artistic & production credits san francisco ballet london tour sadler's ...

ARTISTIC & PRODUCTION CREDITS
SAN FRANCISCO BALLET LONDON TOUR
SADLER’S WELLS THEATRE
PROGRAM B
SEPTEMBER 15, 16 & 21, 2012
Running Time:
Trio
Intermission
Ghosts©
Intermission
Guide to Strange Places
Total Running Time:
33 minutes
20 minutes
30 minutes
20 minutes
28 minutes
2 hours, 9 minutes
UK Premiere
Trio
Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson
Scenic Design: Alexander Nichols
Costume Design: Mark Zappone
Lighting Design: Christopher Dennis
World Premiere: February 25, 2011—San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House; San
Francisco, California
UK Premiere
Ghosts©
Composer: C.F. Kip Winger
Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon
Costume Design: Mark Zappone
Lighting Design: Mary Louise Geiger
Scenic Design: Laura Jellinek
World Premiere: February 9, 2010—San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House; San
Francisco, California
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Artistic & Production Credits/Page 2
UK Premiere
Guide to Strange Places
Choreographer: Ashley Page
Composer: John Adams
Scenic and Costume Design: Jon Morrell
Lighting Design: David Finn
World Premiere:
March 23, 2012—San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House; San Francisco, California
Production Credits: Trio: Music–Souvenir de Florence, O p. 7 0 by P eter I lyich Tchaikovsky.
Costumes constructed by Mark Zappone et Co. Scenic construction and painting by San Francisco Ballet
Carpentry an d S cenic D epartments at t he S an F rancisco O pera S tudios. Ghosts©: Music–“Ghosts”
composed by C.F. Kip Winger, used by arrangement with “A” Side Music, LLC. Costumes constructed by
Mark Za ppone e t C o. S cenic c onstruction a nd painting b y San Francisco Ballet Carpentry a nd Scenic
Departments, at the San Francisco Opera Scenic Studios. Guide to Strange Places: Music: Guide to
Strange Places by John Adams used by arrangement with Hendon Music, I nc., a Boosey & Hawkes
company, p ublisher and copyright o wner. C ostumes co nstructed b y Parkinson G ill Ltd., L ondon,
England. Scenic construction and painting by San Francisco Ballet Carpentry and Scenic Departments at
the San Francisco Opera Scenic Studios.
* * * *

HISTORY OF SAN FRANCISCO BALLET
San Francisco Ballet, t he o ldest p rofessional b allet c ompany i n A merica, h as e merged as a
world-class arts organization since it was founded as the San Francisco Opera Ballet in 1933.
Initially, i ts p rimary p urpose w as to tr ain d ancers t o ap pear i n l avish, f ull-length o pera
productions.
Willam C hristensen a rrived i n 1 938 and ch oreographed the C ompany’s f irst full-length
production, Coppélia, th e f ollowing y ear. I n 1 940, h e sta ged th e first American full-length
production of Swan Lake. On C hristmas E ve 1 944, C hristensen l aunched a nat ional h oliday
tradition with the American premiere o f Nutcracker, the first complete version of the ballet
ever staged in the United States.
In 1942, the Company became a t otally separate entity from the opera and was renamed San
Francisco B allet. W illam C hristensen w as a rtistic d irector, a nd h is b rother H arold w as
appointed director of the San Francisco Ballet School, a position he retained for 33 years. A
third brother, Lew Christensen, America’s first premier danseur, joined Willam as co-director
in 1951, and took over the Company the following year. Under Lew’s direction, the Company
made its East Coast debut at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in 1956 and toured 11 Asian nations
the following year, marking the first performances of an American ballet company in Asia.
In 1972, after performing in various San Francisco theaters, the Company settled permanently
in the War Memorial Opera House for its annual residency. The following year, Michael Smuin
was appointed associate artistic director and c elebrated h is n ew p artnership w ith L ew
Christensen by c ollaborating o n a f ull-length p roduction o f Cinderella. In 1 976, S muin’s
Romeo and Juliet became the first full-length ballet and the first performance by a West Coast
company to be shown o n th e PBS television series Dance in America. In 1981, Smuin’s The
Tempest—the first ballet ever b roadcast l ive f rom th e W ar M emorial O pera H ouse—was
nominated for three Emmy Awards (Willa Kim received the award for Outstanding Costume
Design). Three years later, Smuin received an Emmy Award for Choreography for the Dance in
America national broadcast of A Song for Dead Warriors.
In 1 974, San F rancisco B allet f aced b ankruptcy, b ut i ts su pporters a nd th e c ommunity
responded with an extraordinary grassroots effort called “Save Our Ballet,” which successfully
brought the Company back from the brink. That same year, Dr. Richard E. LeBlond, Jr. was
appointed president and general manager of the San Francisco Ballet Association. He
developed th e f irst long-range plan for an American d ance company, and in 18 months San
Francisco Ballet was in the black financially.
Helgi Tomasson’s arrival as artistic director in July 1985 marked the beginning of a new era
for S an F rancisco Ballet. Like Lew Christensen, Tomasson was, for many years, a leading
dancer for the most important ballet choreographer of the 20 th century, George Balanchine.

SF Ballet History/Page 2
Less th an two years a fter T omasson’s a rrival, S an Francisco Ballet u nveiled i ts f ourth
production of Nutcracker in December 1986. Tomasson has since staged acclaimed full-length
productions o f m any cl assics, i ncluding Swan Lake (1988, 2009 ); The Sleeping Beauty
(1990); Romeo & Juliet (1994); Giselle (1999); Don Quixote, co-staged with former Principal
Dancer and c urrent C horeographer i n R esidence Yuri P ossokhov ( 2003); a nd Nutcracker
(2004).
In 1 991, S an F rancisco B allet p erformed i n N ew Y ork C ity f or th e f irst ti me i n 2 6 y ears,
returning i n 1 993, 1 995, 1 998, 2 002, 2006, and 2 008. Following t he initial tour, The New
York Times proclaimed, “Mr. Tomasson has accomplished the unprecedented: He has pulled a
so-called regional company into the national ranks, and he has done so by honing the dancers
into a c lassical sty le o f astonishing ve rve a nd p urity. S an F rancisco Ballet under Helgi
Tomasson’s leadership is one of the spectacular success stories of the arts in America.”
In May 1995, San Francisco Ballet hosted 12 ballet companies from around the world for
UNited W e D ance: An I nternational F estival, commemorating t he 5 0 th anniversary o f the
signing of the United Nations Charter, which took place in the War Memorial and Performing
Arts C enter i n S an F rancisco. N ever b efore h ad a dance event brought together over 150
international artists for two weeks of creative exchange and inspiration.
2008 marked the Company’s 75 th Anniversary Season which culminated in a New Works Festival
of 10 world premieres by 10 of the dance world’s most diverse and acclaimed choreographers
including Julia A dam, Val C aniparoli, J orma E lo, M argaret J enkins, J ames Kudelka, Mark
Morris, Yuri Possokhov, Paul Taylor, Stanton W elch, a nd C hristopher W heeldon. O ther
anniversary initiatives included a commemorative book, San Francisco Ballet at Seventy-Five;
special exhibitions; an alumni reunion weekend; and the broadcast of Tomasson’s Nutcracker
in December 2008 on Great Performances’ Dance in America series o n P BS, p roduced i n
partnership with KQED P ublic T elevision i n S an F rancisco. In 201 0, t he B allet’s Op ening
Night G ala, Silver Celebration, honored Tomasson’s 25 years as artistic director of San
Francisco Ballet.
San Francisco Ballet continues to enrich and expand its repertory and presents approximately
100 p erformances annu ally. T he C ompany’s v ast repertory includes works b y S ir F rederick
Ashton, G eorge B alanchine, David B intley, August Bournonville, Val C aniparoli, L ew
Christensen, N acho D uato, Jorma E lo, William F orsythe, J ames K udelka, J irí K ylián, L ar
Lubovitch, Wayne McGregor, Agnes de Mille, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Hans van Manen, Peter
Martins, Mark Morris, Rudolf Nureyev, Marius Petipa, Roland Petit, Yuri Possokhov, Alexei
Ratmansky, Jerome Robbins, Paul Taylor, Antony Tudor, and Christopher Wheeldon.
In re cent y ears, th e C ompany’s to uring program h as b ecome i ncreasingly am bitious. I n fall
2008, as part of its year-long 75 th anniversary celebration, San Francisco Ballet embarked on a
critically acclaimed four-city American Tour with engagements at Chicago’s Harris Theater for
Music and Dance, New York City Center, Southern California’s Segerstrom Center for the Arts,
and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

