Cincinnati Ballet - Nutcracker 2022

DECEMBER 15-24, 2022 MUSIC HALL

DANIEL BALDWIN | PHOTOGRAPHY: AARON M. CONWAY

Mona Dermatology is a proud season partner of the Cincinnati Ballet.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LETTERS FROM LEADERSHIP SEASON SPONSORS

THE NEW NUTCRACKER SPONSORS

THE NUTCRACKER CINCINNATI BALLET LEADERSHIP SYNOPSIS

CREATIVE TEAM BIOS ARTISTIC LISTING DANCER BIOS NUTCRACKER PUZZLE TIME

BOARD OF TRUSTEES CINCINNATI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CINCINNATI BALLET STAFF

DONOR HONOR ROLL EXPLORE CINCINNATI BALLET PUZZLE TIME ANSWERS

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

Your Health Care Should Always Revolve Around You

A t Me r c y He a l t h , w e ’ r e c r e a t i n g t h e p e r s o n a l i z e d s o l u t io n s yo u n e e d , At Mercy Health, we’re creating the personalized solutions you need, t o m e e t yo u w h e r e yo u n e e d u s w i t h t h e r ig h t c a r e fo r yo u . B e c a u s e to meet you where you need us with the right care for you. Because w h e t h e r s a f e l y i n o u r c le a n f a c i l i t ie s , o r v i r t u a l l y f r o m t h e c o m fo r t o f whether safely in our clean facilities, or virtually from the comfort of yo u r o w n h o m e , w e b e l ie ve yo u r h e a l t h c a r e s h o u l d a l w a y s r e vo l ve your own home, we believe your health care should always revolve a r o u n d yo u . V i s i t around you. Visit m e r c y.c o m/p r i m a r y c a r e mercy.com/primarycare t o c o n n e c t w i t h a p r i m a r y to connect with a primary c a r e p r o v id e r t o d a y. care provider today.

DEAR FRIENDS OF CINCINNATI BALLET,

Thank you for joining us for this production of The Nutcracker! I am so pleased to experience this Cincinnati holiday tradition with all of you. There is nothing quite like The Nutcracker—from Tchaikovsky’s beloved score to the spectacular Snow Scene, to the iconic dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. When the audience walks into glorious Music Hall and finds their seats in Springer Auditorium, what they may not be aware of is the beehive of activity going on backstage. To create this spectacular production each year takes a monumental team effort—from the dancers to the stage crew to wardrobe and makeup artists, as well as the Cincinnati Ballet team members working in the front of the theater. As a retired dancer myself, The Nutcracker holds a special place in my heart, as I performed numerous roles in the classic ballet during my childhood and later in my professional career. For many dancers, year after year, their holiday seasons are defined by The Nutcracker. It is not unusual to see dancers wheeling suitcases in through the stage door during the first week of dress rehearsals, as the Company “moves into” the theater during the production run. With two performances on most days, dancers may perform four or five roles a day! A dancer may perform the role of a party guest, then dance in the Battle or Snow Scenes and then return in Act II to perform in two divertissements. To say it is a dizzying production run is an understatement! It is also one of the most magical times a dancer can have, creating memories with their family of fellow artists. To share the love of dance is why we do what we do and there is nothing quite like seeing all the smiles of the community in the audience during this wonderful tradition. Our Company is so grateful to the community for showing us this support, and we are truly honored to be a part of your family’s holiday memories.

As this year draws to a close, I thank all of you for welcoming me to Cincinnati. I look forward to creating new Nutcracker memories with you in years to come. I wish you and your family the happiest of holidays and a wonderful New Year!

GATES

JODIE

Artistic Director Sue and Bill Friedlander Endowed Chair Otto M. Budig Academy Artistic Director

Where learning happens, naturally.

Located on seven acres of thick woods and lush meadows, CMH helps our students to explore, interact with and learn in a rich and varied environment. Come see the CMH difference for yourself.

DEAR FRIEND OF CINCINNATI BALLET,

Thank you for including this joyous production of The Nutcracker in your holiday season. The time-honored story of Clara, her Nutcracker Prince, and their magical journey to the Land of Sweets is a tradition that is passed down from generation to generation for so many Cincinnati families. The holidays are not complete without a trip to Music Hall for our annual production of the beloved classic. Our Cincinnati Ballet family is so grateful to be performing for you this year. Each year, The Nutcracker is our Company’s biggest production! For weeks leading up to opening night at Music Hall, everyone at Cincinnati Ballet is focused on creating the incredible performances our community so richly deserves. From our Main Company dancers to the dozens of children from around the region who perform each year, hundreds of hours are spent in rehearsal at the Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance in Walnut Hills, creating the intricate choreography of the party scene at the Staulbaum family parlor that opens Act I and the colorful collection of divertissements in Act II. Our backstage crew is busy making sure all the sets and costumes are as spectacular as they were last season and preparing the theater for your arrival. Our administrative elves are hard at work setting up The Nutcracker Shop in the Music Hall lobby, where you will find hundreds of Nutcrackers, ornaments, and gifts to give to a loved one or hang on your holiday tree. It is the Season of Giving and we are so grateful to share the gift of this artform with you. Our annual production of The Nutcracker is critical to fulfilling Cincinnati Ballet’s mission is to enrich, expand, and excel in the art of dance through world-class performance, a high-caliber academy, and impactful education and engagement from local to global communities. For many in the audience, The Nutcracker is their first exposure to ballet. It may very well be your first time witnessing the unmatched artistry and athleticism of our dancers, or the first time you’ve seen Tchaikovsky’s beloved score brought to life on stage, or your first experience in the majesty of Music Hall at the holidays. Our sincere hope is that your Nutcracker experience creates a desire to return for another performance, to create a lifelong and enriching love of dance.

As we close 2022 and prepare to begin a new year, on behalf of the entire Cincinnati Ballet family, I wish you peace and joy.

Happy Holidays. SCOTT ALTMAN President and CEO

A proud sponsor of the musical arts

THE NEW NUTCRACKER SPONSORS

OVERTURE SHEAKLEY SHOW CURTAIN ACT I

FRISCH’S RESTAURANTS BLANCHE’S KITCHEN CHEF Jean-Robert de Cavel

SUE & BILL FRIEDLANDER PARTY SCENE

Eleanora C.U. Alms Trust, Fifth Third Bank Trustee Growing Tree

CLARA Mr. and Mrs. Larry McGruder MAGICAL DROSSELMEYER The Klosterman Family HOST AND HOSTESS Thomas and Mary Ellen Cody GRANDMOTHER Dr. and Mrs. Henry J. Heimlich*

AUNTIE ANNIE Ronna and Dr. James Willis PARTY SCENE CHILDREN Margaret and Michael Valentine DANCING DOLL Carol and Robert Olson

DANCING TEDDY BEAR Theodore L. Schwartz* and Minnette Hoffheimer

THE LOUISE TAFT SEMPLE FOUNDATION BATTLE SCENE

MOUSE KING Bruce Halpryn and Chas W. Riebe

GREAT AMERICAN INSURANCE SNOW SCENE

Doris M. and Charles Levinson Fund Flying Balloon

ACT II

PNC BANK LAND OF SWEETS

The Kroger Co. Foundation Center Cake

SUGAR PLUM FAIRY TenderLand Foundation CUPCAKES The Brown Family SPANISH DANCERS Gary and Linda Greenberg MIRLIPOOS Moe and Jack Rouse

MOTHER HEN AND CHICKS Rosemary and Mark Schlachter

JAMES J. & JOAN A. GARDNER FAMILY FOUNDATION WALTZ OF THE FLOWERS SCENE

BUMBLEBEES Northlich MEDIA SPONSOR Gannett Foundation

PROP CONSTRUCTION The Thomas J. Emery Memorial LIGHTING Procter & Gamble MAESTRO Corbett Foundation

ADDITIONAL SPONSORSHIP PARTNERS

The Sutphin Family Foundation Dinsmore & Shohl LLP Frost Brown Todd LLC

Jack J. Smith, Jr. Charitable Trust, PNC Bank N.A. and James S. Wachs, Co-Trustees Christopher and Karen Bowman Nigel Vinecombe

*Our hearts go out to the family of Dr. Henry J. Heimlich & Theodore L. Schwartz, their memory will live on at Cincinnati Ballet.

THE NUTCRACKER

CHOREOGRAPHY Victoria Morgan

MUSIC Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky performed by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra SCENIC DESIGN John Ezell COSTUME DESIGN Carrie Robbins LIGHTING DESIGN Trad A Burns

STAGING Cervillio Miguel Amador, Dale Shields, Suzette Boyer Webb, Jacqueline Damico Amador MICE HIP-HOP CHOREOGRAPHY Derrek Burbridge COFFEE DANCE CHOREOGRAPHY Victoria Morgan with Missy Lay Zimmer and Andrew Hubbard ASSOCIATE LIGHTINGDESIGN Benjamin Gantose ASSOCIATE SCENIC DESIGN Gene Emerson Friedman WIGS & MAKEUP James Geier of J. Geier Designs LTD MAGIC CONSULTATION Sean Owens, with Wood Herron & Evans LLP STAGE MANAGER Carissa Gandenberger

MUSIC DIRECTOR EMERITUS CARMON DELEONE CONDUCTING

Evening – Thursday, December 15; Tuesday, December 20 Matinee – Saturday, December 24

SAMUEL LEE CONDUCTING

Evening – Friday, December 16; Saturday, December 17; Sunday, December 18 Matinee – Saturday, December 17; Sunday, December 18

DANIEL WILEY CONDUCTING

Evening – Wednesday, December 21; Thursday, December 22; Friday, December 23 Matinee – Wednesday, December 21; Thursday, December 22; Friday, December 23

SPECIAL THANKS

All Star Academy, Cincinnati Public Schools SCPA, Dance, Etc. (Milford, Ohio), Gotta Dance, Just Off Broadway, Moss Performing Arts Academy, Perfection Gymnastics School, The Studio for Dance

The scenic designer thanks confectioner Colette Peters for the use of references to her cake design in Act II “The Land of Sweets.” Peters/CAKES TO DREAM ON; © Copyright 2005; Reproduced with permission of the author and publisher John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The Austin E. Knowlton Foundation is a proud season partner of Cincinnati Ballet

CINCINNATI BALLET LEADERSHIP

JODIE GATES ARTISTIC DIRECTOR | SUE AND BILL FRIEDLANDER ENDOWED CHAIR | OTTO M. BUDIG ACADEMY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Jodie Gates has contributed to the profession as a visionary leader, director, arts educator, choreographer, and dancer. She is a former principal ballerina with the Joffrey Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet, Frankfurt Ballet, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet, as well as an international guest artist. She is the Founding Director of the University of Southern California’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance where she also served as Vice Dean and Professor while creating a one-of-a-kind curriculum. She is Founder and Artistic Director of the presenting organization Laguna Dance Festival based in Laguna Beach, California, establishing a sustainable organization that cultivates world-class dance performance and education. As an accomplished choreographer she has been commissioned by numerous companies such as Ballet West, Staatsballett Berlin, and the

Vail International Dance Festival. Additionally, she created content for television commercials, curated performances for singer/songwriter John Legend, and collaborated for a global ad campaign for Los Angeles Tourism. She is an artistic collaborator with choreographer William Forsythe, staging ballets internationally for Forsythe Productions and has worked at Paris Opera Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Houston Ballet, La Scala Theatre Ballet, and Zurich Ballet, among others. She was awarded the distinguished Residency Fellowship from The Center for Ballet and the Arts at New York University, a recipient of the Jerome Robbins New Essential Works Program and Altria/ABT fellowship from American Ballet Theatre. Gates received a Psychology of Leadership Certificate from Cornell University SC Johnson College of Business and studied with the Higher Education Leadership Program for Women (HERS Institute) at Bryn Mawr College.

