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Les Grands Ballets Canadiens
Dancing Beethoven
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Greetings, and welcome to Northrop! I’m delighted that you are joining us during the 2023-24 Northrop Season. In true Northrop fashion, this season brings a breadth of preeminent artists to the Twin Cities, offering audiences the chance to revisit long-time favorites, discover new gems, and even catch two world premieres of works that are part of the Northrop Centennial Commissions program. I hope you will explore everything we have to offer across dance, music, film, and this year’s Spotlight Series, Moving Through Injustice.
The performances that you see onstage are just one facet of each artist’s engagement with Northrop. In support of our mission to cultivate intersections between arts and education, there are a plethora of opportunities to dive more deeply into the artists and their work. Community roundtables, performance previews, workshops, classes, Q&A’s, and more offer insight into artists’ histories and processes, and give context surrounding the works you will see. Make sure to visit the “Learn More” section on each company’s event page on Northrop’s website to find interdisciplinary thematic connections, discover resources that provide more information on the performers, art forms, and artistic processes, and explore questions that will help engage you in conversations and reflections. Each of these elements are intended to complement and add new depth and dimension to the way you see the performances. I encourage you to visit the website now and often, as new engagements and resources are added throughout the year. While you’re there, explore the many other events happening at Northrop including concerts, lectures, comedy, and more!
Thank you again for joining us during the 2023-24 Northrop Season. I want to give a special thank you to our subscribers and donors. Your support is more important than ever before. Through your attendance and contributions, you help to ensure that Northrop can continue to bring world-class artists to the Twin Cities community. Thank you.
Gratefully,
Kari Schloner
Executive Director
Greetings and welcome to Northrop,
We are thrilled, honored, and grateful that you are joining us for this performance. Northrop presents some of the greatest dance and music performers from all around the world and has been doing so for almost 100 years! We are happy that you are a part of our community who supports this amazing work and helps us achieve our belief that the arts are essential to the human experience. We are committed to cultivating intersections between performing arts and education for the benefit of all participants now and for generations to come.
Northrop has been an integral center for the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota arts community for close to a century and we need your help to continue to do so. We hope you can be a champion and advocate for Northrop by sharing your experiences at Northrop with your friends, family, and community at large, as well as supporting our work financially when you can. You can learn more about how to support Northrop here.
As Chair of the Northop Advisory Board, we are delighted to share that we are growing in our work to increase the impact of Northrop on the stage, in the schools, and in the community. If you are interested in learning more about being part of the Northrop Advisory Board, learn more here or contact Cynthia Betz, Director of Development, at betzx011@umn.edu.
Thanks again for joining us and don’t forget to say “Hi” and introduce yourself when you are attending a performance. I can’t wait to meet you!
Jeff Bieganek
Northrop Advisory Board Chair
Duration: 95 minutes with one 20-minute intermission
Duration: 35 minutes
Choreography: Garrett Smith
Music: Symphony No. 5, Ludwig Van Beethoven
Orchestra: Prepared by STRINGenius/RDA Productions, LLC
Conductor: Dina Gilbert
Scenography: Michael Mazzola
Lighting Design: Marc Parent
Costumes: Monica Guerra
“Garrett Smith celebrates individuality with Complete, his creation on Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, one of the most important and recognized symphonies in the world. Drawing inspiration from the uniqueness and distinctiveness of each individual, Smith crafts a work that celebrates the power of self-acceptance: an ode to newfound freedom as masks fall away.