SF Ballet History/Page 3
San F rancisco B allet h as a lso e njoyed f requent o verseas to urs, i ncluding engagements at
prestigious venues such a s th e f amed O péra d e P aris-Palais G arnier i n P aris ( 1994, 2001);
London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre (1999, 2004) and the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden
(2002); A thens’ M egaron T heatre ( 2002) and Herod Atticus Amphitheatre ( 2004); Tivoli in
Copenhagen (1998, 2 010), and t he E dinburgh I nternational F estival at t he E dinburgh
Playhouse (1997, 2003). In fall 2009, San Francisco Ballet made its first trip to the People’s
Republic of China, with performances in Shanghai and Beijing.
The Company’s extensive touring program has garnered numerous accolades and awards. In
2005, SF Ballet won its first Laurence Olivier Award, for its 2004 fall season at Sadler’s Wells
Theatre. Of t he en gagement, London’s Sunday Times p roclaimed, “Helgi T omasson’s
outstanding a rtistic d irection…has tra nsformed a re gional Am erican tro upe i nto o ne o f th e
world’s t op b allet co mpanies.” In 2 006, i n a r eaders’ p oll co nducted b y Dance Europe
magazine, San Francisco Ballet was the first non-European company to be voted “Company of
the Year” b y t he p ublication. In 2008, San F rancisco B allet received the J erome Ro bbins
Award for excellence in dance.
In D ecember 2011, the U nited S tates p remiere o f J ohn N eumeier’s The Little Mermaid,
performed b y S F B allet, was b roadcast i nternationally, as w ell as nat ionally o n P BS’s Great
Performances “Dance in America.” In 2012, SF Ballet embarks on an ambitious tour schedule
that i ncludes engagements i n London and Washington, D .C., as w ell as first ti me visits to
Hamburg, Moscow, and Sun Valley, Idaho.
The S an F rancisco B allet S chool, o verseen b y T omasson, attracts students from around the
world, training approximately 350 annually. In addition to filling the ranks of San Francisco
Ballet, graduates have gone on to join distinguished ballet companies throughout the world.
* * * *

SAN FRANCISCO BALLET
ARTISTS OF THE COMPANY
2013 REPERTORY SEASON
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & PRINCIPAL CHOREOGRAPHER
Helgi Tomasson
PRINCIPAL DANCERS
Joan Boada Frances Chung Taras Domitro
Lorena Feijoo Jaime Garcia Castilla Tiit Helimets
Davit Karapetyan Maria Kochetkova Vitor Luiz
Rubén Martín Cintas Vito Mazzeo Pascal Molat
Gennadi Nedvigin Damian Smith Sofiane Sylve
Yuan Yuan Tan Sarah Van Patten Pierre-François Vilanoba
Vanessa Zahorian
PRINCIPAL CHARACTER DANCERS
Ricardo Bustamante Val Caniparoli Jorge Esquivel
Anita Paciotti
SOLOISTS
Elana Altman Dores Andre Clara Blanco
Daniel Deivison-Oliveira Courtney Elizabeth Dana Genshaft
Luke Ingham Carlos Quenedit Garen Price Scribner
James Sofranko Anthony Spaulding Shane Wuerthner
Hansuke Yamamoto
CORPS DE BALLET
Gaetano Amico III Sean Bennett Kimberly Braylock
Nicole Ciapponi Charlene Cohen Diego Cruz
Sasha De Sola Marie-Claire D’Lyse Megan Amanda Ehrlich
Jordan Hammond Jillian Harvey Ellen Rose Hummel
Koto Ishihara Emily Kadow Madison Keesler
Kristina Lind Alexandra McCullagh Steven Morse
Francisco Mungamba Mariellen Olson Sean Orza
Elizabeth Powell Rebecca Rhodes Shannon Marie Roberts
Jeremy Rucker Henry Sidford Dustin Shane Spero
Jennifer Stahl Benjamin Stewart Myles Thatcher
Raymond Tilton Sebastian Vinet Lonnie Weeks
Luke Willis Shion Yuasa WanTing Zhao
APPRENTICES
Lacey Escabar Lauren Parrott Alexander Reneff-Olson
Emma Rubinowitz
Wei Wang

Company Roster/Page 2
*guest teacher
BALLET MASTER & ASSISTANT TO THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Ricardo Bustamante
BALLET MASTERS
Betsy Erickson
Anita Paciotti
Katita Waldo
COMPANY TEACHERS
Helgi Tomasson
Lola de Avila*
Patrick Armand*
Ricardo Bustamante
CHOREOGRAPHER IN RESIDENCE
Yuri Possokhov
MUSIC DIRECTOR AND PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR
Martin West
* * * *

