Angel Corella is regarded as one of the finest dancers of his generation. His talent, passion, and technique have brought him worldwide acclaim and established him as one of the most recognizable names in dance. Angel was appointed artistic director of Philadelphia Ballet beginning with our 2014/2015 season.
Angel joined American Ballet Theatre in 1995 and quickly rose to the rank of principal dancer. Throughout his 17-year career with them, he excelled in a wide range of repertory, performing such iconic roles as Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, and the Nutcracker Prince in The Nutcracker. He has also appeared as a guest artist with the Royal Ballet in London, the Kirov Ballet in Russia, and New York City Ballet. As well, Angel has received numerous awards, including 1st prize in the National Ballet Competition in Spain (1991), the Prix Benois de la Danse (2000), and the National Award of Spain (2003). He has danced for Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Sophia of Spain, and for Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.
Angel’s onstage passion and talents have translated to his behind-the-scenes career as well. From 2008 to 2014, he served as director for his own company, the Barcelona Ballet (formerly the Corella Ballet), in his native Spain, where he is regarded as a national treasure. His was the first classical ballet company established in the country in 20 years. And while Angel retired from American Ballet Theater in June 2012, he continued to dance with his own company.
A passionate teacher and mentor to young professional dancers, Angel has taught at various summer programs as well as leading dance schools, including the Royal Ballet School in London. He now applies that same passion, verve, and balletic insight to the dancers of Philadelphia Ballet.
Kirill Radev was born in 1981 in Russia. In 1991 began his dance training at the Russian Ballet Academy of A.Vaganova. He joined the Imperial Russian Ballet in 1999 as a soloist, rising to the rank of principal dancer in 2003. In 2008, Radev joined (Corella Ballet) Barcelona Ballet as a Soloist, with Angel Corella as a director.
He finished the career at Moscow State Academy of Choreography getting the certificate as a choreographer, in 2010. Radev’s awards include: The Grand Prix at the 7-th International Ballet Competition of Luxemburg in 2003, as a dancer. A Diploma of the 8-th Competition of Ballet Dancers of Russia open, for participation of foreign dancers, Perm in 2004, as a dancer. As a choreographer, the Bronze Medal at the VII Serge Lifar international Ballet Competition, Donetsk, Ukraine in 2011.
Radev began his career as a choreographer in 2008. He has since created ranging from pas de deux to a full one act ballet. In the list of his works are; Suspiri, music by E. Elgar (performed in Russia) 2008; Two, music by A.Vivaldi (performed in Russia) 2009; Prelude, music by F. Chopin (performed in Russia, Bolshoy Theater) 2009; Ave Maria, music by F. Shubert (performed in Italy by Angel Corella) 2009; Simfonietta, music by B. Chaykovskiy (performed in Russia) 2010; Autumn prayer, music by Y. Abdokov (performed in Russia, Spain) 2010; Reflections, music by E. Grieg (performed in Ukraine) 2011; Tocatta for two, music by S. Prokofiev (performed in Ukraine) 2011; Rain is falling, music by E.L.O. (performed in Spain, Barcelona Ballet) 2011; Strange magic, music by E.L.O. (performed in Spain, Barcelona Ballet) 2011; Звук и отзвук, music by E. Ysaye (performed in Russia, Bolshoy theater) 2013; Sombras ajenas, music by Y. Abdokov (performed in Russia, Bolshoy theater and Barcelona Ballet, Spain) 2013; Inhalation, music by S. Rachmaninov (performed in Russia) 2014.
In 2012, Kirill Radev created his second commissioned work for the Barcelona Ballet: Facing the light, music by A.Vivaldi. This ballet was a remarkable success, and Barcelona Ballet included it in its repertoire. In 2014 he made his third commissioned work for a Ballet Moscow. This ballet was Three poems, music by Y. Abdokov.
In 2015, Radev was invited to College of Yakutsk, to create choreography for the final test of the senior students. He created Dialogues.
In April of 2016, created a piece for Instituto del Teare of Barcelona named Corelló with music by J. Savall. It was performed by students of the later grades. The premiere of Major or Minor? was on May 29th, at The Bolshoi Theatre, Russia. Radev was invited to take part of the “Young Choreographers Workshop of The Bolshoi Theatre”. After that, in October, he collaborated with the dance company LaMov on their new production of 7 Pecados Capitales.
In 2017, Kiril Radev made work in Russia. First, in St. Petersburg, he created a modern opera called Oedipus Rex. The premiere took place at the Aleksandrinskiy Theatre in February. The second work in his motherland was a ballet inspired by F. Kafka’s Metamorphosis. The result was a one act ballet for the Theatre New Ballet in Moscow.
Source. With edits made.
Russell Ducker began his training in 2000 at the Royal Ballet Lower School, White Lodge and graduated from the Royal Ballet Upper School, Covent Garden in 2007. In 2006, he won the Pamela Self Award for dance, as well as a bursary from the NFL foundation. While in school, Russell performed with the Royal Ballet in their productions of Swan Lake, Onegin, The Nutcracker (Fritz), as well as the Anthony Dowell Celebration Gala. Russell joined Philadelphia Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet for our 2014/2015 season and has since danced in a range of classical and contemporary works, including Christopher Wheeldon’s Swan Lake and DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse, Larry Keigwin’s Canvas, David Dawson’s The Third Light, and Nacho Duato’s Without Words and Remansos.
