This program is sponsored by Denver Ballet Guild with generous underwriting by Victoria and Sam Farris.

Additional support provided by the scientific and cultural facilities district, the SCFD.

(Dramatic Music) Colorado Ballet presents Masterworks.

Our annual repertory program featuring a captivating trio of ballet masterpieces.

Coming to you from the magnificent Ellie Caulkins Opera House in downtown Denver.

Please welcome Colorado Ballet Artistic Director, Gil Boggs.

Thank you for joining us.

Colorado Ballet ends a season each spring with Masterworks A program of three distinct ballets.

I choose these ballets because they're technically challenging and unique in style.

Which I believe will showcase our dancers versatility and artistic excellence.

Tonight, you will see Concerto Barocco one of George Balanchine's greatest works, featuring the music of Bach's concerto for two violins.

Also the Rite of Spring, Glenn Tetley's masterpiece, set to Stravinsky's revolutionary score, But first, a world premiere.

That I was fortunate to commission.

About the healing power of art and creativity.

S. Rachmaninoff by choreographer Yoshihisa Arai traces the composer's journey from failure to triumph.

Set to Rachmaninoff's acclaimed piano concerto number two.

Tonight's performance features our 40 company dancers along with 20 dancers from our studio company and an extraordinary evening of music performed by our Colorado Ballet Orchestra.

Let's head into the theater and I will see you at intermission.

(Music Playing) (Applause) (Music Playing) (Applause) (Music Playing) (Applause) As part of our Masterworks program, I am able to commission new works from time to time with choreographers that I find interesting and I believe will stretch both our dancers and musicians throughout the creative process of making a new work.

Choreographer Yoshihisa Arai tells us more about the creation of his wonderful piece.

What drew me, it was just simply music.

Music itself was just always, already and always my inspiration before I knew him.

I believe that not many people truly know what the story behind this score, and also it would be a great kind of homage to him in a way that people understand how this music was made.

Rachmaninoff premiered his first symphony.

It was rather a disaster.

The critics and the public really destroyed his reputation as a composer.

So he went this huge, huge depression in his life.

Well, it does start from a place of darkness, right?

And the key of C minor is a key that historically has been used for a kind of tragic or else fateful kind of thing.

You are just sinking in a deep sea that you can't breathe at all.

You want to try to get out of it, but you just can't.

And second movement, it is about treatment with a doctor.

He finally got his confidence back to compose again.

That's why this concert was made.

There's a melancholy to it, but it's also just beautiful and it evokes nostalgia, but it also evokes, I think, deep feelings of love.

So there's a lot going on in there.

And it builds to this amazing climax, which is just a kind of moment of revelation almost.

Yes, I would say that achieve satisfaction.

You need to endure some little pain.

So I think it's about the journey of it.

I think exhilaration and triumph.

That's where we finish.

Up next, Concerto Barocco George Balanchine's Neoclassical masterpiece which transforms Bach's concerto for two violins into pure movement.

Mr.

Balanchine famously said about the piece, see the music, hear the dance.

Enjoy.

(Music Playing) (Music Playing) (Applause) (Music Playing) (Applause) (Music Playing) (Music Playing) (Applause) (Music Playing) (Applause) Though abstract, I hope you found this Balanchine piece deeply moving.

The choreography is a reflection of the music's structure which requires precision, clarity, and beautiful technique from our dancers.

Now, I'd like to show you some of the other programs.

Colorado Ballet offers our community.

Colorado Ballet believes dance is for everyone.

Our education and community engagement programs have made dance accessible to students and community members of all ages and abilities.

Each year we make more than 40,000 connections partnering with over 200 schools and organizations across Colorado.

8,000 students experience the thrill of live performance at our student matinees while another 25,000 engage with our art through our digital broadcast program bringing ballet directly into classrooms across the state.

Our Be Beautiful, Be Yourself program is a joyful inclusive dance experience for students ages 5 to 18 with Down syndrome, intellectual or developmental disabilities.

In this program movement becomes a pathway to confidence, expression and belonging.

The Ray Dean Acevedo Colorado Ballet Academy is the official school of Colorado Ballet and a vital training ground for the future of the art form.

Serving more than 1,200 students each year, the Academy provides instruction grounded in classical technique and enriched by direct connection at Colorado Ballet's professional company.

Beyond the studio, Colorado Ballet presents a full season of public at the Ellie Calkins Opera House in downtown Denver.

The 2026-2027 season opens with Don Quixote, one of the most entertaining ballets in the classical canon.

The Nutcracker, a beloved Denver tradition for more than 65 years, returns during the holiday season.

2027 begins with the Colorado premiere of John Kranko's grandly theatrical Romeo and Juliet.

In the spring, the company presents Wizard of Oz, a thrilling adventure for the whole family.

The season concludes with Masterworks, featuring a captivating trio of masterpieces that showcase the dancers artistic excellence and athleticism.

From the stage to the classroom and beyond, Colorado Ballet shares the transformative power of dance, bringing the joy of movement to all.

This program is sponsored by Denver Ballet Guild with generous underwriting by Victoria and Sam Farris.

Additional support provided by the scientific and cultural facilities district, the SCFD.

Our next piece, the Right of Spring, is Glen Tetley's masterpiece combining classical and contemporary music.

I chose this piece as part of a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Tetley's birth.

Set to Stravinsky's revolutionary score, this work is a breathtaking exploration of sacrifice and raw physicality.

(Music Playing) (Applause) (Music Playing) (Applause) Wow, what a powerful and memorable performance.

I hope you enjoyed our Masterworks program.

Colorado Ballet, next season begins with five productions starting in October and running through April.

Here at our home, the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in Downtown Denver.

I want to thank our amazing dancers, musicians, stage hands, and our wonderful Colorado Ballet staff I hope you enjoyed it.

(Applause)