SCOTT ALTMAN

PRESIDENT AND CEO Scott Altman joined Cincinnati Ballet as President and CEO in August 2016. Under his visionary leadership, Cincinnati Ballet has reached many noteworthy milestones, more than tripling asset growth to over $75 million, implementation of its first $11 million operating budget, a dynamic new logo and brand identity, record-breaking ticket sales, the launch of a new Family Series, as well as expanded Academy and community programs. To accommodate this incredible growth, Cincinnati Ballet launched a $31 million capital campaign to construct a new, larger, state-of-the-art ballet center; the 62,000-square-foot Cincinnati Ballet Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance celebrated its grand opening in September 2021. During his tenure, Altman has been honored for three consecutive years by Cincinnati Magazine in its Cincinnati 300—a compilation of the city’s top 300 executives, and currently serves as Trustee on the Board of DanceUSA and as its Executive Managers Council Chair, Trustee on the Board of Ohio Citizens for the Arts, and member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for Cincinnati

Conservatory of Music. Altman has been featured guest speaker for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Americans for the Arts, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Altman brings with him nearly three decades of experience in nonprofit administration and performing arts. Prior to his roles in administration, Altman enjoyed a 20-year career as a professional opera singer and performed 40 opera roles internationally. He has held leadership positions as General Director at both Arizona Opera and Opera New Jersey, and just prior to coming to Cincinnati Ballet he was Executive Director of Ballet West. During his tenure, Ballet West experienced phenomenal expansion, including growth in ticket sales, a vastly expanded touring schedule, robust growth in donor development, and the construction of a new building. He is an alumnus of the Manhattan School of Music as well as State University College at Purchase and taught for three years at Princeton University. Altman earned a certificate from Stanford University’s Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders, was a Utah Business 2016 CEO of the Year Honoree, and is a three-time recipient of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts Citation of Excellence Award.

DALE SHIELDS REHEARSAL DIRECTOR

Dale Shields trained at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and Butler University before joining Indianapolis Ballet Theatre, where she rose to principal dancer under Artistic Director George Verdak. Shields performed principal roles in productions including Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Coppelia, Night Shadow, The Moor’s Pavane, and many original works. She served as Principal Bal-

let Mistress for Ballet Internationale, assisting with the original choreography of full-length ballets by Artistic Director Eldar Aliev and worked alongside Irina Kolpakova in staging many well-known classics. Accepting Artistic Director John McFall’s invitation to join Atlanta Ballet as Ballet Mistress gave her the opportunity to assist in mounting numerous full-length productions. She assisted on works by inspiring national and international choreographers including Alexander Ekman, Helen Pickett, Twyla Tharp, Liam Scarlett, David Bentley, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Amy Seiwert, among others. She is now in her third season with Cincinnati Ballet.

CERVILIO MIGUEL AMADOR REHEARSAL DIRECTOR

A skilled artist, entrepreneur, and change agent for the world of dance, Cervilio Miguel Amador received his education and training from the Vocational Ballet School in Camagüey, Cuba, and the National Ballet School of Cuba. He danced with the National Ballet of Cuba as a corps de ballet dancer and then as a corifeo (demi-soloist) before joining Cincinnati Ballet in 2004 as a Soloist. He was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2006 becoming one of the youngest Principals

in the history of the company. During his professional career he has performed as a guest artist in galas all over the world as well as a guest teacher for numerous schools. He has represented Cincinnati Ballet dancers as a Union delegate for over 10 years and after retiring from dance, he became the Rehearsal Director for Cincinnati Ballet. He is currently the Rehearsal Director for Cincinnati Ballet and Co-Artistic Director/Founder of Moving Arts. Amador is also a member of the Cincinnati Ballet Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Task Force leading sustainable change for dancers now and future artists.

SUZETTE BOYER WEBB DIRECTOR OF SECOND COMPANY

Suzette Boyer Webb joined Cincinnati Ballet in 1979. As a Principal Dancer, under the direction of David McClain, Frederic Franklin, and Ivan Nagy, she danced classical and contemporary roles in works by choreographers Frederic Franklin, Ivan Nagy, George Balanchine, Ruth Page, Peter Anastos, John Butler, Sir Kenneth McMillian, Ben Stevenson, James Truitte, Lester Horton, and Vincente Nebrada. Upon retirement from Cincinnati Ballet, Webb served on the Dance Division faculty at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. There, she was awarded The Outstanding Adjunct Teacher of the Year award.

As the director of the Cincinnati Ballet’s Second Company – CB2 and Young Performers Rehearsal Director, Webb has been instrumental in providing technical and artistic learning opportunities to CB2 and Academy dancers in various Cincinnati Ballet productions, including the highly successful Cincinnati Ballet Family Series Webb has choreographed numerous works for the Cincinnati Ballet Second Company. She has staged many ballets, including children’s roles for Victoria Morgan’s The Nutcracker, in Cincinnati; Anchorage, Alaska; at the Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C.; and at the Detroit Opera House.

Webb has worked nationally as guest teacher, adjudicator, and panelist.

CINCINNATI BALLET LEADERSHIP

CARMON DELEONE MUSIC DIRECTOR EMERITUS

Carmon DeLeone, Music Director Emeritus of Cincinnati Ballet and Conductor Laureate of The Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and The Middleton Symphony, has served as Conductor and Host of the Family Concert Series at New York’s Carnegie Hall and has conducted orchestras in Germany, England, Luxembourg, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Under his leadership, The Illinois Philharmonic was twice named “Illinois Orchestra of the Year.” He has composed many original scores for the ballet. His bestknown work, Peter Pan, is frequently performed nationally and overseas. As Assistant and later Resident Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, DeLeone served on its staff with Music

Directors Max Rudolf, Thomas Schippers, Walter Susskind, and Erich Kunzel. He was also selected by Maestro Erich Leinsdorf to participate in an intensive master conducting seminar at The Lincoln Center. He possesses a wide range of musical interests; he is versed in both the classics and jazz playing the French horn or leading his own “Studio Big Band” from the drum set. Maestro DeLeone made his New York conducting debut with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at City Center, and his Carnegie Hall debut with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. DeLeone is a recipient of the Post-Corbett Award and most recently was awarded the esteemed MacDowell Medal by the Cincinnati MacDowell Society. His very popular weekly radio show, Sunday Morning Music Hall, can be heard on WDJO-FM 99.5 & 107.9 and AM 1480.

BY AARON M. CONWAY AND HIROMI PLATT

SYNOPSIS

ACT I

SCENE I – BLANCHE’S KITCHEN

Our story begins on Christmas Eve. There is a fl urry of activity as the maids, butlers, and chef prepare for a party where friends and family of the Stahlbaums will gather to open presents and celebrate the holiday. The Stahlbaums’ son, Fritz, and their daughter, Clara, try their best to be helpful, but that is not without its complications.

SCENE II – THE PARTY

The Stahlbaum living room is bright and festive with the most beautiful Christmas tree imaginable. All the guests and children are having a marvelous time dancing, laughing, and opening gifts when suddenly, Herr Drosselmeyer bursts into the room. He is a mysterious doll maker who surprises everyone with his acts of magic. With the swipe of his cloak, dresses change color and dancing dolls appear. One doll is so beautiful Clara bravely asks if she can have it for Christmas, but Mother Stahlbaum says no. Clara is sad until Drosselmeyer places the most colorful Nutcracker in her hands. She joyfully dances around the room showing off her splendid gift. Fritz wishes that Drosselmeyer had given him the Nutcracker and in his frustration, grabs it from Clara and breaks

it. Immediately, the precocious Fritz is scolded by his father and sent off to bed. Herr Drosselmeyer comes to the rescue and mends the Nutcracker. The festivities continue into the night, highlighted with a stately dance initiated by Clara’s grandparents. As the evening comes to an end, Drosselmeyer is the last to bid the family farewell. Just before heading up to bed, Herr Stahlbaum brings out one last gift. He fastens an elegant necklace around his wife’s neck and there is one last embrace before the parlor grows quiet.

SCENE III – THE BATTLE

Clara, candle in hand, sneaks downstairs to check on her beloved Nutcracker. She fi nds herself in the drawing room and is startled by the sound of scampering feet and fl ickering eyes. Clara hears the chimes of the big grandfather clock striking midnight as a band of mischievous mice tries to steal away her precious Nutcracker. Drosselmeyer appears out of the darkness and, with a wave of his arms, the tree, parlor furniture, and toys begin to grow. A terrible battle ensues between the mice and the toy soldiers. The Nutcracker, having escaped the clutches of the mice, has grown to lifesize and challenges the Mouse King to duel. It is a fierce fight but the Mouse King is distracted by

SYNOPSIS

Clara’s imaginary friend, Minnie the Poodle, allowing the brave Nutcracker to wound his foe.

As the mice scamper away and parlor grows quiet, Clara watches as her Nutcracker magically transforms into a handsome prince. He takes her hand and they soon fi nd themselves in a magical snow forest. There, they meet the noble Snow Queen and King, who dance with a storm of Snowfl akes. As the storm subsides, a beautiful fl ying balloon descends to take Clara and her Nutcracker Prince to the Land of Sweets.

ACT II

THE LAND OF SWEETS

As the curtain opens on Act II, we see a delightful assortment of filigree frosted cakes. It is The Sugar Plum Fairy’s Kingdom, a place so sweet it attracts characters from all over the world. All of the characters from the Land of Sweets are frolicking and playing together when suddenly the illustrious Queen, The Sugar Plum Fairy, arrives. All bow to honor her and her Cupcake and Gingerbread Attendants. The Sugar Plum Fairy graces them with a special dance when unexpectedly an enormous fl ying balloon appears carrying Clara and the Nutcracker Prince.

The Sugar Plum Fairy welcomes them and they are treated to the kingdom’s most scrumptious delights. Clara is reunited with Minnie, her poodle, and together they recount the fierce battle between the Nutcracker and the Mouse King. The entire kingdom cheers as the Nutcracker reenacts his victory. Each character honors them with a special dance. As the celebration continues, the Land of Sweets transforms into a beautiful garden full of flowers with flowering petals and one brilliant pink rose. Finally, The Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cotton Candy Cavalier do a grand dance as a special treat for Clara. All the characters join together for a rousing finale.

As the dancing concludes, the flying balloon descends to take Clara and her Prince high over the mountains, further and further away from the Land of Sweets. When Clara opens her eyes, she finds herself at home in the parlor room with her imaginary friend Minnie by her side and her beloved Nutcracker watching over her, always.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY HIROMI PLATT FEATURING (TOP) CINCINNATI BALLET DANCERS / (BOTTOM) LUCA DE-POLI AND MAIZYALET VELÁZQUEZ

CREATIVE TEAM

VICTORIA MORGAN CHOREOGRAPHER

Victoria Morgan, former Artistic Director of Cincinnati Ballet, is an accomplished choreographer, creating numerous one-act and full-length ballets. Her acclaimed works include the world premieres of King Arthur’s Camelot in 2014 and The Nutcracker in 2011 and her reimagined Cinderella, which premiered in February 2016. She retired from her 25year tenure as Artistic Director at the conclusion of Cincinnati Ballet’s 2021-2022 season.

Prior to coming to Cincinnati Ballet, Morgan was resident choreographer for the San Francisco Opera, a principal dancer with Ballet West and

San Francisco Ballet, and performed lead roles for television and film. Her choreography was featured in the PBS documentary, The Creation of O.M.O. Morgan served on the boards of Dance/USA and Dance Magazine, as well as a National Endowment for the Arts evaluation panel, and she adjudicated multiple international ballet competitions. She received a Career Woman of Achievement from the YWCA and a Women Who Mean Business award from the Cincinnati Business Courier in 2021, and was named by ArtsWave in 2022 as the Rosa F. & Samuel B. Sachs Fund Prize honoree, which recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contribution to the region through the arts. Morgan graduated Magna Cum Laude with an M.F.A. from University of Utah.

