SEASON ANNOUNCEMENT

Ballet Austin pliés into new season with new world premiere and timeless classics

Triad: Three Bold Dances by Ballet Austin

Triad: Three Bold Dances will run February 16-18, 2024.

On the heels of Texas Performance Arts releasing their 2023-24 season schedule, one of Austin’s most sophisticated ballet companies has also revealed the lineup for their highly anticipated upcoming season.

From critically-acclaimed favorites to a world premiere, Ballet Austin’s five-production 2023-24 season is bringing big titles to the stage, with big names to match.

Ballet Austin Artistic Director Stephen Mills will open the season in a bold fashion with his exalted, contemporary production of Hamlet. The tragic rendition is one of Mills’ most licensed and traveled works nationwide and internationally. American composer Philip Glass will set the music, while costumes will take inspiration from designer Giorgio Armani. Hamlet will run September 15-17.

Following the dramatic Shakespearean performance is the 61st annual production of The Nutcracker. This beloved classic is Austin’s longest-running live production, which will ring in the holiday season all month long in December. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s score will feature a live accompaniment by the Austin Symphony Orchestra. The Nutcracker will run December 2-23.

The enthralling Triad: Three Bold Dances will be Ballet Austin’s first production of 2024. Triad is a choreographic combination of George Balanchine’s neoclassical Concerto Barocco, Amy Siewert’sRenaissance, and Mills’ Carbon53 (stylized CARBON53). Contemporary composers Glass and Steve Reich will set the music alongside Johann Sebastian Bach, Kitka Women’s Vocal Ensemble, and the Austin Symphony Orchestra. Triad: Three Bold Dances will run February 16-18, 2024.

In its world premiere as the second work of the Butler New Choreography Endowment, Mills’ POE / A Tale of Madnesswill explore famed poet Edgar Allen Poe’s haunted life through dance. A newly commissioned score by award-winning composer Graham Reynolds and libretto by Rude Mechanicals co-producing artistic director Shawn Sides will help bring this production to life. This brand new performance was created following the unparalleled success of Mills’ first endowment-funded work Grimm Tales in 2019. Poe / A Tale of Madness will run March 22-24.

The final production of the 2023-24 Ballet Austin season is another beloved classic: The Sleeping Beauty. The Austin Symphony Orchestra will return for another live accompaniment to Tchaikovsky’s familiarly beautiful score. The sets, costumes, and well-known characters were designed and constructed in England, with mesmerizing choreography by Marius Petipa. The Sleeping Beauty will run May 10-12.

More information about Ballet Austin’s 2023-24 season can be found on balletaustin.org.

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ARIA OF INTEREST

Austin Opera unveils dramatic new headquarters and performance center

Photo courtesy of Austin Opera.

Austin Opera's Sarah and Ernest Butler Performance Center

The art form of opera may date back to the 16th century, but Austin Opera is looking towards the future. On October 8, the company announced a sweeping investment in the city’s cultural growth.

The nonprofit, a community fixture since 1986, unveiled plans for its new home at 5811 Trade Center Dr. — but it's not finished yet. Austin Opera relocated its administrative offices in September, but the major work will kick off in January 2025. By October 2025, the company hopes to debut the artistic wing of the building, which will include a 195-seat theater.

The undertaking will also make room for rehearsal space, teaching and practice studios, a costume shop, outdoor event space, and a conference center. The artistic hub will allow Austin Opera to serve the Austin community more fully while providing critical performance and rehearsal space.

“The establishment of this new performance center is a historic step for Austin Opera to expand our audience, secure a sustainable future, and provide essential spaces for the performing arts community in Austin,” explained Annie Burridge, Austin Opera’s General Director and CEO, via a release. “I couldn’t be more excited to work with our community to build an inclusive new cultural hub for our thriving city.”

Although the headquarters will have plenty of bells and whistles, like a state-of-the-art A/V system, its most significant impact will be felt in Austin Opera’s artistic scope. The space will allow the company to expand its programming and educational offerings. Music Director Timothy Myers says the center will enable the organization to explore new repertoire, performance formats, and genres.

The ambitious project was made possible by longtime patrons Sarah and Ernest Butler, who will be honored in the performance center’s name. The creators of a $3 million endowment to fund Spanish language programming at the opera, the philanthropists also were lead contributors to the capital campaign. Austin Opera has secured $3.67 million towards its $7.5 million goal.

“We are proud to support the latest innovative undertaking of Austin Opera. This new performance center, which will bear our names, will help secure a sustainable future for opera in Austin and enable numerous cultural institutions to extend their important work into the community,” said Dr. and Mrs. Butler.

More information about Austin Opera and its current season is available at austinopera.org.

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ARIA OF INTEREST

Austin Opera unveils dramatic new headquarters and performance center