CONTACT:
Kyra Jablonsky 415.865.6603
Lauren White 415.865.6610
2013 REPERTORY SEASON LISTING
PROGRAM 1
SUITE EN BLANC^
Lalo/Lifar
IN THE NIGHT
Chopin/Robbins/Dowell/Tipton after Bates
NEW MCGREGOR*
McGregor
Jan 29 eve, 30 eve, 31 eve,
Feb 1 eve, 2 mat & eve, 3 mat
PROGRAM 2
FULL-LENGTH
HAMBURG BALLET
(VISITING COMPANY)
NIJINSKY#
Chopin, Schumann, Rimsky-Korsakov,
Shostakovich/Neumeier
Feb 13 eve, 14 eve, 15 eve,
16 mat & eve, 17 mat, 19 eve
PROGRAM 3
BEAUX
Martinů/Morris/Mizrahi/Chybowski
GUIDE TO STRANGE PLACES
Adams/Page/Morrell/Finn
NEW POSSOKHOV*
Possokhov
Feb 26 eve, 27 eve, 28 eve, March 2 mat & eve
8 eve, 10 mat
PROGRAM 4
SCOTCH SYMPHONY
Mendelssohn/Balanchine/after Karinska
NEW RATMANSKY*
WITHIN THE GOLDEN HOUR
Bosso/Wheeldon/Pakledinaz/Ingalls
March 1 eve, 3 mat, 5 eve, 6 eve, 7 eve
9 mat & eve
* World Premiere
# Northern California Premiere
^ San Francisco Ballet Premiere
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2013 Repertory Season Listing/Page 2
PROGRAM 5
FULL LENGTH
ONEGIN
Tchaikovsky/Cranko/Loquasto/Ingalls
March 21 eve, 22 eve, 23 mat & eve, 24 mat,
26 eve, 27 eve, 28 eve
PROGRAM 6
RAYMONDA, ACT III
Glazunov/Nureyev after Petipa/Kay/Read
IBSEN’S HOUSE
Dvorak/Caniparoli/Woodall/Ingalls
SYMPHONIC DANCES
Rachmaninov/Liang/Zappone/Mehler
Apr 9 eve, 10 eve, 12 eve, 14 mat
18 eve, 20 mat & eve
PROGRAM 7
CRISS-CROSS
Scarlatti and Schoenberg after
Handel/Tomasson/Alie/Lavoie/Pinkham
FRANCESCA DA RIMINI
Tchaikovsky/Possokhov/Nichols/Woodall/
Dennis
SYMPHONY IN THREE MOVEMENTS
Stravinsky/Balanchine/Bates
Apr 11 eve, 13 mat & eve, 16 eve, 17 eve, 19 eve
21 mat
PROGRAM 8
FULL LENGTH
CINDERELLA^
Prokofiev/Wheeldon/Lucas/Crouch/Katz
May 3 eve, 4 eve, 5 mat, 7 eve, 8 eve, 9 eve
10 eve, 11 mat & eve, 12 eve
* World Premiere
# Northern California Premiere
^ San Francisco Ballet Premiere
2013 REPERTORY SEASON TICKETS
War Memorial Opera House
301 Van Ness at Grove, San Francisco
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
evenings at 8pm. Wednesday evenings at 7:30pm.
Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2pm.
Individual tickets are available for advance sale
online at sfballet.org beginning November 14, 2012
or by calling Ticket Services at 415.865.2000, starting
January 2, 2013. Phone hours are Monday through
Friday, 10am to 4pm. For group rates for 10 or more,
call 415.865.6785.
* * * *

