Concert Performance Featured Principal Dancers from American Ballet Theatre and Los Angeles-Based Dance Company BODYTRAFFIC

 

The 2012 LA Phil Opening Night Gala and Concert: The Philharmonic Dances was Made Possible with the Proud Support of Rolex, the Official Timepiece of the Los Angeles Philharmonic

 

 Proceeds support the LA Phil and its education programs, including YOLA (Youth Orchestra LA).

The orchestra and Gustavo Dudamel generously donated their services for this concert.

 

The Los Angeles Philharmonic with Music Director Gustavo Dudamel opened the 2012/13 season in a star-studded evening at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Thursday, September 27. The Opening Night Gala and Concert: The Philharmonic Dances honored the rich tradition of dance rhythms in orchestral music and featured performances by some of the most elite dancers in the country, world premiere choreography and music by Adams, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Saint-Saëns and Bernstein.

 

The Philharmonic Dances began with the arrival of celebrities Julie Andrews, Jacqueline Emerson, Mary Hart, Don Johnson, Matthew Lillard, Chris O’Donnell, Matthew Rhys, Constance Towers, and film composer John Williams, who walked the red carpet up Walt Disney Concert Hall’s grand stairway. Local officials in attendance included Los Angeles County Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky, Don Knabe and Mark Ridley-Thomas; and Los Angeles County CEO William T. Fujioka. They were joined by LA Phil Chairman David C. Bohnett and Gala Co-Chairs Joan Hotchkis and Carolyn Powers along with more than 600 Gala patrons for the black-tie event.

 

At the pre-concert reception in BP Hall, guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres among the red linen-draped stand-up tables topped with centerpieces of mirrored boxes filled with red roses, and red linen-draped double bars placed around the room.

 

The concert, presented in collaboration with Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center, opened with LA Phil Creative Chair John Adams’ Chairman Dances. The piece was accompanied by LA Phil-commissioned world premiere choreography by Barak Marshall performed by Los Angeles’ BODYTRAFFIC dance company: Lillian Rose Barbeito (co-artistic director), Tina Finkelman Berkett (co-artistic director) and performers Tina Finkelman Berkett, Melissa Bourkas, Hai Cohen, Andrew Cowan, Ja Young Kim, Merett Miller, Miguel Perez, Guzman Rosado, Arika Yamada and Andrew Wojtal, in costumes designed by Raquel Barreto.

Following was Stravinsky’s Variation d’Apollon from Apollo, which featured American Ballet Theatre (ABT) Principal Dancer Roberto Bolle, choreographed by George Balanchine. The performance continued with Saint-Saëns’ The Dying Swan with ABT Principal Dancer Veronika Part, choreographed by Michel Fokine.

 

Next on the program were selections from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake including the famous pas de deux from Act III (Odile and Prince Siegfried) performed by Part and Bolle, choreographed by Kevin McKenzie (after Marius Petipa).

 

The concert continued with Bernstein’s Three Dance Episodes from On The Town featuring LA Phil-commissioned world premiere choreography by Josh Rhodes and associate choreographer Lee Wilkins, danced by Sam Cahn, Marty Lawson, Andy Mills, and Christopher Vo in costumes designed by Brian Hemesath.

 

The Philharmonic Dances concert concluded with the encore, the Finale from Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, which was met with an enthusiastic standing ovation from the audience.

 

Following the concert, the festive atmosphere continued on Grand Avenue where guests were welcomed to the dinner. The tent, decorated in a modern, edgy theme in bright red, and silver with black accents, featured a clear, peaked ceiling suggestive of Walt Disney Concert Hall with walls of platinum fabric wainscoting and graphic modern color panels. The lucite tables were topped with red shantung table runners and glowing LED spheres. Red carnations decorated the square tables and roses decorated the round tables. Several monitors placed throughout the tent displayed changing videos and stills throughout the evening.

 

The Cupcake Vodka Bar boasted a variety of beverages including the Lemon Cooler – a blend of Cupcake Chiffon Vodka, lemonade, cranberry and fresh lime – and the Cupcake Vodka Martini – six times distilled Cupcake Vodka paired with vermouth.

 

Following welcoming remarks by LA Phil President Deborah Borda and Chairman David C. Bohnett, guests were treated to a menu created by Patina Chef Joachim Splichal. The meal began with di steffano ricotta, late summer Amish paste tomatoes, Haas avocados, soy onions, cucumber vinaigrette and grilled scallions. The entree was filet of beef and braised veal cheek with Weisser Farms potato, a farmers market vegetable tart, and hen of the woods mushrooms with a creamy green peppercorn sauce. For dessert, guests enjoyed a roasted pumpkin pie tart served with prailine caramel sauce, hazel nut ice cream, cranberry sauce and caramel tuile. The Chardonnay and Petite Sirah wine pairings were provided by Concannon Vineyard from California’s Livermore Valley.

 

During dinner, guests were treated to the sounds of the Cowling Band, courtesy of West Coast Music. Led by guitarist Rick Cowling, the band entertained the crowd with a wide variety of music – Big Band, all eras of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Motown, Soul, disco and the ‘80s – providing something for everyone. And in a surprise move, the corps of Broadway dancers pulled Gala Co-Chairs Joan Hotchkis and Carolyn Powers as well as Gala Committee members Carol Colburn Grigor and Alyce Williamson to the dance floor for an impromptu dance while the band played an arrangement of Keely Smith’s “It’s Been a Long Long Time.”

