Kim Brandstrup News

The inimitable Olivier Award winner and Tony Award nominee Fiona Shaw (Medea, 2002 Next Wave; Happy Days, 2008 Spring Season; John Gabriel Borkman, 2011 Spring Season) and dancer Daniel Hay-Gordon perform one of the best loved poems in the English language, Samuel Taylor Coleridge's epic The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, under the acclaimed direction of Phyllida Lloyd. This fiery, pared-down adaption of the 215-year-old tale tells of consequences paid while marooned at sea and of man's wanderings throughout the world in search of meaning.

On November 23, Deborah Warner's new production of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, which opened the current Met season, will return with a new cast in the central roles. Peter Mattei, recently seen at the Met as Amfortas in Wagner's Parsifal and in the title role of Mozart's Don Giovanni, will sing his first Met performances of the brooding title character. Marina Poplavskaya, star of recent Met productions of Verdi's La Traviata and Don Carlo and Gounod's Faust, sings Tatiana, the lovesick girl who evolves into a sophisticated woman over the course of the opera. Rolando Villazón, whose past starring roles at the Met include Rodolfo in Puccini's La Bohème and the Duke in Verdi's Rigoletto, returns for his first company performances since 2009 as Lenski, the poet whose friendship with Onegin is destroyed by jealousy. Russian conductor Alexander Vedernikov makes his Met debut leading the opera, which will also star Russian mezzo-soprano Elena Maximova in her Met debut as Tatiana's sister Olga and Štefan Kocán as the wealthy Prince Gremin.

The Met: Live in HD, the Metropolitan Opera's award-winning series of live transmissions to movie theaters, will feature 10 productions in the 2013-14 season, offering a significant portion of the Met season to opera lovers around the world.

Stephen Pier has achieved a uniquely rich and varied career as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer. His credits as a performer include many years with the Jose Limon Dance Company where the New York press hailed him as '...one of the most gifted dancers on the modern dance scene today.' He went on to become a leading soloist with the Hamburg Ballet in Germany, performing the title roles in John Neumeier's Othello and Saint Matthew's Passion, and creating numerous other major roles during his nine years with the company. As a member of the Royal Danish Ballet for six years, Mr. Pier had the privilege of dancing leading roles in works of Bournonville, Balanchine, MacMillan, Bejart, and collaborating with many of Europe's finest contemporary choreographers.

The opening night reception of the highly anticipated U.S. premiere of the Royal Ballet's production of The Metamorphosis at The Joyce Theater, starring acclaimed Royal Ballet principal dancer Edward Watson, directed/choreographed by Arthur Pita, is set for Tuesday, September 17 at 9:15pm at the Chelsea restaurant (address given upon RSVP).

The Metropolitan Opera will open its 2013-14 season on September 23 at 6:30 p.m. with a new production of Tchaikovsky's romantic tragedy Eugene Onegin, directed by Deborah Warner in her Met debut. Valery Gergiev returns to the Met for the first time since 2010 to conduct the performance, which will feature Anna Netrebko-the first soprano in Met history to star in three consecutive opening night performances-in her first company performances as the naive heroine Tatiana, whose infatuation with the title character has tragic repercussions. Mariusz Kwiecien brings his acclaimed interpretation of Onegin to the Met for the first time, opposite Piotr Beczala, who reprises his celebrated portrayal of Lenski. Oksana Volkova sings the role of Tatiana's sister, Olga, and Alexei Tanovitski sings Prince Gremin, the older man who offers Tatiana security. This cast sings eight performances of the opera through October 19, with the October 5 matinee performance transmitted live to more than 1,900 movie theaters in 64 countries around the world as part of The Met: Live in HD series. Due to an unexpected surgical procedure, Warner was unable to travel to the Met to stage Eugene Onegin, which is being directed here by her longtime collaborator Fiona Shaw.

The Aldeburgh Festival presents a Britten centenary celebration through dance, featuring new choreography inspired by Britten from Kim Brandstrup (music: Britten Variations on a theme of Frank Bridge), who creates a new work for The Royal Ballet, and Ashley Page (music: Britten Young Apollo & Purcell arr. Britten Chacony) and Cameron McMillan (music: Larry Goves new work after Britten's Nocturnal), who make dances for Royal Ballet Flanders. Choreographer Kim Brandstrup and Royal Ballet principal dancer Mara Galeazzi discuss their new Benjamin Britten evening for the Aldeburgh Festival. Check out the video below!

