ARTISTIC & PRODUCTION CREDITS SAN FRANCISCO BALLET

Lincoln Theater, 100 California Drive, Yountville, CA 94599

Festival Napa Valley Running Time: The Fifth Season 30 minutes Pas de duex from Le Corsaire 9 minutes Intermission 20 minutes Pas de deux from After the Rain© 10 minutes Pas de deux from in the middle, somewhat elevated 5 minutes Solo 7 minutes Pas de deux from Don Quixote, Act III 11 minutes Total: 1 hour, 36 minutes The Fifth Season Composer: Karl Jenkins Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson Costume Design: Sandra Woodall Lighting Design: Michael Mazzola World Premiere: March 28, 2006—San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House; San Francisco, California Le Corsaire pas de deux Composer: Riccardo Drigo Choreography: after Marius Petipa World Premiere: January 25, 1899—Mariinsky Theatre; St. Petersburg, Russia San Francisco Ballet Premiere: January 14, 1964—War Memorial Opera House; San Francisco, California Pas de deux from After the Rain© Composer: Arvo Pärt Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon Costume Design: Holly Hynes Lighting Design: Mark Stanley

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Festival Napa Valley Credits/Page 2 World Premiere (complete ballet): January 22, 2005—New York City Ballet, New York State Theater; New York, New York San Francisco Ballet Premiere: January 24, 2007—War Memorial Opera House; San Francisco, California Pas de deux from in the middle, somewhat elevated Music: Thom Willems Choreographer and Lighting Design: William Forsythe Musical Collaboration: Leslie Stuck Current Production Staged by: Laura Graham World Premiere: May 29, 1987—Paris Opera Ballet, Palais Garnier; Paris, France San Francisco Ballet Premiere: March 14, 1989—War Memorial Opera House; San Francisco, California Solo Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach Choreographer: Hans van Manen Staged by: Mea Venema Costume Design: Keso Dekker Lighting Design: Joop Caboort World Premiere: January 16, 1997—Nederlands Dans Theater, Lucent Danstheater; Den Haag, Netherlands San Francisco Ballet Premiere: January 4, 1999—War Memorial Opera House; San Francisco, California Pas de deux from Don Quixote, Act III Composer: Ludwig Minkus Choreographers: Alexander Gorsky and Marius Petipa Staging and additional Choreography: Helgi Tomasson and Yuri Possokhov Costume Design: Martin Pakledinaz Lighting Design: James F. Ingalls Associate Costume Designer: Heather Lockard Author of Don Quixote: Miguel de Cervantes World Premiere (Original Petipa production): December 26, 1869—Imperial Ballet, Bolshoi Theatre; Moscow, Russia World Premiere (Tomasson/Possokhov staging, complete ballet): March 14, 2003—San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House; San Francisco, California

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Festival Napa Valley Credits/Page 3 Production Credits The Fifth Season: Music: String Quartet No. 2 and “largo” from Palladio, used by arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., publisher and copyright holder. Costumes constructed by Birgit Pfeffer, Groveland, California. Handpainting by Connie Strayer, Los Altos, California. Le Corsaire pas de deux: Music: Le Corsaire pas de deux by Riccardo Drigo, Ludwig Minkus, Baron Boris Fitinhof-Schell, and Anton Simon. Pas de deux from After the Rain©: n/a. Pas de deux from in the middle, somewhat elevated: Music: Music by Thom Willems, used by arrangement with the composer. Costumes constructed by Jeffrey LaLonde. Solo: Music: Partita No. 1 in B Minor “Correnta” and “Double (presto)”; Recorded performance violinist: Sigiswald Kuijken, used by permission of BMG Classics, New York, New York. Costumes constructed by Ann Beck Dance and Specialty Costumes, San Francisco, California. Pas de deux from Don Quixote, Act III: Music: “Don Quixote” by Ludwig Minkus with added "Kitri's Variation" by Riccardo Drigo. Costumes constructed by Tricorne Inc., New York, New York; Boots by Pluma, Portland, Oregon.

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CONTACT: Kyra Jablonsky, 415.865.6603 kjablonsky@sfballet.org Rena Nishijima, 415.865.6610 rnishijima@sfballet.org

2017 REPERTORY SEASON LISTING

PROGRAM 1 HAFFNER SYMPHONY Mozart/Tomasson/Loquasto/Skelton WORLD PREMIERE BY JIŘÍ BUBENÍČEK* IN THE COUNTENANCE OF KINGS Stevens/Peck/Warren/Baker

Jan. 24 eve, 25 eve, 27 eve, 29 mat, Feb. 2 eve, 4 mat & eve PROGRAM 2 SEVEN SONATAS Scarlatti/Ratmansky/Hynes/Fields WORLD PREMIERE BY YURI POSSOKHOV*

PAS/PARTS 2016 Willems/Forsythe/Galloway

Jan. 26 eve, 28 mat & eve, 31 eve, Feb. 1 eve, 3 eve, 5 mat

PROGRAM 3 FULL-LENGTH PRODUCTION FRANKENSTEIN^+ Liebermann/Scarlett/Macfarlane/Finn/Ross Feb. 17 eve, 18 mat & eve, 19 mat, 21 eve, 22 eve, 23 eve, 25 eve, 26 mat PROGRAM 4 ALL-BALANCHINE PROGRAM STRAVINSKY VIOLIN CONCERTO Stravinsky/Balanchine/Pinkham after Bates PRODIGAL SON Prokofiev/Balanchine/Rouault/Rosenthal “DIAMONDS” Tchaikovsky/Balanchine March 7 eve, 8 eve, 10 eve, 12 mat, 16 eve, 18 mat & eve * World Premiere ^American Company Premiere +North American Premiere

2017 Repertory Season Calendar/Page 2 PROGRAM 5 FUSION Fitkin, Burman/Possokhov/ Pierce/Woodall/Ingalls

WORLD PREMIERE BY ARTHUR PITA* FEARFUL SYMMETRIES Adams/Scarlett/Morrell/Finn March 9 eve, 11 mat & eve, 14 eve, 15 eve, 17 eve, 19 mat PROGRAM 6 FULL-LENGTH PRODUCTION SWAN LAKE Tchaikovsky/Tomasson after Petipa, Ivanov/Fensom/Tipton/Ortel/Ward March 31 eve, April 1 mat & eve, 2 mat, 6 eve, 7 eve, 11 eve, 12 eve

PROGRAM 7 TRIO Tchaikovsky/Tomasson/Nichols/Zappone/ Dennis WORLD PREMIERE BY MYLES THATCHER* WITHIN THE GOLDEN HOUR© Bosso, Vivaldi/Wheeldon/Pakledinaz/Ingalls April 5 eve, 8 mat & eve, 9 mat, 13 eve, 14 eve, 18 eve PROGRAM 8 FULL-LENGTH PRODUCTION CINDERELLA Prokofiev/Wheeldon/Lucas/Crouch/Katz/ Twist/Brodie April 28 eve, 29 mat & eve, 30 mat, May 2 eve, 3 eve, 4 eve, 6 mat & eve, 7 mat * World Premiere ^American Company Premiere +North American Premiere

