Her Door to the Sky
Music
Benjamin Britten
(Simple Symphony, Op. 4, 1933-1934)
Choreography
Jessica Lang
Scenic Design
Jessica Lang
Costume Design
Bradon McDonald
Lighting Design
Nicole Pearce
Assistant to the Choreographer
Clifton Brown
Duration
21 minutes
Premiere
August 24, 2016; Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Becket, Massachusetts
Jessica Lang’s Her Door to the Sky was commissioned by Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Her Door to the Sky premiered at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, August 24, 2016. Major support was provided by Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, with additional support from Aya Stark Hamilton, Deidra Wager, and Leslie & Tachi Yamada.
Program Notes
2017 marks the centennial celebration of legendary American painter Georgia O’Keeffe’s first solo exhibition in New York. Her Door to the Sky is inspired by O’Keeffe’s Patio Door series that she painted between 1946 and 1956.
Program note by Jessica Lang.
Videos
Bios
Benjamin Britten
Composer
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) is the most widely performed British 20th century composer. He studied with Frank Bridge and at the Royal College of Music. After the war, he founded a new English-language opera tradition with works such as Peter Grimes, Billy Budd, and The Turn of the Screw, now established in the international repertory. Mr. Britten’s craftsmanship and versatility produced works for every genre, from large-scale symphonic scores to songs and choral works. Recurring themes include conflicts between the outsider and society, innocence and experience, moral good and lurking evil, and beauty and passion.
Bradon McDonald
Costume Designer
After graduating from Juilliard in 1997, Bradon Mcdonald danced with the Limon Dance Company and mark Morris Dance Group. After retiring from the stage, Mr. McDonald studied at LA’s Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, where he earned two degrees in fashion design. He was a top finalist and showed his colection at New York Fashion Week on Project Runway Season 12. He choreographed and designd costmes for Kurt Veill’s opera The Protagonist at Fire Island Opera Festival. In addition to creating for private clients, Mr. McDonald’s dancewear collection, Bradon@Capezio, is available worldwide.
Nicole Pearce
Lighting Designer
Nicole Pearce is a multidisciplinary artist living in Queens, NY. Her work has been seen internationally in Europe, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, and Russia. Notable works include Mark Morris’ The Look of Love, Molly Smith’s Catch Me If You Can, and Jessica Lang’s Children’s Songs with American Ballet Theatre. Her installation of 1,000 paintings entitled Tiny Paintings for Big Hearts is open to doctors, nurses, staff, and patients of Elmhurst Hospital in Elmhurst, NY.