Casting Announced for Hamburg Ballett's LILIOM

The International Dance Series at Segerstrom Center for the Arts welcomes the return of The Hamburg Ballett with the American premiere of John Neumeier's Liliom, February 7 - 9, with four performances at Segerstrom Hall. Neumeier, the company's director and chief choreographer, based his work on Ferenc Molnár's play of the same name, which was also the inspiration for Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway classic, Carousel. The music for the ballet is an award-winning original score by the Academy Award®-winning composer Michel Legrand. Casting has been announced and Alina Cojocaru (Julie) and Carsten Jung (Liliom) will reprise their roles for select performances.

Liliom was commissioned by The Hamburg Ballett and the Hamburg State Opera. Following the 2011 world premiere, the creators of the ballet's two leading roles, Carsten Jung (The Hamburg Ballett) in the title role and Alina Cojocaru (English National Ballet) as Julie, were honored with awards at the prestigious Prix Benois de la Danse for their respective performances and Legrand received the award for best composition. Following the premiere, Horst Koegler of danceviewtimes.com called Liliom "... a spectacular show ...."

"We are delighted that The Hamburg Ballett will return for our 2013 - 2014 International Dance Season with the American premiere of Liliom, a wonderful new work by John Neumeier," said Judy Morr, executive vice president of Segerstrom Center for the Arts. "Mr. Neumeier's choreography is elegant and profound, and it's our absolute privilege to present this work for the first time in this country to Center audiences."

Tickets for The Hamburg Ballett start at $30 and are available now at SCFTA.org, by calling (714) 556-2787 and at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. For inquiries about group ticket discounts, call the Group Services office at (714) 755-0236. The TTY number is (714) 556-2746. Free Preview Talks will be conducted one hour prior to each performance. The Friday, February 7 Preview Talk will be sign-language interpreted.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts applauds William J. Gillespie for special underwriting support and United Airlines, Official Airline of the Center. The Center's International Dance Series is made possible by the Audrey Steele Burnand Endowed Fund for International Dance and The Segerstrom Foundation Endowment for Great Performances. Classical KUSC is the Media Partner and COAST Magazine is the Print Media Sponsor of the International Dance Series.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is unique as both an acclaimed arts institution and as a multi-disciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages, offering unsurpassed experiences, and engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance and a diverse array of inspiring programs.

The Center presents a broad range of programming for audiences of all ages, including international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, intimate performances of jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family-friendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings to dancing on the plaza and many other special events. The Center's arts-in-education programs are designed to inspire young people through the arts and reach hundreds of thousands of students each year.

In addition to the presenting and producing institution Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the 14-acre campus also embraces the facilities of two independent acclaimed organizations: Tony® Repertory and a site designated as the future home of the Orange County Museum of Art. Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region's major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and the Pacific Chorale, who contribute greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons at Segerstro Center for the Arts.