HELGI TOMASSON
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & PRINCIPAL CHOREOGRAPHER
Helgi Tomasson has held the position of artistic director for San Francisco Ballet since July 1985.
Since t hen, t he C ompany h as e volved f rom a r espected r egional t roupe t o an international
company praised for its broad repertory, dancers of uncommon range and skill, and a vision that
continually sets the standard for the international dance world.
San Francisco Ballet is dancing better than it has at any point in its history. As a choreographer,
teacher, and coach, Tomasson has fostered an uncompromising classicism that has become the
bedrock o f t he C ompany’s t raining. T he d ancers ar e e nergized and i nspired b y t his rigorous
training and continue to rise to new heights with each passing year.
Born in R eykjavik, I celand, T omasson b egan h is e arly b allet t raining t here w ith an Icelandic
teacher a nd t hen j oined t he Na tional T heatre’s a ffiliated s chool, w hich w as l ed by Danish
instructors Erik and Lisa Bidsted. At 15, the emerging dancer began his professional career with
the c elebrated P antomime T heatre i n C openhagen’s T ivoli G ardens. T wo y ears l ater, J erome
Robbins met Tomasson and, impressed by his dancing, arranged a scholarship for him to study
at the School of American Ballet in New York City. Soon after, Tomasson began his professional
career with The Joffrey Ballet and two years later joined The Harkness Ballet. Over the next six
years, he became one of the company’s most celebrated principal dancers.
In 1 969, T omasson e ntered th e F irst International B allet C ompetition i n Moscow as a U nited
States r epresentative a nd r eturned w ith t he S ilver M edal ( the Gold Medal was awarded to
Mikhail Baryshnikov). The following year, Tomasson joined New York City Ballet as a principal
dancer and over the course of his career became one of the finest classical dancers of his era. He
was one of the foremost interpreters of George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, and both men
created several roles expressly for him. In 1982, Tomasson choreographed his first ballet for the
School of American Ballet Workshop, which elicited encouragement from Balanchine to continue
choreographing.
Tomasson accepted the invitation from SF Ballet to become artistic director of America’s oldest
professional ballet company in 1 985, d rawing t o a c lose a g lorious p erforming c areer. Si nce
assuming this role with the Company, Tomasson has choreographed over 40 ballets, including
stunning full-length productions of Don Quixote (co-staged by Yuri Possokhov), Giselle, Romeo
& Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty, and two productions of Swan Lake (1988 and 2009). His intricate
and varied works, such as 7 for Eight, Chi-Lin, Concerto Grosso, The Fifth Season, Handel—a
Celebration, Meistens Mozart, Nanna’s Lied, and Sonata, showcase the unique q ualities o f
individual dancers. Tomasson’s Prism, which debuted in 2000 at New York City Ballet, received
rave reviews and was deemed a “triumph” by The New York
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Tomasson/Page 2
Times. In 2004, h is n ew p roduction o f Nutcracker, c reated i n c ollaboration w ith an
internationally recognized de sign t eam, debuted to e nthusiastic critic and audience r esponse.
The New York Times proclaimed, “This is a Nutcracker on a grand scale…striking, elegant and
beautiful.” On December 17, 2008, Tomasson’s Nutcracker was broadcast nationally on Great
Performances on PBS, in partnership with KQED Public Television in San Francisco.
The stro ng cl assical b ase i nstilled b y T omasson e nables th e dancers to effortlessly navigate a
myriad o f s tyles b y a r ange o f i nternationally d istinguished choreographers. T hose i nvited by
Tomasson to create works on the Company have included David Bintley, Val Caniparoli, Jorma
Elo, William F orsythe, J ames K udelka, La r Lu bovitch, Mark Mo rris, Yuri P ossokhov, A lexi
Ratmansky, Paul T aylor, S tanton W elch, and C hristopher Wheeldon. Tomasson ha s a lso
continued to expand SF Ballet’s repertory through acquiring works by renowned choreographers
such as Sir Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, August Bournonville, Michel Fokine, Hans van
Manen, W ayne M cGregor, Sir K enneth Mc Millan, Agnes d e M ille, Nacho D uato, Flemming
Flindt, Roland Petit, Jerome Robbins, and Antony Tudor, among others. Tomasson’s own works
have been performed by New Yor k C ity B allet, Roy al D anish B allet, H ouston B allet, A lberta
Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, Ballet Estable del Teatro Colón, and Asami
Maki Ballet. In Denmark, Tomasson’s 1993 staging of The Sleeping Beauty was the most lavish
production ever produced in the Royal Danish Ballet’s history and was filmed for Danish public
television in April 1995.
Under Tomasson’s direction, SF Ballet has toured the world, receiving praise for its purity and
verve. E ngagements i n China ( 2009), Copenhagen ( 1998, 201 0), London ( 1999, 2 001, 2 004),
Moscow ( 2012), New York City ( 1991, 1993, 1995, 1 998, 2002, 2006 , 2008 ), and P aris ( 1989,
1994, 2001, 2005) are among the highlights of the Company’s history. For the Company’s 2004
London engagement, SF B allet won t he p restigious L aurence Olivier Award, its first, in the
category o f Outstanding A chievement i n Dance. Of t he t our, The Guardian (UK) noted, “As
director of SF Ballet, Helgi Tomasson has started to acquire an aura of infallibility, his expertise
in laying down repertory, and in balancing great evenings of dance, is held in envy by the rest of
the profession.”
Tomasson’s vision, commitment, and dedication to the art of classical dance were demonstrated
when he conceived UNited We Dance: An International Festival, produced in San Francisco in
May 1 995. C reated t o c elebrate t he 5 0th a nniversary o f the si gning o f th e U nited N ations
Charter, it included 12 international companies of the highest caliber that Tomasson had invited
to present new works created by native choreographers. Never before had a dance event brought
together over 150 artists for an u nprecedented two weeks of creative exchange and inspiration.
In spring 2008, as part of its yearlong 75 th anniversary celebration, SF Ballet presented a New
Works F estival of 10 w orld pr emieres by 10 of t he dance world’s m ost d iverse and acclaimed
choreographers. The festival was called “ambitious and unprecedented” by The Washington Post
and the San Francisco Chronicle hailed it as a “daring onslaught of fresh work… this is what the
ballet world needs now.”
Tomasson’s achievements have garnered him nu merous aw ards and h onors, and h e h as
participated as a judge for ballet competitions in Italy, Russia, France, Finland, and Japan.
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Tomasson/Page 3
During t he 1 970s i n h is h omeland o f I celand, h e w as nam ed a Knight of the Order of the
Falcon f or h is ac hievements as a d ancer. In 1989, h e r eceived D ance B ay A rea’s I sadora
Duncan Award for his outstanding choreography of Swan Lake. In June 1990, Tomasson was
named Commander of the Order o f the Falcon b y t hen-President of Iceland Vigdís
Finnbogadóttir, for his c ontinuous a chievements i n th e a rts. In re cognition o f h is a rtistic
excellence, Tomasson received the Golden P late A ward f rom t he A merican A cademy o f
Achievement in 1992. That same year, he received the Dance Magazine Award in recognition
of his contributions to the dance world. In 1995, Tomasson joined the Artistic Advisory Board
of T he B allet T heatre i n P rague, d irected b y J ana K urová. Also i n 1 995, T omasson was
honored with the Cultural Award of The American-Scandinavian Foundation. In 1996, he was
presented with a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, f rom D ominican C ollege o f S an
Rafael, in recognition o f his v alue as a r ole model, h is e xtraordinary career, and his
community-service a ccomplishments. T hat sa me y ear, h e w as a warded th e I sadora D uncan
Special Aw ard f or U Nited W e D ance: An I nternational F estival. In 2 012, h e w as nam ed
recipient of the D ance/USA H onor, acknowledging i ndividuals’ co ntributions t o da nce i n
America and the role they play in the national dance community.
Currently, Tomasson serves on the Board of Directors of the School of American Ballet and the
Artistic Committee for the New York Choreographic Institute, and has served as a member of
the National Endowment f or th e Arts D ance Ad visory P anel. I n M ay 2 001, T omasson w as
granted t he r ank o f Officier in th e F rench O rder o f Arts a nd L etters, e stablished i n 1957 to
recognize th ose w ho h ave c ontributed si gnificantly to f urthering th e a rts i n F rance and
throughout th e world. Hugues Gall, then d irector of the Opéra National de Paris, presented
the award in a c eremony at tended b y the P resident o f I celand Ó lafur R agnar Grimsson,
following SF Ballet’s triumphant opening at the Palais Garnier. In spring 2002, the Board of
Trustees of New Y ork’s J uilliard S chool un animously voted to b estow a n h onorary d octoral
degree upon Tomasson, as one of five doctorates given annually in different artistic disciplines.
In 2005, Tomasson was awarded the prestigious Lew Christensen Medal in honor of his 20 th
anniversary a s a rtistic d irector of SF B allet. I n s pring 2 007, T omasson w on a s ustained
achievement aw ard f rom t he I sadora D uncan D ance A wards, al so i n r ecognition o f his
distinguished, ongoing tenure as artistic director. In May of the same year, during a tour to
Iceland’s R eykjavik Arts F estival, Grimsson awarded T omasson th e Grand Cross Star o f th e
Order o f th e F alcon, th e c ountry’s m ost p restigious h onor. In 2008, he wa s a warded t he
Commonwealth C lub o f C alifornia’s Di stinguished C itizen Award. In J anuary 2 010, t he
Company’s Opening Night Gala, Silver Celebration, h onored T omasson’s re markable
achievements to date.
In a ddition to h is ro le a s a rtistic d irector and pr incipal c horeographer of the C ompany,
Tomasson is the director of the San Francisco Ballet School. For Tomasson, the School is central
to the life a nd d evelopment o f th e C ompany. J ust a s h e e xpects th e f inest d ancing a nd m ost
meticulous attention to detail from his dancers, he demands the highest standards for training
the students in the School.
Tomasson lives in San Francisco with his wife, Marlene, who was dancing with The Joffrey Ballet
when they met. They have two sons, Erik and Kris.
* * * *