“I am inspired by people who have the bravery to fully show their true selves, especially within communities or societies that impose barriers and constraints. This ballet takes a look at the beauty of our uniqueness and the excitement of trying something new, of turning over a new leaf and shedding superficial layers in order to put on one’s true face in broad daylight, without fear.”—Garrett Smith
Feb 17 Dancers
Trust: Maude Sabourin
Freedom: Raphaël Bouchard
with
Alexandra Eccles, André Santos, Sofía González, Graeme Fuhrman, Kiara Flavin, Angel Vizcaíno, Kiara DeNae Felder, Antoine Benjamin Bertran, Sahra Maira, James Lyttle, Tetyana Martyanova, Étienne Delorme, Anya Nesvitaylo, Thomas Leprohon, Théodore Poubeau, Yui Sugawara, Esnel Ramos, Bernard Dubois II, François Gagné, José Carlos Losada Morales, Oscar Lambert, Felixovich Morante, Vanesa G.-R. Montoya, and the company
Feb 18 Dancers
Trust: Rachele Buriassi
Freedom: Célestin Boutin
with
Alexandra Eccles, André Santos, Sofía González, Graeme Fuhrman, Kiara Flavin, Angel Vizcaíno, Kiara DeNae Felder, Antoine Benjamin Bertran, Sahra Maira, James Lyttle, Tetyana Martyanova, Étienne Delorme, Mai Kono, Thomas Leprohon, Théodore Poubeau, Emma Garau Cima, Marcel Gutiérrez, Oscar Lambert, Tatiana Lerebours, Calista Shepheard, Felixovich Morante, Rose Trahan, François Gagné, Bernardo Betancor, Bernard Dubois II, and the company
Photo by Sasha Onyshchenko
Duration: 40 minutes
Artistic Direction & Adaptation: Ivan Cavallari
Choreography: Uwe Scholz
Assistant to the Choreographer: Roser Munoz
Music: Ludwig Van Beethoven
Orchestra: Prepared by STRINGenius/RDA Productions, LLC
Conductor: Dina Gilbert
Lighting: Marc Parent
Scenography and Costumes: Uwe Scholz
With Symphony No. 7 by the late German choreographer Uwe Scholz (1958-2004), the dancers enter into a symbiotic relationship with Beethoven’s imposing music. The work becomes a leitmotif, with its athletic prowess and unison dance geometry. Presented for the first time as the opening of the 2017 season, it instantly captured the hearts of Montrealers.
Structured in four movements that form a succession of different colors and rhythms, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 was first performed in 1813 during the terrible period of the Napoleonic Wars. Named by Richard Wagner as “the apotheosis of dance,” Symphony No. 7 fascinates with both its rigorous classicism and its energy.
Uwe Scholz, who was director of dance at the Leipzig Opera, enjoyed creating choreography for grand symphonic works. During his short life, he choreographed around 100 pieces for major European companies. His highly complex choreographic adaptation of the Seventh, originally created for the Stuttgart Ballet, is considered his masterpiece. It attests to his finesse, inventiveness, and exceptional musicality.
Feb 17 Dancers
First movement:
Rachele Buriassi and Roddy Doble,
with Aurora De Mori and Marcel Gutiérrez; Kiara DeNae Felder and James Lyttle; and the company
Second movement:
Aurora De Mori and Marcel Gutiérrez,
with Sofía González and James Lyttle; Anaïs Roy and Felixovich Morante; and the company
Third movement:
André Santos and Angel Vizcaíno,
with Kiara DeNae Felder and Bernard Dubois II; Carrigan MacDonald and Antoine Benjamin Bertran; and the company
Fourth movement:
Anna Ishii and Esnel Ramos,
with André Santos and Angel Vizcaíno; Anya Nesvitaylo and Kiara DeNae Felder; and the company
Feb 18 Dancers
First movement:
Mai Kono and Esnel Ramos,
with Anya Nesvitaylo and Graeme Fuhrman; Vanesa G.-R. Montoya and Felixovich Morante; and the company
Second movement:
Maude Sabourin and Graeme Fuhrman,
with Calista Shepheard and James Lyttle; Yui Sugawara and Felixovich Morante; and the company
Third movement:
Bernard Dubois II and Angel Vizcaíno,
with Sarah Branch and André Santos ; Alexandra Eccles and Antoine Benjamin Bertran; and the company
Fourth movement:
Yui Sugawara and Célestin Boutin
with André Santos and Angel Vizcaíno; Anya Nesvitaylo and Kiara DeNae Felder; and the company
Please note that the distribution is subject to change up until the start of the performance.
