Tickets are Available for Purchase HERE
(Nashville, Tenn. – May 2, 2022) – Following their previous sellout collaborations, Nashville Ballet and Nashville Symphony are joining forces once again for Ballet Extravaganza, May 19-22 at Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Under the direction of Ballet Artistic Director Paul Vasterling, the four-show run will feature company dancers performing the Emmy Award-winning choreographer’s unique take on Igor Stravinsky’s musical fairy tale The Firebird and Aaron Copland’s Wild West tale Billy the Kid.
While the dancers take the Schermerhorn stage, the musicians of the Nashville Symphony will perform the scores live, under the direction of GRAMMY® Award-winning Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero. As with the Symphony’s previous collaboration with the Ballet on Carmina Burana, the Schermerhorn will transform the floor of the concert hall into a modified orchestra pit.
Inspired by Stravinsky’s iconic score, Vasterling’s Firebird is a contemporary and modern spin on the classic Russian folktale. Audiences will have the rare opportunity to experience Firebird in its entirety, as the piece is often performed in pieces or as shorter works. Joining Firebird will be a shortened, but equally exuberant suite of Copland’s well-known, American West-inspired favorite Billy the Kid. The wildly popular tale portrays Vasterling’s uniquely fresh and modernized take on what it means to be a cowboy.
Known for his theatrical designs and captivating choreography, Vasterling has worked alongside award-winning international costume designer Holly Hynes and conductor Guerrero to bring his stunning vision for each iconic piece to life. “These performances are quite literally years in the making,” Vasterling shares. “Giancarlo and I have been dreaming of collaborating on these iconic works, and seeing them come to life onstage how they were meant to be experienced, with a full-length score, full company of dancers, and full orchestra is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity not only for us but for Nashville audiences as well.”
Adds Guerrero, “The Nashville Symphony and I treasure our relationship with our peers in the vibrant local arts community, and working with Nashville Ballet is always rewarding because they allow us to bring a well-known orchestral work like Firebird to life in entirely new ways, making audiences fall in love with this enduring masterpiece all over again. This will be a celebration of the arts to bring people together and transport us from the everyday into a world of magic and adventure.”
WHO: Nashville Symphony | Nashville Ballet | Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor | Paul Vasterling, artistic director
WHEN:
Thursday, May 19, at 7 pm CT
Friday, May 20, at 8 pm CT
Saturday, May 21, at 8 pm CT
Sunday, May 22, at 2 pm CT
WHERE:
Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 1 Symphony Pl, Nashville, TN 37201
TICKETS NOW ON SALE:
NashvilleSymphony.org/BalletExtravaganza
FOR PARKING INFORMATION, CLICK HERE.
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About Nashville Ballet:
Nashville Ballet is the largest professional ballet company in Tennessee. Nashville Ballet presents a varied repertoire of classical ballet and contemporary works by noted choreographers, including original works by Artistic Director Paul Vasterling. Nashville Ballet and the second company, NB2 (a pre-professional training company), provide more than 55,000 arts experiences to adults and children annually through season performances and its Community Engagement programming. Curriculum-based Community Engagement programs bring dance education to community centers, colleges, public libraries, and public elementary, middle, and high schools across the state. School of Nashville Ballet brings world-class dance instruction to students ages 2 and up. To learn more about Nashville Ballet, please visit nashvilleballet.com.
Nashville Ballet receives public funding from Metro Arts, Tennessee Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Contributions from local, regional, and national institutional funders and community partners, as well as hundreds of generous individuals, provide ongoing support for Nashville Ballet’s mission-critical programs.
About Nashville Symphony:
The GRAMMY® Award-winning Nashville Symphony has earned an international reputation for its innovative programming and its commitment to performing, recording, and commissioning works by America’s leading composers. With more than 140 performances annually, the orchestra offers a broad range of classical, pops, jazz, and family concerts, along with an extensive array of education and community engagement programs. The Nashville Symphony has released 40 internationally distributed recordings on Naxos, which have received 27 GRAMMY® nominations and 14 GRAMMY® Awards, making it one of the most active recording orchestras in the country. The orchestra has also released recordings on Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, and New West Records.
In addition, to support from Metro Arts and Tennessee Arts Commission, Nashville Symphony is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP5534 awarded to the State of Tennessee by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Nashville Symphony is also supported in part by an American Rescue Plan Act grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support general operating expenses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