HELGI TOMASSON
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & PRINCIPAL CHOREOGRAPHER
REPERTORY
Choreographed for San Francisco Ballet:
Trio (2011)
Swan Lake (2009)
On a Theme of Paganini (2008)
On Common Ground (2007)
Blue Rose (2006)
The Fifth Season (2006)
Bagatelles (2005)
Nutcracker (2004)
7 for Eight (2004)
Don Quixote (2003)
Concerto Grosso (2003)
Chi-Lin (2002)
Bartok Divertimento (2002)
Chaconne for Piano and Two Dancers (1999)
Giselle (1999)
Silver Ladders (1998)
Two Bits (1998)
Twilight (1998)
Criss-Cross (1997)
Pandora Dance (1997)
Soirées Musicales (1996)
Tuning Game (1995)
Sonata (1995)
When We No Longer Touch (1995)
Quartette (1994)
Romeo & Juliet (1994)
Nanna’s Lied (1993)
Le Quattro Stagioni (The Four Seasons) (1992)
Forevermore (1992)
Two plus Two (1992)
Aurora Polaris (1991)
Meistens Mozart (1991)
“Haffner” Symphony (1991)
The Sleeping Beauty (1990)
Con Brio (1990)
Valses Poeticos (1990)
Handel—a Celebration (1989)
Swan Lake (1988)
Intimate Voices (1987)
Bizet pas de deux (1987)
Concerto in d: Poulenc (1986)
Confidencias (1986)
Additional Ballets:
Prism (2000), choreographed for New York City Ballet
“Much Ado…” (1999), choreographed for Alberta Ballet
Simple Symphony (1996), choreographed for SF Ballet
School Showcase.
Beads of Memory (1985), choreographed i n 1 985 f or
Houston Ballet
Little Waltz (1985), choreographed for N ew Y ork C ity
Ballet’s Gala on students of School of American Ballet
Menuetto (1984), choreographed for New York City Ballet
Contredanses (1984), choreographed in 1984 for Finis
Jhung’s Chamber Ballet USA
Ballet d’Isoline (1983), choreographed for School of
American Ballet
Giuliani: Variations on a Theme (1982), choreographed
for School of American Ballet

ALEXANDER NICHOLS
SCENIC DESIGN
Alexander V. Nichols’ design work extends from lighting, video, projections, scenery, costumes
and s pans f rom d ance, t heater, and opera to a rchitectural l ighting and ar t i nstallations. The
Berkeley, C alifornia nat ive g ot h is start at a y oung ag e d esigning s cenery and l ighting f or
Berkeley Ballet Theatre where his mother, Sally Streets, was artistic director and his sister Kyra
Nichols, a pr incipal d ancer a t New York C ity Ballet, a nd b rother Robert N ichols, a f ormer
member of Chicago City Ballet, would make guest appearances. From these familial roots Mr.
Nichols has emerged as a designer for dance and theater on an international level. He has served
as resident d esigner for the M argaret Jenkins Dance Company, Pennsylvania Ballet, Hartford
Ballet, A merican R epertory B allet, and as l ighting d irector f or Am erican B allet T heatre. H is
designs have been set for companies including San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, Alvin Ailey
American D ance T heater, Hubbard S treet Dance Chicago, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Hong K ong
Ballet, Singapore Dance Theatre, Alberta Ballet, ODC/SF, and Pittsburgh Ballet Theater. He has
collaborated w ith c horeographers i ncluding C hrostopher d ’Amboise, Val C aniparoli, An n
Carlson, Sonya D elwaide, M arguerite D onlon, Dominique D umais, Joe G oode, Jean G rand-
Maitre, Bill T. Jones, Graham Lustig, Mark Morris, Matjash Mrozewski, Mikko Nissenen, Kevin
O’Day, Kirk Peterson, Stephen Petronio, Michael Smuin, and Brenda Way.
Mr. Nichols’ experience also reaches to live music where he got his start by assisting Lighting
Designer Harri Kouvenen in the garage band days of the heavy metal bands Metallica, Exodus,
and Laaz R ockit. He has since developed collaborations with: Composer Philip Glass and
Photographer F rans Lanting ( “Life - A J ourney Th rough Time” video/visual d esign), Kronos
Quartet (“Visual Music”scenery/video), Paul Dresher Ensemble (“Sound Stage” scenic/lighting,
and “ Awed Behavior” sc enic/lighting), p erformance a rtist R inde E ckert ( “Horizon”
scenic/lighting and “ Gardening o f Th omas D.” scenic/lighting), G amelan S ekar Jaya ( “Kawit
Legong” l ighting), and B ill Frisell (“Disfarmer P roject” sc enery/video). He a lso d esigned the
lighting for “Aid and Comfort II”, an AIDS benefit in collaboration with Eiko Ishioka featuring
Laurie Anderson, Herbie Hancock, Phillip Glass, John Adams, and the Kronos Quartet.
In t heater, M r. N ichols’ credits i nclude t he Or egon S hakespeare F estival’s Continental Divide
(lighting/video) a nd K ing J ohn ( lighting/video); Berkeley R epertory T heater: Ravenshead
(scenic and lighting), Galileo (projections), Civil Sex (lighting), Rhinoceros (projections),
Culture Clash In Americca (scenic and l ighting), Mennochio (scenic/lighting/projection), The
Guys (video), Surface Transit (scenic and l ighting), Fetes de la Nuit (lighting/video), and
Mother Courage (lighting); American C onservatory T heater San F rancisco, C A: Yohen
(lighting), Sexual Perversity in Chicago (lighting), and Hedda Gabler (lighting); Mark T aper
Forum: Water and Power (lighting); Huntington T heater: Carol Mulroney (lighting); Arena
Stage, Washington D.C.: Anthems (scenic and lighting); Alley Theater, Houston, TX: Cantinflas
(scenic and l ighting); California S hakespeare F estival: Winters Tale (lighting), Arms and the
Man (scenic and lighting), All’s Well That Ends Well (lighting), Nicholas Nickleby (lighting),
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Nichols/Page 2
and As You Like it (lighting); National T heater o f T aiwan: Peking Man (lighting); and t he
Culture Project NYC, NY: Sarah Jones in Bridge and Tunnel (lighting).
In the architectural lighting realm he has created the exterior lighting for the Sentinel Building,
Francis Ford Coppola’s historic headquarters in San Francisco, and is presently designing the
lighting for the courtyard fountain at the Niebaum Coppola Winery in Napa, CA. As a sideline
to his theatrical career, Mr. Nichols has intermittently pursued his own sculptural projects in
wood, m etal, and light. H e is currently a collaborator in two museum i nstallation pieces: as
structural/lighting designer f or “C ircle Of M emory,” an installation p roject created w ith
Eleanor Coppola, Richard Beggs, Jean McMann, Elizabeth Macdonald and Robilee Frederick,
and as d esign and l ighting c ollaborator f or “The P lace W here Y ou G o L isten,” a p ermanent
installation at the University of Alaska Museum conceived by Composer John Luther Adams.
Mr. Nichols is a recipient of various awards including four Isadora Duncan Awards, a Bay Area
Critics Circle Award, and three Dean Goodman Awards. He received the 1986 Faculty Award
for Outstanding Achievement i n L ighting D esign at S an F rancisco State University where he
studied design from 1983 through 1986.
* * * *

MARK ZAPPONE
COSTUME DESIGNER
Mark Zappone initially served Pacific Northwest Ballet from 1983–1988 as costume designer,
shop s upervisor, a nd wa rdrobe master. H e th en m oved to M onte-Carlo, w here h e m anaged
costume shops for Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and Le Cabaret de Monte-Carlo, continuing on
to Switzerland and Amsterdam with Holiday on Ice.
Zappone has collaborated with renowned choreographers and designers such as Twyla Tharp
(Pacific N orthwest Ballet world p remieres Opus111 and Afternoon Ball) Lu cinda C hilds,
Maurice Sendak, D ominique Dum ais, K ent Stowell, t he G eorge Balanchine T rust, M olissa
Fenley, Kevin O ’Day, James Kudelka, Martin Pakledinez, Christopher Stowell, Nicolo F onte,
Paul Gibson, and Nuno Corte-Real. As w ell as his numerous designs for PNB’s repertory, he
has designed for San Francisco Ballet, Peter Boal Solos, Pennsylvania Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet
Theatre, Les B allets de Monte-Carlo, Oregon Ballet T heatre, Alberta Ballet, Spectrum Dance
Theatre, Teatro Zinzanni, and Wear Moi Dancewear of London.
* * * *