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SAN FRANCISCO BALLET ARTISTS OF THE COMPANY 2017 REPERTORY SEASON

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & PRINCIPAL CHOREOGRAPHER

Helgi Tomasson

PRINCIPAL DANCERS Dores André

Taras Domitro Jaime Garcia Castilla

Davit Karapetyan Carlos Quenedit Yuan Yuan Tan

Frances Chung Lorena Feijoo Tiit Helimets

Maria Kochetkova Aaron Robison

Sarah Van Patten Vanessa Zahorian

Carlo Di Lanno Mathilde Froustey

Luke Ingham Vitor Luiz

Sofiane Sylve Joseph Walsh

PRINCIPAL CHARACTER DANCERS

Ricardo Bustamante Val Caniparoli Anita Paciotti

Rubén Martín Cintas

SOLOISTS

Sasha De Sola Koto Ishihara

James Sofranko Anthony Vincent

Daniel Deivison Oliveira Francisco Mungamba

Jennifer Stahl Wei Wang

WanTing Zhao

Angelo Greco Julia Rowe

Lauren Strongin Hansuke Yamamoto

CORPS DE BALLET Gaetano Amico III Ludmila Bizalion Thamires Chuvas

Jahna Frantziskonis Jillian Harvey Blake Kessler

Lee Alex Meyer-Lorey Sean Orza

Alexander Reneff-Olson Skyla Schreter

Miranda Silveira Mingxuan Wang

Kamryn Baldwin Samantha Bristow

Diego Cruz Benjamin Freemantle Esteban Hernandez

Elizabeth Mateer Steven Morse

Lauren Parrott Rebecca Rhodes Natasha Sheehan

John-Paul Simoens Lonnie Weeks

Ami Yuki

Sean Bennett Max Cauthorn

Isabella DeVivo Jordan Hammond

Ellen Rose Hummel Norika Matsuyama

Kimberly Marie Olivier Elizabeth Powell

Emma Rubinowitz Henry Sidford

Myles Thatcher Maggie Weirich

APPRENTICES Alexandre Cagnat Nathaniel Remez

Shené Lazarus

Davide Occhipinti Isabella Walsh

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BALLET MASTER & ASSISTANT TO THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Ricardo Bustamante

BALLET MASTERS

Felipe Diaz Betsy Erickson Anita Paciotti Katita Waldo

COMPANY TEACHERS Helgi Tomasson Patrick Armand*

Ricardo Bustamante Felipe Diaz

CHOREOGRAPHER IN RESIDENCE

Yuri Possokhov

MUSIC DIRECTOR AND PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR Martin West

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*guest teacher

HISTORY OF SAN FRANCISCO BALLET

San Francisco Ballet, the oldest professional ballet company in America, has emerged as a world-class arts organization since it was founded as the San Francisco Opera Ballet in 1933. Initially, its primary purpose was to train dancers to appear in lavish, full-length opera productions. Willam Christensen arrived in 1938 and choreographed the Company’s first full-length production, Coppélia, the following year. In 1940, he staged the first American full-length production of Swan Lake and on Christmas Eve 1944, Christensen launched a national holiday tradition with the American premiere of Nutcracker—the first complete version of the ballet ever staged in the United States. In 1942, the Company became a completely separate entity from the opera and was renamed San Francisco Ballet. Willam Christensen was artistic director, and his brother Harold was appointed director of the San Francisco Ballet School, a position he retained for 33 years. A third brother, Lew Christensen, America’s first premier danseur, joined Willam as co-director in 1951, and took over the Company the following year. Under Lew’s direction, the Company made its East Coast debut at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in 1956 and toured 11 Asian nations the following year, marking the first performances by an American ballet company in Asia. In 1972, after performing in various San Francisco theaters, the Company settled permanently into the War Memorial Opera House for its annual residency. The following year, Michael Smuin was appointed associate artistic director and celebrated his new partnership with Lew Christensen by collaborating on a full-length production of Cinderella. In 1976, Smuin’s Romeo and Juliet became the first full-length ballet and the first performance by a West Coast company to be shown on the PBS television series Dance in America. In 1981, Smuin’s The Tempest—the first ballet broadcast live from the War Memorial Opera House—was nominated for three Emmy Awards (Willa Kim received the award for Outstanding Costume Design). Three years later, Smuin received an Emmy Award for Choreography for the Dance in America national broadcast of A Song for Dead Warriors. In 1974, SF Ballet faced bankruptcy, but its supporters and the community responded with an extraordinary grassroots effort called “Save Our Ballet,” which successfully brought the Company back from the brink. That same year, Dr. Richard E. LeBlond, Jr. was appointed president and general manager of SF Ballet. He developed the first long-range plan for an American dance company, and in 18 months the organization was in the black financially. Helgi Tomasson’s arrival as artistic director in July 1985 marked the beginning of a new era for SF Ballet. Like Lew Christensen, Tomasson was, for many years, a leading dancer for the most important ballet choreographer of the 20th century, George Balanchine.

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SF Ballet History/Page 2 Less than two years after Tomasson’s arrival, SF Ballet unveiled its fourth production of Nutcracker in December 1986. Tomasson has since staged acclaimed full-length productions of many classics, including Swan Lake (1988, 2009); The Sleeping Beauty (1990); Romeo & Juliet (1994); Giselle (1999); Don Quixote, co-staged with former Principal Dancer and current Choreographer in Residence Yuri Possokhov (2003); and Nutcracker (2004). In 1991, SF Ballet performed in New York City for the first time in 26 years, returning in 1993, 1995, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2008, and 2013. Following the initial tour, The New York Times proclaimed, “Mr. Tomasson has accomplished the unprecedented: He has pulled a so-called regional company into the national ranks, and he has done so by honing the dancers into a classical style of astonishing verve and purity. SF Ballet under Helgi Tomasson’s leadership is one of the spectacular success stories of the arts in America.” In May 1995, SF Ballet hosted 12 ballet companies from around the world for UNited We Dance: An International Festival, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter, which took place in the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco. Never before had a dance event brought together over 150 international artists for two weeks of creative exchange and inspiration. 2008 marked the Company’s 75th Anniversary Season, which culminated in a New Works Festival of 10 world premieres by 10 of the dance world’s most diverse and acclaimed choreographers including Julia Adam, Val Caniparoli, Jorma Elo, Margaret Jenkins, James Kudelka, Mark Morris, Yuri Possokhov, Paul Taylor, Stanton Welch, and Christopher Wheeldon. Other anniversary initiatives included a commemorative book, San Francisco Ballet at Seventy-Five; special exhibitions; an alumni reunion weekend; and the broadcast of Tomasson’s Nutcracker on PBS’s Great Performances Dance in America series, produced in partnership with KQED Public Television in San Francisco. In December 2011, the American premiere of John Neumeier’s The Little Mermaid, performed by SF Ballet, was broadcast internationally, as well as nationally on PBS’s Great Performances Dance in America. In 2015, Tomasson celebrated his 30th anniversary as artistic director of the Company, with the San Francisco Chronicle noting, “What Tomasson has done here over these three decades is to transform a respected regional American ballet company into an international-caliber organization that commands worldwide respect for the depth of its repertoire and its superb technical standards.” SF Ballet continues to enrich and expand its repertory and presents approximately 100 performances annually. The Company’s vast repertory includes works by Sir Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, David Bintley, August Bournonville, Val Caniparoli, Lew Christensen, Nacho Duato, Jorma Elo, William Forsythe, James Kudelka, Jirí Kylián, Lar Lubovitch, Wayne McGregor, Agnes de Mille, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Hans van Manen, Peter Martins, Mark Morris, Rudolf Nureyev, Justin Peck, Marius Petipa, Roland Petit, Yuri Possokhov, Alexei Ratmansky, Jerome Robbins, Liam Scarlett, Paul Taylor, Antony Tudor, and Christopher Wheeldon.

