Balanchine, Sufjan Stevens and Wheeldon Highlights of Upcoming City Ballet Season
A dozen different ballets that George Balanchine created to Igor Stravinsky's music will open New York City Ballet's new season in September.
The company announced its 2012-'13 season — which features 150 performances of 65 ballets and musical scores by 44 composers — on Monday.
In addition to the Stravinsky Balanchine festival, the new season will include City Ballet's annual holiday classic, "George Balanchine's The Nutcracker"; four weeks of ballets set to the music of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky; and two weeks of performances of "The Sleeping Beauty" by the company's Master in Chief, Peter Martins.
In October, the company will perform a world premiere by corps de ballet member Justin Peck set to the Sufjan Stevens album Enjoy Your Rabbit. The electronica record and song cycle is based on the Chinese zodiac. Stevens and Peck are collaborating on all aspects of the production, according to City Ballet.
The season wraps up with 24 ballets scored by American composers kicking off in April, a world premiere by Christopher Wheeldon in May and a retrospective of the Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and American music festivals in June.