PNB Black History Month Profile: Betty Agent
PNB invited employees who celebrate Black History Month to share their stories with us – we hope you enjoy this profile of Betty Agent, PNB Orchestra's Assistant Principal Violist.
Dan Williams, PNB’s Principal Oboist, on Swan Lake
The first notes of Swan Lake's enduring score are played by the oboe. The instrument features prominently throughout the ballet; in fact, those first five notes are inverted to begin the Swan Lake theme. Today on the blog, we sit down with PNB's Principal Oboist Dan Williams to learn more about his perspective on Swan Lake, PNB's Orchestra, and playing the oboe!
The Man Behind the Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
George Balanchine once said that Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's music made him fall in love with ballet, and many ballet lovers echo Balanchine’s sentiment. To this day, some of PNB’s most popular ballets (Swan Lake and The Nutcracker) are set to Tchaikovsky’s music. Read on to learn about Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s turbulent life and his iconic ballets!
Meet the “Cac-tet” of Alexander Ekman’s Cacti
A handful of small, poky, green cacti. 16 boxes, lying flat or intricately stacked. Light rails dropping to precariously low heights above the dancers. The overpowering sounds of dancers smacking boxes, slapping their chests, and yelling in complex rhythmic patterns.
Celebrating Music and Heritage with Michael Jinsoo Lim
Celebrating Music and Heritage with Michael Jinsoo Lim
As part of PNB’s celebration of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) artists in our community, PNB’s concertmaster Michael Jinsoo Lim has written about his parents, his connections to music through them, and his professional journey to PNB. Below is the […]
Executive Director’s Notes – Coppélia
Executive Director’s Notes: Coppélia
Dear Friends,
We’re so glad to see you here, on your screen, for the Rep V installment in our Dance Happens Everywhere digital season. Your enthusiasm for both the new works we’ve created for film as well as PNB’s archival features […]
Letters from PNB Artists: Joyce Ramee, PNB Orchestra member
The Pacific Northwest Ballet Future Fund ensures that the artists at PNB are able to dance, create, and bring you joy during these times of uncertainty and change. We ask that you consider a gift to the fund, which will help keep our dancers, musicians, staff, and production teams employed […]
One Thousand Pieces: Q & A with Music Librarian Mona Butler
One Thousand Pieces: Q&A with Music Librarian Mona Butler
Mona Butler has been a bassoonist in Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra since the orchestra was founded in 1989, and PNB’s Music Librarian since the position was created in 1996. Marketing Assistant Maris Antolin sat down with Mona in late February […]
Artistic Director’s Notebook: Carmina Burana + Agon
Artistic Director’s Notebook: Carmina Burana + Agon
Lindsi Dec and PNB Company dancers in Carmina Burana © Angela Sterling.
You never forget the opening moment of Kent Stowell’s Carmina Burana. Even wildly enthusiastic applause can’t drown out the 70 voices of the Pacific Lutheran University Choral […]
“O Fortuna” in Pop Culture
PNB Company dancers in Carmina Burana © Angela Sterling.
“O Fortuna” is one of the most dramatic, and memorable, pieces of music in the modern classical canon. Based on a 13th century Medieval Latin Goliardic poem, and set to music in 1935 by composer Carl […]