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SF Ballet History/Page 3 In recent years, the Company’s touring program has become increasingly ambitious. In fall 2008, as part of its year-long 75th Anniversary Celebration, SF Ballet embarked on a critically acclaimed four-city American tour with engagements at Chicago’s Harris Theater for Music and Dance, New York City Center, Southern California’s Segerstrom Center for the Arts, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. SF Ballet has also enjoyed frequent overseas tours, including engagements at prestigious venues such as the famed Opéra de Paris-Palais Garnier in Paris (1994, 2001) and Théâtre du Châtelet (2014); London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre (1999, 2004, 2012) and the Royal Opera House (2002); Athens’ Megaron Theatre (2002) and Herod Atticus Amphitheatre (2004); the Tivoli Garden Concert Hall in Copenhagen (1998, 2010); and the Edinburgh International Festival at the Edinburgh Playhouse (1997, 2003). In fall 2009, SF Ballet made its first trip to the People’s Republic of China, with performances in Shanghai and Beijing and in 2015, the Company returned to both cities as part of a two-week tour. The Company’s extensive touring program has garnered numerous accolades and awards. In 2005, SF Ballet won its first Laurence Olivier Award, for its 2004 fall season at Sadler’s Wells Theatre. Of the engagement, London’s Sunday Times proclaimed, “Helgi Tomasson’s outstanding artistic direction…has transformed a regional American troupe into one of the world’s top ballet companies.” In 2006, in a readers’ poll conducted by Dance Europe magazine, SF Ballet was the first non-European company to be voted “Company of the Year” by the publication. In 2008, SF Ballet received the Jerome Robbins Award for excellence in dance. In 2012, SF Ballet’s touring schedule included engagements in London and Washington, D.C., as well as first time visits to Hamburg, Moscow, and Sun Valley, Idaho. In fall 2013, the Company performed at New York’s David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, where The New York Times declared SF Ballet “a national treasure.” In July 2014, the Company toured to Paris as part of Les Etés de la Danse Festival, marking the 10th anniversary of its inaugural engagement with the festival. At Théâtre du Châtelet, SF Ballet presented over 20 works by 15 choreographers over a gala evening and 17 performances. Of the tour, The Financial Times remarked, “Where ballet goes from here is anyone’s guess, but as dancers and choreographers continue to flock to Tomasson, the tell-tale signs may well be found in California.” Highlights of SF Ballet’s 2016 Season include the North American premiere of Forsythe’s Pas/Parts; the Company’s first work by Justin Peck; and three full-length ballets including Tomasson’s acclaimed Swan Lake, Balanchine/Danilova’s Coppélia, and Cranko’s Onegin.

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SF Ballet History/Page 4 The San Francisco Ballet School, overseen by Tomasson and the School’s Associate Director Patrick Armand, attracts students from around the world, training approximately 350 annually. In addition to filling the ranks of SF Ballet, graduates have gone on to join distinguished ballet companies throughout the world.

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HELGI TOMASSON

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & PRINCIPAL CHOREOGRAPHER

Helgi Tomasson has held the position of artistic director for San Francisco Ballet since July 1985. Since then, the Company has evolved from a respected regional troupe to an international company praised for its broad repertory, dancers of uncommon range and skill, and a vision that continually sets the standard for the international dance world. San Francisco Ballet is dancing better than it has at any point in its history. As a choreographer, teacher, and coach, Tomasson has fostered an uncompromising classicism that has become the bedrock of the Company’s training. The dancers are energized and inspired by this rigorous training and continue to rise to new heights with each passing year. Born in Reykjavik, Iceland, Tomasson began his early ballet training there with an Icelandic teacher and then joined the National Theatre’s affiliated school, which was led by Danish instructors Erik and Lisa Bidsted. At 15, the emerging dancer began his professional career with the celebrated Pantomime Theatre in Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens. Two years later, Jerome Robbins met Tomasson and, impressed by his dancing, arranged a scholarship for him to study at the School of American Ballet in New York City. Soon after, Tomasson began his professional career with The Joffrey Ballet and two years later joined The Harkness Ballet. Over the next six years, he became one of the company’s most celebrated principal dancers. In 1969, Tomasson entered the First International Ballet Competition in Moscow as a United States representative and returned with the Silver Medal (the Gold Medal was awarded to Mikhail Baryshnikov). The following year, Tomasson joined New York City Ballet as a principal dancer and over the course of his career became one of the finest classical dancers of his era. He was one of the foremost interpreters of George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, and both men created several roles expressly for him. In 1982, Tomasson choreographed his first ballet for the School of American Ballet Workshop, which elicited encouragement from Balanchine to continue choreographing. In 1985, Tomasson accepted the invitation from SF Ballet to become artistic director of America’s oldest professional ballet company, drawing to a close a glorious performing career. Since assuming this role, Tomasson has choreographed over 40 ballets, including stunning full-length productions of Don Quixote (co-staged by Yuri Possokhov), Giselle, Romeo & Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty, and two productions of Swan Lake (1988 and 2009). His intricate and varied works, such as 7 for Eight, Chi-Lin, Concerto Grosso, The Fifth Season, Handel—a Celebration, Meistens Mozart, Nanna’s Lied, and Sonata, showcase the unique qualities of individual dancers. Tomasson’s Prism, which debuted in 2000 at New York City Ballet, received rave reviews and was deemed a “triumph” by The New York Times. In 2004, his new production of

