Conductor Ming Luke Assembles Major Players in the Ballet Industry for New Chat Series

San Francisco, CA, September 04, 2020 --(PR.com)-- Nashville Ballet Principal Conductor and San Francisco Ballet Principal Guest Conductor Ming Luke will release Musical Point(e)s, a series of online discussions with leading names from the worlds of ballet and classical music. Saturdays at 12pm PST, through September and October 2020, audiences are invited to join live 90-minute Zoom chats between major conductors and dancers, with Luke as moderator. Each session will take a deep look into pivotal sections of a famous ballet, unearthing how the movement and music make it unique within the ballet repertoire. Examples include how Prokofiev’s themes for Juliet grow as her character develops over the course of Romeo and Juliet, how Balanchine's Serenade is a mini-history of New York City Ballet, or how music and technique are married in the challenging classical variations and Pas de Deux of The Sleeping Beauty.

Sessions are free but space is limited. Audiences must register for live chats at mingluke.com/musical-pointes. Donations will be accepted and support participating artists and companies.

“Musical Point(e)s is an incredible opportunity to explore how musicians and dancers work to create magic on stage. Understanding these elements will leave you with a greater appreciation for ballet.” - Sasha de Sola, Principal Dancer, San Francisco Ballet

“Conductors and ballerinas are always ‘talking shop’ in rehearsals. Now we can do it on video! This will be a great opportunity for us to share with listeners some history, some secrets, and why we love what we do.” - David LaMarche, Conductor, American Ballet Theatre

Air Dates / Ballets Discussed / Guests Attached:
9/05 - Sleeping Beauty: Sasha de Sola, Tiit Helimets, and Misa Kuranaga, San Francisco Ballet Principal Dancers
9/12 - Serenade, Stravinsky Violin Concerto: Andrew Litton, NYCB Music Director
9/19 - Swan Lake: David LaMarche, American Ballet Theatre Conductor / Cynthia Harvey, former American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer and Artistic Director of the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Onassis Kennedy School
9/26 - Romeo and Juliet: Ermanno Florio, Houston Ballet Music Director / Sofiane Sylve, former NYCB Principal, San Francisco Ballet, Het Nationale and current Ballet Master and Principal with Semperoper Ballett
10/03 - The Winter's Tale: David Briskin, National Ballet of Canada Music Director / Lauren Cuthbertson, The Royal Ballet Principal
10/10 - The Nutcracker: Martin West, San Francisco Ballet Music Director

Ming Luke, a virtuoso musical talent with background as a dancer, is in high demand for dance conducting. As Principal Conductor for Nashville Ballet, Luke conducts the Grammy-award winning Nashville Symphony in boundary breaking contemporary works and classic blockbusters. San Francisco Chronicle’s Allan Ulrich has called Ming Luke’s direction of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet as “the best live theater performance I’ve ever heard.” As Principal Guest Conductor with San Francisco Ballet, Ming Luke has led over one hundred productions at the historic War Memorial Opera House. He has presented time-honored classics like Cinderella at the John F. Kennedy Center and Sadler’s Wells. Ming Luke has also conducted Russia's Bolshoi Orchestra, NYCB Orchestra, and the Boston Ballet. He has worked with some of the most preeminent choreographers of the 21st century, including Justin Peck, Christopher Wheeldon, Mark Morris, Alexei Ratmansky, and Liam Scarlett. Ming Luke holds a Master of Fine Arts in Conducting from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Piano Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College of Rider University. Learn more at mingluke.com.