CARRIE ROBBINS COSTUME DESIGNER

Carrie Robbins’s costume design credits include over 30 Broadway shows, among them Grease (Travolta), Agnes of God (Page/Plummer), Yentl (Feldshuh), Octette Bridgeclub (Marchand), Sweet Bird of Youth (Bacall), Frankenstein (Wiest), Happy End (Streep), Boys of Winter (Dillon), Cyrano (Langella), WhiteChristmas (D’Arcy James). Her awards and nominations include two Tony Award nominations, five Drama Desk Awards, Maharam, USITT/ Prague-International, L.A. Dramalogue, Henry Hughes, F.I.T/Surface Design, Audelco, and others. Robbins’s regional work includes M. Butterfly and On theVerge for Arena Stage in D.C. (dir. By Tazewell Thompson); AmericaninParis for the Alley Theatre, Houston; TheTempest (starring Sir Anthony Hopkins), and FleainHerEar for Mark Taper Forum. Opera design includes DeathinVenice (Glimmerglass), SamsonetDelila (San Francisco Opera and Houston Grand Opera), many for Opera Company of Boston (Sarah Calldlwell), and WestSideStory for Hamburg Staatsoper. In

New York City, Robbins has designed many productions for Lincoln Center Rep, Chelsea Theatre/ BAM, Acting Company/Juilliard, and NY Shakespeare Festival. Her film/television credits include In the Spirit (Marlo Thomas/Elaine May), Saturdy Night Live, and PBS Arts in America. Known for her drawing ability, Robbins’s work was featured in the Time-Life Series “Collectibles,” between Telephones & Trivets. Recently, The Designs of Carrie Robbins was released by U.S. Institute of Theatre Technology. In 2008/2009 Robbins was co-curator of a groundbreaking exhibit, Curtain Call: Celebrating a Century of Women Designing for Live Performance at the NY Public Library for the Performing Arts. In 2012, she received the Irene Sharaff LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT Award. Robbins was Master Teacher of Costume Design at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts for many years, producing a stream of award-winning young costume designers across the country. Since 2014, Robbins has been writing. She’s on her 21st play, and has received seven nominations to date from the NY Innovative Theatre Awards, most recently for her play “The Dragon Griswynd” for Outstanding Original Short Script.

CREATIVE TEAM

JOHN EZELL SCENIC DESIGNER

John Ezell is an internationally recognized scenic designer, having designed for such prestigious institutions as the Royal Danish Ballet, the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Cullberg Ballet, the Swedish Riksteater, and the Royal Theatre Olympics in Istanbul. His credits also include designs for Broadway, the New York Shakespeare Festival, The Public Theatre, the York Theatre, and the Roundabout. He was artistic associate of the Tony Award–winning Crossroads Theatre and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park as well as the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C.; Olde Globe in San Diego; Asolo Theatre, Lyric Opera, Blackstone Theatre, Second City in Chicago; the historic Market Theatre in Johannesburg; and the Hong Kong Repertory, and many others. He was a designer and art director for CBS, PBS-TV,

and Swedish State Television, and a consultant to the design collection at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale. His drawings have been exhibited in galleries internationally. His work has received the award for Experimental Television Art in Milan, two Corporation for Public Broadcasting Awards for Excellence in Prime-Time Drama, and 12 Critic’s Circle Awards for best professional sets. Ezell was recognized for contributions to the American Theatre on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Yale Drama School. He is the recipient of Washington University in St. Louis’s 2001 Distinguished Alumni Award, and a fellow of the American College Theater Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

CREATIVE TEAM

incinnati Balle

TRAD A BURNS

LIGHTING DESIGNER

Trad A Burns has been designing scenery and lighting professionally since 1989 for theater, dance, and amusement parks. Recent credits include the world premiere of Carmen, choreographed by Kenneth Tindal; Thrive, choreographed by Ma Cong; What’s Going On?, choreographed by Val Caniparoli; and Little Shop of Horrors for Great Lake Theatre and Idaho Shakespeare Festival. Upcoming works include world premiere ballets for Penny Saunders, Adam Hougland, Caili Quan, Stephanie Martinez, Ma Cong, and Nicolo Fonte. Burns has had the privilege of designing world premiere ballets for such notable choreographers as Trey McIntyre, Val Caniparoli, James Kudelka, Edwaard Liang, Annabelle Lopez Ocha, Mat-

thew Neenan, Adam Hougland, Garrett Smith, Jessica Lang, Alejandro Cerrudo, Kirk Peterson, Donald Byrd, Jodie Gates, Gina Patterson, Amy Seiwert, Ma Cong, Andrea Schermoly, Jennifer Archibald, Penny Saunders, Stephanie Martinez, Septime Webre, Devon Carney, Victoria Morgan, Robert Curran, and Sarah Slipper. Over the years, his dance lighting has been seen at American Ballet Theatre, National Ballet of Canada, Atlanta Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Alberta Ballet, Ballet X, The Joffrey Ballet, BalletMet, Louisville Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Pittsburg Ballet Theatre, Grand Rapids Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Smuin Ballet, Hubbard Street, and Cincinnati Ballet. Burns is currently a member of the design faculty for Texas State University’s Department of Theatre, Dance and Film.

CREATIVE TEAM

SAMUEL LEE CONDUCTOR

Samuel Lee, first prize winner of the BMI International Conducting Competition in Bucharest and the International Conducting Competition in Taipei, has recently been appointed Assistant Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, beginning in the 2022–23 season. Guest conducting engagements include his debut at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg with the Hamburg Camerata and in Gewandhaus with Leipziger Symphoniker, as well as with Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra, Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, Frankfurt State Orchestra, Brandenburg Symphony Orchestra, Hamburg Camerata, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Bucharest Symphony Orchestra, Arad Philharmonic Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Korean Symphony Orchestra, KBS Symphony Or-

chestra, and the SAC Festival Orchestra.

As a Conducting Fellow and participant in masterclasses of conductors such as Daniele Gatti, Riccardo Muti, Neeme Järvi, Markus Stenz, and Stefan Blunier, he gained deeper insights into the art of conducting.

Since 2016 Samuel Lee has been the chief conductor of the C.P.E. Bach Musikgymnasium orchestra Berlin. He and the orchestra have been regularly invited to the Berlin Philharmonie and Konzerthaus Berlin for subscription concerts. He also served as a viola professor at Hochschule für Musik und Theater “Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy” in Leipzig, Germany until 2022.

Lee is an alumnus of Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin where he studied viola with Prof. Tabea Zimmermann (BM, MM, Konzertexamen), and orchestral conducting with Prof. Christian Ehwald (BM, MM). Lee completed Konzertexamen in orchestral conducting from Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg (Prof. Ulrich Windfuhr).

DANIEL WILEY

CONDUCTOR

Daniel Wiley has quickly become a notable young conductor on the rise, having made guest appearances with the Denali Chamber Orchestra, Meridian Symphony, Equilibrium Ensemble, Boise Philharmonic, Abilene Philharmonic, London (Ontario) Symphonia, Windsor (Ontario) Symphony Orchestra, Windsor Abridged Opera, University of Windsor’s Wind Ensemble, and the University of North Florida’s Opera Department. In the fall of 2022, he joined the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Pops as an Assistant Conductor, where he is responsible for conducting and covering a wide variety of concerts as well as working with the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestras.

Prior to his tenure in Cincinnati, Wiley held

numerous conducting posts, including Assistant Conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony, Music Director of the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestras, Associate Conductor of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Windsor Symphony Youth Orchestras, Music Director of the Windsor Symphony Community Orchestra, Wind Ensemble Conductor at the School of Creative Arts at the University of Windsor, Education Conductor/Consultant for London Symphonia, Conductor for the Windsor Abridged Opera Company, Music Director of Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science Youth Orchestra, and Assistant Conductor for the Meridian Symphony Orchestra.

As a former public-school music teacher, Wiley has a unique passion for music education, and he frequently donates his time as a guest clinician to support students and teachers in music programs across North America.

Melissa Gelfin De-PoliSirui LiuRafael Quenedit

PRINCIPALS FIRST SOLOISTS

Minori Sakita Maizyalet Velázquez

SOLOISTS

Chandler ProctorMarcus RomeoJoshua Stayton

CORPS DE BALLET

Daniel Baldwin Nikita Boris Taylor Carrasco Gabrielle Collins Luca De-Poli

Matthew Griffin Samantha Griffin Christina Laforgia Morse Michael Mengden Katherine Ochoa

Jace Pauly Caroline Perry Simon Plant Samantha Riester Bella Ureta Daniel Wagner

NEW DANCERS

Catherine Lasak Jhaelin McQuay Lenai Wilkerson

APPRENTICE

Llonnis del Toro Cintra

SECOND COMPANY: CB2

Nicolas Bierwagen Erin Blair Nikolas Button Anderson Da Silva Sam Epstein

Hailey Flanagan Julia Gundzik Ramsay Miller Isabelle Morgan

Simone Muhammad Scott Reed Anthony Rhee-Reynoso Mia Steedle

The Artists of Cincinnati Ballet are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO.

MELISSA GELFIN DE-POLI PRINCIPAL DANCER | PHILADELPHIA, PA | JOINED CINCINNATI BALLET IN 2014

Melissa Gelfin De-Poli began her ballet training with Lisa Collins Vidnovic at Metropolitan Ballet Academy and continued with Barbara Sandonato and Andrea Long-Naidu at Barbara Sandonato School of Ballet. She joined the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre in 2009, under the direction of Franco De Vita and Raymond Lukens, and was awarded a National Training Scholarship with ABT. Prior to dancing with Cincinnati Ballet, Gelfin De-Poli danced for Orlando Ballet II and Orlando Ballet Company from 2011 to 2014 and was a finalist in the 2014 Jackson International Ballet Competition. Gelfin DePoli joined Cincinnati Ballet as a New Dancer for the 2014–2015 Season and was promoted to Corps De Ballet in February of 2015. She was promoted to Senior Soloist in 2017 and Principal Dancer in 2018. As a dancer with Cincinnati Ballet, Gelfin De-Poli’s repertoire includes classical and contemporary works by Septime Webre, Yuri Possikov, Victoria Morgan, Val Caniparoli, Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine, Nicolo Fonte, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Adam Hougland, and Ma Cong. She has danced Principal roles in Septime Webre’s ALICE (in Wonderland) and The Wizard of Oz, Victoria Morgan’s The Nutcracker, King Arthur’s Camelot, and Romeo & Juliet, Kirk Peterson’s Coppélia and Swan Lake, George Balanchine’s Rubies and Serenade, Devon Carney’s The Sleeping Beauty, and originated roles in Penny Saunders’s Nannerl, Myles Thatcher’s Anamoly, Andrea Schermoly’s Swivet, and several works by Jennifer Archibald. Gelfin De-Poli debuted as a choreographer in a solo work for the inaugural 2018 Female Choreographic Initiative Festival hosted by Houston Ballet. She has since debuted two world premieres for Cincinnati Ballet’s 2019 and 2020 The Kaplan New Works Series with her works Clockwise and Ain’t I a Woman respectively. During the summer months, Gelfin De-Poli performs and tours with Moving Arts Company.

SIRUI LIU PRINCIPAL DANCER | SHANGHAI, CHINA

| JOINED CINCINNATI BALLET IN 2011

Sirui Liu trained at Shanghai Dance School affiliated to Shanghai Theater Academy from 2000 to 2007 and went on to the Shanghai Dance College of Shanghai Theater Academy for four years. The desire to expand her dance horizons upon graduation led Liu to Cincinnati Ballet, for which she left her school and family in China. Liu won a gold medal competing in senior group of ballet of the Ninth Taolibei National Dance Competition in China in 2009 and the gold medal of senior group of Beijing International Ballet Invitational in China in 2010. Liu was invited to perform in Night of Ballet Gala in Ulaanbaatar Mongolia in June 2016. Sirui competed in 2014’s USA International Ballet Competition, progressing to the third and final round. Liu was named one of the Top 25 Dancers to Watch in 2017 by Dance Magazine. She has danced several Pas de Deux including Black Swan, Don Quixote, Esmeralda, Diana and Acteon, Le Corsaire, Paquita, Coppelia. She has also performed Principal roles such as Odette and Odile in Swan Lake, Sugar Plum Fairy and Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, Waltz Girl in Balanchine’s Serenade, Tall Girl in Balanchine’s Rubies, The Chosen One in Rite of Spring, Pas couple in Minus 16, amongst other ballets. Liu has also worked with internationally acclaimed choreographers such as Val Caniparoli, Yuri Possokhov, Kirk Peterson, Trey Mcintyre, Alejandro Cerrudo, Ohad Naharin, Annabelle Lope Ochoa, Nicolo Fonte, Garrett Smith, Justin Peck, Septime Webre, Jennifer Archibald, Ma Cong, Travis Wall, and more. Liu is the co-owner of Improvedance and Active Royale. She was named a Cincinnati Ballet Soloist in 2015 and promoted to Principal Dancer in 2017.