Prior to Philadelphia Ballet, Russell performed with Angel Corella and Friends. He later joined Angel Corella’s Barcelona Ballet, where he danced various soloist and principal roles and accompanied them in touring engagements to Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Santa Barbara, Seattle, Buenos Aires, Portugal, and France. Russell also choreographed several ballets for the company, many of which enjoyed international premieres. As a choreographer, Russell has received awards in the Dame Ninette De Valois, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, and Ursula Moreton choreographic competitions and was chosen in 2006 to collaborate with musicians from the Royal College of Music in creating a new choreography. Russell’s choreography with Barcelona Ballet includes Built to Fall Apart, Argon, Bourbon Street, The Fall, Suspended in Time, Epimetheus, and In the Wake of Bliss. Russell has been featured in numerous television commercials, including one with premiere league footballer Neymar da Silva, and he has performed alongside Hugh Jackman and Maureen Lipman in Cameron Mackintosh’s West End production of Oklahoma.
In July 2003, the acclaimed Australian choreographer Stanton Welch assumed the leadership of Houston Ballet, America’s fifth largest ballet company, as artistic director. Since his arrival, Mr. Welch has transformed Houston Ballet by raising the level of classical technique, infusing the company with new energy, drive and vision; introducing works by distinguished choreographers to the repertoire; and attracting some of the world’s best coaches to Houston to work with the dancers.
He has created works for such prestigious international companies as Houston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, The Australian Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and Royal Danish Ballet.
Mr. Welch was born in Melbourne to Marilyn Jones, O.B.E., and Garth Welch, A.M., two of Australia’s most gifted dancers of the 1960s and 1970s. In 1986 he began his training at the late age of seventeen, quickly winning a scholarship to San Francisco Ballet School. In 1989 he was engaged as a dancer with The Australian Ballet, where he rose to the rank of leading soloist, performing such principal roles as Des Grieux in Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon, Lensky in John Cranko’s Onegin, Camille in Ronald Hynd’s The Merry Widow, and Alan Strang in Equus. He has also worked with internationally acclaimed choreographers such as Jiří Kylían, Nacho Duato, and Maurice Béjart.
For his contributions to the world of dance, Mr. Welch was awarded the Order of Australia (AM) in June 2015. The prestigious Order of Australia Award, established in 1975, is bestowed on Australian citizens for meritorious service in a particular area or field of activity. Mr. Welch was recognized for his significant service to the performing arts as a ballet dancer, mentor, choreographer and artistic director. Mr. Welch’s choreographic career developed during his time with The Australian Ballet.
In 1990 he received his first choreographic commission from the company, marking the beginning of a series of commissioned works over the next fourteen years and developing his diverse choreographic style. For The Australian Ballet he has created The Three of Us (1990); Of Blessed Memory (1991), for which he was voted best new choreographer in 1992 by readers of the British magazine Dance & Dancers; Divergence (1994), which has been performed at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and City Center in New York; full-length productions of Madame Butterfly (1995) and Cinderella (1997); Red Earth (1996); X (1999); and Velocity (2003).
In 2005, Mr. Welch created a lavish new staging of The Sleeping Beauty for The Australian Ballet. Madame Butterfly has become a signature work for Mr. Welch internationally, and is in the repertoires of Houston Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Atlanta Ballet, Singapore Dance Theatre, and Boston Ballet. In 1995, Mr. Welch was named resident choreographer of The Australian Ballet. That same year, he was commissioned to create Corroboree (Wildlife) for The Australian Ballet to perform at “United We Dance,” a dance festival in San Francisco celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter and featuring major companies from across the world premiering new works.
Mr. Welch has been extremely active internationally, receiving numerous commissions from the world’s leading companies.
Matthew Neenan began his dance training at the Boston Ballet School, along with instruction from noted teachers Nan C. Keating and Jacqueline Cronsberg. He later attended LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts and the School of American Ballet in New York. From 1994 to 2007, Matthew danced with Philadelphia Ballet, where he performed numerous principal roles in the classical-contemporary and Balanchine repertoire. In 2007, he was named Philadelphia Ballet’s choreographer in residence.
Matthew’s choreography has been featured and performed by companies across the country, including Philadelphia Ballet (totaling 18 commissions), BalletX, the Washington Ballet, Ballet West, BalletMet, Colorado Ballet, Ballet Memphis, Milwaukee Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Tulsa Ballet, OKC Ballet, Juilliard Dance, New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute, and Opera Philadelphia, among others.
