Executive Director’s Notes: Coppélia
Dear Friends,
Welcome to Coppélia, PNB’s final repertory program of the 2023/24 season. It’s been several years since we last presented the luminous, lighthearted world of Coppélia, and it’s a joy to bring this beautiful production back to life. If you joined us for our most recent two programs, you may find it hard to believe that the company of classical dancers onstage before you could possibly be the same group of artists who so totally committed to the contemporary choreography of Crystal Pite, Alejandro Cerrudo, Matthew Neenan, Twyla Tharp, and Jessica Lang in March and April. It’s true that PNB’s dancers have extraordinary range, and the same is true for the PNB Orchestra. From here we move to our Season Encore performance celebrating the PNB careers of James Yoichi Moore, Ezra Thomson, Otto Neubert, and James Kirby Rogers. The following weekend, we turn the McCaw Hall stage over to PNB School students in Levels I through Professional Division to perform in the 43rd Annual School Performance. And just a week after that, 20-plus members of the Company will travel to Washington, D.C. to be featured in the Kennedy Center’s “10,000 Dreams: A Celebration of Asian Choreography” festival. Dancers will perform Edwaard Liang’s celebrated The Veil Between Worlds, which we’re thrilled to share with D.C. audiences.
All of these June programs cap an ambitious season of work enjoyed by nearly 200,000 people of all ages. It is still not lost on us how remarkable it feels to welcome so many artgoers back to McCaw Hall in a time of continued pandemic-era recovery for cultural organizations of every discipline. Thank you for showing that you value PNB and the performing arts by being part of our enthusiastic audience of dance fans.
As we approach June 30, the close of our fiscal year, we hope you’ll consider an annual fund contribution, support for our Pointe Shoe fund, or becoming a sponsor of one of next season’s excellent productions (more about those on page 29 of this program). I assure you that every contribution is carefully invested in mission-centered work, and that every expression of support for PNB is deeply appreciated. Please visit pnb.org/support for more information.
On behalf of PNB’s staff and artists, I wish you a wonderful Seattle summer and hope to see you back here in September for more inspiration, innovation, and essential community connection.
Warm regards,
