British Icons opens Friday, February 9 with SF Ballet premieres of Sir Frederick Ashton’s Marguerite and Armand and Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Song of the Earth
SAN FRANCISCO, CA—February 8, 2024—San Francisco Ballet (SF Ballet) is delighted to share details for the upcoming program British Icons, featuring SF Ballet repertory premieres of Sir Frederick Ashton’s Marguerite and Armand and Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Song of the Earth, two timeless ballets rarely staged in North America.
MacMillan’s Song of the Earth will feature breathtaking on-stage vocal performances by current and former San Francisco Opera Adler Fellows Gabrielle Beteag, Moisés Salazar, Nikola Printz, and Thomas Kinch. Founded in 1977, the Opera’s Adler Fellowship Program is one of the nation’s most prestigious performance-oriented residencies for advanced young singers.
Further, Song of the Earth is proudly staged by the acclaimed Grant Coyle and Edward Watson with additional principal coaching by Artistic Director Tamara Rojo. Houston Ballet’s principal dancer Chase O’Connell will be performing as a guest artist in Song of the Earth during the matinee showing on Saturday, Feb. 10.
Ashton’s Marguerite and Armand, which Rojo performed in 2013 to mark her retirement as a dancer with The Royal Ballet, is likewise staged by Coyle with additional principal coaching by Rojo. SF Ballet’s principal dancer Yuan Yuan Tan will also be dancing the role of Marguerite as her farewell performances on February 10 at 8pm and on February 14. Read about Tan’s retirement in our press release.
Opening night of British Icons will be dedicated to the memory of Anthony Russell-Roberts CBE, who was the nephew of Frederick Ashton and led The Royal Ballet as Administrative Director from 1983 to 2009. Russell-Roberts passed on January 14, 2024, at the age of 79. Read The Royal Opera House’s dedication to Russell-Roberts here.
TICKETS & PERFORMANCE DATES
Tickets start at $29 and are available for purchase at sfballet.org. Casting for each performance is available here.
Friday, February 9 at 8:00pm
Saturday, February 10 at 2:00pm
Saturday, February 10 at 8:00pm
Sunday, February 11 at 2:00pm
Tuesday, February 13 at 7:30pm
Wednesday, February 14 at 7:30pm
Thursday, February 15 at 7:30pm
PRODUCTION CREDITS
SONG OF THE EARTH // SF BALLET PREMIERE
Choreographer: Sir Kenneth MacMillan
Composer: Gustav Mahler
Staged by: Grant Coyle and Edward Watson
Additional Principal Coaching: Tamara Rojo
Scenic and Costume Design: Nicholas Georgiadis
Lighting Design: Jacopo Pantani
MARGUERITE AND ARMAND // SF BALLET PREMIERE
Choreographer: Sir Frederick Ashton
Composer: Franz Liszt
Staged by: Grant Coyle
Additional Principal Coaching: Tamara Rojo
Scenic and Costume Design: Cecil Beaton
Lighting Design: John B. Read
Contact:
Public Relations
San Francisco Ballet
415-865-6610
press@sfballet.org
Click here for photos
ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO BALLET
San Francisco Ballet is a leading ballet company and trailblazer in dance locally, nationally, and internationally. Performing, commissioning, and collaborating with exceptional artists in dance and across disciplines, SF Ballet balances an innovative focus on new and contemporary choreography with a deeply held dedication to the classics. SF Ballet is a catalyst for the future of ballet by cultivating creativity, bringing dance of the highest caliber to a wide audience, and providing exceptional training opportunities for the next generation of professional dancers in its world-renowned School.
Since its founding in 1933 and as the oldest professional ballet company in the United States, the Ballet has been an innovator in the artform and an originator of beloved cultural traditions, from staging the first American production of Swan Lake to bringing an annual holiday Nutcracker to U.S. audiences.