Lights, Orchestra, Action! Miami City Ballet Welcomes Maestro Gary Sheldon

LIGHTS, ORCHESTRA, ACTION!

Miami City Ballet celebrates ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY season WITH THE RETURN OF OPUS ONE ORCHESTRA

FEATURING WORLD CLASS MUSICIANS LED BY AWARD-WINNING PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR GARY SHELDON 

Miami City Ballet celebrates its 25th Anniversary Season with the return of live music and the Opus One Orchestra led by award-winning principal conductor Maestro Gary Sheldon.  

The orchestra returns to MCB, after an absence of almost two years, courtesy of a $900,000 challenge grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation's Knight Arts Challenge.  

Orchestral accompaniment was cancelled halfway through the 2008-09 season due to lack of funding. "The decision to cut the orchestra was obviously very difficult," said Miami City Ballet Founding Artistic Director and CEO Edward Villella. "We were at a time where the company became the victim of a suffering economy. That we are thriving and celebrating our 25th Anniversary Season with the return of live music - it's a win-win situation for our dancers, musicians and audiences."  

"The Opus One Orchestra will highlight the artistry of Miami 's world-class ballet, and create those magic moments that can bring South Florida together," said Dennis Scholl, Knight Foundation's Miami program director and vice president/arts. 

Principal conductor Gary Sheldon's arrival marks the beginning of a new chapter in Miami City Ballet's repertory. He is considered one of the most versatile and multi-faceted conductor/composers in his field, an expert in the specialized style of conducting to accompany ballet, and will lead 42 and 56 musicians per ballet program, with four Company Premieres highlighted by the full-evening version of John Cranko's Romeo and Juliet. He comes to Miami City Ballet after conducting the San Francisco Ballet from 2004-2009.  

Sheldon recently won The American Prize in Conducting, professional orchestra division. He is the Artistic Director for the Lancaster ( Ohio ) Festival Orchestra, a company he founded in 1988 and Principal Conductor for the Festival at Sandpoint in Idaho. He has guest conducted numerous symphony orchestras including the BBC Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Spoleto Festival and Sarasota and Palm Beach Symphonies and conducted for leading artists including Andre Watts, Ella Fitzgerald, Itzhak Perlman and Wynton Marsalis. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School and studied with Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood. 

Tickets are now on sale for Miami City Ballet's 25th Anniversary Season. Order now for best seating by calling (305) 929-7010 or toll-free (877) 929-7010, Monday through Friday 10am-5pm. Group discounts for 10 or more are available by calling (305) 929-7001 or toll-free 877-9001. For more information, visit www.miamicityballet.org.  

The Audrey Love Charitable Foundation is the Tri-County Presenter of Miami City Ballet's 25th Anniversary Season.

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