Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Announces 2022 Classical Amphitheater Season Featuring
New York City Ballet and The Philadelphia Orchestra
SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) announces the return of its resident companies — New York City Ballet and The Philadelphia Orchestra — to their summer home in Saratoga for a diverse season featuring SPAC premieres and debuts by women and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) composers, choreographers, performers and conductors, alongside iconic masterworks of the classical repertoire.
NEW YORK CITY BALLET (NYCB) returns with the full company from July 12 – 16, with its roster of more than 90 dancers under the direction of Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan, accompanied by the New York City Ballet Orchestra, led by Music Director Andrew Litton. The Company will present four programs including the full-length story ballet A Midsummer Night’s Dream; an evening dedicated to 20th Century Masters highlighted by Merce Cunningham’s Summerspace, returning for the first time since 1967; and a program showcasing works by contemporary choreographers including new pieces by Jamar Roberts and Pam Tanowitz, and the return of Justin Peck’s In Creases, gracing the SPAC stage for the first time since its World Premiere at SPAC in 2012. Back by popular demand is also a special “NYCB On and Off Stage” presentation designed to introduce the season with an intimate, up-close look at selected excerpts from the Company’s repertory of ballets that will be featured during the residency.
“After two long years without the full New York City Ballet in residence at SPAC, it is tremendously exciting to be announcing the return of the full Company in July 2022. It will be a perfect celebration of their return with timeless works of Balanchine and Robbins, SPAC debuts by Jamar Roberts and Pam Tanowitz, the return of Merce Cunningham’s Summerspace, beloved story ballet A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and NYCB On and Off Stage. The latter, born from the need to conform to COVID guidelines in 2021, was a format that was immensely popular with audiences. It will be a perfect kick off to the residency – as both an intimate behind the scenes look at NYCB as well as a poignant reminder as to how far we will have come since March of 2020,” said Elizabeth Sobol, president and CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA’s three-week residency (July 27 – August 13) will feature Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin (AUG 10–13) leading four programs including a finale featuring Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Highlighting the residency is the return of world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma (AUG 5) and violinist Joshua Bell alongside star soprano Larisa Martinez (JUL 29). Making their 2022 SPAC debuts is a diverse roster of artists including fourteen-time GRAMMY nominee Ledisi singing the music of Nina Simone (AUG 3),pianist and NPRhost Lara Downes (AUG 4), soprano Angel Blue (AUG 12-13), 26-year-old superstar violinist Randall Goosby (AUG 11), and Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet company, BalletX (JUL 27), performing a new workchoreographed by NYCB’s Tiler Peck.
Also featured will be more than a dozen SPAC premieres including the East Coast Premiere of Contact by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts composed for the genre-crossing ensemble Time for Three (JUL 28). SPAC’spopularfilm nights will also return to delight audiences of all ages as the Orchestra accompanies, live to picture, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban™ in Concert (JUL 30) and The Princess Bride in Concert (AUG 6).
“SPAC’s ambitious and artistically inspiring programming continues our effort to bring significant contemporary works and iconic classics that have never been performed at SPAC to our stage, while also presenting a record number of works by BIPOC and female composers throughout the season,” said Sobol.
Tickets will be available beginning on March 7 for members (tiered by level) and on March 16 for the general public. New for this season, evening performances will be held at 7:30 p.m.
SPAC will continue to monitor health and safety guidelines mandated by New York State and the CDC and will adjust ticketing and safety policies accordingly. Full guidelines will be published in advance of the ticket on sale and may be found at spac.org.