Matthew has received numerous awards and grants for his choreography, including the National Endowment for the Arts, Dance Advance (funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts), the Choo San Goh Foundation, the Independence Foundation, and, in 2006, he received New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute Fellowship Initiative Award. His ballets Carmina Burana, As It’s Going, and 11:11 were performed by Philadelphia Ballet at New York City Center in 2006 and 2007, and, in 2008, he received a fellowship from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts—his fourth time doing so. In 2009, Matthew was the grand-prize winner of Sacramento Ballet’s Capital Choreography Competition as well as the first recipient of the Jerome Robbins NEW Program Fellowship for his work At the border for Philadelphia Ballet.
Matthew also co-founded BalletX with fellow dancer and former Philadelphia Ballet member Christine Cox. BalletX had its world premiere at the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival in September 2005 and is now the resident dance company of the Wilma Theatre and considered to be one of the nation’s preeminent contemporary ballet companies. BalletX has toured and performed Matthew’s choreography in New York City at the Joyce Theater, NY City Center, the Skirball Center, Symphony Space, and Central Park SummerStage, as well as at the Vail International Dance Festival, Jacob’s Pillow, the Cerritos Center, Laguna Dance Festival, Spring to Dance Festival in St. Louis, and internationally in Cali, Colombia and Seoul, Korea. From 2010 to 2016, Matthew was a trustee member for DanceUSA.
Electric Light Orchestra, or more popularly known as ELO, were formed in Birmingham England in 1970 when Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood, members of The Move, had the vision to start a new project that would create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones.
Joined by fellow Move member Bev Bevan, their mission was clear – to pick up where the Beatles left off and carry the torch. And they did just that. Their first single “10538 Overture,” released in 1972, is an unabashed homage to the Beatles, a heavily orchestrated psychedelic gem that sounded like their musical answer to “I Am The Walrus.” Roy Wood left ELO later that year, leaving Lynne as the band’s sole creative force, and he took them to both creative and commercial heights.
Their fourth album Eldorado, A Symphony, a concept record about a daydreamer, yielded their first US top 10 single “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head” and became the band’s first gold album. The two albums that followed produced four top 20 hits – “Evil Woman,” “Strange Magic,” “Livin’ Thing” and “Telephone Line” – that are all still classic rock radio mainstays.
Their next album was their most ambitious yet, the multi-platinum selling double LP Out Of The Blue, that featured three more hit singles, including the ever popular “Mr. Blue Sky,” and a grandiose tour highlighted by the now famous spaceship stage complete with fog machines and laser displays that made ELO a must-see concert. All told, ELO has sold over 50 million records worldwide and between 1972 and 1986, Jeff Lynne wrote and produced twenty-six Top 40 hits in the UK and twenty in the US.
Their legacy is still growing and their success continues today, with Jeff Lynne’s ELO selling out huge shows around the world, and their timeless songs have become staples for music fans of all generations. John Lennon once famously referred to the band as “sons of the Beatles,” but more than 40 years later, it is clear that ELO have carved out their own unique place in rock history.
Bach composed the cantata Gott ist mein König in 1708 – he was paid handsomely, and it helped him cement his early career. The Brandenburg Concertos were composed in 1721 as a sort-of musical job application for the Margrave Ludwig of Brandenburg – it was unsuccessful.
In his later years Bach faced harsh criticism. During the 1720s and 1730s when he was composing his most important works – the Passions and the Goldberg Variations among them – a new Italian style invaded Germany, making his work appear outdated.
The Well Tempered Clavier, a quintessential student text, was finished in 1744 and comprised two volumes of piano music in every musical key. With the notable exception of opera, Bach composed towering masterpieces in every major Baroque genre: sonatas, concertos, suites and cantatas, as well as innumerable keyboard, organ and choral works.
Bach died on July 28th 1750 in Leipzig. It is still disputed whether it was a botched eye operation or a stroke caused by pneumonia were to blame for his death. Bach’s popularity was decaying until 1829, when Mendelssohn performed the St Matthew Passion and rescued Bach from oblivion.
Rosie Langabeer is an award-winning composer, musician, and band leader from Aotearoa New Zealand. With an output as eclectic as ranging from composing for string quartet, to ballet music, to free improvisation, to Balkan brass band and much much more, her wonderfully honest voice will make you want to cry and then sprinkle in some robot-bird-monsters. The New York Times has praised her surrealism and time-bending abilities, which she earned through collaborations with Philadelphia companies BalletX and Pig Iron Theatre, and her current projects include Idiosyncrophilia a new composition for chamber orchestra featuring invented instruments by Neil Feather and Babble a devised interdisciplinary show by Massive Theatre Company, created with twenty South Auckland youth emerging artists and commissioned by the Auckland Arts Festival.
Lisa J. Pinkham has designed lighting for over 200 ballets, operas, and plays. Her lighting can be seen in the repertories of many national companies. She enjoys a successful relationship with Stanton Welch AM, and has designed the lighting for many of his ballets, including Maninyas, Taiko, Tu Tu, and Falling for San Francisco Ballet; Madame Butterfly for Boston Ballet and Houston Ballet; Clear for American Ballet Theatre; and Swan Lake, Play, Cinderella, Tapestry, Marie, The Rite of Spring, Sons de L’âme, Paquita, The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Romeo and Juliet, Zodiac, Giselle, The Nutcracker, and Sylvia for Houston Ballet.