RAFAEL QUENEDIT

PRINCIPAL DANCER | HAVANA, CUBA | JOINED CINCINNATI BALLET IN 2021

Rafael Quenedit began his training in 2006 in Cuba at Escuela Elemental de Ballet Alejo Carpentier where he trained for five years. He then spent eight years training with the National Ballet School of Cuba. He graduated in 2014 and joined the National Ballet of Cuba as a Corps de ballet dancer. Quenedit was quickly cast in Soloist and Principal roles, before being named Principal dancer at the prestigious international company. Principal roles with the National Ballet of Cuba include Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Giselle, La Fille Mal Gardée, The Nutcracker, Romeo & Juliet, Carmen, La Bayadere, Cinderella, and Theme & Variations. He made his Cincinnati Ballet debut during the 2020–2021 Season in Bold Moves Plus. He has also worked with internationally-renowned choreographers including Alicia Alonso, Alexei Ratmansky, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Giuliano Peparini, and Alberto Mendez, among others. He has performed lead roles in the United States, Italy, Spain, France, Canada, Mexico, and several others. Competition awards include the bronze medal at the International Ballet competition in Havana, Cuba, Junior division; gold medal at the International Ballet competition in Cape Town, South Africa, Junior division; and gold medal at the XX International Ballet competition in Havana, Cuba. He was also awarded best Artistic Performance, Senior division; and winner at Amici World Dance competition in Italy.

MINORI SAKITA

FIRST SOLOIST

Born in Washington, D.C., Minori Sakita began her training at the Maryland Youth Ballet and continued at the Houston Ballet Academy. In 2014, she joined Tulsa Ballet and was promoted to demi-soloist in 2018. She joined Cincinnati Ballet as soloist in 2019 and was promoted to First Soloist the following year. Sakita has performed

principal roles in Victoria Morgan’s The Nutcracker, Cinderella and KingArthur’s Camelot, John Cranko’s Onegin, Andre Prokovsky’s TheThreeMusketeers, Derek Dean’s StrictlyGershwin, Balanchine’s Serenade and Who Cares?, and Septime Weber’s The Wizard of Oz. She has also performed in Classical and Contemporary works by Alexander Ekman, David Dawson, Christopher Bruce, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Ma Cong, Jorma Elo, Yuri Possokhov, Jirí Kylián, and Dwight Rhoden.

MAIZYALET VELÁZQUEZ

FIRST SOLOIST

A native of Puerto Rico, Maizyalet Velázquez began her training at Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico, training in both the conservatory and company. She graduated from the Virginia School of the Arts in 2007, where she studied under David Keener and the late Petrus Bosman. Velázquez joined Cin-

cinnati Ballet upon graduation and was promoted to Soloist in 2012. She enjoys working with Cincinnati Ballet because it offers the opportunity to perform both classical and contemporary repertoire. She has performed the leading role, Marguerite, in Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias, as well as the title role in Amedeo Amodio’s Carmen. Velázquez was promoted to First Soloist for Cincinnati Ballet’s 2017–2018 Season.

CHANDLER PROCTOR SOLOIST

Chandler Proctor was born in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, where he studied dance until 2013 before joining Houston Ballet II. In 2015 he was off ered a company position

MARCUS ROMEO SOLOIST

Marcus Romeo began training at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under the direction of Marcia Dale Weary. He completed his last three years of pre-professional training at The School of American Ballet, where he was awarded the Columbus Citizen Foundation Scholarship, the Linda and Arthur Collins Scholarship, and the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation Scholarship. Following his graduation, Romeo joined Boston Ballet II under Mikko Nissinen and was promoted to the corps de ballet in 2014. During his time with Boston Ballet, he appeared in works such as George Balanchine’s DonizettiVariations, Kammermusik No.

with Tulsa Ballet and was promoted to Soloist in 2019. While in Tulsa he performed in works by renowned choreographers Jiří Kylián, Nacho Duato, Derek Deane, Wayne McGregor, Ma Cong, and Edwaard Liang. This is Proctor’s second season with Cincinnati Ballet.

2, Theme and Variations, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Diamonds, and Episodes, Jerome Robbins’ The Concert, John Neumeier’s ThirdSymphony of Gustav Mahler, Ivan Liska’s Le Corsaire, and William Forsythe’s Artifact2017. Romeo joined Cincinnati Ballet in 2017 and was promoted to Soloist. Since joining Cincinnati Ballet, Romeo has enjoyed dancing the works of Jiří Kylián, Justin Peck, Helen Pickett, Cathy Marston, Nicolo Fonte, Penny Saunders, David Morse, Andrea Schermoly, Myles Thatcher, Septime Webre, Ohad Naharin, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Devon Carney, Victoria Morgan, Jerome Robbins, and George Balanchine. In 2022, he earned an Associate of Applied Business degree from Eastern Gateway Community College with a finance focus.

JOSHUA STAYTON SOLOIST

A Cincinnati native, Joshua Stayton began his training at the School for Creative and Performing Arts before joining the Orlando Ballet School (Peter Stark) and Houston Ballet II (Claudio Muñoz). Prior to joining Cincinnati Ballet, Stayton was a Demi-Soloist at Sarasota Ballet and a soloist at Tulsa Ballet. His repertoire includes leading roles in The Green Table (Joos), Onegin (Cranko), Strictly Gershwin (Deane), A Million Kisses to My Skin (Dawson), Concerto (MacMillian), Mirror

Walkers (Sir Wright), Cinderella (Morgan), Age of Innocence (Liang), Bolero (Fonte), Midsummer (Wheeldon), One/end/One (Elo), Sleeping Beauty (Angelini), Romeo & Juliet (Liang), and Extremely Close (Cerrudo), among others. Stayton has performed internationally in Hungary, Italy, Finland, Spain and Switzerland. As a choreographer, he has had world premieres for Ballet 22, Tulsa Ballet’s second company, DeLa Dance Company, Azara Ballet, and SCPA’s Dance Ensemble. Beyond his love for the stage, Joshua enjoys teaching the future generation of dance.

DANIEL BALDWIN

CORPS DE BALLET

Daniel Baldwin trained at the Governors School of Arts and Humanities from 2013-2014 under Josee Garant and Miriam González. From 2014-2015, he trained with Kirov Academy of Ballet under Adrienne Dellas and Stanislav Issaev, and in 2015 trained at the San Francisco Ballet School with Patrick Armand, Rubén Martín Cintas, and Pascal Molat. In 2017, he joined Cincinnati Ballet

NIKITA BORIS CORPS DE BALLET

Nikita Boris began her ballet training at the Irine Fokine School of Ballet. She continued her studies at the Valentina Kozlova Dance Conservatory of New York. In 2016, she was invited to the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia. She performed in the winner’s gala of the Vaganova Prix at the Mariinsky Theatre. Boris traveled internationally for competitions and was awarded several medals, as well as the Grand Prix at Concorso di Danza Internazionale “Citta di Spoleto” Italy, and at VKIBC in St. Petersburg, Russia. She has danced as a guest

Second Company-CB2 and was promoted to Apprentice the following year. Baldwin has performed in myriad productions such as Helgi Tomasson’s Meistens Mozart, Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella, Septime Webre’s The Wizard of Oz, Jennifer Archibald’s Passage and Quem Viver Vera, Adam Hougland’s Rite of Spring, Colby Damon’s I’m Still Here, Jiří Kylián’s Sechs Tänze, Mark Morris’ Silhouettes, Victoria Morgan’s Cinderella and Bolero, David Morse’s OurStory, Helen Pickett’s Petal, and Ohad Naharin’s Minus16

artist with Tanzolymp in Berlin, the Ballet Beyond Borders Gala in Los Angeles, and the International Baltic Ballet Festival in Riga. She joined Boston Ballet II in 2018, where she performed works by choreographers including George Balanchine, Sir Frederick Ashton, Mikko Nissinen, Bruce Wood, and Samuel Kirkjian. She performed with New York Dance Project in the revival of Alberto Alonso’s Carmen Suite and in works by Gerald Arpino. Boris joined Cincinnati Ballet as an Apprentice in 2020. Since joining, she has danced soloist roles in Paquita , a variation from Raymonda, Winter Fairy in Victoria Morgan’s Cinderella, and works by Amy Seiwert, Anabelle Lopez Ochoa, Ohad Naharin, and Twyla Tharp.

TAYLOR CARRASCO CORPS DE BALLET

“When I was 3, my sister was six and in ballet like every other little girl. My parents would bring me to her classes, and I would try to dance with them from the hallway. They assumed I’d like it, enrolled me in class, and I never stopped,” says Taylor Carrasco. He trained at the School of American Ballet and New Mexico Ballet Company and has attended summer intensives with Boston Ballet,

Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Ballet Chicago. He joined Cincinnati Ballet Second Company–CB2 in the 2014-2015 season and was promoted to apprentice for the 2015-2016 Season and then Corps de Ballet for the 2017-2018 Season. He has had three of his ballets performed by the main company of Cincinnati Ballet, two of them created for The Kaplan New Works Series (2018 and 2019). Carrasco’s favorite dancing memories are tied to dancing with his sister. He says that “sharing the stage with family is the best experience.”

GABRIELLE COLLINS CORPS DE BALLET

Gabrielle Collins is from West Hartford, Connecticut, and began training at the Hartt School. In 2014, she was a New York City finalist at the Youth America Grand Prix and won the gold medal at the Connecticut Classic for both the senior female and pas de deux categories. From 2014-2017, she danced with Atlanta Ballet II and performed leading roles such as Marya in John McFall’s The Nutcracker and had the opportunity to dance in The Atlanta Opera’s Romeo and Juliet. Collins is an alumnus of the 2016 Ballet Program at Jacob’s Pillow un-

LUCA DE-POLI CORPS DE BALLET

Luca De-Poli, a native of West Palm Beach, Florida, began his training when he was 14 years old at Ballet Florida’s school under the direction of Marie Hale and at A.W Dreyfoos School of the Arts under the direction of Jan Goetz. He attended the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music and graduated in May 2015, when he

der Anna-Marie Holmes. In 2017 she joined Tulsa Ballet II, where she appeared in a soloist role in Helen Pickett’s Meðaland performed in works by renowned choreographers Ma Cong, Jennifer Archibald, and Penny Saunders. In February 2020, she performed the title role in Septime Webre’s Carmen with Dayton Ballet. Since joining Cincinnati Ballet in 2020, Collins has performed in Helen Pickett’s Petal, Stephanie Martinez’s Kiss, David Morse’s OurStory, Twyla Tharp’s NineSinatraSongs, “Spring” and “Autumn” in Victoria Morgan’s Cinderella, Don Quixote Pas de Deux, and most recently in Cathy Marston’s Moving, Still.

joined Cincinnati Ballet Second Company-CB2. In 2016, he was promoted into the company and has danced in a world premiere by Ma Cong, Minus 16 by Ohad Naharin, debuted the role of Zeus in the North American premiere of Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s ErosRedux, the title role in Nicolo Fonte’s world premiere of CarminaBurana, Justin Peck’s MurderBallads, Jiri Kylian’s SechsTänze, and works by Victoria Morgan, Devon Carney, Adam Hougland, Kate Weare, and Septime Webre.

MATTHEW GRIFFIN CORPS DE BALLET

Matthew Griffin began his ballet training in Sarasota Florida at the International Ballet of Florida under the direction of Sergiy Mykhaylov and Darya Fedotova. He attended Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, and graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor's of Science in Dance Arts Administration. He started with Cincinnati Ballet as an Apprentice for the 2017-2018 Season. He was promoted to New Dancer for the 2018-2019 Season and then Corps de Ballet in the 2019-2020 Season. Griffin has performed featured roles in classical and con-

temporary ballets including Petal by Helen Pickett, Kiss by Stephanie Martinez, and Cinderella by Victoria Morgan (step sister). In 2020, Helen Pickett created the solo Balance for him as part of Cincinnati Ballet’s New Works program. Griffin has also danced in works by Ohad Naharin, Twyla Tharp, Jiří Kylián, George Balanchine, Jennifer Archibald, Travis Wall, Myles Thatcher, Jiří Kylián, David Morse, Taylor Carrasco, Melissa Gelfin, Nicolo Fonte, Devon Carney, Septime Webre, Heather Britt, Adam Hougland, Amy Seiwert, and others. Off the stage, he enjoys exploring the Cincinnati food scene, listening to music, and quality time with his friends, two dogs and cat.

