. In 1995, Mr. Morris joined The National Ballet of Canada and has since stage-managed a wide range of the company’s classical and contemporary repertoire, including world premieres of James Kudelka’s The Four Seasons, Cinderella and An Italian Straw Hat. He is also an adjunct faculty member at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, where he teaches Production Elements for Dancers. The National Ballet of Canada Orchestra The National Ballet of Canada is privileged to have its own full orchestra with over 60 members. The orchestra has performed in each of the National Ballet’s seasons and is led by Music Director and Principal Conductor David Briskin. The company’s first Music Director was George Crum who, along with Founder Celia Franca, was a pioneer of the company. Mr. Crum held the position from the company’s inception in 1951 to 1984, when he was appointed Music Director Emeritus. The orchestra was led by Ermanno Florio from 1985 to 1990. Ormsby Wilkins was Music Director and Principal Conductor from 1990 to 2006. The National Ballet Orchestra has toured extensively with the company through Canada, the US and Europe. Over the years, the orchestra has received much acclaim from audiences and critics alike and has recorded two CDs of Michael Torke’s compositions for The Contract (The Pied Piper) and An Italian Straw Hat. For more information, visit national.ballet.ca