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THE OPERA HOUSE TO BE BOSTON
BALLET’S PERMANENT PERFORMANCE VENUE BEGINNING FALL 2009
Boston Ballet and the Opera House
Announce 30-Year Partnership
BOSTON, MA – March 27, 2008 – Boston
Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen and the Opera House
Executive Director, Jim Jensen today announce that beginning in the
fall of 2009, Boston Ballet’s sole performing venue for its
home season and subscription series as well as its popular holiday
classic, The Nutcracker, will be the Opera House.
“We are thrilled to be welcoming Boston
Ballet, one of the nation’s premier ballet companies, to our
theater permanently,” said Jensen. “This beautifully
restored theater is a wonderful place to see dance and we look
forward to presenting this world-class company and its talented
artists in our historic home.”
The Opera House will offer Boston Ballet audiences a
more intimate experience with the artists on stage and a single
venue for all Boston Ballet productions. In addition, patrons will
have the ability to purchase tickets through Boston Ballet and the
Opera House with increased customer service and
flexibility.
“This is a fabulous move for the entire Boston
Ballet family,” said Nissinen. “The dancers are excited
to have a closer connection to their audience and patrons will
enjoy the enhanced viewing experience and services. In addition,
this partnership offers significant cost-savings by allowing for
more flexible use of the theater. We have thoroughly enjoyed
performing at the Opera House for The Nutcracker and look forward
to making it our permanent performance home.”
Boston Ballet is one of the most acclaimed dance
companies in the world, with an extraordinary record of artistic
achievement and the largest ballet school in North America. Since
2005, Boston Ballet has performed its popular holiday classic, The
Nutcracker, at the Opera House, delighting thousands of adults and
children each holiday season. The Nutcracker, featuring its
world-class dancers from Boston Ballet’s company and live
music performed by Boston Ballet’s orchestra, also includes
more than 300 children from Boston Ballet School.
“This partnership is a continuation of our
efforts to ensure the long-term success of the organization,”
said Richard Davis, Chairman of Boston Ballet. “With this new
home and the consistent support of our donors and patrons, Boston
Ballet can continue to present its world-class performances to
thousands every year.” Davis continued, “We are
grateful for the generous support of the entire Board of Trustees
especially Steve Jonas and Steve Weiner who worked diligently on
the details of this deal.”
The Opera House first opened its doors on October
29, 1928, as the B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre. Built to honor "the
father of vaudeville" by his business partner Edward Albee, the
theatre became part of a national circuit of grand theatres, built
to support vaudeville in its prime. With the decline of vaudeville,
the theatre went through many transitions, becoming a movie palace,
a concert hall, and later in the 1970s the home to Sarah
Caldwell’s Opera Company of Boston when the name changed to
the Opera House.
The theatre was eventually shuttered in 1990 and
remained empty and in disrepair until 2004. After a privately
funded $52 million dollar restoration by Live Nation, Boston's
landmark Opera House re-opened on July 16, 2004 as an architectural
jewel and one of New England's finest performing arts venues. The
2,600-seat Opera House is now owned and managed by Live Nation and
is also home to live Broadway theatre, music concerts and
comedy.
As one of the city’s most beloved arts
institutions, along with the Museum of Fine Arts and the Boston
Symphony Orchestra, Boston Ballet reaches thousands each year
through its performances, educational outreach programs and school
classes. Last summer, the prestigious professional company went on
a six-week tour of Spain, their first international tour in 15
years, where they headlined seven international arts festivals and
were the only American company to perform. From Madrid to Mallorca,
Boston Ballet was heralded by critics and audiences alike,
reinforcing Boston’s international reputation as a city of
culture, education, and beauty. Last fall, the company performed in
New York and California. Performances at the prestigious Kennedy
Center in Washington, DC and at The Spoleto Festival USA in
Charleston, SC are scheduled for this spring in addition to the
company’s performances of Nissinen’s Swan Lake and a
program of 20th Century works titled Three Masterpieces being
performed in Boston in May.
About Boston Ballet
Founded in 1963, Boston Ballet is one of the
leading dance companies in North America. Under the leadership of
Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen and Executive Director Valerie
Wilder, the Company maintains an internationally acclaimed
repertoire of classical, neo-classical and contemporary works,
ranging from full-length story ballets to new works by some of
today's finest choreographers.
Boston Ballet's second company, Boston Ballet
II, is made up of pre-professional dancers who gain experience by
performing with Boston Ballet and as an independent group,
presenting lecture-demonstrations and unique programs to audiences
throughout the Northeast. The Boston Ballet Center for Dance
Education is the largest ballet school in North America. In service
of its mission to bring the highest quality arts education to all,
it reaches and instructs more than 5,000 students of all ages each
year through Boston Ballet School, Young Dancers Summer Workshop,
Summer Dance Program, Citydance, Taking Steps, and Adaptive Dance.
The wide array of dance education programs are held at four major
ballet studio locations, in community centers, and throughout the
Boston Public Schools.
Boston Ballet gratefully acknowledges the following
institutional partners:
State Street Corporation, 2008 Sponsor, The
Nutcracker
Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation/Linda S.
Waintrup, Trustee
Massachusetts Cultural Council
National Endowment for the Arts
Boston Organ & Piano, Official Piano Supplier of
Boston Ballet
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