SAMANTHA GRIFFIN CORPS DE BALLET

Originally from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Samantha Griffin received her preliminary training at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. After graduating, she then went on to dance with Charlotte Ballet before joining Cincinnati Ballet in 2015. She was promoted to Corps de Ballet for the 2017-2018 Season. In 2018 she was recognized in Pointe Magazine’s “Stars of the Corps.” Since being with Cincinnati Ballet, she has enjoyed performing roles in a variety of classical and contemporary works by Septime Webre,

Val Caniparoli, Georgie Balanchine, Nicolo Fonte, Ma Cong, Stephanie Martinez, Ohad Naharin, Jiří Kylián, Twyla Tharp, Helen Pickett, Cathy Marston, Travis Wall, Jennifer Archibald, and others. Some of these principal & soloist roles include Tall Girl in Balanchine’s Rubies, Dark Angel in Balanchine’s Serenade, Princess Tsarevna in Adam Hougland’s Firebird, Fairy Godmother in Victoria Morgan’s Cinderella, Tiger lily in Septime Webre’s PeterPan, Carabosse in Devon Carney’s SleepingBeauty, and Garrett Smith’s Facades. When Griffin is not dancing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two kitties, eating good food, having good drinks, traveling and exploring new places.

CHRISTINA LAFORGIA MORSE

CORPS DE BALLET

Christina LaForgia Morse began dancing at 11 years old in Summerville, South Carolina. She spent her high school years at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts under the direction of Ethan Steifel. While there, she was awarded the Dean's Merit Scholarship. In 2011

she was offered a second company position with the Charlotte Ballet and was quickly promoted to join the main company the subsequent season. Following her time in Charlotte, Morse joined Cincinnati Ballet as a corps de ballet member in 2014. Her most cherished memories on stage include performing David Morse’s As I Stare at Dust (2019) and Our Story (2022).

MICHAEL MENGDEN CORPS DE BALLET

Michael Mengden began his training at the age of 10 at Allegro West Academy of Dance with Catriona Steel. In 2012 Mengden trained in Moscow at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy under Ilya Kuznestov. Prior to his training overseashe furthered his training in the pre-professional program at the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School in Florida and had the unique opportunity to train and travel with Dr. Ramona de Saa, Director of the Cuban National Ballet School in Havana. He was then invitedto dance in Cincinnati Ballet’s Second Company program in the fall of 2016. Since joining the company in 2017 Mengden has had the

opportunityto perform with the company in various productions such as Victoria Morgan’s King Arthur’s Camelotand Cinderella, Ohad Naharin’s Minus 16,Nicolo Fonte’s Carmina Burana,Septime Weber’s Wizard of Oz , Val Caniparoli’s Isben’s House, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Limoncello, Jerome Robins’s Fancy Free, Justin Peck’s Murder Ballads, Adam Hougland’s Rite of Spring, Devon Carney’s Sleeping Beauty, Garret Smith’s Facades, Kirk Peterson’s Coppelia and Swan Lake, George Balanchine’s Rubies and JiříKylián’s Sechs Tänze. Mengden has also been a part of world premiere works from choreographers such Jennifer Archibald, Myles Thatcher, Penny Saunders, Andi Schermoly, David Morse, Travis Wall, Taylor Carrasco and Melissa GelfinDe-Poli.

KATHERINE OCHOA CORPS DE BALLET

Katherine Ochoa began training in 2009 at the National School of Ballet in Cuba, where she learned a vast repertoire of variations and won both gold and silver medals in the Havana International Ballet competition. She later joined the Cuban National

Ballet and in 2019 had the opportunity to participate in the semifi nals of YAGP in Chicago and won the Grand Prix Award. Ochoa moved on to participate in the semifinals of YAGP in New York, where she placed in the top 12. As a member of the Corps de Ballet in Cuba, she performed in Giselle, SwanLake, Cinderella, DonQuixote, and Umbral and was quickly promoted to First Soloist. This is Ochoa’s second season with Cincinnati Ballet.

CAROLINE PERRY CORPS DE BALLET

Caroline Perry grew up in Tustin, California, and began her professional training in 2015 at the Houston Ballet Academy, where she worked and performed alongside the company and second company until 2016, when she officially joined Houston Ballet II. In 2017, she represented the Houston Ballet Academy at the Prix de Lausanne competition, where she

received an offer to join the corps de ballet. Perry continued dancing in Houston until 2022, performing various works including George Balanchine’s Jewels and Siegfried’s Sisters in Stanton Welch’s Swan Lake and new works created by company members Connor Walsh and Melody Mennite. Before joining Cincinnati Ballet for the 2022-23 season, she expanded her contemporary repertoire performing with Ishida Dance Company in creations by Bret Ishida and Doma choreographed by Jeremy Galdeano and Vera Kvarčáková.

JACE PAULY CORPS DE BALLET

Jace Pauly hails from the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, where he began dancing under Melissa Miller-Port in Wenatchee, Washington. In 2015, he graduated with honors from the Walnut Hill School for the Arts, where he trained under Michael Owen, Denise Lewis, and Russell Clarke. As a dancer for Cincinnati Ballet, Pauly’s most recognized performances are the Act III Pas de Deux from Don Quixote, Ohad Naharin’s Mi-

nus16, and Nine Sinatra Songs by Twyla Tharp, among others. He loves performing for Cincinnati audiences and takes pride in the mental and physical challenges that dance brings every day. Among his biggest supporters are his parents, Katie and Doug, and his sisters, Skye and Chelan, who inspire him inside the studio and beyond. His other passions in life include music, cooking, and the great outdoors. He enjoys exploring the eclectic neighborhoods of Cincinnati and can often be found in a hammock on sunny afternoons.

SIMON PLANT CORPS DE BALLET

Simon Plant was born in Sydney, Australia, and started dancing at the age of 7. After graduating from The Australian Ballet School in 2013, he joined the Australian Ballet, where he performed works by choreographers Wayne McGregor, Graeme Murphy, Kenneth MacMillian, Simon Dow, Peter Wright, Stanton Welch, Jiří Kylián, Tim Harbour, and others. After moving to New York City with his husband in 2017, he became a company dancer with Complexions Contemporary Ballet

and danced five seasons there, premiering multiple world premieres under co-artistic director and choreographer Dwight Rhoden and co-artistic director/co-founder Desmond Richardson. Plant came on as faculty for the 2022 Complexions Academy Summer Intensives, teaching company repertoire and NIQUE, Rhoden and Richardson’s proprietary contemporary ballet technique, to students around the country. He is also a published author; when he’s not dancing, he’s writing or spending quality time with his husband. He is thrilled to be joining Cincinnati Ballet for the 2022-2023 season.

SAMANTHA RIESTER CORPS DE BALLET

Samantha Riester trained at the School of American Ballet from 2012-2015. She attended summer courses at the School of American Ballet and Miami City Ballet and, after graduating SAB, joined Cincinnati Ballet’s Second Company and was promoted to the main company in 2017. She has danced soloist roles in repertoire such Jiří Kylián’s SechsTanze, Pas de Trois in Kirk Peterson’s SwanLake, Duet Mabul in Ohad Naharin’s Minus16, Curly Cue in Septime Weber’s TheWizard of Oz, Beauty Fairy in Devon Carney’s Sleeping Beauty, Summer Fairy in Victoria Morgan’s Cin-

BELLA URETA CORPS DE BALLET

Bella Ureta, a native of Seattle, began her training at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School in 2004 and attended the elite summer programs at the School of American Ballet, Pacifi c Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, and the National Ballet of Canada until 2016, when she joined Boston Ballet II. She has performed in repertoire by world renowned choreographers including Jean Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette, Crystal Pite’s Emergence, William Forsythe’s Artifact 2017, Jiří Kylián’s SechsTänze, Duet Mabul in Ohad Naharin’s Minus16, Snow Queen in Victoria Morgan’s The

derella and in Andrea Schermoly’s Swivet. She has performed numerous ballets choreographed by George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, Henkel Pickett, Ma Cong, Septime Weber, Nicole Fonte, Stephanie Martinez, Adam Hougland, Jennifer Archibald, Garett Smith, Victoria Morgan, Myles Thatcher, David Morse, and fellow company members Taylor Carrasco and Daniel Baldwin. Riester has enjoyed dancing with outside organizations such as Cincinnati Opera for its 100th anniversary celebration and production of Aida, as well as guesting for her home studio in Indiana, where she performed principal roles in George Balanchine’s Emeralds and ConcertoBarocco.

Nutcracker, Charm Fairy in Devon Carney’s The SleepingBeauty, Pas de Trois in Kirk Peterson’s SwanLake, and originated a leading role in Emmy-Award-winner Travis Wall’s Then...Now. Ureta has performed in ballets choreographed by George Balanchine, Kent Stowell, Victoria Morgan, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Twyla Tharp, Christopher Wheeldon, Mikko Nissinen, Jill Johnson, Marius Petipa, Devon Carney, Septime Webre, Garret Smith, Jennifer Archibald, and Nicolo Fonte. She has enjoyed dancing with Cincinnati Opera in its productions of LaTraviata and Aida. She joined Cincinnati Ballet’s corps de ballet in 2017 and in 2020 was named one of Pointe Magazine’s “Star of the Corps.”

incinnati Balle

DANIEL WAGNER

CORPS DE BALLET

Daniel Wagner was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where he began his dance training at Pasadena Civic Ballet under the tutelage of Craig Williams. After attending summer intensives at ABT and the Kirov Academy, he moved to finish high school at the University of North Carolina

School of the Arts. He then finished his training at Houston Ballet under Claudio Muñoz and Andrew Murphy. He has danced professionally with Tulsa Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet, where he performed principal roles in classical and contemporary works such as George Balanchine’s Serenade, Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s ErosRedux, Penny Saunders’ Nannerl, and Ohad Naharin’s Minus 16

CATHERINE LASAK

NEW DANCER

Catherine Lasak began dancing at the Judith Svalander School of Ballet in Crystal Lake, Illinois when she was just 9 years old. Throughout high school, she trained at Ballet Chicago and spent two summers at the School of American Ballet. She received a full scholarship

to join the Professional Division at Pacific Northwest Ballet School and later accepted an Apprentice position at Grand Rapids Ballet. In 2018, she joined Cincinnati Ballet’s Second Company-CB2 and in 2021 was invited into the Company. Notable roles include Ohad Naharin’s Minus 16, Twyla Tharp’s Nine Sinatra Songs, Septime Weber’s Peter Pan and The Wizard of Oz, Juliet in Kenneth MacMillan’s Balcony Scene in Romeo and

Juliet, and George Balanchine’s SquareDance, Who Cares?, and TheNutcracker. When not in the studio or on stage, Lasak has a passion for cooking, listening to country music, cross training, kayaking, being outdoors, and spending time at her family’s cabin in

JHAELIN MCQUAY NEW DANCER

Jhaelin McQuay began dancing at the age of 11 at the Marina Del Rey Magnet School for the Performing Arts. He soon expanded his dance training at the Debbie Allen’s Dance Academy, where he found a love and appreciation for numerous styles, including hip hop, modern, tap, flamenco, contemporary, ballroom, and African. In his teens, he spent his summers on scholarship at The Rock School, Bolshoi Ballet, Ballet West, and San Francis-

northern Wisconsin. She enjoys listening to holistic wellness podcasts and is currently working on her business degree and is proud of her Midwest roots and her time in Cincinnati, a place that truly feels like her home.

co Ballet. He performed with Ballet West’s Academy for three years before joining Cincinnati Ballet II in the 2019-2020 season. McQuay has danced for the Oscars and has appeared on stage with Mariah Carey, Chris Brown, Raven Symone, and Debbie Allen. He has also performed works choreographed by George Balanchine, Fredrick Aston, Bruce Marks, Jennifer Archibald, Martha Graham, Lester Horton, Dwight Roden, Desmond Richardson, and William Christiansen. In early 2021, his choreography placed top five in the YAGP finals. He is celebrating his second season in the company at Cincinnati Ballet.

LENAI WILKERSON NEW DANCER

Lenai Alexis Wilkerson hails from Washington, D.C., where she attended the Baltimore School for the Arts under the direction of Norma Pera. She graduated from the inaugural class at the University of Southern California as a Glorya Kaufman scholar with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Political Science. Upon graduation, she became a company artist with Ballet Hispánico, where she toured internationally for three seasons and had the pleasure of delving deeper into community engagement opportunities and teaching youth at institutions around the world. Addition-

ally, she has assisted Patrick Corbin in setting a Paul Taylor work for Miami City Ballet. Wilkerson has performed works by choreographers including George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Martha Graham, Barak Marshall, Azure Barton, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, d.Sabela Grimes, and Dwight Rhoden. Additionally, she has trained seasonally with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Bolshoi Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Jacob’s Pillow and with legendary ballerina Suzanne Farrell. She is a YAGP Top 12 finalist and was one of the seven 2016-17 dance scholars to be awarded a scholarship from Nigel Lythgoe’s DizzyFeet Foundation.

