Program B • June 29, 2025
Giselle - Pas de Six
Choreography and Production: Sir Peter Wright after the choreography of Jean Coralli and Marius Petipa (Based on the book by Vernoy de Saint-Georges, Gautier and Coralli)
Music: Adolphe Adam, arranged by Joseph Horovitz
Set and Costume Design: Desmond Heeley
Lighting Design: Gil Wechsler
Stage Managers: Jeff Morris and Alexandria Wommack
Rehearsal Director, Principal Coaches: Rex Harrington, C.C., D.Litt. and Xiao Nan Yu
Rehearsal Director: Stephanie Hutchison and Lise-Marie Jourdain
Guest Répétiteur: Christopher Saunders
Guest Principal Coach: Evelyn Hart
Premiere: Paris Opéra Ballet, Paris, France, June 28, 1841
The National Ballet of Canada Premiere: O’Keefe Centre (now Meridian Hall), Toronto, April 16, 1970
Giselle was produced as a memorial to the late William P. Walker and was made possible through the courtesy of many generous friends of the National Ballet.
Tirion Law and artists of The National Ballet of Canada. @Karolina Kuras
Excerpt from The Four Seasons - Summer Pas de Deux
Choreography and Concept: David Dawson
Staged by: Rebecca Gladstone, Christiane Marchant and Courtney Richardson
Music: Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi, The Four Seasons
Written by Max Richter
Published by Mute Song Ltd. and Rough Trade Publishing
By Arrangement with Bank Robber Music
Violin Soloist: Aaron Schwebel
Set Design: Eno Henze
Costume Design: Yumiko Takeshima
Lighting Design: Bert Dalhuysen
World Premiere: Semperoper Ballett, Semperoper Dresden, Dresden, Germany, March 10, 2018
The National Ballet of Canada Premiere: Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, February 26, 2025
Lead philanthropic support for The Four Seasons is provided by The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation with generous underwriting from The Volunteer Committee, The National Ballet of Canada.
The National Ballet also acknowledges support for The Four Seasons provided by The Anna McCowan-Johnson New Creations Fund and The Penelope Reed Doob Fund for New Creations.
Heather Ogden and Ben Rudisin in The Four Seasons. ©Karolina Kuras.
Swan Lake Act III- Pas de Deux
Directed and Staged by: Karen Kain, C.C., LL.D., D.Litt., O.Ont.
Choreography: Karen Kain, Christopher Stowell and Robert Binet after Erik Bruhn, Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa
Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Set, Property and Costume Design: Gabriela Týlešová
Lighting Designer: Bonnie Beecher
Projection Designer: Sean Nieuwenhuis
Design Associate, Wardrobe: Marjory Fielding
Design Assistant, Wardrobe: Allie Marshall
Design Associate, Set & Properties: Joshua Quinlan
Stage Managers: Jeff Morris and Alex Wommack
Assistant Stage Manager: Liliane Stilwell
Rehearsal Directors, Principal Coaches: Rex Harrington, O.C., D.Litt. and Xiao Nan Yu
Rehearsal Directors: Stephanie Hutchison and Lise-Marie Jourdain
World Premiere: The National Ballet of Canada, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, June 10, 2022
Produced and Commissioned by The National Ballet of Canada.
Lead philanthropic support for Swan Lake is provided by The Walter Carsen New Creations Fund, Richard M. Ivey, C.C., an anonymous friend of the National Ballet, The Lawrence Schafer Foundation, Susan Scace & Arthur Scace, C.M., K.C., Pamela and Paul Austin and The P. Austin Family Foundation with generous underwriting from The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation, Gail Drummond & Bob Dorrance, Nancy Pencer, Sandra Pitblado, C.M. & Jim Pitblado, C.M., Gretchen Ross & Donald Ross, O.C., Anne-Marie Canning, Anna McCowan-Johnson & Donald K. Johnson, O.C., Tim & Frances Price and The Volunteer Committee of The National Ballet of Canada. Additional support with thanks to Kevin Garland & Roger Garland, C.M., Ann McCullagh Hogarth and The Producers’ Circle.
The Producers’ Circle (2022): Gail & Mark Appel, John & Claudine Bailey, Inger Bartlett & Marshal Stearns, Laura Dinner & Richard Rooney, Gail Drummond & Bob Dorrance, The Thor E. and Nicole Eaton Family Charitable Foundation, Sandra Faire & Ivan Fecan, Kevin Garland & Roger Garland, C.M., Ira Gluskin & Maxine Granovsky Gluskin, The William & Nona Heaslip Foundation, Anna McCowan-Johnson & Donald K. Johnson, O.C., Judy Korthals & Peter Irwin, Mona & Harvey Levenstein, JerryLozinski, O.C. & Joan Lozinski, O.C., The Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain, C.C., Julie Medland, Sandra Pitblado, C.M. & Jim Pitblado, C.M., The Harry & Lillian Seymour Family Foundation, Gerald Sheff & Shanitha Kachan and The Jack Weinbaum Family Foundation.
Selene Guerrero-Trujillo backstage at Swan Lake. ©Karolina Kuras.
Rhapsody
Choreography: Frederick Ashton
Staged by: Grant Coyle and Amanda Eyles
Music: Sergei Rachmaninoff,Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini,Op. 43(1934)
Set Design: Frederick Ashton
Original Costume Design: William Chappell,recreated in 2016 by Natalia Stewart
Lighting Recreated by:Jeff LogueWorld
Premiere: The Royal Ballet, Royal Opera House, London, UK, August 4, 1980
The National Ballet of Canada Premiere: Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, November 9, 2024
Lead philanthropic support for Rhapsody is provided by the Isobel Allen New Creations Fund.
The National Ballet of Canada joins the international celebration of Sir Frederick Ashton with Rhapsody, a chic and joyful ballet Artistic Director Hope Muir has acquired for Ashton Worldwide, a five-year festival honouring the great choreographer’s legacy. Beloved for his poetic storytelling and elegant style, Ashton showcases his energetic side with Rhapsody, in which two thrilling Principals and a small Corps de Ballet embody the vitality of the music, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s glorious Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.
Tirion Law and Siphesihle November in Rhapsody. ©Karolina Kuras.