Photo by Sasha Onyshchenko
Photo: Sasha Onyshchenko
Photo: Sasha Onyshchenko
Born in Bolzano, Italy, in 1964, Ivan Cavallari received his initial training at the Teatro alla Scala Ballet School in Milan. His teachers recognized his talent by awarding him a scholarship to the Bolshoi Ballet School in Moscow in 1981, where he continued his training until 1983. From 1984 to 1985, he danced with the Scala Ballet School before joining the Stuttgart Ballet in 1986, where he became a soloist and then principal dancer under the successive directorships of Marcia Haydée and Reid Anderson. He danced all the leading roles of John Cranko’s ballets and regularly staged the latter’s works with the Royal Ballet Covent Garden in London, La Scala in Milan, the Czech National Ballet, among many other companies. He also staged numerous works by Uwe Scholz, and choreographed ballets for the Stuttgart Ballet, the State Opera Ballet in Hanover, the Lodz State Opera Ballet in Poland, the Mannheim Ballet, the Vienna State Opera Ballet, and the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart.
From 2007 to 2012, he was the Artistic Director of the West Australian Ballet, the oldest dance company in Australia. In 2013, he was named the Artistic Director of the Ballet de l’Opéra national du Rhin, where he staged such works as Dolly in Apr 2013, and his own choreographies of Pinocchio in 2014 and The Nutcracker in 2016. He took over the helm of Les Grands Ballets as Artistic Director in 2017.
Photo: Sasha Onyshchenko
Photo: Jenny Studios
Garrett Smith was born in Salt Lake City, UT where he began his training with the Utah Regional Ballet. Smith was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts where he was honored to meet George W. Bush at the White House and was presented with an award by Mikhail Baryshnikov. He studied at the Houston Ballet Academy and created five works for Houston Ballet II's repertoire. Smith joined Houston Ballet and danced works by Stanton Welch, Jorma Elo, Nicolo Fonte, Christopher Bruce, Christopher Wheeldon, and Ben Stevenson. Smith was presented with an award at Houston Ballet by Peter Martins from the New York Choreographic Institute Fellowship.
Smith joined Norwegian National Ballet where he worked personally with choreographers Jiři Kylían, Nacho Duato, Alexander Ekman, and danced other works by William Forsythe. Smith was commissioned by Houston Ballet to create new works in the 2013 and 2015 seasons. Other recent commissions include The Mariinsky Ballet, Les Grands Ballets De Montréal, Bolshoi Ballet, Norwegian National Ballet, Ballet West, Texas Ballet Theater, Milwaukee Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Salt Contemporary Dance, and Odyssey Dance Theater. He was a selected choreographer to make a new work for the National Choreographers Initiative 2014.
His choreography, Mortal Form, took first place at the 2015 Genesis International Choreographic Competition. Smith’s choreography, Solace, was recently premiered in Deauville, France as part of the Festival de L’Art Russe, as well as a U.S. premiere of his work, Imitations, with Norwegian National Ballet, for the 2018 Dance Salad Festival. Smith co-choreographed a new Swan Lake production on ice at the Dynamo Stadium in Moscow, combining figure skaters, acrobats, and ballet dancers, such as Olympic Gold Medalist Evgeni Plushenko and prima ballerina Olga Smirnova.
Photo: Andreas Birkigt
Uwe Scholz was born in Jugenheim, Germany, on Dec 31, 1958. At the tender age of four he took up ballet classes. Two years later he moved on to the Landestheater Darmstadt for training. At that time, he also started piano lessons. He began to train his singing voice at the State Academy of Musical Art in Darmstadt. Later on, he also took up violin and guitar classes.
