Circus-Dance-Theater Group Troupe Vertigo to Make Debut with the Minnesota Orchestra, March 2-3

Inspired by a fairytale theme, the concerts will pair Sergei Prokofiev’s Cinderella and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake with Troupe Vertigo’s acrobatic choreography

Ticket discounts are available to young concertgoers for the matinee program on Sunday, March 3

An innovator in the field of circus arts, the Los Angeles-based circus-dance-theater group Troupe Vertigo will make their Orchestra Hall debut on March 2 and 3. Fusing elements of cirque acrobatics, classical dance and contemporary theater, Troupe Vertigo consists of world-class aerial artists, contortionists and ballet dancers. Following previous performances with major orchestras across North America, the ensemble will share the stage with the Minnesota Orchestra in visually and musically powerful performances.

The program, an experience for all ages, will take place at Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday, March 2, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, March 3, at 2 p.m., with ticket prices ranging from $43 to $73. Tickets for the March 3 program are available for young listeners ages 6 to 17 at a 40% discount.

A champion of contemporary music and imaginative programming, conductor Nicholas Koo will lead the Minnesota Orchestra for the first time in these concerts. The program features two works that the Orchestra will perform without acrobatic accompaniment, opening with Maurice Ravel’s Suite of Five Pieces from Mother Goose, a work based on the French fairytale. The Orchestra will also perform Felix Mendelssohn’s Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream; based on Shakespeare’s comedy, the romantic work evokes scurrying fairy feet.

Troupe Vertigo will join the Orchestra onstage for selected movements from two beloved musical works: Sergei Prokofiev’s galloping Cinderella and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, which will showcase the troupe’s balletic prowess. Celebrating such performances in a recent review, the Los Angeles Times raved that Troupe Vertigo’s “...dizzying acts defy gravity and leave its lucky audiences in awe.”

 

About Troupe Vertigo

Troupe Vertigo was founded in 2009 by Artistic Director Aloysia Gavre and Technical Director Rex Camphuis. Its 2023-24 season includes performances with the symphonies of Baltimore, Dallas, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Oregon, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Winnipeg, among numerous other orchestras. Troupe Vertigo is known for its collaborative thematic programs including Cirque España, Cirque Noir, Cirque Goes to Broadway, Cirque Goes to Hollywood, Cirque Dances featuring The Firebird, and complete ballet presentations of The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Cinderella. The company’s unique perspective on the circus arts have led to a variety of speaking engagements including a TEDx Talk. Troupe Vertigo’s facility is also home to Cirque School Los Angeles, which uses training, performance and community outreach to foster passion for the circus arts, encompassing over 50 weekly classes to the public, student performances, team building workshops, pre-professional intensives, and television and film projects. More: troupevertigo.com.

About Nicholas Koo

Nicholas Koo is a Korean-American conductor who has made numerous appearances leading the Colorado Symphony, among many other ensembles, and is active in the Chicago area both on and off the podium. He works with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in artistic media and video production, and has worked alongside soloists such as Emanuel Ax, Hélène Grimaud, Joyce Yang, Jörgen van Rijen and Minnesota Orchestra Principal Cello Anthony Ross. In 2023 he was recognized by the Solti Foundation with a prestigious Career Assistance Award for young conductors. That same year he was an active conductor of the Riccardo Muti Italian Opera Academy in Ravenna, Italy, which culminated in a performance of Verdi’s Messa da Requiem. In 2022 he was invited to be assistant conductor for the Peninsula Music Festival as the Karen Smuda Emerging Conductor, and he also joined the artist roster of Festival Mozaic. An advocate for contemporary music, he has served as music director for the Atlantic Music Festival Contemporary Ensemble and assistant conductor of the Atlantic Music Festival Symphony Orchestra, where he premiered more than 20 new works for chamber orchestra and full orchestra. More: nicholaskoo.com.

 

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Live at Orchestra Hall

TROUPE VERTIGO: CIRQUE FAIRYTALES

with the Minnesota Orchestra

 

Saturday, March 2, 2024, 7 p.m. / Orchestra Hall

Sunday, March 3, 2024, 2 p.m. / Orchestra Hall

 

Minnesota Orchestra

Nicholas Koo, conductor

Troupe Vertigo

 

RAVEL	Suite from Mother Goose [Orchestra only]
PROKOFIEV	Selections from Cinderella
MENDELSSOHN	Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream [Orchestra only]
TCHAIKOVSKY	Selections from Swan Lake

 

Tickets: $43 to $73 [Tickets for the March 3 program are available for young listeners ages 6 to 17 at 40% discount.]

[Please note: Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite and Mendelssohn’s Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be performed only by the Orchestra, without Troupe Vertigo.]

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TICKET PURCHASING INFORMATION

Tickets and subscription packages can be purchased at minnesotaorchestra.org or by calling 612-371-5656. For groups of 10 or more, call 612-371-5662.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

All programs, artists, dates, times and prices subject to change.