Carlisle, Pa. (September 16, 2011)– The Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet’s (CPYB) lineup for the upcoming 2011/2012 Season promises inspiring programming and soaring live orchestral music. This varied repertoire of classical and modern musical compositions are performed by distinguished musical giants of the region, which include: the venerable Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra (HSO) under the direction of Maestro Stuart Malina and Assistant Conductor Tara Simoncic, the compelling Central Pennsylvania Symphony conducted by Cheung Chau, and the richly blended string ensemble Concertante led by Xiao-Dong Wang.

The Season – led by Founding Artistic Director Marcia Dale Weary – kicks off with a world premiere co-production, followed by the return of the capital region’s holiday tradition, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker,™  continues with the most celebrated full-length ballet of all time, and wraps up with the Company’s invigorating mixed repertory program.

“We’ve chosen four uniquely diverse productions featuring challenging choreography and live music that I hope will carry you away from the ordinary and uplift the human spirit,” said Ms. Weary.

CPYB’s Laszlo Berdo and HSO’s Tara Simoncic join forces in the vivid retelling of Camille Saint-Saens’ well-known 1886 composition, “The Carnival of the Animals.” Narrated by WITF’s masterful storyteller Cary Burkett, this world premiere of Carnival of the Animals puts a new spin on the famous ‘grand zoological fantasy,’ certain to be a delight for every age.

In an atmosphere charged with holiday spirit, a festive party, a magical gift and a fanciful dream, CPYB features more than 140 dancers in the yuletide favorite, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.™ The production begins its two-week run in the intimate Sunoco Theatre at Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, Harrisburg, and concludes with Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Malina at the opulent Hershey Theatre, Hershey.

CPYB once again enriches the theatre-going experience with the addition of live music in its full-length production of Giselle. Accompanied by the Central Pennsylvania Symphony, Giselle tells the story of a peasant girl who dies of a broken heart after her fiancé is revealed to be a nobleman in disguise. The ballet epitomizes the Romantic Age with its idealization of country life, fascination with the supernatural, and obsession with the idea of the unattainable woman.

Resident choreographer Alan Hineline continues the season’s collaborative spirit in the world premiere set to the noted composer, conductor and pianist Jeremy Gill’s contemporary composition “25.” The piece will be played live by the acclaimed chamber ensemble Concertante. Funding for this entire new work has been underwritten by the Lois Lehrman Grass Foundation. Among the ballets rounding out June Series programming are a new work by ChoreoPlan 2011 choreographer Kelly Ann Sloan and Balanchine favorites “Divertimento No. 15,” “Who Cares?” and “Serenade.”

Ticket prices vary by production and can be ordered by calling Whitaker Center Box Office at 717.214.ARTS (2787) or visiting whitakercenter.org or by calling Hershey Theatre Box Office at 717.534.3405 or visiting hersheytheatre.com.

CPYB is supported, in part, by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Cultural Enrichment Fund. CPYB is Resident Ballet Company at Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts.

Carnival of the Animals
Choreography: Laszlo Berdo
Music: Camille Saint-Sa?ns
Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Tara Simoncic

Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts
October 22 at 1 & 3 p.m.
October 23 at 1 & 3 p.m.

George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™
Choreography: George Balanchine
Staging: Darla Hoover
Music Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky

Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts
December 10 at 1 & 5 p.m.
December 11 at 2 p.m.

George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™
Choreography: George Balanchine
Staging: Darla Hoover
Music: Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky
Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Maestro Stuart Malina

Hershey Theatre
December 17 at 1 & 5 p.m.
December 18 at 2 p.m.

Giselle
Choreography: Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot, Marius Petipa
Staging: Alan Hineline
Music: Adolphe Adam
Central Pennsylvania Symphony
Conducted by Cheung Chau

Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts
April 21 at 1 & 7 p.m.
April 22 at 2 p.m.

  June Series
Mixed repertory program

Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts
June 20 & 21 at 7 p.m.

June 22 at 7 p.m.
Concertante
Led by Xiao-Dong Wang

June 23 at 1 p.m.

June 23 at 6 p.m.
Concertante
Led by Xiao-Dong Wang

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