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Tomasson/Page 2 Nutcracker, created in collaboration with an internationally recognized design team, debuted to enthusiastic critic and audience response. The New York Times proclaimed, “This is a Nutcracker on a grand scale…striking, elegant and beautiful.” On December 17, 2008, Tomasson’s Nutcracker was broadcast nationally on Great Performances on PBS, in partnership with KQED Public Television in San Francisco. The strong classical base instilled by Tomasson enables the dancers to effortlessly navigate a myriad of styles by a range of internationally distinguished choreographers. Those invited by Tomasson to create works on the Company have included David Bintley, Val Caniparoli, Jorma Elo, William Forsythe, James Kudelka, Lar Lubovitch, Mark Morris, Justin Peck, Yuri Possokhov, Alexei Ratmansky, Paul Taylor, Stanton Welch, and Christopher Wheeldon. Tomasson has also continued to expand SF Ballet’s repertory through acquiring works by renowned choreographers such as Sir Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, August Bournonville, Michel Fokine, Hans van Manen, Wayne McGregor, Sir Kenneth McMillan, Agnes de Mille, Nacho Duato, Flemming Flindt, Roland Petit, Jerome Robbins, and Antony Tudor, among others. Tomasson’s own works have been performed by New York City Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Houston Ballet, Alberta Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, Ballet Estable del Teatro Colón, and Asami Maki Ballet. In Denmark, Tomasson’s 1993 staging of The Sleeping Beauty was the most lavish production ever produced in the Royal Danish Ballet’s history and was filmed for Danish public television in April 1995. Under Tomasson’s direction, SF Ballet has toured the world, receiving praise for its purity and verve. Engagements in China (2009, 2015), Copenhagen (1998, 2010), London (1999, 2001, 2004, 2012), Moscow (2012), New York City (1991, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2013), and Paris (1989, 1994, 2001, 2005, 2014) are among the highlights of the Company’s history. For the Company’s 2004 London engagement, SF Ballet won the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award, its first, in the category of Outstanding Achievement in Dance. Of the tour, The Guardian (UK) noted, “As director of SF Ballet, Helgi Tomasson has started to acquire an aura of infallibility, his expertise in laying down repertory, and in balancing great evenings of dance, is held in envy by the rest of the profession.” Tomasson’s vision, commitment, and dedication to the art of classical dance were demonstrated when he conceived UNited We Dance: An International Festival, produced in San Francisco in May 1995. Created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter, it included 12 international companies of the highest caliber that Tomasson had invited to present new works created by native choreographers. Never before had a dance event brought together over 150 artists for an unprecedented two weeks of creative exchange and inspiration. In spring 2008, as part of its yearlong 75th anniversary celebration, SF Ballet presented a New Works Festival of 10 world premieres by 10 of the dance world’s most diverse and acclaimed choreographers. The festival was called “ambitious and unprecedented” by The Washington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle hailed it as a “daring onslaught of fresh work… this is what the

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Tomasson/Page 3 ballet world needs now.” Tomasson’s achievements have garnered him numerous awards and honors, and he has participated as a judge for ballet competitions in Italy, Russia, France, Finland, and Japan. During the 1970s in his homeland of Iceland, he was named a Knight of the Order of the Falcon for his achievements as a dancer. In 1989, he received Dance Bay Area’s Isadora Duncan Award for his outstanding choreography of Swan Lake. In June 1990, Tomasson was named Commander of the Order of the Falcon by then-President of Iceland Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, for his continuous achievements in the arts. In recognition of his artistic excellence, Tomasson received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement in 1992. That same year, he received the Dance Magazine Award in recognition of his contributions to the dance world. In 1995, Tomasson joined the Artistic Advisory Board of The Ballet Theatre in Prague, directed by Jana Kurová. Also in 1995, Tomasson was honored with the Cultural Award of The American-Scandinavian Foundation. In 1996, he was presented with a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, from Dominican College of San Rafael, in recognition of his value as a role model, his extraordinary career, and his community-service accomplishments. That same year, he was awarded the Isadora Duncan Special Award for UNited We Dance: An International Festival. In 2012, he was named recipient of the Dance/USA Honor, acknowledging individuals’ contributions to dance in America and the role they play in the national dance community. Currently, Tomasson serves on the Board of Directors of the School of American Ballet and the Artistic Committee for the New York Choreographic Institute, and has served as a member of the National Endowment for the Arts Dance Advisory Panel. In May 2001, Tomasson was granted the rank of Officier in the French Order of Arts and Letters, established in 1957 to recognize those who have contributed significantly to furthering the arts in France and throughout the world. Hugues Gall, then director of the Opéra National de Paris, presented the award in a ceremony attended by the President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grimsson, following SF Ballet’s triumphant opening at the Palais Garnier. In spring 2002, the Board of Trustees of New York’s Juilliard School unanimously voted to bestow an honorary doctoral degree upon Tomasson, as one of five doctorates given annually in different artistic disciplines. In 2005, Tomasson was awarded the prestigious Lew Christensen Medal in honor of his 20th anniversary as artistic director of SF Ballet. In spring 2007, Tomasson won a sustained achievement award from the Isadora Duncan Dance Awards, also in recognition of his distinguished, ongoing tenure as artistic director. In May of the same year, during a tour to Iceland’s Reykjavik Arts Festival, Grimsson awarded Tomasson the Grand Cross Star of the Order of the Falcon, the country’s most prestigious honor. In 2008, he was awarded the Commonwealth Club of California’s Distinguished Citizen Award. In January 2010, the Company’s Opening Night Gala, Silver Celebration, honored Tomasson’s remarkable achievements to date.

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Tomasson/Page 4 In 2015, on the occasion of his 30th anniversary as artistic director of the Company, the San Francisco Chronicle noted, “What Tomasson has done here over these three decades is to transform a respected regional American ballet company into an international-caliber organization that commands worldwide respect for the depth of its repertoire and its superb technical standards.” In addition to his role as artistic director and principal choreographer of the Company, Tomasson is the director of the San Francisco Ballet School. For Tomasson, the School is central to the life and development of the Company. Just as he expects the finest dancing and most meticulous attention to detail from his dancers, he demands the highest standards for training the students in the School. Tomasson lives in San Francisco with his wife, Marlene, who was dancing with The Joffrey Ballet when they met. They have two sons, Erik and Kris.

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HELGI TOMASSON ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & PRINCIPAL CHOREOGRAPHER

REPERTORY

Choreographed for San Francisco Ballet:

Caprice (2014)

Trio (2011)

Swan Lake (2009)

On a Theme of Paganini (2008)

On Common Ground (2007)

Blue Rose (2006)

The Fifth Season (2006)

Bagatelles (2005)

Nutcracker (2004)

7 for Eight (2004)

Don Quixote (2003)

Concerto Grosso (2003)

Chi-Lin (2002)

Bartok Divertimento (2002)

Chaconne for Piano and Two Dancers (1999)

Giselle (1999)

Silver Ladders (1998)

Two Bits (1998)

Twilight (1998)

Criss-Cross (1997)

Pandora Dance (1997)

Soirées Musicales (1996)

Tuning Game (1995)

Sonata (1995)

When We No Longer Touch (1995)

Quartette (1994)

Romeo & Juliet (1994)

Nanna’s Lied (1993)

Le Quattro Stagioni (The Four Seasons) (1992)

Forevermore (1992)

Two plus Two (1992)

Aurora Polaris (1991)

Meistens Mozart (1991)

“Haffner” Symphony (1991)

The Sleeping Beauty (1990)

Con Brio (1990)

Valses Poeticos (1990)

Handel—a Celebration (1989)

Swan Lake (1988)

Intimate Voices (1987)

Bizet pas de deux (1987)

Concerto in d: Poulenc (1986)

Confidencias (1986)

Additional Ballets: Prism (2000), choreographed for New York City Ballet “Much Ado…” (1999), choreographed for Alberta Ballet Simple Symphony (1996), choreographed for SF Ballet School Showcase. Beads of Memory (1985), choreographed in 1985 for Houston Ballet Little Waltz (1985), choreographed for New York City Ballet’s Gala on students of School of American Ballet Menuetto (1984), choreographed for New York City Ballet Contredanses (1984), choreographed in 1984 for Finis Jhung’s Chamber Ballet USA Ballet d’Isoline (1983), choreographed for School of American Ballet Giuliani: Variations on a Theme (1982), choreographed for School of American Ballet

WILLIAM FORSYTHE

CHOREOGRAPHER

William Forsythe is recognized as one of the world’s foremost choreographers. His work is acknowledged for reorienting the practice of ballet from its identification with classical repertoire to a dynamic 21st century art form. Forsythe’s deep interest in the fundamental principles of organization has led him to produce a wide range of projects including installations, films, and web-based knowledge creation. Raised in New York and initially trained in Florida with Nolan Dingman and Christa Long, Forsythe danced with the Joffrey Ballet and later the Stuttgart Ballet, where he was appointed Resident Choreographer in 1976. Over the next seven years, he created new works for the Stuttgart ensemble and ballet companies in Munich, The Hague, London, Basel, Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, Paris, New York, and San Francisco. In 1984, he began a 20-year tenure as director of the Ballet Frankfurt, where he created works such as Artifact (1984), Impressing the Czar (1988), Limb’s Theorem (1990), The Loss of Small Detail (1991, in collaboration with composer Thom Willems and designer Issey Miyake), A L I E / N A(C)TION (1992), Eidos:Telos (1995), Endless House (1999), Kammer/Kammer (2000), and Decreation (2003).