Some of the brightest stars of British ballet are to join forces in a major dance initiative being launched this summer. Entitled GENESIS, this unique project is set to captivate ballet audiences everywhere and appeal to a wider digitally-aware generation. The initiative is being launched in Tokyo on 1 July when downloads will become available internationally to the general public. A European launch will take place in London in September 2013.

The Metropolitan Opera's 2013-14 season will feature many of the world's greatest singers, conductors, and theater artists in 26 operas, including six new productions, of a varied repertory that ranges from the Baroque era to the 21st century. Met Music Director James Levine will return to the Met podium for the first time in two years, conducting three operas with which he has long been associated: a new production of Verdi's final masterpiece Falstaff, Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, and Berg's Wozzeck. Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi will be conducting two operas in the 2013-14 season, Rossini's La Cenerentola and Puccini's Madama Butterfly.

The Metropolitan Opera's 2013-14 season will feature many of the world's greatest singers, conductors, and theater artists in 26 operas, including six new productions, of a varied repertory that ranges from the Baroque era to the 21st century. Met Music Director James Levine will return to the Met podium for the first time in two years, conducting three operas with which he has long been associated: a new production of Verdi's final masterpiece Falstaff, Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, and Berg's Wozzeck. Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi will be conducting two operas in the 2013-14 season, Rossini's La Cenerentola and Puccini's Madama Butterfly.

The Met: Live in HD, the Metropolitan Opera's award-winning series of live transmissions to movie theaters, will feature 10 productions in the 2013-14 season, offering a significant portion of the Met season to opera lovers around the world.

The Metropolitan Opera's 2013-14 season will feature many of the world's greatest singers, conductors, and theater artists in 26 operas, including six new productions, of a varied repertory that ranges from the Baroque era to the 21st century. Met Music Director James Levine will return to the Met podium for the first time in two years, conducting three operas with which he has long been associated: a new production of Verdi's final masterpiece Falstaff, Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, and Berg's Wozzeck. Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi will be conducting two operas in the 2013-14 season, Rossini's La Cenerentola and Puccini's Madama Butterfly.

American Ballet Theatre has announced an exchange program that will bring Steven McRae, a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet and Alban Lendorf, a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet, to perform as exchange artists during ABT's 2013 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House. The exchange program was announced today by Kevin McKenzie, ABT Artistic Director. McRae will dance the role of Lankendem in Le Corsaire at the June 5 matinee and June 8 evening performances. Lendorf will dance the role of Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty at the Saturday, July 6 matinee.

According to the Daily Mail, Fiona Shaw and dancer Daniel Hay-Gordon are set to perform Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' at the Old Vic Tunnels from tonight, Jan. 4.

American Ballet Theatre has announced an exchange program that will bring Steven McRae, a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet and Alban Lendorf, a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet, to perform as exchange artists during ABT's 2013 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House. The exchange program was announced today by Kevin McKenzie, ABT Artistic Director. McRae will dance the role of Lankendem in Le Corsaire at the June 5 matinee and June 8 evening performances. Lendorf will dance the role of Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty at the Saturday, July 6 matinee.

According to reports, Fiona Shaw will be performing Samuel Taylor Coleridge's narrative poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner in January. She will be joined by dancer, Daniel Hay-Gordon. It will be directed by Phylida Lloyd (Donmar's Julius Caesar) with choreography by Kim Brandstrup of ARC Dance.

According to the Daily Mail, Fiona Shaw and dancer Daniel Hay-Gordon are set to perform Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' at the Old Vic Tunnels from Jan. 4.

Rodgers & Hammerstein's musical Carousel comes to London in August 2012, for just 35 performances, prior to appearing at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris in 2013. Voted best musical of the 20th century by Time Magazine, Carousel features breathtaking dancing, and some of the most moving music ever written for the stage, including If I Loved You, June is bustin' out all over and You'll Never Walk Alone.

Versatile hip hop sensation Tommy Franzén will be taking over the role created by Royal Ballet's Thomas Whitehead, in Royal Ballet soloist Kristen McNally's 'indie ballet' work 'Don't Blame The Player, Blame The Game'.

Versatile hip hop sensation Tommy Franzén will be taking over the role created by Royal Ballet's Thomas Whitehead, in Royal Ballet soloist Kristen McNally's 'indie ballet' work 'Don't Blame The Player, Blame The Game'.