CHRISTOPHER DENNIS
LIGHTING DESIGN
Christopher Dennis served as the Resident Lighting Designer and Lighting Coordinator at The
National Ballet of Canada for 14 seasons, before joining the San Francisco Ballet as Technical
Director in 2010. He created memorable and evocative lighting designs for many of the The
National B allet o f C anada’s p roductions, i ncluding A zure B arton’s Watch Her, J ames
Kudelka’s Cinderella, Matjash Mrozewski’s A Delicate Battle, and Jean-Pierre Perreault’s The
Comforts of Solitude. His work for SF Ballet includes Yuri Possokhov’s RAkU and Francesca
da Rimini, as well as Helgi Tomasson’s Trio.
Dennis’ lighting designs are in the repertoires of ballet companies around the world, including
American Ballet Theatre, B oston B allet, W est A ustralia B allet, C oleman and L emieux &
Compagnie, ProArte Danza, and Moonhorse Dance Theatre.
In addition to his work i n d ance, D ennis h as d esigned l ighting f or t he S haw and S tratford
Festivals a s w ell a s o ther re gional o pera, th eatre and film p roductions th roughout C anada.
Christopher served as Lighting Director for the White Oak Dance Project and was Assistant
Resident Lighting Designer for the Metropolitan Opera.
* * * *

CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON
CHOREOGRAPHER
Born in Yeovil, Somerset, England, Wheeldon began his ballet training at eight years old and
began studying at The Royal Ballet School at eleven. Wheeldon joined The Royal Ballet in 1991
and w on t he G old M edal at t he P rix d e L ausanne c ompetition that y ear. I n 1 993, W heeldon
was invited to become a member of New York City Ballet, where he was promoted to soloist in
1998. He choreographed h is f irst work f or NYCB, Slavonic Dances, fo r t he 1 997 Di amond
Project and , in c ollaboration w ith ar tist Ian F alconer, and created Scènes de Ballet for th e
School o f American B allet’s 1 999 Workshop P erformances and NYCB’s 5 0th anni versary
season.
After c reating Mercurial Manoeuvers for NYCB’s S pring 2000 D iamond P roject, W heeldon
retired from dancing to concentrate on choreography. In NYCB’s 2000-2001 season, he served
as the company’s first Artist in Residence, creating two ballets: Polyphonia, set to piano music
by Györgi Ligeti, and Variations Sérieuses, set to a score by Felix Mendelssohn. In July 2001,
Wheeldon was named NYCB’s first Resident Choreographer. During his appointment,
Wheeldon choreographed w orks t hat i ncluded Morphoses and Carousel (A Dance) (2002);
Carnival of the Animals and Liturgy (2003); After the Rain and An American in Paris (2005);
Klavier (2006), The Nightingale and the Rose (2007) and Rococo Variations (2008).
Among the celebrated ballets Wheeldon has created for other companies are: Continuum for
San Francisco Ballet (2002); Tryst, DGV (Danse à Grande Vitesse), and Electric Counterpoint
for T he R oyal B allet ( 2002, 20 06, a nd 20 08, r espectively); a f ull-length Swan Lake for
Pennsylvania B allet ( 2004); “ Dance o f t he H ours” i n P onchielli's La Gioconda and
choreography for Sir R ichard E yer’s n ew p roduction of Carmen both a t T he M etropolitan
Opera(2006 a nd 201 0); Misericordes for t he B olshoi Ballet ( 2007); The Wanderers for t he
Royal Danish Ballet (2008); The Christening Suite for the Norwegian National Ballet for the
opening of the Os lo Opera H ouse ( 2008); as well as b allet s equences f or t he f eature f ilm
Center Stage (2000) and a s tage v ersion o f Broadway’s Sweet Smell of Success (2002).
In h is pursuit of innovation f or t he a rt f orm, Wheeldon h as c ollaborated w ith c omposers
James MacMillan, Bright Sheng, and Michael Nyman; artists Ian Falconer, James Buckhouse,
and Jean Marc Puissant; designers Adrianne Lobel and Narciso Rodriguez; author and actor
John Lithgow; and director Nicholas Hytner.
Wheeldon w as t he r ecipient o f the Dance M agazine A ward and the L ondon C ritics’ C ircle
Award f or B est N ew B allet f or Polyphonia in 2005; a p erformance of t he w ork b y N YCB
dancers received the Olivier Award. In 2006, DGV (Danse à Grande Vitesse) was nominated
for an O livier A ward. A dditional h onors i nclude t he M artin E . Segal Award from L incoln
Center and the American Choreography Award.
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Wheeldon/Page 2
Wheeldon’s extensive work with San Francisco Ballet includes six world premiere works: Sea
Pictures, Continuum, Rush, Quaternary, Within the Golden Hour, and Ghosts. The Company
has also staged versions of his Polyphonia, pas de deux from After the Rain, and Carousel (A
Dance). In 2003, San Francisco Ballet took a f ull evening of Wheeldon works on tour to the
Edinburgh Festival, where it received the prestigious Herald Angel Award for excellence at the
festival.
Wheeldon founded Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company in 2007 with the goal of introducing a
new spirit of innovation to classical ballet by fostering collaboration among choreographers,
dancers, visual a rtists, d esigners, c omposers, and o thers who can b ring ne w l ife an d
perspective to ballet. As Artistic Director and Co-Founder, Wheeldon choreographed a number
of n ew works f or M orphoses, i ncluding Fools’ Paradise and Rhapsodie Fantaisie, a mong
others. Launched at th e Vail International Dance Festival in August 2 007, Morphoses
performed as Guest Resident Company at both Sadler’s Wells in London and New York City
Center. Morphoses won the prestigious South Bank Show Award for its 2007 London season.
In February 2010, Wheeldon resigned from his position with Morphoses. He continues to
choreograph ne w w orks f or an i nternational ar ray o f t op d ance c ompanies. Recent projects
included a full-length production of Alice in Wonderland for London’s Royal Ballet. In 2013,
SF Ballet will present the U.S. premiere of Wheeldon’s new Cinderella, a co-production with
Dutch National Ballet.
* * * *