After the closure of the Ballet Frankfurt in 2004, Forsythe established a new, more independent ensemble. The Forsythe Company, founded with the support of the states of Saxony and Hesse, the cities of Dresden and Frankfurt am Main, and private sponsors, is based in Dresden and Frankfurt am Main and maintains an extensive international touring schedule. Works produced by the new ensemble include Three Atmospheric Studies (2005), You made me a monster (2005), Human Writes (2005), Heterotopia (2006), The Defenders (2007), Yes we can’t (2008/2010), I don’t believe in outer space (2008), The Returns (2009) and Sider (2011). Forsythe’s most recent works are developed and performed exclusively by The Forsythe Company, while his earlier pieces are prominently featured in the repertoire of virtually every major ballet company in the world, including the Mariinsky Ballet, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, England’s Royal Ballet, and the Paris Opera Ballet.

Awards received by Forsythe and his ensembles include the New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Award (1988, 1998, 2004, 2007) and London’s Laurence Olivier Award (1992, 1999, 2009). Forsythe has been conveyed the title of Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres (1999) by the government of France and has received the German Distinguished Service Cross (1997), the Wexner Prize (2002) the Golden Lion of the Venice Biennale (2010), and the Samuel H Scripps / American Dance Festival Award for Lifetime Achievement (2012) and the Swedish Carina Ari Medal (2014).

Forsythe has been commissioned to produce architectural and performance installations by architect-artist Daniel Libeskind (Groningen, 1989), ARTANGEL (London, 1997), Creative Time (New York, 2005), and the SKD – Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (2013, 2014). His installation and film works have been presented in numerous museums and exhibitions,

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including the Whitney Biennial (New York, 1997), Festival d’ Avignon (2005, 2011), the Louvre Museum (2006), Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich (2006), 21_21 Design Sight in Tokyo (2007), the Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus (2009), Tate Modern (London, 2009), the

Hayward Gallery, (London 2010), MoMA (New York 2010), ICA Boston (2011), and the Venice Biennale (2005, 2009, 2012, 2014).

In collaboration with media specialists and educators, Forsythe has developed new approaches to dance documentation, research, and education. His 1994 computer application Improvisation Technologies: A Tool for the Analytical Dance Eye, developed with the ZKM/ Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe, is used as a teaching tool by professional companies, dance conservatories, universities, postgraduate architecture programs and secondary schools worldwide. 2009 marked the launch of “Synchronous Objects for One Flat Thing—reproduced,” a digital online score developed with The Ohio State University that reveals the organizational principles of the choreography and demonstrates their possible application within other disciplines. “Synchronous Objects” is the pilot project for Forsythe’s Motion Bank, a research platform focused on the creation and research of online digital scores in collaboration with guest choreographers.

As an educator, Forsythe is regularly invited to lecture and give workshops at universities and cultural institutions. In 2002, Forsythe was chosen as one the founding Dance Mentor for The Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. Forsythe is an Honorary Fellow at the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance in London and holds an Honorary Doctorate from The Juilliard School in New York. Forsythe is also a current A.D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University (2009-2015) and as of fall 2015, Professor of Dance and Artistic Advisor for the USC Choreographic Institute.

Mr. Forsythe has been appointed Associate Choreographer with the Paris Opera Ballet as of fall 2015.

Biography courtesy of USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance.

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HANS VAN MANEN

CHOREOGRAPHER Hans van Manen's international fame is widespread, illustrated by the fact that his ballets are performed by more than fifty companies worldwide. The international stars who have performed his ballets include Anthony Dowell, Marcia Haydée, Natalia Makarova, and Rudolf Nureyev. To date, Van Manen has created more than 120 ballets. Besides being a choreographer, Hans van Manen has been active as a photographer for ten years. His work has been included in international books and exhibitions. Van Manen received his first ballet lessons in the late forties from Sonia Gaskell who engaged him in her group Ballet Recital in 1951. Van Manen went on to dance with the Netherlands Opera Ballet and Roland Petit's Ballets de Paris. In 1957, he made his debut as a choreographer with the ballet Feestgericht, which received the State Award for Choreography. From 1961 onwards, van Manen alternated between the Netherlands’ two main dance companies. After co-directing Nederlands Dans Theater, he became a resident choreographer at the Dutch National Ballet. He has held the post of resident choreographer with the Dutch National Ballet since 2005. In 2007, the Dutch National Ballet organized the Hans van Manen Festival to celebrate the choreographer’s 75th birthday. During the festival, van Manen was made a commander in the Order of the Netherlands Lion. In June 2013, he was appointed honorary patron of the National Ballet Academy (part of the Amsterdam School of the Arts). In August 2013, he received the Golden Age Award. Since January 2015 he has been a member of the Dutch Academie for Arts. Biography courtesy of Dutch National Ballet.

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MARIUS PETIPA

CHOREOGRAPHER Marius Petipa, the "father of classical ballet," was born in Marseilles, France, in 1819. He began his dance training at the age of seven with his father, Jean Petipa, the French dancer and teacher. Marius was educated at the Grand College in Brussels and also attended the conservatoire, where he studied music. Although he disliked dancing in those early years, his progress was so great that he made his debut in 1831 in his father's production of Gardel's La Dansomanie. In 1834 Jean Petipa became Maitre de Ballet at the theatre in Bordeaux and it was here that Marius completed his education. At the age of sixteen, he became premier danseur at the theatre in Nantes, where he also produced several short ballets. In 1839 Marius left Nantes to tour North America with his father, and on their return visit went to Paris. The following year he made his debut at the Comedie Francaise, where he partnered Carlotte Grisi in a benefit performance. He continued his studies with A. Vestris and became a principal dancer in Bordeaux. Petipa next went to Spain in 1845, to work at the King's Theatre. While in Madrid, he studied Spanish dance and choreographed Carmen et son Terero, La Perle de Seville, L'Aventure d'une fille de Madrid, La Fleur de Grenade, and Depart Dour la Course des Toureaux. Petipa returned to Paris as a principal dancer, but in 1847 left for Russia. He had signed a one-year contract with the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatre, but was to remain there for the rest of his life. As a principal dancer, Petipa often appeared with Fanny Elssler and was much acclaimed for his performances in such ballets as Paquita (which he restaged and in which made his debut), Giselle, La Peri, Armida, Catarina, Le Delire d'un peintre, Esmeralda, Le Corsaire and Faust. Considered an excellent dancer and partner, his acting, stage manners and pantomime were held up as examples for many generations of dancers. When Giselle was revived in 1850, Petipa made some changes in the Wilis scenes, which became the Grand Pas des Wilis of 1884. In 1854, he married Maria Sourovshchikova, a student in the graduating class of the Imperial School, who later danced in many of her husband's ballets. (Petipa's second marriage was to Lubova Leonidovna, a member of the Moscow Ballet, in 1882.) In 1854 he became an instructor in the school, while continuing to dance and to restage ballets from the French repertoire. Sources differ on the first original work he staged for the Imperial Theatre: some state it was cc

