Solange Knowles Will Compose New Score For the New York City Ballet

Grammy-Award winning singer, songwriter, and visual artist Solange Knowles has been commissioned by New York City Ballet to compose a new score, which will premiere at the Company's tenth annual Fall Fashion Gala on Wednesday, September 28 at Lincoln Center.

Solange's first composition for a ballet company, the piece was written for chamber ensemble and will be performed by some of the composer's frequent musical collaborators, as well as members of the New York City Ballet Orchestra. The piece will be choreographed by Gianna Reisen, who will be making her third work for NYCB.

Premiering as part of the 2022 Fall Fashion Gala, the new work will include costumes by fashion designer Alejandro Gómez Palomo for Palomo Spain, featuring Swarovski crystals; and lighting by Mark Stanley, NYCB's Resident Lighting Director.

Following the Fall Fashion Gala premiere on September 28, the new work will also be performed on Saturday, October 1 at 2pm; Saturday, October 8 at 2pm and 8pm; Tuesday, October 11 at 7:30pm; and Sunday, October 16 at 3pm. The piece will also return for five performances during NYCB's 2023 Spring Season: Tuesday, May 2 at 7:30pm; Thursday, May 11 at 7:30pm; Saturday, May 13 at 8pm; Wednesday, May 17 at 7:30pm; and Thursday, May 18 at 7:30pm.

About Solange Knowles

Solange Knowles is a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and visual artist whose multi-disciplinary practice is spiritually rooted in world building for future generations. With the release of her critically acclaimed albums, A Seat at the Table and When I Get Home, Solange has invoked themes of identity, empowerment, grief, and healing that have resonated with millions of voices. This coupled with her work in other artistic mediums has led to a defining career of music, visual art, and activism. Solange has conducted performance art shows across the globe including at the 58th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia (2019), The Getty Museum in Los Angeles (2019), Guggenheim Museum in NYC (2017), the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas (2017), and the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg in Germany (2019).

In 2002, Solange's debut album Solo Star interpolated Urban Contemporary elements into traditional R&B, and ushered in a refreshing transformation that shaped the genre's evolution. Proudly owning her unique sound, she continued expanding the boundaries of radio-friendly hits by blending Jazz, Funk, Electronica, and R&B/Soul elements in 2008's Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams, followed by the highly-treasured 2012 True EP.

In 2016, Solange's A Seat at The Table album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart, Apple Music, and iTunes Overall Top Albums Charts. The record's success led to her performing for President Obama at the White House, and birthed her vision for the Orion's Rise performance series which included two sold-out shows at Radio City Music Hall, as well as shows at Hollywood Bowl, the Kennedy Center, the Greek Theatre, and Orpheum Theater. In June of 2018, Solange performed the album at four sold-out shows at the legendary Sydney Opera House in Australia.

An exploration of origin, her 2019 album, When I Get Home, questioned how much of ourselves we bring with us-versus leave behind-throughout our personal evolution. To answer this, Solange returned to the city of her childhood, Third Ward Houston. Written, performed, and executive produced by Solange, the release resulted in her third Top 10 debut on the Billboard 200, reached #1 on iTunes, and kicked off a global tour. In addition to premiering an extended director's cut of the album's self-directed, interdisciplinary companion film at museums and contemporary institutions-including The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in Los Angeles, Brooklyn Museum in New York, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London-a special director's cut of the film was added to Criterion's special features channel.

Solange's work in music and the arts has led to her being named Harvard University's Artist of the Year in 2018. At the 70th Annual Parsons Benefit, Solange was honored by The New School as a pioneering figure in fashion and the arts. In 2022, Solange received NYU's Global Trailblazer Award for Creative and Artistic Excellence. She has also been the recipient of Glamour's Woman of the Year Award and Billboard's Impact Award.

Gianna Reisen is a New York City-based choreographer and movement director. Born in Wyckoff, New Jersey, she entered the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of NYCB, in 2010.

In 2017, Reisen became the youngest choreographer in NYCB's history with her first work for the Company, Composer's Holiday. Her second work for the Company, Judah, premiered in 2018.

A former apprentice with Ballet Semperoper Dresden, Reisen is also a former dancer with L.A. Dance Project, where she choreographed Rising Water (2019). She has also choreographed for SAB's annual Workshop performances, SAB's Winter Ball, and the Columbia Ballet Collaborative.

 

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