MARK ZAPPONE
COSTUME DESIGNER
Mark Zappone initially served Pacific Northwest Ballet from 1983–1988 as costume designer,
shop s upervisor, a nd wa rdrobe master. H e th en m oved to M onte-Carlo, w here h e m anaged
costume shops for Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and Le Cabaret de Monte-Carlo, continuing on
to Switzerland and Amsterdam with Holiday on Ice.
Zappone has collaborated with renowned choreographers and designers such as Twyla Tharp
(Pacific N orthwest Ballet world p remieres Opus111 and Afternoon Ball) Lu cinda C hilds,
Maurice Sendak, D ominique Dum ais, K ent Stowell, t he G eorge Balanchine T rust, M olissa
Fenley, Kevin O ’Day, James Kudelka, Martin Pakledinez, Christopher Stowell, Nicolo F onte,
Paul Gibson, and Nuno Corte-Real. As w ell as his numerous designs for PNB’s repertory, he
has designed for San Francisco Ballet, Peter Boal Solos, Pennsylvania Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet
Theatre, Les B allets de Monte-Carlo, Oregon Ballet T heatre, Alberta Ballet, Spectrum Dance
Theatre, Teatro Zinzanni, and Wear Moi Dancewear of London.
* * * *

MARY LOUISE GEIGER
LIGHTING DESIGNER
Mary Louise Geiger has worked in New York, Europe, and in the American regional theatre.
She is currently Head of Lighting in the Department of Design for Stage and Film at New York
University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Her work in New York includes Oslo Elsewhere Festival (59E59); The Busy World is Hushed
(Playwrights H orizons); Jump/Cut (Women’s P roject); R ed Beads ( Mabou M ines–Skirball
Center for the Performing Arts); The Constant Wife (American Airlines Theatre); Oedipus at
Palm Springs (New Y ork T heatre Workshop); Afterbirth: Kathy and Mo’s Greatest Hits
(Second S tage); The Triangle Factory Fire Project (TACT); Mabou Mines’ Dollhouse (St.
Ann’s); Architecture of Loss (New York Theatre Workshop); Eight Days Backwards (Vineyard
Theatre); The Mystery of Attraction (Worth St. Theatre); Julia Sweeney in The Family Way
(Ars N ova T heatre); Jodi Oberfelder Dance (Clark T heatre, L incoln C enter); Two Little
Indians (Here T heatre); Tongue of a Bird (New Y ork S hakespeare F estival); A Doll House
(NYTW workshop), The Bacchae: Torn to Pieces (LaMaMa E tc), Long Island Sound (The
Actor’s Company Theatre)
Geiger’s work in Europe and touring productions includes Mabou Mines’ Dollhouse (Brisbane
Festival, Australia, Chicago, IL, Minneapolis, MN, Columbus, OH, New England, USA, Festival
D’Autumne, Paris, France; Stuttgart Festival, Germany; Ibsen Festival, Oslo, Norway).
Her work for regional theater includes projects for ACT Theatre, Alley Theatre, Actor’s Theatre
of L ouisville, A solo Theatre, B erkeley R epertory T heatre, G eVa T heatre, I ndiana R epertory
Theatre, I ntiman T heatre, S eattle R epertory T heatre, P ortland C enter Stage, Portland Stage
Company, Virginia Stage Company, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Mark Taper Forum,
Pioneer Theatre, Playmakers Repertory Company, LA Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra.
She trained at the Yale School of Drama and is currently a faculty member of the NYU Tisch
School of the Arts.
* * * *

ASHLEY PAGE
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF SCOTTISH BALLET
Born in Rochester, Kent, Page joined the Royal Ballet in 1976, after graduating from the Royal
Ballet S chool. W ith th e R oyal B allet, P age w as e xposed to th e c lassics, c reated roles in new
ballets by Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan, and contributed to works that blended
the classical idiom with more contemporary languages, such as those by Glen Tetley and, most
significantly, Richard Alston. The mid/late Seventies were a significant time for dance in the
UK, as b oth ballet and modern dance w ere going through a fertile process of consolidation,
transformation a nd c ross-fertilisation. O utside th e R oyal B allet, m odern dance moved from
well-established canons into groundbreaking e xperimentation, and P age’s encounter w ith
modern d ance h ad a s ignificant i mpact and m arked the beginning of a life-long c reative
dialogue.
Unlike so me o f h is c ontemporaries, P age n ever re futed b allet; detectable traces of and
references to classical dance underscore his choreography, as evident in A Broken Set of Rules,
the first work h e c reated f or T he R oyal B allet i n 1 984, th e sa me y ear h e w as p romoted to
Principal dancer, which could be seen as a manifesto of Page’s dance making, as it challenged
and, at the same time, drew upon the classical idiom. By t he e nd o f t he E ighties, h e h ad
created dances for a variety of companies, predominantly The Royal Ballet and Rambert Dance
Company, and had worked within different artistic environments, such as Dance Umbrella and
television. Inevitably, the different nature of these collaborations enhanced the investigation of
new formulae and solutions, which, in turn, informed the creation of works such as Pursuit
(1987), Piano (1989), Bloodlines (1990) and Fearful Symmetries (1994), which received t he
1995 Olivier Award for best dance production.
Despite individual distinctiveness, both the above noted works and subsequent ones such as
Ebony Concerto (1995), Sleeping with Audrey (1996), Two-PartInvention (1996), Room of
Cooks (1997) and Cheating, Lying, Stealing (1998) present a number of recurring traits, which
can be read as signature features of Page’s oeuvre. It is possible, in other words, to talk of an
identifiable individual style, which encompasses diverse choreographic influences as well as a
refreshingly c ontinuous i n-depth se arch f or so lutions d erived f rom a vi brant tra nsliteration
and/or reinvention of set canons. As h as a lready b een o bserved, cl assical f ormulae re main
clearly present throughout, but never in a gratuitously spectacular manner. This is not to say
that the action in Page’s ballets lacks theatrical vibrancy and immediacy. On the contrary, the
seamless blend of idioms, combined with a quest for experimenting beyond the set borders of
techniques and styles, provide both his dancers and his viewers with breathtakingly
stimulating works, characterised by a provoking game of symmetrical asymmetries. Thrilling
immediacy derives also from Page’s individual approach to music, as working within a given
score, more than merely working with it, is another distinctive trait of his dance making.
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Movement solutions, th erefore, n ever l ook d ependant o n o r a ppended to th e m usic, b ut
develop in line with a thorough investigation of the score, with which they seem to be
constantly interwoven. H is c ollaboration w ith c omposers su ch a s M ichael N yman, O rlando
Gough, Colin Matthews su ccessfully exploited such an approach to the aural element.
Similarly, the collaboration with fine artists and designers such as Howard Hodgkin, Deanna
Petherbridge, Bruce McLean, John Morrell and Antony McDonald, who, like Page, engage in a
constant reassessment of their own art and question the givens of traditional culture, has
become another mainstay of his work.
It is not su rprising, th erefore, th at t hese si gnature f eatures h ave b een a t th e c ore o f P age’s
artistic vi sion f or S cottish B allet. H ence, th e a rtistic eclecticism that characterises the
company’s re pertoire a nd i nforms th e a rtistic g rowth o f i ts d ancers; w orks b y Balanchine,
Ashton, Alston, Robbins, Brown, Petronio and Forsythe are presented with stylistic accuracy
and sensibility alongside Page’s own works a nd h is re visionist, b ut n ever su perfluously
irreverent take on c lassics su ch a s The Nutcracker (2003), Cinderella (2005), and The
Sleeping Beauty (2007). Page, who received an OBE in 2006, believes firmly in keeping the
Company abreast of the ever-shifting changes that underscore the arts world. And the various
accolades the company has received under his d irectorship su ch a s th e T MA Aw ard for
Outstanding Achievement in Dance in 2004 and the Critic’s Circle National Dance Award for
Outstanding Repertoire (Classical) in 2008 - demonstrate he is totally right.
Biography by Giannandrea Poesio, courtesy of Scottish Ballet.
* * * *