LLONNIS DEL TORO CINTRA APPRENTICE

Llonnis Del Toro Cintra was born in 1999 in Havana, Cuba, and began his ballet career at the Fernando Alonso National Ballet School under the direction of Ramona De Saa Bello. He has participated in several national and international ballet competitions, winning two silver medals and a special mention. He was part of the National Bal-

let of Cuba under the direction of Alicia Alonso. Del Toro’s repertoire includes La Bayadere, Flames ofParis, Carnival of Venice, Giselle, DonQuixote, LeCorsaire, Napoli, TheTalisman, Coppelia, La Fille mal Gardée, Theme and Variations, Carmen, In the Shadows of a Waltz,Cinderella, TheMagicFlute, EarthandMoon, and SleepingBeauty, among others. He has participated in festivals in Peru, Mexico,and China and is very excited to join the company of Cincinnati Ballet.

NICOLAS BIERWAGEN WASHINGTON | 2021

ERIN BLAIR CALIFORNIA | 2021

NIKOLAS BUTTON SOCHI | 2022

SAM EPSTEIN NEW YORK | 2021

ANDERSON DA SILVA FLORIDA | 2021

HAILEY FLANAGAN GEORGIA | 2021

JULIA GUNDZIK OHIO | 2021

RAMSAY MILLER OHIO | 2020

SIMONE MUHAMMAD MISSOURI | 2022

SCOTT REED GEORGIA | 2019

ISABELLE MORGAN KENTUCKY | 2019

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING DIVISION

TRAINEES

CIARÁN BARLOW, CAMILLE BOGGS, CATHLEEN BRESLIN, AMBER HARPER, MADELYN HARPOLE, DIETRICH KLAWONN, TREVOR PINTERPARSONS, SIERRA SEVERT, CLAIRE STURGEON, SALOMÉ TREGRE, LAUREN VOGEL, AVERY WARD, ANNELIESE WELSH

PTDS

FIONA ALLEN, HANNAH BLAIR, AVA BRADFORD, ANNA DOGGETT, CARMEN DOLL, BRIANNE FALANGA, CHARLOTTE GULARSON, NATALIE HIGLE, ELIZABETH JACOBSON, HELEN JARDON, ANNA KINGHORN, CAROLINE LOVE, FIONA MURPHY, ANNIKA OLSEN, TAYLOR PETROWSKI, JENNA RENFIELD, ELIZABETH SWISHER

RONNA

ACADEMY

Photography: Hiromi Platt

Photography: Angie Lipscomb

Photography: Angie Lipscomb

Photography: Aaron M. Conway

Sergio Arreola

Fran Carlisle

Smokey Clay David Cook Andrea Costa Judy Dalambakis Jennifer Damiano Zahki Davis Sarah Frank-Fogarty

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

2022–2023 GOVERNING BOARD

Emerson Moser VICE CHAIR

Paul Frodge

Jodi Geiser Rico Grant Linda Greenberg Bruce Halpryn Kateri Haskett Cynthia E. Henderson Lydia Jacobs-Horton

Michael Bailes

Bernie Calonge

Sheila Cohen

Connie Dow Sandra Eisele Jerry Ewers Kathryn Harsh Edmond Hooker Beth Levy

Debbie Brant Kelly Brown

Laura Brunner Trish Bryan Otto M. Budig Nancy Clagett

Robert Pitcairn CHAIR

Scott Altman Michael Bailes

Kristin Fishbaugh TREASURER

Bruce Jeffery Daphne Jurgensen Marcene Kinney Peter Laffoon Mark McAndrew Megan McCarthy-Wolf Jack Miner Katy Moeggenberg

2022–2023 SUSTAINERS

Leon Loewenstein

Madelynn Matlock Larry McGruder Skip Merten Alex Munoz Cathy Nwankwo Marilyn Osborn Joselyn Pfeil Julie Richardson

Kitty Rosenthal Morleen Rouse Diane Rumpke Keke Sansalone Tom Schiff Beth Snyder Chris Sprecher Brett Stover Mary Talbott

2022–2023 EMERITUS

William Cordes

Lynn Good Lorrence Kellar Charles MacDonnell Richardson McKinney Tom Neyer

Carol Duane Olson Paul Ose Melody Sawyer Richardson Michael Rozow James Sammarco Kathleen Selker

2022–2023 FOUNDATION BOARD

Debbie Brant VICE CHAIR

Joe Carolin* Joe Dehner

Madelynn Matlock TREASURER

Kristin Fishbaugh Rhonda Sheakley

HONORARY TRUSTEES

Craig F. Maier Rhoda Mayerson+

Jennifer Knight Zelkind SECRETARY

Alexandra Ollinger Jim Papakirk

Alandes Powell Thomas Quinn Lisa Riccardi Jennifer Stein

Toilynn O’Neal Turner Faith Whittaker Brenden Zenni

Heather Theders

Pamela Thompson

Serena Tsuang Kelly Vanasse Catherine Vernon Gary West Barbara Weyand

Rhonda Sheakley Russell Shelton Shelly Sherman Julie Shifman Linda Smith Ronna Willis

Kelly Brown SECRETARY

Jen Stein Joel Stone

Joel Stone CHAIR

for almost 90 years. Unparalleled food & beverage from the city’s most creative culinary team. Newly renovated guestrooms and amenities for your out-of-town guests.

With ballrooms from 4,000 sq. ft. to 11,000 sq. ft., socially distanced events are achievable in beautiful spaces. For more intimate weddings, parties of 20-50 may be accommodated in the Palm Court.

Experience the landmark by calling a wedding specialist to schedule your tour.

LOUIS LANGRÉE, Music Director

Louise Dieterle Nippert & Louis Nippert Chair

JOHN MORRIS RUSSELL, Cincinnati Pops Conductor

Louise Dieterle Nippert & Louis Nippert Chair

Matthias Pintscher, CSO Creative Partner

Damon Gupton, Pops Principal Guest Conductor

Samuel Lee, Assistant Conductor Ashley and Barbara Ford Chair

Daniel Wiley, Assistant Conductor Ashley and Barbara Ford Chair

FIRST VIOLINS

Stefani Matsuo

CONCERTMASTER, ANNA SINTON TAFT CHAIR

Felicity James

ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER, TOM & DEE STEGMAN CHAIR

Philip Marten

FIRST ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER, JAMES M. EWELL CHAIR++

Eric Bates

SECOND ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER, SERGE SHABABIAN CHAIR

Kathryn Woolley

NICHOLAS TSIMARAS–PETER G. COURLAS CHAIR++

Anna Reider

DIANNE & J. DAVID ROSENBERG CHAIR

Mauricio Aguiar§

ANNE G. & ROBERT W. DORSEY CHAIR

Minyoung Baik

James Braid

MARC BOHLKE CHAIR GIVEN BY KATRIN & MANFRED BOHLKE

Michelle Edgar Dugan

DONALD & MARGARET ROBINSON CHAIR

Rebecca Kruger Fryxell

CLIFFORD J. GOOSMANN & ANDREA M. WILSON CHAIR

Gerald Itzkoff

JEAN TEN HAVE CHAIR

Sylvia Mitchell

JO ANN & PAUL WARD CHAIR

Charles Morey†

Luo-Jia Wu

SECOND VIOLINS

Gabriel Pegis

PRINCIPAL, AL LEVINSON CHAIR

Yang Liu*

HAROLD B. & BETTY JUSTICE CHAIR

Scott Mozlin**

HENRY MEYER CHAIR

Kun Dong

Cheryl Benedict

Evin Blomberg§

Rachel Charbel

IDA RINGLING NORTH CHAIR

Chika Kinderman Hyesun Park

Paul Patterson

CHARLES GAUSMANN CHAIR++

Stacey Woolley

BRENDA & RALPH TAYLOR CHAIR++

VIOLAS

Christian Colberg

PRINCIPAL, LOUISE D. & LOUIS NIPPERT CHAIR

Christopher Fischer ACTING ASSOCIATE

PRINCIPAL, GRACE M. ALLEN CHAIR

Julian Wilkison**

Rebecca Barnes§

Emilio Carlo†

Stephen Fryxell

MELINDA & IRWIN SIMON CHAIR

Caterina Longhi

Gabriel Napoli

Denisse Rodriguez-Rivera

Dan Wang Joanne Wojtowicz

CELLOS

Ilya Finkelshteyn

PRINCIPAL, IRENE & JOHN J. EMERY CHAIR

Daniel Culnan*

ONA HIXSON DATER CHAIR

Norman Johns**

KARL & ROBERTA SCHLACHTER FAMILY CHAIR

Daniel Kaler§ MARVIN KOLODZIK CHAIR

Isabel Kwon†

Hiro Matsuo

LAURA KIMBLE MCLELLAN CHAIR++

Theodore Nelson

PETER G. COURLAS–NICHOLAS TSIMARAS CHAIR++

Alan Rafferty RUTH F. ROSEVEAR CHAIR

BASSES

Owen Lee

PRINCIPAL, MARY ALICE HEEKIN BURKE CHAIR++

James Lambert*

THOMAS VANDEN EYNDEN CHAIR

Stephen Jones** TRISH & RICK BRYAN CHAIR

Boris Astafiev§

Luis Arturo Celis Avila Rick Vizachero

HARP

Gillian Benet Sella

PRINCIPAL, CYNTHIA & FRANK STEWART CHAIR

FLUTES

Randolph Bowman

PRINCIPAL, CHARLES FREDERIC GOSS CHAIR

Henrik Heide*†

Haley Bangs JANE & DAVID ELLIS CHAIR

PICCOLO

Rebecca Tutunick PATRICIA GROSS LINNEMANN CHAIR

OBOES

Dwight Parry PRINCIPAL, JOSEPHINE I. & DAVID J. JOSEPH, JR. CHAIR

Lon Bussell* STEPHEN P. MCKEAN CHAIR Emily Beare

ENGLISH HORN

Christopher Philpotts PRINCIPAL, ALBERTA & DR. MAURICE MARSH CHAIR++

CLARINETS

Christopher Pell PRINCIPAL, EMMA MARGARET & IRVING D. GOLDMAN CHAIR

Joseph Morris*

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL AND E-FLAT CLARINET, ROBERT E. & FAY BOEH CHAIR++ Ixi Chen VICKY & RICK REYNOLDS CHAIR IN HONOR OF WILLIAM A. FRIEDLANDER

BASS CLARINET

Ronald Aufmann

BASSOONS

Christopher Sales PRINCIPAL, EMALEE SCHAVEL CHAIR++ Martin Garcia* Hugh Michie

CONTRABASSOON

Jennifer Monroe

FRENCH HORNS

Elizabeth Freimuth PRINCIPAL, MARY M. & CHARLES F. YEISER CHAIR [OPEN]* ELLEN A. & RICHARD C. BERGHAMER CHAIR Molly Norcross** ACTING ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL, SWEENEY FAMILY CHAIR IN MEMORY OF DONALD C. SWEENEY

Lisa Conway

SUSANNE & PHILIP O. GEIER, JR. CHAIR Duane Dugger MARY & JOSEPH S. STERN, JR. CHAIR Charles Bell

TRUMPETS

Robert Sullivan

PRINCIPAL, RAWSON CHAIR Douglas Lindsay* JACKIE & ROY SWEENEY FAMILY CHAIR Steven Pride OTTO M. BUDIG FAMILY FOUNDATION CHAIR++ Christopher Kiradjieff

TROMBONES Cristian Ganicenco PRINCIPAL, DOROTHY & JOHN HERMANIES CHAIR Joseph Rodriguez** SECOND/ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL TROMBONE

BASS TROMBONE Peter Norton

TUBA Christopher Olka PRINCIPAL, ASHLEY & BARBARA FORD CHAIR

TIMPANI

Patrick Schleker PRINCIPAL, MATTHEW & PEG WOODSIDE CHAIR Joseph Bricker* MORLEEN & JACK ROUSE CHAIR

PERCUSSION

David Fishlock PRINCIPAL, SUSAN S. & WILLIAM A. FRIEDLANDER CHAIR Michael Culligan* Joseph Bricker * MORLEEN & JACK ROUSE CHAIR Marc Wolfley+

KEYBOARDS

Michael Chertock James P. Thornton Chair Julie Spangler+ James P. Thornton Chair

CSO/CCM DIVERSITY FELLOWS~ Mwakudua waNgure, violin Tyler McKisson, viola Luis Parra, cello Samantha Powell, cello

LIBRARIANS Christina Eaton PRINCIPAL LIBRARIAN, LOIS KLEIN JOLSON CHAIR Elizabeth Dunning ACTING ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL LIBRARIAN [Open]

INTERIM ASSISTANT LIBRARIAN

STAGE MANAGERS

Brian P. Schott Phillip T. Sheridan Daniel Schultz Andrew Sheridan

§ Begins the alphabetical listing of players who participate in a system of rotated seating within the string section.