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Petipa/Page 2 The Star of Granada, others that it was A Marriage During Regency. But all sources concur that his first great success was The Daughter of Pharoh (staged in six weeks), which resulted in his appointment as Choreographer-in-Chief in 1862 – a position he held for nearly fifty years. In 1869 Petipa became Premier Ballet Master of the Imperial Theatre. The value of his accomplishments is inestimable: he produced more than sixty full-evening ballets and innumerable shorter works and he is considered to have laid the foundation for the entire school of Russian ballet. The ballet repertoire in the Soviet Union is still based mainly on his works. Those who felt the dramatic content of ballet should be strengthened began to oppose Petipa toward the end of his career. His noble classicism and consciousness of form was considered old-fashioned, and in 1903, at age 84, Petipa was forced to retire from the Imperial Theatre as a direct result of the failure of his ballet, The Magic Mirror. His last years were filled with bitterness and disillusionment because his beloved theatre had been taken away. He died in St. Petersburg in 1910. Marius Petipa is considered one of the greatest choreographers of all time. He researched the subject matter of the ballets he staged, making careful and detailed preparations for each production, and then worked closely with the designer and composer. Petipa elevated the Russian ballet to international fame and laid the cornerstone for 20th Century ballet. His classicism integrated the purity of the French school with Italian virtuosity. Biography courtesy of American Ballet Theatre.

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YURI POSSOKHOV

CHOREOGRAPHER IN RESIDENCE

After receiving his dance training at the Moscow Ballet School, Yuri Possokhov danced with the Bolshoi Ballet for ten years, working primarily with Ballet Master Yuri Grigorovich. During this decade, he was promoted through the ranks to principal dancer. In 1992, he joined the Royal Danish Ballet as a principal dancer, at the invitation of Ballet Master Frank Andersen. The following December, Possokhov was cast as Prince Desiré in Helgi Tomasson’s The Sleeping Beauty and after being invited to perform in SF Ballet’s opening night gala, he moved West. In 1994, he joined SF Ballet as a principal dancer. In 1999, Possokhov organized and performed in a Russian tour entitled “Ballet Beyond Borders.” Sixteen dancers from SF Ballet performed on the tour, which traveled to cities throughout Russia. As a choreographer, Possokhov’s credits include Songs of Spain, choreographed in 1997 for former SF Ballet Principal Dancer Muriel Maffre; A Duet for Two, created the same year for former SF Ballet Principal Dancer Joanna Berman; and Impromptu Scriabin, for former SF Ballet Soloist Felipe Diaz. In 2000 he completed a new work for a dancer at the Mariinsky Ballet, as well as 5 Mazurkas for the Marin Dance Theatre. Possokhov’s Magrittomania, a work inspired by the paintings of René Magritte, was commissioned for SF Ballet’s Discovery Program in 2000, and in April 2001, Possokhov received an Isadora Duncan Dance Award for outstanding choreography for the work. In 2001, for the “Stars on Ice” Program, Possokhov choreographed a routine for ice skaters Renée Roca and Gorsha Sur to “ne me quitte pas” by Nina Simone. For the 2002 Repertory Season, Possokhov created Damned, based on Euripides’ play Medea, which the Company also took on tour to New York City Center in fall 2002. In 2003, Possokhov collaborated with Tomasson on a new staging of the full-length Don Quixote, which was also performed on subsequent seasons and on tour to Los Angeles and Paris. Possokhov’s Study in Motion, set to the music of Alexander Scriabin, premiered on the Company’s 2004 Repertory Season, and was also performed on tour to London that same year and during the following season. Also in 2004, Possokhov’s Firebird premiered at Oregon Ballet Theatre to critical acclaim, and the following year, he created another work for the company, La Valse. For SF Ballet’s 2005 Repertory Season, Possokhov created Reflections, set to the music of Felix Mendelssohn. In February 2006, the Bolshoi Ballet premiered Possokhov’s Cinderella and it was subsequently performed by the company in London and Washington, D.C. In spring 2006, Possokhov created Ballet Mori, which marked San Francisco’s earthquake centennial, in collaboration with Maffre.

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Possokhov/Page 2 Possokhov was named SF Ballet choreographer in residence in May 2006, following his retirement from the Company. In November 2006, Berman and SF Ballet Principal Dancer Damian Smith premiered Possokhov’s Once More, set to the music of César Franck, for the New Century Chamber Orchestra Gala, presented at San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre. On Program 2 of the 2007 Repertory Season, Possokhov’s Firebird had its SF Ballet premiere. In addition, Possokhov collaborated with Maffre on Bitter Tears, a new work presented on the 2007 Gala. In February 2008, The Georgia State Ballet gave the American premiere of Possokhov’s one-act work, Sagalobeli, which was performed on the company’s first-ever American tour. In 2008, the Georgia State Balelt gave the American premiere of his one-act work, Sagalobeli. In 2008, Possokhov’s Fusion premiered as part of SF Ballet’s 75th anniversary New Works Festival, and a year later, the Company premiered Diving into the Lilacs. During the 2010 Repertory Season, Possokhov’s Classical Symphony debuted to critical and audience acclaim. Recent work includes Bells for The Joffrey Ballet, which premiered in May 2011; a pas de deux entitled Talk to Her (hable con ella) for SF Ballet’s 2011 Opening Night Gala; RAkU, which premiered on Program 2 of the 2011 Repertory Season; and an all-new production of Don Quixote for The Joffrey Ballet in fall 2011. In 2012, SF Ballet premiered Possokhov’s Francesca da Rimini and a year later, the Company debuted his version of The Rite of Spring. His most recent ballet for SF Ballet, Swimmer, received audience and critical acclaim when it premiered during the 2015 Repertory Season. In July 2015, his full-length ballet A Hero of our Time, based on the Lermontov novel and set to music by Ilya Demutsky, debuted at the Bolshoi Ballet.

