Andrew W. Mellon News

Peak Performances will kick off its 2017-18 season-which consists entirely of works by women-with a visionary production of The Merchant of Venice from director Karin Coonrod and her Compagnia de' Colombari.

Peak Performances, the renowned series at Montclair State University that plays a key role in the global performing arts landscape by introducing major new stage productions and critical innovations in the development and presentation of contemporary theater, dance, performance art and music, has announced that its 2017-18 season will consist entirely of new works by women.

Cincinnati Opera releases the live audio recording of the world premiere production of Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce's ravishing new opera, Fellow Travelers, directed by Kevin Newbury and featuring the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mark Gibson (out September 15 (digital) and September 29 (physical) on Fanfare Cincinnati).

Acclaimed American soprano Ren e Fleming performs in recital with pianist Inon Barnatan on Monday, October 23 at 8:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. The program includes works by Brahms, Egon Kornauth, Andr Previn, selections from Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos, and the world premiere of a new work by Caroline Shaw, commissioned by Carnegie Hall as part of its 125 Commissions Project.

Cincinnati Opera releases the live audio recording of the world premiere production of Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce's ravishing new opera, Fellow Travelers, directed by Kevin Newbury and featuring the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mark Gibson (out September 15 (digital) and September 29 (physical) on Fanfare Cincinnati).

Magic Theatre announced today the complete cast of Barbara Hammond's World Premiere The Eva Trilogy.

The CUNY Dance Initiative (CDI), an unprecedented model for collaboration between the City University of New York (CUNY) and the New York City dance field, announces its Fall 2017 calendar of events and upcoming call for applications.

Choreographer John Heginbotham and author/illustrator Maira Kalmandiscuss their newest collaboration featuring imaginative production design and whimsical dance theater inspired by Kalman's written work and visual art. Following the world premiere at Jacob's Pillow and before the New York premiere at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Dance Heginbotham and members of The Knights orchestra will perform highlights set to a score composed, curated, and arranged by the orchestra's artistic director Colin Jacobsen.

501 (see three) ARTS announces the triple premiere of Pang!, by Dan Froot and Company, three live radio plays based on the oral histories of families hungering for change. Pang! will be performed for theatre audiences in October, December, and January in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (10/20 & 10/21), Los Angeles, California (12/2 & 12/3), and Miami, Florida (1/25, 1/26 & 1/27/18), respectfully. Pang! aims to raise awareness, decrease stigma, and promote cross-class dialogue around circumstances faced by families living below the poverty line.

Orchestra of St. Luke's continues its annual residency at Carnegie Hall this season with a wide variety of concerts in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage celebrating historic milestones, collaborating with notable guest soloists, presenting major masterworks of the classical orchestral repertoire, and premiering new works commissioned by Carnegie Hall. The Orchestra kicks off its residency on Thursday, October 12 at 8:00 p.m. with OSL's first Conductor Laureate Pablo Heras-Casado, who concludes his six-year tenure as Principal Conductor. For this special event, the orchestra performs Mozart's "Great" Mass, featuring sopranos Camilla Tilling and Susanna Phillips, tenor Thomas Cooley, bass-baritone Michael Sumuel, and the Westminster Symphonic Choir, led by Joe Miller. The program also includes Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21.

Tap dance company Dorrance Dance, founded by Artistic Director and 2015 MacArthur Fellow Michelle Dorrance, announces New York City performance dates, new works, and tour schedule for the 2017-2018 season. The season will include performances at renowned venues across the United States and in Canada, Germany, and France.

Choreographer John Heginbotham and author/illustrator Maira Kalmandiscuss their newest collaboration featuring imaginative production design and whimsical dance theater inspired by Kalman's written work and visual art.

The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago presents the Chicago debut of COCo. Dance Theatre, founded and directed by choreographer Cynthia Oliver, November 2-4 at the Dance Center, 1306 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago.

Please join Dance/NYC for a series of conversations about integrated and disability dance artistry, dance made and performed by and with disabled dancers. Organized around New York City metropolitan area performance activity at the nexus of disability and dance, the series features leading artists working at that nexus in conversation with their presenters. The goals of the series are to drive awareness and interest in dance made by and with disabled artists, capture and share lessons learned by featured artists, and generate dialogue and partnerships among attendees. Featured artists are grantees of Dance/NYC's Disability. Dance. Artistry. Fund, created to advance dance making by and with disabled artists.

Los Angeles Performance Practice (LAPP) announces the full program for the Los Angeles Exchange [LAX] Festival, 5th Ed.

Following its sold-out debut in 2015, Ballet West (Adam Sklute, Artistic Director), has been invited to return to the renowned Joyce Theater for five performances from October 11-14. Tickets, priced from $10-$66, are available online at www.Joyce.org, by calling (212) 242-0800, or by visiting The Joyce Theater box office located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea. Please note: ticket prices are subjet to change. For more information, please visit www.BalletWest.org or www.Joyce.org.

The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago's 44th season of presenting diverse international, national and regional contemporary dance features the return of Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel Performance Group October 12-14 at the Dance Center, 1306 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago.

Peak Performances presents the New York / New Jersey Premiere of New Work for Goldberg Variations, a project it co-commissioned and developed, October 19-22 at the Alexander Kasser Theater, Peak's state-of-the-art home on the Montclair State University campus.

The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago has announced the appointment of Ellen Chenoweth as Interim Director of its Dance Presenting Series (DPS), effective September 11, 2017 through June 30, 2018.

The pioneering International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) announces its fall 2017 season in the New York area, all following the theme of celebrating composer relationships, both past and future.