Ten-year-old Scholz dreamt of becoming a conductor. Nevertheless, a growing fascination for the multitudinous ways of expression in dance seemed to prevail. At the age of 13—and one month before renowned ballet dancer John Cranko's tragic death—he was admitted to the Stuttgart Ballet School. It was Marcia Haydée above all who became his lifelong mentor. She started, influenced, and shaped his artistic career. 1976 saw Scholz' first choreography, Serenade for 5+1, with music by Mozart. Scholz then worked in London. He received a scholarship grant for the prestigious Balanchine School of American Ballet in New York. In 1977, he returned to the John Cranko Academy in Stuttgart to pass his exams in 1979.
Scholz moved on to become a dancer with the Stuttgart Ballet. From the very beginning of his dancing career Marcia Haydée entrusted him with a range of choreographic assignments. In 1980, Scholz became resident choreographer with the Stuttgart Ballet. He concluded his dancing career except for a much-noticed solo in a piece choreographed by Maurice Béjart. In the years to come, Scholz not only produced choreographies for ballet—he was also an opera director (Testimonium Festival in Israel and The Magic Flute in Nuremberg), a choreographer for opera (with Lovro von Matacic, and also with Hans Neuenfels for Aida in Frankfurt), and an Assistant Director for Film and Drama (with Heyme).
At the age of 26, Scholz became Artistic Director and Chief Choreographer of the Zürich Ballet. After six years in Zürich, he returned to Germany to build and shape the Leipzig Ballet until his tragic and untimely death in 2004. During his impressive career, Scholz created more than 100 choreographic works. His focus was always the score: he loved works by Bach, Bruckner, Mozart, Wagner, Schumann, Schubert, Stravinsky, and Bartok as much as contemporary compositions by Udo Zimmermann and Pierre Boulez.
Photo by Sasha Onyshchenko
Originally from Terrebonne, Quebec, Maude Sabourin studied dance at École Supérieure de Ballet du Québec in Montreal from 2000 to 2003. She joined Jeune Ballet du Québec in 2003, under the artistic direction of Didier Chirpaz and performed in Montreal, Miami, and France. Her first appearances on stage with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens took place with The Nutcracker. In 2006, she moved overseas to join Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, a company directed by Jean-Christophe Maillot, and interpreted major roles from her repertory: The Nurse and Lady Capulet in Romeo And Juliet, The Stepmother and Stepsisters in Cinderella, The Death in Faust, The Fairy of Darkness in Sleeping Beauty as well as Her Majesty the Night in LAC (After Swan Lake). She was promoted Soloist in 2010 and Principal Soloist in 2014.
Sabourin has also worked with choreographers whose pieces are featured in Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo’s repertory: Johan Inger, William Forsythe, Marco Goecke, Alexander Ekman, Marie Chouinard, Ina Christel Johannessen, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Pontus Lidberg, Jeroen Verbruggen, Shen Wei, and Nicolo Fonte. She has been particularly moved by Silent Cries by Jiri Kylian. She also interpreted The Chosen One in The Rite of Spring by Nijinsky.
In 2018, she came back to Quebec and joined Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. Since then, she had the opportunity to perform memorable roles such as Myrtha in Giselle, The Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty choreographed by legendary Marcia Haydée, a true favorite. She also worked on creations by Garrett Smith, Edward Clug, and Lesley Telford.
Photo by Sasha Onyshchenko
Raphaël Bouchard began dancing at the age of 16 at the École Supérieure de Ballet du Québec in Montréal, under the mentorship of Didier Chirpaz. Only months later, he became part of the Jeune Ballet du Québec, where he explored performances in leading roles and productions by renowned dance artists such as the likes of Thierry Malandain, Helen Blackburn, and Ginette Lorrain.
In 2005, Jean-Christophe Maillot offered him a place at Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and in 2013 he joined the Pacific Northwest Ballet. In 2015 he returned to his native Quebec to join Les Grands Ballets Canadiens.