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CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON

CHOREOGRAPHER Christopher Wheeldon trained at The Royal Ballet School and joined The Royal Ballet in 1991. In 1993, he joined New York City Ballet and was promoted to Soloist in 1998. He served as NYCB’s first-ever Artist in Residence in 2000-2001 and was named NYCB’s first Resident Choreographer in July 2001. Christopher has created productions for all the world’s major ballet companies including: New York City Ballet, The Royal Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, and National Ballet of Canada. In 2007, Wheeldon founded Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company and was appointed an Associate Artist for Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London. For the Metropolitan Opera he choreographed Dance of the Hours for La Gioconda (2006) and Richard Eyre’s production of Carmen (2012), as well as ballet sequences for the feature film Center Stage (2000) and Sweet Smell of Success on Broadway (2002). In 2014 Christopher directed and choreographed the musical version of An American in Paris which premiered in Paris in 2014 at the Théâtre du Châtelet. The Broadway production premiered at the Palace Theatre on April 12, 2015 and won Christopher the 2015 Tony Award for Best Choreography and Outer Critics Award for Best Choreography and Direction. His awards include the Martin E. Segal Award from Lincoln Center, the American Choreography Award, a Dance Magazine Award, and the London Critic’s Circle Award for best new ballet for Polyphonia. In 2013 and 2015, his production of Cinderella and The Winter’s Tale won the Benois De La Danse. Christopher was also an Olivier award winner for Aeternum and for A Winter’s Tale, as well as the 2014 Leonard Massine Prize for choreography.

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SAN FRANCISCO BALLET ORCHESTRA HISTORY

40th ANNIVERSARY

The San Francisco Ballet Orchestra has been internationally recognized as one of the foremost ballet orchestras in the world. Since its 1975 performance debut accompanying SF Ballet in Nutcracker under Music Director Denis de Coteau, the Orchestra’s home has been the War Memorial Opera House. At that time, the ensemble was called the Performing Arts Orchestra of San Francisco. Later, in 1983, the name was officially changed to the SF Ballet Orchestra.

With a core group of 49 regular members, augmented up to 65 players for certain productions, the Orchestra’s performance season includes an annual production of Nutcracker and a winter/spring season. The Orchestra’s repertoire varies from classics such as Swan Lake and Giselle, to the more abstract and contemporary of ballet and symphonic works. Over the years, the Orchestra has accompanied such prestigious ballet companies as American Ballet Theatre, Paris Opéra Ballet, National Ballet of Cuba, The Royal Ballet, The Royal Danish Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, and Paul Taylor Dance Company.

Apart from the regular Ballet season, the Orchestra’s skill and artistry have been frequently featured in a number of well-received orchestral performances. The first such concert was a 1979 program highlighting works by Haydn, Ives, and Vivaldi at San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre, with Jean-Louis LeRoux conducting. Subsequent concerts have included a performance at the War Memorial Opera House on April 24, 2005, led by former Music Director Andrew Mogrelia, to celebrate the Orchestra’s 30th anniversary. This program included Stravinsky’s Divertimento: The Fairy’s Kiss; Strauss’ Oboe Concerto, featuring oboe soloist Liang Wang; and Schumann’s Symphony No. 2. In 2013 and 2014, members of the Orchestra performed in a series of chamber music concerts presented by the Piedmont Piano Company in Oakland. Individual members of the Orchestra also regularly perform with such notable San Francisco Bay Area groups as the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera Orchestra, Bay Brass, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Earplay, Ensemble San Francisco, Eos Ensemble, Gold Coast Chamber Players, Farallon Quintet, New Century Chamber Orchestra, and Stanford Woodwind Quintet.

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SF Ballet Orchestra History/Page 2

Since its first recording in 1981 of Paul Chihara’s The Tempest, the Orchestra has established an extensive discography that has been critically acclaimed. Of the more recent recordings, the score for choreographer Yuri Possokhov’s ballet RAkU (2011) is credited to a renowned composer within the Orchestra’s own ranks, double bassist Shinji Eshima. Most recently in 2016, they received two Grammy Awards for their work in an album titled Ask Your Mama, a multimedia recording based on Langston Hughes’ poem of the same name.

The Orchestra has also appeared in numerous televised recordings for the PBS television series Great Performances: Dance in America. This includes John Neumeier’s The Little Mermaid, Lar Lubovitch’s Othello, SF Ballet Artistic Director & Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcracker, and Emmy-winning Director/ Choreographer Michael Smuin’s productions, The Tempest, Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet, and A Song for Dead Warriors. In 2015, the Orchestra appeared in Lincoln Center at the Movies: Great American Dance for their performance in Tomasson’s Romeo & Juliet, which was shown in select movie theaters internationally.

In addition to their role as performers, many of the Orchestra’s musicians maintain faculty positions at some of the most prestigious universities and conservatories in the San Francisco Bay Area. This list includes the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, San Francisco State University, Stanford University, the University of California at Berkeley, and the University of California at Davis, to name a few.

The musicians’ role as mentors is also recognized by their active involvement in the GRAMMY Foundation’s student program, Grammy in the Schools. This nationwide program consists of a series of workshops that enable high school students to gain real-world experience alongside professional musicians. As the only symphonic orchestra to participate in this program, a particular highlight of this event has been a workshop called Side-by-Side with the Ballet Orchestra. As the name suggests, this workshop has provided a unique opportunity for orchestral students to perform with the SF Ballet Orchestra, under the direction of Music Director & Principal Conductor Martin West.

Milestones in the Orchestra’s History

1975 – Denis de Coteau is appointed music director and principal conductor.

1975 – The Orchestra has its performance debut with SF Ballet’s Nutcracker, originally credited as the Performing Arts Orchestra of SF.

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SF Ballet Orchestra History/Page 3

1978 – The SF Ballet tours to New York, where critic Byron Belt hails the Orchestra as “one of the best in the business.”

1979 – The Orchestra presents its first orchestral concert in a program that included works by Haydn, Ives, and Vivaldi at Herbst Theatre in San Francisco.

1983 – The name of the Orchestra is officially changed to the SF Ballet Orchestra.

1984 – The 1984 Olympics Opening Ceremony features a performance by SF Ballet with the SF Ballet Orchestra at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.

1995 – The Orchestra accompanies 12 ballet companies from around the world for UNited We Dance: An International Festival, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter.

2005 – SF Ballet Orchestra celebrates its 30th anniversary with a special concert at the War Memorial Opera House, under the direction of former Music Director & Principal Conductor Andrew Mogrelia (April 24).

2012 – Members of the Orchestra accompany SF Ballet on its first tour to Sun Valley, Idaho for the Sun Valley Summer of the Arts Festival in July 2012.

2014 – Roy Malan retires after serving 40 years as concertmaster with the Orchestra.

