Huntsville Ballet opens its 60th Season with Peter & the Wolf and Amore
HUNTSVILLE — Huntsville Ballet opens its 60th season with HBC Unplugged featuring the family favorite, Peter & the Wolf followed by the much anticipated return to the stage of Artistic Director, Phillip Otto’s acclaimed ballet, Amore. In 2019, Otto commissioned local composer Jackson Love to create the Amore score whose individual movements – diamonds, blue topaz, gold, and pearls – symbolize love. Both the ballet and its score were inspired by the exquisite work of Huntsville’s own renowned artist and philanthropist, Kathy Chan. In 1986, Dr. Chan created the award-winning Amore necklace which features 197 carats of blue topaz pierced with an arrow of diamonds. Chan made an appearance in the necklace at a recent reception and sneak preview of the ballet. Jackson Love will perform the Amore score live at each performance of HBC Unplugged.
Huntsville Ballet Outreach Director, Cathy Curry will also present a new piece of choreography: Rebellious Birds set to “L’Amour est un Oiseau Rebelle” from Georges Bizet’s opera, Carmen. Curry describes the piece as, “A fun romp, set to music from Bizet’s Carmen and exploring the rebellious nature and dramatic antics of youth.”
In addition, Concerto will be performed to the Allegro movement of Bach’s Piano Concerto No 1 in D Minor. The piece is about “timing, precision, line, and beauty,” says Artistic Director, Phillip Otto. The accompanist for this piece will be Ron Roberts, a well known figure in the Huntsville arts community.
Each HBC Unplugged performance concludes with what has become an audience favorite – the opportunity to meet and ask questions of the dancers and directors.
Showtimes and Ticket Information
- Friday, October 27 – 7:00pm
- Saturday, October 28 – 2:00pm & 7:00pm
- Sunday, October 29 – 3:00pm
To purchase season or individual tickets, visit www.huntsvilleballet.org/tickets or call 256.539.0961, or by email at companymanager@huntsvilleballet.org.
The Dream Theater is located at 3401 Holmes Ave, Huntsville, AL 35816. Parking is free.
About Huntsville Ballet
Patrons from across Alabama and the Tennessee Valley travel to Huntsville to enjoy the artistry of Huntsville Ballet’s thirteen professional dancers, complemented by the work of pre-professional and junior company members and guest artists. Audiences enjoy the art of classical ballet in performances like Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker, and The Sleeping Beauty as well as other dance genres featured in newer works such as Stage Door Canteen and The Tumbleweed Suite. Huntsville Ballet’s annual performance of The Nutcracker affords students from Huntsville Ballet School the opportunity to audition and perform alongside the professional company. Huntsville Ballet’s performances and community outreach programs are designed to appeal to a broad audience and bring the art of ballet to everyone from the art lover to those new to the experience. Huntsville Ballet Company and School operate under the umbrella of Community Ballet Association, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit member of the state and local Arts Councils.
About the Artists
Cathy Curry, Director of Outreach and Education for Huntsville Ballet, began her dance training in Huntsville. After being awarded a full scholarship, Ms. Curry received a BFA in Dance from Florida State University where she had the opportunity to study and perform with renowned faculty such as Suzanne Farrell, Buglisi/Foreman, Doug Varone, and Jowole Zollar, the director of Urban Bush Women.
Jackson Love is a pianist and composer based in Huntsville, AL. He is a Huntsville native and earned his Bachelor of Music at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He recently completed graduate studies earning a Master of Music in Theory and Composition at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He composed Amore in 2019 and also had the honor of performing it with the company during the world premiere. Many thanks to Artistic Director Phillip Otto and the Huntsville Ballet Company dancers for the opportunity and privilege to perform alongside them again.
Phillip Otto has served as Artistic Director for the Huntsville Ballet since 2008. Born in New York, Mr. Otto trained at the School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre School, and the Joffrey School, among others. As a child, Mr. Otto was a member of the Metropolitan Opera’s Children’s Chorus and danced with New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, London’s Royal Ballet, the Stuttgart Ballet, and the Bolshoi Ballet. As an adult, Mr. Otto danced principal and soloist roles with Milwaukee Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet.
Pianist, Ron Roberts is honored to participate in his second production with Huntsville Ballet Company. Earlier, he was featured as one of the narrators for HBC’s Carnival of the Animals in 2021. A native of Harriman, Tennessee, Ron received a Bachelor of Music degree from East Carolina University and a Master of Arts degree from Eastern Illinois University, both with emphasis in piano performance. He was selected as one of 18 semi-finalists in both the 1999 and 2000 Van Cliburn Foundation International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs. Since 2000, he has been exploring the worlds of acting and singing, while studying voice with Dr. Ginger Beazley at the Ars Nova School of the Arts. And since 2000, he has been on stage in over 30 productions in local theater in plays, musicals, and opera. Favorites include: Georges in La Cage aux Folles, the Chairman in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, the Witch in Hansel and Gretel, Count Danilo in The Merry Widow, KoKo in The Mikado, Snake in The Little Prince, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar, Frederick in A Little Night Music, and Lumiere in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