As a member of the Ballets de Monte-Carlo, Bouchard performed in several productions by Jean-Christophe Maillot: Roméo & Juliette (in a leading role as Benvolio), Cinderella (in the leading roles of the four friends and Superintendent), La Belle, Le Songe (as Puck), LAC, Men’s Dance, Dov’è la Luna, Altro Canto, and Sheherazade. Among others, he also appeared in:
The Second Detail (William Forsythe); Boléro (Maurice Béjart); The Rite of Spring (Maurice Béjart, Alonzo King, Marco Goecke, Marie Chouinard); With the Pacific Northwest Ballet, he performed in: Petite Mort, Forgotten Land (Jiří Kylián), and The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude (William Forsythe).
Photo by Sasha Onyshchenko
Rachele Buriassi was born in Sarzana, Italy and started ballet at the age of 4. At 11, she won a full scholarship to attend École De Danse de Rosella Hightower in Cannes, France. Three years later, Buriassi moved to Stuttgart, Germany to attend the John Cranko School where she took Vaganova training classes. After graduating in 2006, she joined the Corps de Ballet of the famous Stuttgart Ballet. In 2010, Buriassi was promoted to Second soloist and in 2012 to First soloist. She joined the Boston Ballet in 2015 as First Soloist, before joining (in 2019) Les Grands Ballets Canadiens as Principal Dancer. She also teaches and is invited as a guest dancer in various productions around the world.
Buriassi has held lead and solo roles as Odette/Odile, Tall Swans, and Pas de Six in John Cranko’s Swan Lake; Kitri, Mercedes, Queen of Dryads in Maximiliano’s Guerra Don Quijote; Manon, Prudence in John Neumeier’s Lady Of The Camellias; Lead Role in Glen Tetley’s The Rite of Spring; Lead Role in George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations; Lead Role in George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante; Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen, Coffee Scene in Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker; Lead Role in George Balanchine’s Kammer Musik; Lilac Fairy, Carabosse in Marius Petipa’s Sleeping Beauty; Red Couple in Jiri Kylian’s Forgotten Land; William Forsythe’s The Vertiginous Thrill Of Exactitude; Jiri Kylian’s Wings of Wax; Solo Role in McMillan’s The Song of the Earth;Posthorn in John Neumeier’s The Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler; William Forsythe’s Artifact; Jorma Elo’s Slice to Sharp; Solo Role in Uwe Scholz’ Beethoven Seventh Symphony; Solo Role in Kevin O’ Day’s Hamlet; Solo Role and Lead Role in John Cranko’s Initialen R.M.B.E.
Photo by Sasha Onyshchenko
Célestin Boutin trained at the Conservatoire de Danse de Bruay Labuissière from 2003-2009, while simultaneously studying under Loula Dombrowski of Académie Chaptal Paris from 2006-2009. Boutin then studied classical technique from 2009-2012 under Monique Arabian at the Superior School of Dance Rosella Hightower in Cannes. Boutin studied contemporary technique under James Urbain and Paola Cantalupo. Boutin also credits Stéphane Flechet for his training. Boutin was invited to join the Royal Swedish Ballet School under the training of Donald Kirkpatrick in 2012-2013, and was then invited to join the professional training program at Ellison Ballet NY under the director Edward Ellison in 2013-2015.
Boutin’s career repertoire includes Tadzio in Death of Venice at the Garsington Opera in London (2015) under artistic director Paul Curran, choreographer Andreas Heise, and his roles at Les Grands Ballets Canadiens as corps de ballet (2015-2016), Demi-soloist (2016-2018), Soloist (2018-2020), and First Soloist (2020-).
Photo by Sasha Onyshchenko
Roddy Doble began his professional training at The School of Performing Arts, Connecticut Career from 2000-2006, coinciding with his training at The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, New York from 2005-2006. Doble then began studying at The School of American Ballet, New York in 2006, and the following year trained at American Ballet Theatre II, being promoted to corps de ballet from 2008-2013 at American Ballet Theatre. From 2013-2019, Doble joined the Boston Ballet as corps de ballet (2013-2014), second soloist (2014-2017), and soloist (2017-2019). Since 2019, Doble has been dancing with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens as a principal dancer.