* Associate Principal ** Assistant Principal

† One-year appointment

+ Cincinnati Pops rhythm section ++ CSO endowment only ~ Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

PROGRAMS FOR SCHOOLS

IN-SCHOOL RESIDENCIES

Cincinnati Ballet is delighted to provide elementary schools in the greater Cincinnati area with FREE residency experiences sure to inspire your students to move and to develop an appreciation for the art of dance.

Focus: Second Grade Available: September - December

The CincyDance! program starts in the classroom using a combination of physical education curriculum and dance training to activate a student’s desire to express themselves through movement. Following the residency, students are invited to audition for scholarships to continue their training at Cincinnati Ballet.

Focus: Pre-K Available: January - April

The CincyDance! Pre-K program activates a student’s imagination while introducing them to the joy of creative movement and ballet. Students will explore locomotor movement, balance and other key coordination skills with highly skilled Cincinnati Ballet teaching artists.

PERFORMANCES FOR SCHOOLS

Cincinnati Ballet makes the beauty of live performance available to students across the greater Cincinnati area through in-school touring productions and student matinees for all grade levels.

TOURING COMMUNITY PERFORMANCES

Bring Cincinnati Ballet directly to your school or community center! Each production is designed with a specific age group in mind and creates an experience that welcomes new audiences to dancethrough accessible storytelling, relatable themes, funchoreography,and interactive content.

STUDENT MATINEES

Cincinnati Ballet’s student matinees connect students to live dance at the Aronoff Center, Music Hall, and the Valentine Center for Dance. These special performances are offered at an accessible price and time, making for an extraordinary student experience and a unique connection to the region’s largest professional ballet company.

Photography: Hiromi Platt

CINCINNATI BALLET STAFF

Scott Altman PRESIDENT AND CEO

ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE

Joe Carolin

VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCE AND CFO

Melissa Santomo CONTROLLER

Tiffany Whitcomb

VICE PRESIDENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Mary French

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF DATA SERVICES

Stacey Rich, CPA STAFF ACCOUNTANT

Thomas E. Johnston, CCI, CHI™ INTERPRETER

ARTISTIC

Carmon DeLeone MUSIC DIRECTOR EMERITUS

Cervilio Miguel Amador REHEARSAL DIRECTOR

Dale Shields REHEARSAL DIRECTOR

Suzette Boyer Webb DIRECTOR OF SECOND COMPANY AND YOUNG PERFORMERS

Dena D’Andrea COMPANY MANAGER

Angelika Bonyhati-Kovacs

Brian Cashwell

Janet Langhorst

Ted Seaman

BALLET ACCOMPANISTS

Wynn White

LEAD YOUNG PERFORMERS COORDINATOR

Kelly Daley

YOUNG PERFORMERS COORDINATOR

Gina Cerimele-Mechley

INTIMACY COORDINATOR

Elizabeth Robinson ARTISTIC COORDINATOR

PHILANTHROPY

Sara Pomeroy

VICE PRESIDENT OF PHILANTHROPY

Katharine Nemeth MAJOR GIFTS OFFICER

Ilona Piaskowy

INDIVIDUAL GIVING MANAGER

Alexandria Wright DONOR RELATIONS MANAGER

MARKETING AND BRAND

STRATEGY

Nicole Doll

VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING AND BRAND STRATEGY

Nicholas Peltz

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER AND CONTENT MANAGER

Katie Daly GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Dan Wood VIDEOGRAPHER

Noelle Johnson

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER

Louanna Wyatt

PATRON EXPERIENCE MANAGER

Eline Bauwens

Shannon Brake

Ja’Nay Brown

Julianna Eidle

Butch Hamm

Rebekah Lorenz

Jenna Mays

Christine Richtsfeld

Pam Taylor

PATRON EXPERIENCE ASSOCIATES

OTTO M. BUDIG ACADEMY AND EDUCATION

Ginger Johnson

VICE PRESIDENT OF ACADEMY AND EDUCATION

Sarah Hairston Berkley

ACADEMY DIRECTOR

Carolyn Guido Clifford

DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

Mike Krauss

DIRECTOR OF ACADEMY OPERATIONS

Jodie Gates

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

SUE AND BILL FRIEDLANDER ENDOWED CHAIR

OTTO M. BUDIG ACADEMY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Maura Korn

STUDENT SERVICES MANAGER

Elizabeth Metz REGISTRATION SERVICES MANAGER

Ihaiah Miller

PRINCIPAL FACULTY, CONTEMPORARY AND CHOREOGRAPHY

David Morse

RESIDENT FACULTY

Kara Louis YOUTH PROGRAMS COORDINATOR

Kate Stark

CB MOVES COORDINATOR

Donna Anderle

Oliver Arana

Jamie Berkley

Ja’Nay Brown

Rosa Compostella

Emily Egner

Isabele Elefson

Kerry Enders

Sam Epstein

Jeri Gatch

Melissa Gelfin De-Poli

Donna Grisez

Julia Gundzik

Sasha Hart

Nicole Hershey

Helen Jardon Julius Jenkins Mary Kamp

Christina LaForgia Morse

Liz Liauba

Sirui Liu

Julie Locker Mae Miller

Victoria Morgan Chrissy Pan

Patty Pille

Emily Reinhart

Samantha Riester

Jennifer Rutherford Rowan Salem

Maggie Silverstein

Allison Sollisch

Joshua Stayton Cassidy Steele Shauna Steele

Rose Sunila

Rebecca Walther Michelle Ziegler

ACADEMY AND EDUCATION INSTRUCTORS

Elizabeth Reyna Iliana Rich Sierra Severt

STUDENT EXPERIENCE REPRESENTATIVES

PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS

Rachel Hinger

DIRECTOR OF EVENTS

Carissa Gandenberger

STAGE MANAGER

Noelle Wedig-Johnston

WARDROBE SUPERVISOR Laura Hofmann

FIRST WARDROBE ASSISTANT Cherl Beyersdoerfer SECOND WARDROBE ASSISTANT Scott Berkley MASTER CARPENTER Michael Meuché MASTER ELECTRICIAN Jonathan Chevalier ASSISTANT CARPENTER Kevin Barth

PROPERTY MASTER Emily Hetzer ASSISTANT ELECTRICIAN James Geier

WIG AND MAKE-UP CONSULTANT Natalie Hratko STAGE MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT

Quinn Nicole Morgan Morgan Piper ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGERS

Marcia Fortner

NKU STAGE MANAGEMENT INTERN Alaina Pizzoferrato CCM LIGHTING INTERN

ATHLETIC TRAINERS

Carolyn Crampton Kelly Jo Rodrigo

COURTESY OF MERCY HEALTH ORTHOPEDICS AND SPORTS MEDICINE

Donald Beck and Dr. Lawrence Eynon

Trish and Rick Bryan Dianne Dunkelman and Peter Schwartz Helen Dupree

Harry J. and Linda Fath Sue and Bill Friedlander

Anonymous in Honor of Victoria Morgan Susan Brenner and Steven Mombach Ms. Susan Domonkos

Anonymous Cheryl A. Bierwagen

Sue and Ben Blaney Deborah and Jody Brant Fran and Wayne Carlisle Jennifer and Robert Conklin

Jennifer and M. Vito Damiano

Jerry Ewers and Brian L. Tiffany

Kristin and Chris Fishbaugh

FOUNDER

Lynn and Brian Good Lauren Hannan Shafer

Anne Heldman

Doris M. and Charles B. Levinson Fund*

Debby and Jim Mason

Karen F. Maier and Delane Starliper

Loretta Motz Cook and David Cook

Barbara K. Myers Marilyn and Jack Osborn Halle and T. Quinn Dianne and J. David Rosenberg* Tom Schiff

DIRECTOR

Arna and Bobby Fisher

In Memory of Carole Giuliani

Linda and Gary Greenberg

Fred and Patti Heldman* Christy and Terry Horan Betsy and John LaMacchia

PRINCIPAL

Sarah Frank Fogarty and Timothy Fogarty

Paul and Michelle Frodge

Daphne and Jason Jurgensen

Barbara and Larry Kellar

Peter and John Laffoon

Jeffrey and Jody Lazarow and Janie and Peter Schwartz Family Fund*

Anne and Craig F. Maier Debby and Jim Mason

Madelynn and Raymond Matlock

Jack Miner and Brian Dozer

Emerson and Mitzie Moser

Sara and Alex Muñoz Alexandra H. and Cole Ollinger

Maria and Jim Papakirk Anne Pierce

Diane and William J. Rumpke, Jr.

Larry A. and Rhonda Sheakley

Jen and John Stein Margaret and Michael Valentine

Barbara M. Weyand Nancy and David Wolf

Keke and Tony Sansalone

Justin and Lisa Shafer Julie and Steven Shifman Kelly and Guy Vanasse

Keke and Tony Sansalone

Alice Schneider

Lisa and Joel Stone Susan and John Tew Gary and DeeDee West Faith C. Whittaker, Partner with Dinsmore and Shohl Christine and John Willig

DONOR HONOR ROLL

SOLOIST

Amy and Michael Bailes

Charles and Bonnie Bensonhaver

Elaine and David Billmire

Bob and Jane Bohinski

Susan and Robert Brant

Daniel Cifuentes

Paula and William Cordes

Judy and Chris Dalambakis

Martha and Stuart Dornette

Anonymous (2)

Ruth Bley

William Borek and Evelyn Joseph

Robert and Pamela Bosley

Jacklyn Bryson

Lanthan and Louise Camblin

Kristin and David Coppage

Tanya Cornejo and Aaron Kellenberger

Andrea Costa

Lisa and Richard Damico Shirley Duff

Andrea GeorgopoulosStraus

Jodi M. Geiser and James Miller III

Suzanne and Frank Hall Kenneth Heldman and Felicia Zakem

Cynthia E. Henderson

Theresa and Eddie Hooker

Jane Hopson

Noel Julnes-Dehner and Joe Dehner

Marcy and Mark Kanter

Marcene Kinney

Jennifer Knight Zelkind Lynn and Daniel Langmeyer

David Martin

Amy and Gary Mitchell

Susan Murray

Joseph A. and Susan E. Pichler* Lori Rappold

CORPS

Greta Elenbaas

Jason Faulkner and Theresa Tran

Barry and Sandy Feist

Valerie Folger

Ashley and Bobbie Ford

Ralph P. Ginocchio

Arielle M. Goldberg Kateri Haskett

Mrs. Robert Hasl

Margaret Hess Karlee Hilliard

Steven and Esther Johnson

Michelle D. Jones Mary Ann and Jeff Knoop

Jean Knuth

Susan and Andrew Krott Joanie and Lou Lauch Rick and Christine Lefever

Frances and Craig Lindner

The Sophia C. McAllister Fund

Stephanie and Arthur McMahon

David and Nina Meranus Mary Lou Motl

Kathy O’Brien Carol and Bob Olson Joselyn M. Pfeil

Lorraine and Jerry Schlagheck

Gayle and Bill Sherman

Dr. Michael and Mrs. Debbie Snyder

Jo Ann Wieghaus

George and Kathy Wilkinson Ronna and Dr. James B. Willis David and Sarah Wise Dr. Karen Zaugg, Ph.D.

