CLASSICAL BEAUTY: SUMMER AT SPAC

Resident Companies

The Philadelphia Orchestra, New York City Ballet, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and a host of world-renowned guest artists visit the cultural hub of the Capital Region for this summer’s EARTH-themed festival.

The Saratoga Performing Arts Center is a unique eco-cultural destination, a perfect confluence of human-made and natural beauty, enriching the cultural life of the region from its home in the heart of Spa State Park. Nestled among the hiking trails, geysers, and natural mineral springs, SPAC draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each Summer seeking world class artistic experiences and performances by resident companies New York City Ballet, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival, and best-in-class artists across virtually all genres of music.

Among the highlights of this year’s festival are performances from the full company of the New York City Ballet in works like Swan Lake, Fancy Free and Firebird, as well as Copland Dance Episodes, a new work by NYCB star choreographer Justin Peck and the return of their more intimate “behind the curtain” experiences, NYCB On and Off Stage; Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin leading The Philadelphia Orchestra and a diverse roster of guest artists including cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Gil Shaham, Pink Martini, pianists Isata Kanneh-Mason and Bruce Liu, and Emmy, GRAMMY®-, and Tony Award-winning icon Audra McDonald; and the popular film nights as the orchestra plays live to picture Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire™ and Jurassic Park. SPAC’s 2023 festival theme of EARTH will be integrated throughout the summer season, highlighted by The Philadelphia Orchestra’s presentations of Earth: An HD Odyssey, the SPAC premiere of Pulitzer-Prize winning composer John Luther Adams’ Vespers of the Blessed Earth and Stravinsky’s famed The Rite of Spring.

“Our 2023 EARTH theme will showcase iconic works and premieres that honor the planet and its awe-inspiring beauty, an homage to SPAC’s exquisite location in the natural world,” says Elizabeth Sobol, President and CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center. “SPAC is not just an amphitheater, SPAC is a refuge, a place of healing, a place where the experience of connection to people and planet is sparked by profound beauty.”