Doble’s repertory includes: James in La Sylphide (August Bournonville), Birbanto and Lankedem in Le Corsaire (Ivan Liška), Emeralds in Jewels (George Balanchine), Step Sister in Cinderella (Sir Frederick Ashton), Rhumba Sailor in Fancy Free (Jerome Robbins), Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet (John Cranko), Prince Gremin in Onegin (John Cranko), Nutcracker Cavalier in The Nutcracker (Mikko Nissinen), Pas de Trois in Swan Lake (Mikko Nissinen after Marius Petipa & Lev Ivanov), Lorenzo in Don Quixote (Marius Petipa & Alexander Gorsky), The High Brahmin in La Bayadère (Natalia Makarova after Marius Petipa), Lankendem in Le Corsaire (Joseph Mazlier). Doble has also danced featured roles in many other productions.
Photo by Sasha Onyshchenko
Mai Kono trained at Ballet School in Saitama, Japan and Heinz-Bosl-Stiftung in Munich. Her career includes her time at Bavarian State Ballet, Munich (2007) in which she held the role of Demi-Soloist in 2011, and Soloist at Les Grands Ballets Canadiens (2017) in which she was promoted to First Soloist in 2023.
Kono’s repertory includes principal and solo parts in Olga in Onegin (John Cranko), Gulnara in Le Corsaire (Ivan Liska after M.Petipa), Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (John Neumeier), Olympia in Lady of the Camelias (John Neumeier), Princess Florine, Fairy variation in Sleeping Beauty (Ivan Liska after M. Petipa), 1st and 2nd Shadow Variation in La Bayadère (Patrice Bart after M. Petipa), 1st Pas de deux in In the Night (Jerome Robbins), Amor, Rocio in Don Quixote (Ray Barra after Marius Petipa), 1st Pas de trois in Goldberg Variations (Jerome Robbins), Friend of Raymonda in Raymonda (Ray Barra after M. Petipa), Claire and Four Little Swans in Illusions, like Swan Lake (John Neumeier), Peasant pas de deux in Giselle (Peter Wright), Grey girl in Les Biches (Bronislava Nijinska), Mazurka, Pas de deux in Les Sylphides (Mikhail Fokine), Taglioni in Grand pas de Quatre (Jules Perrot), Woman in Love in Le Sacre du Printemps (Mary Wigman), among others.
Photo by Sasha Onyshchenko
Training:
2006-2009 High school “Vicentina de la Torre”
2009-2010 National Ballet School of Havana
Career:
2011-2015: National Ballet Company of Havana (Artistic Director: Alicia Alonso)
Acosta Danza, Havana
Ballet de Jalisco, Guadalajara (Artistic Director: Dariusz Blajer)
2018-2019: New Jersey Ballet Company, Morristown (Artistic Director: Carolyn Clark)
2019: Joins Les Grands Ballets Canadiens
2023: Promoted Principal Dancer
Repertory:
Romeo and Juliet, Sleeping Beauty, Mixed Repertory, The Nutcracker, All American Program, Cinderella, Ballet with a Latin Beat: Guajira (Pedro Ruiz), Huasteca (David Fernandez), Entre dos aguas (Roberto North), Swan Lake, Don Quixote, La Fille Mal Gardee (Jean Dauberval), Carmen, Belles Lettres, Tocororo, Alrededor no hay nada, Giselle
Photo by Sasha Onyshchenko
Anna Ishii began her professional training from 1998-2006 at Noriko Hara Ballet School. Ishii then studied at Kazuko Sugihara Ballet Arts from 2007-2009, and the New Zealand School of Dance from 2009-2010. Her career includes roles at West Australian Ballet (2010-2013), Ballet de l’Opera national du Rhin (2014-2017), and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens (2017-) as Demi-Soloist (2017-2021), Soloist (2021), First Soloist (2022), and Principal Dancer (2023).
Ishii’s repertory includes Cinderella in Jayne Smeulders’ Cinderella, Clara in Ivan Cavallari’s The Nutcracker, Waltz Lady and Lead Russian Lady in George Balanchine’s Serenade, Mathilde de la Mole in Uwe Scholz’s Le Rouge et Le Noir, among others.