Sid and Sara Pomeroy

Marilyn and Paul Porcino

Martha and Nick Ragland

Bradley and Amy Resch

Ellen Rieveschl

David and Priya Rolfes Kitty and Dick Rosenthal Susan and Russell Shelton Huiqing and Scott Stanley Christopher and Nancy Virgulak

Tamara Weik

Robyn and David Wenzke Beverly Williams

DONOR HONOR ROLL

THIRD POSITION

Balle

Anonymous

Sarah Alkire

Lois and Ken Allen

Lisa and Scott Altman

Carolyn Barham

Alison Belew

Marianna Bettman

Tanu M. Bhati

Sandra and Robert Blanchard

Neil Bortz

Edwin Brott

Debbie Campbell

Lois and Philip Cohen Dr. Thomas S. Cook

Dr. Sarah Corathers and Mr. James Anthony Aaron and Bobbi Crary

Dr. Michael Curran and Dr. Manisha Patel

Kelly M. Dehan

Cynthia and Stephen DeHoff

Merry Ewing

Michele Finch

Melissa Frederiksen

Anna Gudmundsdottir and Kristinn Kristinsson

Barbara and Dr. Jack Hahn

Ham and Ellie Hamilton

Scott and Sue Harrington

Kathryn and Keith Harsh

Maureen Heekin

Rob and Genita Heidenreich

Howard D. and Mary W. Helms

Linda Holthaus

Heidi Jark and Steven Kenat

Brenda Jones Moya M. Jones

Linda and James Jurgensen

Kara and Michael Kennedy

Cheri King

Carol L. Kruse

Susan and Richard Lauf

Geoffrey Leder

Becky and Thomas Long

Phil and Laura Lucas

Lynn and Robert Macrae

Alan Margulies and Gale Snoddy Cynthia C. Mason

Larry and Jill McGruder

Cassie and Lachlan McLean

Raymond McNeil and Kathleen Compton

Lane and Skip Merten Jodi M. Geiser

Anne Mitchell Ruiz and Robert Ruiz

Valerie L. Newell and Timothy Smith

Larry and Leslie Newman

Betsy and Peter Niehoff

Benjamin and Katherine Ohlander

Tim O’Toole

Alice Palmer

John Pape

Bronwyn Park

Julia W. and Daniel Poston Alexandra and Andrew Quinn

Irene and Daniel Randolph Family Brandon and Margo Rapp Rachel and Luke Robinson

Stephen Rogers

Janet and Bill Sarran

Nicole Schneider

Janet Schultz and Russell Lascelles

Marianne Schwab and George Stricker

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Schwartz

Barbara Seiver

Sonia Sharma

Susan and David Smith

Debra W. Smith

Elizabeth A. Snyder

Linda and Nicholas Spadaccini

Dee and Tom Stegman

Tom and Torey Torre

Katrina Trimble

Barbara Wagner and William Partin

Mary and Jim Wahl

Estate of Gene M. Wilson

Glen Wright*

John Yacher

Jennifer Young Jaclyn and Brenden Zenni Nick and Michelle Ziegler

SECOND POSITION

Anonymous (2)

John Back

William Banks

Henrietta Barlag

Amy Berger

Bernard Berk

Pam Biederman

James Brown and Judith Masset-Brown

Dr. Onassis A. Caneris

Phil and Katharine Clayton Regina and Dan Daily Tina and Michael Disanto M. Patricia and T. Patrick Donnelly

Barbara Doviak

Joyce Elkus

Risa and Stephen Feagins

Nancy Finke

Margaret Fiora Betsy and Peter Frame

Kenneth Frey Julie Gabriel Sandra Gans

Mary and James R. Gardner

Ellen Gentry

Judith and Samuel Gilardi

Zac Greenberg

Bill and Christy Griesser

Brooke Guigui

Jessica Hall

Larry and Maggie Herms

Jennifer and Thomas Herzog

Robert Hodges and Anthony McIntire

Ms. Minette Hoffheimer

Bridget and Brian Hoffman

Ez and Lynn Housh

Amy Ruschulte

Laura Hurley

Mary and Bill Ivers

Katherine E. Keough-Jurs

Amber Kincaid

Kathryn Kipp

Linda Kollar

Heather and Pete Kopf

Heather and H. Lee Krombholz

Mary and John Kuempel Kim Lauch

Caroline A. Love

Tanzy Love and Zach Dietz

Anne Lovell

Larry A. Lutz

Amy Magenheim Dr. James L. Mahon

Amy Marmer

JoAnn Martin

Bruce McIntosh

Michael Miller

Leah and Joe Miramonti

Steven I. Monder

Amy D. Moon Regine Moulton

Pamela Reilly

RUGiving2?*

Gabriella Scacchetti

Martha and Lee Schimberg Susanna and Seth Schwartz

Kathy Selker

Anne Sesler Aparna and Shimul Shah

*Funds held at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation Thank you to

that

Keven E. Shell and Sandra L. Wittman-Shell Jay and Joanne Smale

Philip Smith

Emily Stahl

Mary M. Stein

Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Stoll Allison Thornton

Roxann Tillinghast and Roberto Molina

Bridgette Tucker

Jennifer Tullo

Susan B. Warren

Chad and Betsy Warwick M. Richmond and W. Watterson

Debbie and Dick Westheimer

Jeff and Tonya Yetter

Jody Yetzer and Alexander Kayne Col. Joseph E. Zeis Jr. Marcy and Bob Ziek

Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Zierolf Tamela and Tim Zimmerman

donors whose gifts we received by October 10, 2022. The above donor pages represent the information available at the time of print. If

listed incorrectly or we did not recognize you appropriately, we apologize and want to include you. Please contact our Donor Relations Manager, Alexandria Wright, at awright@cballet.org or (513) 873-5812.

$50,000–$99,999

$100,000+ $5,000–$9,999

$25,000–$49,999 $10,000–$24,999 $2,500–$4,999 $1,000—$2,499

Thank you to our Business Circle, Foundation, Government, and Institutional donors who supported us through cash and in-kind contributions received by October 10, 2022. The above donor pages represent the information available at the time of print. If you find that you are listed incorrectly or we did not recognize you appropriately, we apologize and want to include you. Please contact our Donor Relations Manager, Alexandria Wright, at awright@cballet.org or (513) 873-5812.

We are the human Safety & Risk Management company, dedicated to harnessing the passion and power of our people to help our clients and their employees realize their purpose.

P&G

FOUNDATION, GOVERNMENT, AND INSTITUTIONAL DONORS

$100,000 + $50,000–$99,999

THE KAPLAN FOUNDATION

$15,000–$49,999

Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation

Peter T. Joseph FoundationLinnemann Family Foundation

$5,000–$14,999

Mueller Family Foundation Crosset Family Foundation

Lewis & Marjorie Daniel Foundation

Oliver Family Foundation Morgan Judd Memorial Fund

$1,000–$4,999

Charles Scott Riley III Foundation Warrington Foundation

ARTSWAVE PARTNERS

Cincinnati Ballet acknowledges the following partner companies, foundations, and their employees who generously participate in the annual ArtsWave Campaign at the $100,000+ level.

Fifth Third Bank and the Fifth Third Foundation GE Aviation alta fiber

Western & Southern Financial Group

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

The Cincinnati Insurance Companies City of Cincinnati Enquirer Media Great American Insurance Group Ohio National Financial Services U.S. Bank

The H.B., E.W. and F.R. Luther Charitable Foundation, Fifth Third Bank and Narley L. Haley, Co-Trustees Macy’s Cincinnati Business Courier The Kroger Co. PNC

The E.W. Scripps Company and Scripps Howard Foundation Duke Energy HORAN Cincinnati Reds

Joni Herschede Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Fdtn

Andrew Howe Scholarship Foundation

When you give to ArtsWave, you support 150+ arts organizations throughout the year that make thousands of concerts, shows, exhibitions, public art and experiences like BLINK® happen!

MEET THE ARTISTS

Cincinnati Ballet is pleased to offer Meet the Artists, a pre-performance discussion series connecting audiences to select dancers, choreographers, and members of the creative team who bring our performances to life. Admission to Meet the Artists is included in your ticket to the current production.

ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

Throughout the year Cincinnati Ballet offers dynamic and interactive experiences to deepen your love of the art form. These programs are designed for everyone and include studio rehearsals, workshops, community and educational performances, pre-and post-performance discussions, and more.

BALLET AND BEER

Ballet & Beer is an event series providing an insider’s view into Cincinnati Ballet while enjoying drinks, light bites, and socializing. This season we will host these happy hour–style events at the new Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance in Walnut Hills. These events are free to attend, but due to space limitations for the rehearsals, advanced reservations are encouraged. Events include a cash bar.

COMMUNITY PERFORMANCE SERIES

Cincinnati Ballet is excited to open the Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance to the community for an inviting introduction to ballet and dance performance. These performances are designed to welcome new audiences to dance through accessible storytelling, relatable themes, fun choreography, and community partnerships. Join us at the new Center for Dance on select Sunday afternoons with your family and friends for these hour-long performances.

VOLUNTEER

Cincinnati Ballet offers a variety of volunteer opportunities. Get involved and support Cincinnati Ballet while meeting new people and learning more about ballet. Volunteering for Cincinnati Ballet is fun, educational, and a great way to support the arts. Volunteers are vital in supporting the mission of Cincinnati Ballet. To learn more, please contact Noelle Johnson at volunteer@cballet.org

Photo credit: Hiromi Platt

Cincinnati Magazine is excited to offer this exclusively curated gift box, celebrating Cincinnati’s finest goodies, experiences, and products. This collection of classic Cincinnati favorites and Best of the City winners makes a great holiday gift. Visit CincinnatiMagazine.com/best for details

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

AT MUSIC HALL

FOOD AND BEVERAGES are available at various lobby locations throughout Music Hall. All concessions and drinks sold at Music Hall should be consumed in designated areas throughout the hall. Only bottled water can be taken into Springer Auditorium.

RESTROOMS can be found on every level of Music Hall. Companion care restrooms can be found in these locations:

• Western & Southern Lobby

• North side of the Orchestra level of Springer Auditorium

• South side of the Balcony level of Springer Auditorium

• West side of the Ballroom

GUEST SERVICES is located in the northeast corner of the Lindner Grand Foyer. Services include assistive listening devices, coat check, courtesy phone, taxi service, and lost and found.

IF YOU LOSE AN ITEM while attending an event at Music Hall, check with the Guest Services attendant before leaving. If they are unable to locate the item, call the Administrative Office at (513) 744-3344 during business hours, 9 am–5 pm, Monday–Friday.

YOUR PARTICIPATION IN OUR RECYCLING effort is appreciated! Recycling containers are located near every concession stand. If you don’t want to keep your program you may simply leave it on your seat or hand it to an usher when you leave.

PLEASE NOTE

THE FOYER AT MUSIC HALL opens 60 minutes prior to curtain—admission to the auditorium (and late seating) may vary, depending on the policies and requirements of the production. Ushers will be available to assist with any seating questions.

LATE SEATING is at the discretion of the house manager. Due to the demands of the production, late seating might occur as late as intermission or may be accommodated in the Gallery. Should you need to leave the auditorium during the performance, re-admittance and seating will also be at the discretion of the house manager.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO of Cincinnati Ballet performances is strictly prohibited.

SMOKING IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED at Music Hall.

TO SCHEDULE A TOUR OF MUSIC HALL, contact the Administrative Office at (513) 7443344. Tours last approximately one hour, and guides are available through the Friends of Music Hall for a nominal charge.

ACCESSIBILITY

All event spaces in Music Hall are fully accessible, and many services are available for guests with mobility challenges. Our patron experience team and staff strive to provide everyone with a quality experience when they visit, and accommodations are available for persons with specific needs. All guests are encouraged to contact us for additional information.

WHEELCHAIRS are available upon request for guests needing assistance from the curb or lobby to their seats. Access Ambassadors are available at the southeast entrance on Elm Street. All levels of the theater have elevator service and offer wheelchair accommodations.

ASSISTIVE LISTENING DEVICES designed to enhance sound are available at Guest Services.

SPECIAL SEATING is available for guests unable to transfer out of their mobility devices or with other special seating needs. When possible, contact our Patron Experience Office in advance. On the day of a performance, we will make every effort to meet the needs of the guests.

FIRST AID services are available in the North Concourse on the Orchestra Level. For assistance, speak with a Music Hall staff member.

SERVICE ANIMALS are always welcome at Music Hall.

For more information about Cincinnati Ballet please visit our website www.cballet.org, call (513) 621-5282, or visit us at 1801 Gilbert Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45202.