2015 – The Orchestra celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Music Directors and Principal Conductors Denis de Coteau – 1975-1998 Emil de Cou – 1998-2001 Jean-Louis LeRoux – 2001-2003 Andrew Mogrelia – 2003-2005 Martin West – 2005-present

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SAN FRANCISCO BALLET ORCHESTRA 40th ANNIVERSARY DISCOGRAPHY & DVDS

The San Francisco Ballet Orchestra has been internationally recognized as one of the world’s finest ballet orchestras. Founded in October 1975, the Orchestra has played for numerous recordings including the following (in order of most recent release): CDs Ask Your Mama Based on the Langston Hughes poem Composer: Laura Karpman Label: Avie Records, recorded at Skywalker Sound, Marin County, California Release Date: July 3, 2015 Conductor: George Manahan Soloists/Orchestra: Janai Brugger, soprano; Black Thought and Questlove of The Roots; Nnenna Freelon; Angela Brown, soprano; Medusa, SF Ballet Orchestra Available on: Amazon, Avie Records, iTunes Clarinet Concerti No. 1 & 2, Concertino for Clarinet in E flat major Composer: Carl Maria von Weber Label: Bridge Records, recorded at Skywalker Sound, Marin County, California Release Date: October 8, 2013 Conductor: Martin West Soloist/Orchestra: Alexander Fiterstein (clarinet), SF Ballet Orchestra Available on: Amazon, Arkiv Music, iTunes Symphony in C, Jeux D’enfants, Variations Chromatiques Composer: Georges Bizet Label: Reference Recordings, recorded at Skywalker Sound, Marin County, California Release Date: September 10, 2013 Conductor: Martin West Orchestra/Ensemble: SF Ballet Orchestra Available on: Amazon, Arkiv Music, Reference Recordings Tom Sawyer: A Ballet in Three Acts Composer: Maury Yeston Label: PS Classics, recorded at Skywalker Sound, Marin County, California Release Date: August 27, 2013 Conductor: Martin West Orchestra/Ensemble: SF Ballet Orchestra Available on: Amazon, PS Classics

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SF Ballet Orchestra Discography/Page 2 Triple Concerto in C Major, Op. 56/Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 1 No. 1 Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven Label: Bridge Records, recorded at Skywalker Sound, Marin County, California Release Date: December 11, 2012 Conductor: Martin West Orchestra/Ensemble: Claremont Trio (Emily Bruskin, violin; Julia Bruskin, cello; Andrea Lam, piano), SF Ballet Orchestra Available on: Amazon, Arkiv Music, iTunes Sylvia/Coppélia Extended Suites from the Ballets Composer: Léo Delibes Label: Reference Recordings, recorded at Skywalker Sound, Marin County, California Release Date: March 13, 2012 Conductor: Martin West Orchestra/Ensemble: SF Ballet Orchestra Available on: Amazon, Arkiv Music, Reference Recordings RAkU Composer: Shinji Eshima Label: SF Ballet, rcorded at Skywalker Sound, Marin County, California Release Date: March 13, 2012 Conductor: Martin West Orchestra/Ensemble: Chanters of the San Francisco Zen Center, SF Ballet Orchestra Available on: Amazon, CD Universe, SF Ballet Shop My First Ballet Collection Composers: Various Label: Opus Arte Release Date: October 27, 2009 Conductors: Stewart Kershaw, Valeriy Ovsyanikov, Anthony Twiner, Martin West Orchestra/Ensemble: BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Opera House Covent Garden Orchestra, SF Ballet Orchestra Available on: Amazon Russian Masterpieces for Cello and Orchestra Composers: Dmitri Shostakovich, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Label: Telarc, recorded at Skywalker Sound, Marin County, California Release Date: January 27, 2009 Conductor: Martin West Soloist/Orchestra: Zuill Bailey (cello), SF Ballet Orchestra Available on: Amazon, iTunes

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SF Ballet Orchestra Discography/Page 3 The Nutcracker Op. 71 Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Label: Koch International Classics, recorded at Skywalker Sound, Marin County, California Release Date: October 14, 2008 Conductor: Martin West Orchestra/Ensemble: San Francisco Boys Chorus, SF Ballet Orchestra Available on: Amazon, San Francisco Ballet Shop The Dinner Music Series: The Nutcracker Ballet Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Label: Menus & Music/O’Brien Enterprises Release Date: 2005 Conductor: Denis de Coteau Orchestra/Ensemble: SF Ballet Orchestra Available on: Menus & Music Debussy Rediscovered, Premiere Orchestral Recordings Composer: Claude Debussy Label: Arabesque Records, recorded at Skywalker Sound, Marin County, California Release Date: March 7, 2000 Conductor: Emil de Cou Orchestra/Ensemble: SF Ballet Orchestra Available on: Amazon Handel, Schoenberg, Spohr & Elgar – Works for String Quartet & Orchestra Composers: George Frideric Handel, Arnold Schoenberg, Louis Spohr, and Edward Elgar Label: Arabesque Records, recorded at Skywalker Sound, Marin County, California Release Date: February 23, 1999 Conductor: Jean-Louis LeRoux Orchestra/Ensemble: SF Ballet Orchestra, The Lark Quartet (Diane Pascal, violin; Jennifer Orchard, violin; Anna Kruger, viola; Astrid Schween, cello) Available on: Amazon, iTunes Lar Lubovitch’s Othello—Suite from the Ballet Composer: Elliot Goldenthal Label: Varèse Sarabande, recorded at Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, California Release Date: June 2, 1998 Conductor: Emil de Cou Orchestra/Ensemble: SF Ballet Orchestra Available on: Amazon, Varèse Sarabande

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SF Ballet Orchestra Discography/Page 4 Christmas Cookies: Music of the Nutcracker Ballet Also released as: Nutcracker Sweet Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Label: O’Brien Enterprises Release Date: 1992 Conductor: Denis de Coteau Orchestra/Ensemble: SF Ballet Orchestra Available on: Amazon, CD Baby, The Music Depot

The Nutcracker Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Label: O’Brien Enterprises, recorded at Skywalker Sound, Marin County, California Release Date: 1988 Conductor: Denis de Coteau Orchestra/Ensemble: SF Ballet Orchestra Available on: Amazon, iTunes The Tempest—Complete Ballet by Paul Chihara Composer: Paul Chihara Label: Reference Recordings Release Date: 1982 Conductor: Jean-Louis LeRoux Orchestra/Ensemble: SF Ballet Orchestra under the name Performing Arts Orchestra of San Francisco Available on: Amazon, Reference Recordings

DVDs The Little Mermaid: San Francisco Ballet Composer: Lera Auerbach Choreography: John Neumeier Label: C Major Release Date: November 15, 2011 Conductor: Martin West Orchestra/Ensemble: SF Ballet Orchestra Filmed at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House DVD format: Regular and Blu-ray Available on: Amazon, San Francisco Ballet Shop My First Ballet Collection Composers: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Louis Ferdinand Herold, Felix Mendelssohn, Adolphe Adam Choreography: Various Label: Opus Arte

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SF Ballet Orchestra Discography/Page 5 Release Date: October 27, 2009 Conductors: Valeriy Ovsyanikov, Martin West, Anthony Twiner, Stewart Kershaw Orchestra/Ensemble: BBC Concert Orchestra Royal Opera House Covent Garden Orchestra, SF Ballet Orchestra DVD format: Regular Available on: Amazon, Arkiv Music

Nutcracker: San Francisco Ballet Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Choreography: Helgi Tomasson Label: Opus Arte Release Date: November 18, 2008 Conductor: Martin West Orchestra/Ensemble: SF Ballet Orchestra Filmed at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House DVD format: Regular and Blu-ray Available on: Amazon, San Francisco Ballet Shop Othello: San Francisco Ballet Composer: Elliot Goldenthal Choreography: Lar Lubovitch Label: Kultur Video Release Date: June 10, 2003 Conductor: Emil de Cou Orchestra/Ensemble: SF Ballet Orchestra Filmed at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House Broadcast and co-produced by KQED (San Francisco) and WNET (New York) for the PBS Great Performances: Dance in America series, aired on June 18, 2003 DVD format: Regular and Blu-ray Available on: Amazon, Kultur Video

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