Press Center
For Immediate Release
July 12, 2008
Media Contact:
Sarah Dixon
(970) 949-1999
SPECIAL GUESTS TO PAINT UNIQUE MUSICAL PORTRAIT
FOR ALL STAR DANCE EXTRAVAGANZA
AS FESTIVAL’S OPENING NIGHT SHOWCASES RHYTHM IN MOTION
VAIL, Colorado—In many respects, a dance performance is the creation of a mental portrait for the audience, the musicians providing the artist’s palette of paints while the dancers supply the brushstrokes to the unadorned canvass of the stage.
The colors will be brilliant and the brushstrokes dynamic Sunday evening, July 27, as a world class collection of special musical guests paint a unique live musical portrait, utilizing an all star cast of dancers, for the Vail International Dance Festival’s Opening Night extravaganza at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater.
“Music is indeed the rhythm of the motion of dance,” explained Vail International Dance Festival Artistic Director Damian Woetzel. “Opening Night of the festival will truly combine legendary musicians with amazing dancers to create an incredible evening of artistry.”
Heading that list of internationally acclaimed musical talent is iconic composer/pianist Philip Glass, who will perform during the Opening Night performance. He will be joined by cellist Wendy Sutter, as well as Eugenia Zukerman and the Rossetti String Quartet, courtesy of the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival.
These musicians will provide the live accompaniment for an amazing cast of dancers that includes stars from the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company and Pacific Northwest Ballet, along with renowned former Martha Graham Principal Fang-Yi Sheu. Over the course of the past 25 years, Glass has composed more than twenty operas, eight symphonies, soundtracks to films ranging from new scores for the stylized classics of Jean Cocteau to Errol Morris’s documentary about former defense secretary Robert McNamara and a growing body of work for solo piano and organ. He has collaborated with Paul Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Yo-Yo Ma, and Doris Lessing, among many others.
Glass is slated to perform the musical accompaniment for Pacific Northwest Ballet’s performances of On the Other Side and The Orchard, while also performing his “Wichita Vortex Sutra” as a stand alone piece.
“Philip is an incredible talent,” Woetzel continued, “and it is an honor for me to welcome him to the festival. I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that our audience is going to be treated to something very special for Opening Night.”
Glass will be joined on the evening’s program by muse and companion Wendy Sutter. An acclaimed international touring musician in her own right and a champion of new music, Sutter has collaborated with leading composers, including premiering Tan Dun’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Concerto” and the American premiere of Glass’s “Cello Concerto”.
Accompanied by her stunning 1620 Amati cello, Sutter gave the world premiere of her partner’s first work for solo cello, “Songs and Poems for Cello”, which was composed especially for Sutter. Since 2007, she has performed as soloist in the Glass song-cycle “Book of Longing”, based on the poetry and artwork of Leonard Cohen.
Sutter will accompany Fang-Yi Sheu’s world premiere performance, playing “Song #5” from “Song and Poems for Solo Cello”. She will also join Glass in providing the music for Carla Korbes (Pacific Northwest Ballet) and Tyler Angle’s (New York City Ballet) interpretation of The Orchard.
“Having both Wendy and Philip on the same stage with this incredible pair of dancers may well be something you will never see again,” explained Woetzel.
Rounding out the live musicians for Opening Night will be Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival Artistic Director and flutist Eugenia Zukerman and the Rossetti String Quartet, also courtesy of the Bravo! Festival. Zukerman is a perennial favorite as a recitalist and soloist across North America and throughout Europe and Asia. She also is a powerful spokesperson for all the arts and an effective champion of young musicians.
Praised as a "vital force among chamber music ensembles," the Rossetti String Quartet is renowned for its highly sophisticated, sensual sound and extensive range of colors. The Quartet's compelling stage presence and fresh, innovative style has won its members a devoted following throughout the United States. Ms. Zukerman and the Rossetti String Quartet will provide accompaniment for Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Pas de Deux from Balanchine’s Chaconne.
"We are extremely grateful to Eugenia and the entire Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival,” concluded Woetzel, “for the wonderful collaboration that we have enjoyed the past two seasons. It will be a real treat to see her perform as part of our festival.”
Tickets for the Vail International Dance Festival’s Opening Night are priced at $17 for General Admission lawn seating and $65 and $85 for Reserved pavilion seating and may be purchased online at www.vaildance.org or by calling (970) 845-TIXS (8497) or 1-888-920-ARTS (2787).
In addition to Opening Night, individual tickets for the 2008 Vail International Dance Festival are priced from $17 to $85, with an array of ticket packages also available. The 2008 Vail International Dance Festival runs from July 27 through August 9, with performances at both the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail and the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek.
The 2008 Vail International Dance Festival is a project of the Vail Valley Foundation. For additional information on the Dance Festival, visit www.vaildance.org. For more information on the Foundation, visit www.vvf.org or call (970) 949-1999.
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