Ballet Tucson Artistic Director Margaret Mullin wanted to capture the flavor of her native Tucson in a piece she choreographed for Seattle’s Pacific Northwest Ballet in 2014.
So she asked a friend in Tucson to recommend a composer. The friend referred her to Dan Coleman, the longtime Tucson Symphony Orchestra composer-in-residence who composed the music for “Lost In Light.”
Mullin premiered the work in Seattle and then reintroduced it when she came home to Tucson.
“I loved working with him. I love his music, and he and I have been talking for a while about trying to figure out another opportunity to work together,” she said.
Madeleine Kuebler will have a solo in the final work in the St. Andrew’s Bach Society series finale concert on Sunday.
That opportunity will come on Sunday, Aug. 30, when Ballet Tucson performs the world premiere of “Messengers” during “Bach and Ballet,” the St. Andrew’s Bach Society’s summer series finale.
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“It’s kind of a nod to divine messengers. We wanted to create something abstract, and I personally really love Greek and Roman statues, and just the incredible feeling I get when I walk into a museum that has a large collection of those,” Mullin said. “It's sort of something just very otherworldly to me, and I think it's kind of also a nod to the Balanchine quote that dancers are the athletes of God. It's just the incredible physicality of them.”
Before he had written a single note for “Messengers,” Coleman asked Mullin to choreograph the pas de deux.
“It was the first time ever that I did all the choreography before the music and then he sent me the score after the fact based on what he saw, which I thought was really interesting,” she said, describing the music as a “little bit more abstract and slightly dissonant.”
“We wanted to do something a little more contemporary together this time,” she said. “It's a different tone, not quite as lyrical and classic as something like ‘Clair de lune'.”
Tucson Symphony Orchestra principal oboe Max Adler will perform at Sunday’s St. Andrew’s Bach Society series finale.
Debussy’s famous piano work is also on the Bach Society program, featuring Mullin’s choreography.
The concert, which will feature six dancers including soloist Madeleine Kuebler, closes with “Ovation,” a work choreographed by Mullin, Associate Artistic Director Chieko Imada and rehearsal director Brik Middlekauff to celebrate Ballet Tucson’s 40th anniversary this fall. The work is set to Bach’s Concerto for Oboe and Violin, which Coleman had recommended.
Tucson Symphony Orchestra principal oboe Max Adler and the TSO’s associate concertmaster Ludek Wojtkowski will perform the concerto, which Nisbet said is one of his favorites.
Ludek Wojtkowski is making his St. Andrew’s Bach Society debut on Sunday.
“When Margaret said that they'd like to do this concerto for oboe and violin, I really, really wanted to have the opportunity to involve Max Adler,” Nisbet said. “I wanted to feature him because I hadn't really been able to do that in this way. He's such a fabulous musician and just a really wonderful guy, and so being able to feature him, and then also Ludick … was something that I was really keen to do.”
Sunday’s concert marks the first time Ludick, who joined the orchestra last season, will perform with the Bach Society; Adler was part of an ensemble on the 2023 summer series.
Mullin said Ballet Tucson will perform “Ovation” on the 40th anniversary season opening concert “Spirit Garden and Other Works” Oct. 23-25 at the Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. Get tickets and details at ballettucson.org.
Sunday’s Bach Society concert begins at 2 p.m. at Grace St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 2331 E. Adams St. Tickets are $16 through standrewsbach.org.
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com. On Bluesky @Starburch
Cathalena E. Burch
Reporter