Photo by Sasha Onyshchenko
Training:
Started learning ballet at age four; Graduated from Ellison Ballet Professional Training Program 2014
Career:
2014-2017 Joined Hong Kong Ballet as a corps member
2017 Joined Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, corps de ballet
2018 Promoted to soloist
2021 Promoted to first soloist
2022 Promoted principal dancer
Repertory:
Don Quixote by Nina Ananiashvili, Swan Lake by John Meehan, Sleeping Beauty by Cynthia Harvey, Paquita by Petipa, Serenade by George Balanchine, The Nutcracker by Terence Kohler, Carnival of the Animals by Alexei Ratmansky, Pinocchio by Par Isberg, Coppélia by Ronald Hynd, Shape of Glow by Jorma Elo, In Light and Shadow by Krzysztof Pastor, Lady of the Camellias by Val Caniparoli, Romeo and Juliet Rudi van Dantiz, Carmen by Yuh Egami and Ricky Hu.
Alexandra Eccles
André Santos
Sofía González
Anais Roy
Graeme Fuhrman
Kiara Flavin
Angel Vizcaíno
Aurora De Mori Kiara DeNae Felder
Antoine Benjamin Bertran
Sahra Maira
Felixovich Morante
Vanesa G.-R. Montoya
Emma Garau Cima
Marcel Gutiérrez
Tatiana Lerebours
Calista Shepheard
Felixovich Morante
Rose Trahan
Carrigan MacDonald François Gagné
Bernardo Betancor
Sahra Maira
James Lyttle
Tetyana Martyanova
Étienne Delorme
Anya Nesvitaylo
Thomas Leprohon
Théodore Poubeau
Bernard Dubois II
François Gagné
José Carlos Losada Morales
Oscar Lambert
View All Dancer Bios on the Les Grands Ballets Website
Regularly invited to conduct in Canada and overseas, Dina Gilbert attracts critical acclaim for her energy, precision, and versatility. Born in Quebec province, Gilbert is currently music director of the Kamloops Symphony (British-Columbia) and of the Orchestre symphonique de l'Estuaire (Québec), she is known for her contagious dynamism and her audacious programming.
Gilbert is regularly invited by leading Canadian orchestras including the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the Orchestre métropolitain, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Hamilton Philharmonic and the Orchestre symphonique de Québec. In 2017, she made debut performances in the United States with the Eugene Symphony (OR) and the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra (NC) as well as in Asia conducting a series of five concerts with the Sinfonia Varsovia in Niigata and Tokyo.
Passionate about expanding classical audiences and with an innate curiosity towards non-classical musical genres, Gilbert has conducted the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the Orchestre national de Lyon in several Hip Hop Symphonic programmes collaborating with renowned Hip hop artists A.M., M.C. Solaar, Youssoupha, Arsenik and Bigflo & Oli.
As the founder and artistic director of the Ensemble Arkea, a Montreal-based chamber orchestra, Gilbert premiered over thirty works from emerging young Canadian composers.
From 2013 to 2016, Gilbert was assistant conductor of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and Maestro Kent Nagano, also assisting guest conductors including Zubin Mehta, Sir Roger Norrington, Lawrence Foster, and Giancarlo Guerrero. In Apr 2016, she received great acclaim for stepping in to replace Maestro Alain Altinoglu with the OSM in a program showcasing Gustav Holst's The Planets.
Highlights of the season 2019-20 include her debuts in Spain conducting the Orquestra Simfonica del Gran Teatre Del Liceu, as well as her debut in South Korea with world acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell in a performance of The Red Violin. Also making her debut with the Orchestre National de Metz, Gilbert will also return to conduct the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. The 2019-20 season was her first in the position of Principal Conductor of the Orchestre des Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal.