 

The Philharmonic Dances Gala Committee included Gala Co-Chairs Joan Hotchkis and Carolyn Powers; Honorary Chair Eloísa Maturén Dudamel; and Committee members Wallis Annenberg, David C. Bohnett, Lynn A. Booth, Edye Broad, Jane B. Eisner, Carol Colburn Grigor, Joyce A. Kresa, Ginny Mancini, Soraya Sarah Nazarian, Diane B. Paul, Ann Ronus, Nancy S. Sanders, Carla Sands, Rivka Seiden, Cio Soler, Sutton Stracke, Alyce Williamson and Marilyn Ziering. The Grand Avenue Gala party was created by Gai Klass Event Productions.

 

All Gala proceeds support the Los Angeles Philharmonic and its education programs, including YOLA, the signature program of Gustavo Dudamel. The Gala concert was made possible with the proud support of Rolex, the Official Timepiece of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

 

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under the vibrant leadership of Music Director Gustavo Dudamel, presents an inspiring array of music from all genres – orchestral, chamber and Baroque music, organ and celebrity recitals, new music, jazz, world music and pop – at two of L.A.’s iconic venues, Walt Disney Concert Hall (www.laphil.com) and the Hollywood Bowl (www.hollywoodbowl.com). The LA Phil’s season at Walt Disney Concert Hall extends from October through May, and throughout the summer at the Hollywood Bowl. With the preeminent Los Angeles Philharmonic at the foundation of its offerings, the LA Phil aims to enrich and transform lives through music, with a robust mix of artistic, education and community programs.

 

Rolex, headquartered in Geneva, is recognized worldwide as a leader in the watchmaking industry for both its enduring style and the peerless performance of its exquisite timepieces. The brand’s pioneering spirit and perpetual quest for perfection and innovation have distinguished Rolex since its inception in 1905, starting with the first truly waterproof watch, the Oyster, in 1926 and the first self-winding watch in 1931. Rolex has long been associated with the quest for greatness and was on the wrist of Mercedes Gleitze in 1927 as she swam the English Channel and then in 1953, was part of the first successful ascent of Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary. Keeping with its tradition of encouraging individual excellence and the pursuit of perfection, Rolex has forged lasting relationships with many of the world’s cultural icons, legendary institutions and most prestigious events and is present at more than 150 events in the areas of culture and the arts, sports including golf, yachting, tennis, equestrian events, and select motorsports, as well as philanthropic awards programs. Continuing its commitment to extraordinary artistry, Rolex is proud to be the Official Timepiece of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and sponsor of the 2012 Los Angeles Philharmonic Gala at the world-renowned Walt Disney Concert Hall on September 27, 2012.

 

 

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012, AT 7 PM

Walt Disney Concert Hall,

111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

 

Opening Night Concert and Gala: Philharmonic Dances

 

LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

GUSTAVO DUDAMEL, conductor

VERONIKA PART, American Ballet Theatre

ROBERTO BOLLE, American Ballet Theatre

BODYTRAFFIC

LILLIAN ROSE BARBEITO AND TINA FINKELMAN BERKETT, co-artistic directors

TINA FINKELMAN BERKETT, MELISSA BOURKAS, HAI COHEN, ANDREW COWAN, JA YOUNG KIM, MERETT MILLER, MIGUEL PEREZ, GUZMAN ROSADO, ARIKA YAMADA, ANDREW WOJTAL, performers

SAM CAHN, MARTY LAWSON, ANDY MILLS, CHRISTOPHER VO, dancers

BARAK MARSHALL, choreographer

JOSH RHODES, choreographer

TREVOR BURK, lighting designer

 

ADAMS                        The Chairman Dances (By arrangement with G. Schirmer, Inc., publisher and copyright owner)

STRAVINSKY                Variation d’Apollon from Apollo (By arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., publisher and copyright owner) (The performance of the

                                   excerpt from Apollo, a Balanchine® Ballet, is presented by arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust and has been produced in accordance

                                   with the Balanchine Style® and Balanchine Technique® service standards established and provided by the Trust.)

SAINT-SAËNS               The Dying Swan

TCHAIKOVSKY              Selections from Swan Lake

                Scene (Moderato)

                Dance of the Cygnets

                Waltz

                Pas de deux from Act III (Odile and Prince Siegfried)

BERNSTEIN                    Three Dance Episodes from On the Town (By arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes,Inc. Sole Agent for Leonard Bernstein Music Publishing Company

                                     LLC, publisher and copyright owner)

                                                  The Great Lover

                          Lonely Town

                          Times Square: 1944

 

 

The 2012 Opening Night Gala and Concert: The Philharmonic Dances was made possible with the proud support of Rolex, the Official Timepiece of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

 

Proceeds support the LA Phil and its education programs, including YOLA (Youth Orchestra LA). The Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel are generously donating their services for this concert.

 

 

 

 

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09.27.12