JON MORRELL
DESIGNER
Jon Morrell trained at the Central School of Art and Design i n L ondon. Designs f or b allet
include p revious collaborations w ith Ash ley P age: Night Swimming Into Day, 32
Cryptograms (Scottish B allet), This House Will Burn, Sawdust and Tinsel, and Room of
Cooks (The Royal Ballet). For San Francisco Ballet he designed Christopher Wheeldon’s Rush
and for New York City Ballet/ Houston Ballet his designs include Wheeldon’s Carnival of the
Animals.
For theatre, he created costume designs for the UK tour and London premiere of the musical
Top Hat, directed by Matt White, His Dark Materials, and the National Theatre’s The Winter’s
Tale, directed by Nick H ytner. D esigns f or o pera i nclude: “Rigoletto”(Scottish Opera/New
Zealand Opera), “Iphigenie en Tauride” (Staatsoper Hamburg, Germany), “Werther” (Vilnius
Congress H all, L ithuania), “ La C lemenza d i T ito” (Teatro Regio d i T orino, It aly). Costume
designs f or “P artenope” (English N ational O pera-Olivier Award for B est N ew O pera
Production/Opera Australia- Helpmann Aw ard for Best Opera), “Tannhauser” (Royal Opera
House), “ Aida” (Canadian Opera C ompany), “ Angels i n Am erica” ( Le C hâtelet, P aris),
“Tosca”(Opera Australia/ Opera North), “Jenufa” (English National Opera, Olivier Award for
Best New Opera Production, Houston Grand Opera/Washington Opera), “Norma” (Del Liceu
Barcelona/Grand Théâtre d e G enève), “Wozzeck”(Dallas O pera), “ Kat'a K abanová” (ENO/
Polish N ational O pera/Teatro N acional d e S ao C arlos L isbon/Dallas O pera/Houston G rand
Opera).
* * * *

DAVID FINN
LIGHTING DESIGNER
David Finn’s professional career as a lighting designer began at the age of sixteen, working for
the puppeteer Burr Tillstrom, creator of “Kukla, Fran and Ollie.”
In 1989, he designed Sir Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker for The Birmingham Royal Ballet with
designer John MacFarlane, a p roduction which continues to be produced on three continents
each y ear. I n 2 010, ag ain w ith M acFarlane and t he B RB, h e d esigned a ne w p roduction
of Cinderella for David Bintley. Finn h as d esigned d ance works f or: The A ustralian Ballet,
American Ballet Theatre, Royal Ballet, Lyon Opera Ballet, Monte-Carlo Ballet, Houston Ballet,
National Ballet of Canada, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Twyla Tharp & Dancers, Sasha Waltz
& Gu ests, O DC, and the P aris O pera B allet w ith such ac claimed c horeographers as : P aul
Taylor, Twyla T harp, J ames K udelka, Sasha W altz, J oachim Schloemmer, and T amasaburo
Bando. As resident lighting designer for Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project from
1993 t o 2000, F inn d esigned l ighting f or w orks b y M erce C unningham, H anya H olm, José
Limon, Dana Reitz, Charles Moulton, Karole Armitage, and many others.
Finn’s w ork f or S an F rancisco B allet i ncludes: H elgi T omasson’s Aurora Polaris, Sonata,
Concerto Grosso, 7 for Eight, and Valses Poeticos; J ames K udelka’s Some Women and
Men and Terra Firma; Yuri Posskhov’s Reflections, Firebird, and Diving into the Lilacs; and
Renato Zanella's Underskin.
Finn h as d esigned e xtensively f or opera c ompanies, i ncluding: S an Francisco Opera, R oyal
Opera, Stuttgart Opera, The Salzburg Festival, The Paris Opera, The New York City Opera, The
Scottish Opera, Opera de Lyon, La Monnaie (Brussels), Liceu (Barcelona), Het Musiektheater
(Amsterdam), G eneva Op era, H annover Op er, Wiener Festwochen, S teirischerbst ( Graz),
Opera North (Leeds), Glimmerglass Opera, The Edinburgh Festival, and Flemish Opera.
Finn’s film work includes lighting design for stage scenes in Martin Scorcese’s The Age of
Innocence. H e d irected a d ocumentary f ilm for P OV on P BS, The Green Monster, which
became part of the Museum of Television and Radio’s B est Documentary Series i n 1999. In
October 2008, Finn finished work on a new permanent production for Cirque du Soleil, ZED,
in Tokyo, Japan.
***

MARTIN WEST
MUSIC DIRECTOR & PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR
Martin W est is acknowledged as o ne o f the f oremost co nductors o f b allet, garnering critical
acclaim throughout the world. B orn i n B olton, E ngland, h e stu died m ath a t S t. C atharine’s
College, C ambridge U niversity, b efore stu dying a t th e S t. P etersburg C onservatory o f M usic
and London’s Royal Academy of Music.
In fall 1997, West made his debut with English National Ballet and was immediately appointed
resident conductor. There, he co nducted a lmost half o f t he company’s performances
throughout England and abroad. From 2004-07 he held the position of principal conductor,
before re linquishing th e p ost to a llow h im th e f lexibility to g uest with other companies. In
recent seasons, he has worked with many of the top companies in North America, such as New
York City Ballet, Houston Ballet and the National Ballet of Canada.
West h as w orked w ith th e H allé O rchestra, H olland S ymfonia, the R oyal Li verpool
Philharmonic O rchestra and Odense S ymphony, D enmark. H e m ade h is U.S. s ymphonic
conducting debut with Silicon Valley Symphony, resulting in an immediate re-invitation. From
1998 to July 2005, W est w as th e m usic d irector o f th e C ambridge P hilharmonic and i n
addition, h e h ad a l ong as sociation w ith P imlico O pera, t ouring frequently w ith t hem,
including conducting West Side Story inside a prison with the inmates as part of the cast.
In fall 2005, West joined San Francisco Ballet, having been a f requent guest since his debut
two years earlier. His critically acclaimed recordings with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra
include th e co mplete sc ore o f T chaikovsky’s Nutcracker on t he K och l abel, a C D o f
Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky cello music released on the Telarc label, and an album of suites
from De libes’ Sylvia and Coppélia on R eference R ecords. In a ddition, h e conducted o n t he
award-winning DVD of John Neumeier’s The Little Mermaid, as well as San Francisco Ballet’s
production of Nutcracker for PBS.
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