Gilbert earned her doctorate from the Université de Montréal, where she studied with Jean- François Rivest and Paolo Bellomia. Awarded the Opus Prize of "Découverte de l'année" in 2017, Gilbert also was one of the 50 personalities creating the extraordinary in Québec in 2018 by the Urbania Magazine. She has also received support from the Canada Arts Council, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and from the Père-Lindsay Foundation.
Ludwig Van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist who was born in Bonn in Dec 1770 and died in Vienna on Mar 26, 1827.
The last major representative of Viennese classicism (after Gluck, Haydn, and Mozart), Beethoven prepared the evolution towards romanticism in music and influenced Western music for the greater part of the nineteenth century. Unclassifiable, his art found expression in different musical genres, and although his symphonic music is the primary source of Beethoven’s popularity, he also had a considerable impact on writing for piano and on chamber music.
Beethoven, through sheer willpower, overcame the challenges of a life darkened by the deafness that struck when he was 27, celebrating in his music the triumph of heroism and joy even when fate imposed isolation and misery. Long after his death, Romain Rolland would recognize his achievement with this assertion: “He is much more than first among musicians. He is the most heroic force in modern art.” Beethoven’s work—the expression of an unshakable faith in man and of a resolute optimism, proclaiming musical creation as the action of a free and independent artist—made him one of the most prominent figures in music history.
Prepared by STRINGenius/RDA Productions, LLC
First Violin
Second Violin
Viola
Cello
Bass
Flute
Piccolo
Karen Baumgartner
Oboe
Clarinet
Bassoon
Norbert Nielubowski
Matthew Bertrand
Contrabassoon
Emma Plehal
Horn
Trumpet
Trombone
Bass Trombone
John Tranter
Timpani
Kory Andry
Les Grands Ballets Canadiens acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts
and of the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec.
Sponsored by PNC Bank.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
The Northrop Advisory Board is committed to the growth and awareness of Northrop’s mission, vision, and the continued future of presenting world-class dance and music in our community. If you would like more information about the advisory board and its work, please contact Cynthia Betz, Director of Development, at 612-626-7554 or betzx011@umn.edu.
Thank you for supporting Northrop!
At Northrop, we believe in connecting great artists and ideas with our community and to a new generation of audiences. Your gift helps make memorable arts experiences possible by supporting extraordinary performances and new arts commissions, and helping ensure accessibility to everyone through live-streamed programming, outreach to diverse communities and subsidized student tickets. Our Friends are at the center of Northrop’s biggest ideas and brightest moments on stage.
Become a Friend of Northrop today!
Donate online at northrop.umn.edu/support-northrop
Ways to Give:
To learn more about supporting Northrop please contact:
Cynthia Betz
betzx011@umn.edu or 612-626-7554
A special thank you to our patrons whose generous support makes Northrop's transformative arts experiences possible. Make your mark on Northrop's future by becoming a Friend today, learn more by visiting northrop.umn.edu/support-northrop.
We gratefully acknowledge the support from Curtis L Carlson Family Foundation, Minnesota State Arts Board, project support from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Givens Foundation, and event sponsors PNC Bank, and RBC Wealth Management.
10,000+
5,000+
2,500+
1,000+
500+
250+
100+
Up to $99
Up to $99 (continued)
Up to $99 (continued)
This season’s listing is current as of 2/5/24
Please contact Trisha Taylor at taylort@umn.edu if you have any corrections or questions.
Thank you to the generous donors who continue to support programming for Northrop’s beloved Aeolian-Skinner Organ. It is because of you that this magnificent instrument’s voice will be enjoyed by many for years to come.
The Heritage Society honors and celebrates donors who have made estate and other planned gifts for Northrop at the University of Minnesota.
*Deceased
Mobile-friendly digital programs have replaced printed programs in support of fiscal stewardship (focusing funds on the artists appearing on our stage), environmental sustainability (reducing paper consumption and not contributing to supply chain issues), and visual accessibility (allowing you to zoom in on the content). Want to enjoy the program after the event? You can find it linked from the event page on Northrop's website. Thank you for viewing!