SCHEDULE:
NEW YORK CITY BALLET: JULY 12 – 16
NYCB On and Off Stage
TUESDAY, JULY 12 @ 7:30PM
20th Century Masters
WEDNESDAY, JULY 13 @ 7:30PM
SATURDAY, JULY 16 @ 7:30PM
Chaconne (von Gluck/Balanchine)
Summerspace (Feldman/Cunningham)
Glass Pieces (Glass/Robbins)
Evolution
THURSDAY, JULY 14 @ 2PM
THURSDAY, JULY 14 @ 7:30PM
New Roberts (Shorter/Roberts)
Gustave le Gray No. 1 (Shaw/Tanowitz)
In Creases (Glass/Peck)
The Four Temperaments (Hindemith/Balanchine)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
FRIDAY, JULY 15 @ 7:30PM
SATURDAY, JULY 16 @ 2PM
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Mendelssohn/Balanchine)
*********************
THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA: JULY 27 – AUGUST 13
WEDNESDAY, JULY 27 @ 7:30PM: Festive Fireworks
Erina Yashima, conductor
BalletX
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4
Coleman Umoja, Anthem for Unity *
Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture
THURSDAY, JULY 28 @ 7:30PM: New Worlds
Erina Yashima, conductor
Time for Three
Mazzoli Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres) *
Puts Contact, for string trio and orchestra*
Dvořák Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”)
FRIDAY, JULY 29 @ 7:30PM: Voice and the Violin
Michael Stern, conductor
Joshua Bell, violin
Larisa Martinez, soprano
Violinist Joshua Bell and soprano Larisa Martinez come together with The Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Michael Stern to present “Voice and the Violin,” an evening of beloved romantic arias and modern classics from Mendelssohn’s Infelice to Bernstein’s West Side Story.
SATURDAY, JULY 30 @ 7:30PM: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban™ In Concert
Justin Freer, conductor
Albany Pro Musica, chorus
Williams Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban™ (complete with film)*
WIZARDING WORLD and all related trademarks, characters, names, and indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR. (s22)
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3 @ 7:30PM: Ledisi Sings Nina
Ledisi, vocals
2021 GRAMMY winner and fourteen-time GRAMMY-nominated powerhouse vocalist Ledisiwill capture the spirit of singer, pianist and activist Nina Simone in this special program. Performing alongside The Philadelphia Orchestra, Ledisi will take on the legendary musician’s emotionally searing and socially conscious songs.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 4 @ 7:30PM: Lara Downes Plays Price
William Eddins, conductor
Lara Downes, piano
Strayhorn/Walden The Strayhorn Concerto*
Price Piano Concerto in One Movement*
Brahms Symphony No. 2
FRIDAY, AUGUST 5 @ 7:30PM: Yo-Yo Ma Returns
William Eddins, conductor
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Villa-Lobos “Ária (Cantilena),” from Bachianas brasileiras No. 5*
Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No. 1
Rimsky-Korsakov Sheherazade
SATURDAY, AUGUST 6 @ 7:30PM: The Princess Bride in Concert
Constantine Kitsopoulos, conductor
Knopfler The Princess Bride (complete with film)*
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10 @ 7:30PM: Beethoven’s Fifth
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Rachmaninoff The Isle of the Dead
Habibi Jeder Baum spricht*
Beethoven Symphony No. 5
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11 @ 7:30PM: Beethoven’s Eroica
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Randall Goosby, violin
Bruch Violin Concerto No.1
Hunt Climb*
Beethoven Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”)
FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 @ 7:30PM: Angel Blue Sings Coleman & Barber
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Angel Blue, soprano
Rossini Overture to The Thieving Magpie
Barber Knoxville: Summer of 1915
Coleman New Work for Voice and Orchestra*
Dvořák Symphony No. 7
SATURDAY, AUGUST 13 @ 7:30PM: Beethoven’s Ninth
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Angel Blue, soprano
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo soprano
Russell Thomas, tenor
Ryan McKinny, bass-baritone
Albany Pro Musica, chorus
Frank Pachamama Meets an Ode*
Beethoven Symphony No. 9(“Choral”)
*indicates SPAC premiere
The 12866 
Will lawn seats have to be purchased in advance, or do we have to see what the conditions are
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Hi there, thanks for reading…. my understanding is that lawn seats can be purchased anytime up to the day of show, if space is available… At this time, there doesn’t appear to be any concrete plans to do the ‘pod’ seating on the lawn like last year – but, of course, that can change, so it would be best to monitor the situation. I would imagine that lawn seats will be generally available at any time for the classical programs. If someone from SPAC official want to comment further, I’ll approve their comment verbatim
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