PRESS CONTACTS:
Alyssa Porambo, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
410.783.8044, Aporambo@BSOmusic.org

Amy Burke, Baltimore School for the Arts
410.243.3790, Aburke@profilespr.com

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Baltimore School for the Arts

Collaborate to Present The Nutcracker fully staged, December 21 & 22

MICA and the Modell Lyric join forces for unprecedented partnership

Baltimore, Md. (June 18, 2012)- In an unprecedented partnership of four Baltimore cultural organizations, The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA), Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and The Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric will come together for the first time this December to present Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's full-length holiday classic The Nutcracker.

This premier collaboration will feature four performances at The Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric, including two matinees on Friday, December 21 at 2 p.m. and Saturday, December 22 at 2 p.m., and two evening shows on Friday, December 21 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, December 22 at 7:30 p.m. The production will showcase the BSO conducted by Cristian Macelaru, 120 students from BSA's high school and TWIGS after-school and weekend program, and newly created backdrops designed by MICA students-to be completed throughout this summer-all in a unique holiday spectacle at the Modell Lyric. Boston Ballet Executive Director, Barry Hughson, who has choreographed BSA's much-loved production for several years, will freshly stage The Nutcracker for the Modell Lyric. For more than 25 years, students from BSA have delighted Baltimore audiences with their annual production.

"The BSO is thrilled to be participating in this multi-organizational collaboration," commented BSO President and CEO Paul Meecham. "Ever since I first saw the BSA's Nutcracker, it has been a goal to join forces and produce a top-rate fully-staged home-grown production. Drawing on MICA and the newly upgraded technical facilities at the Modell Lyric will only further enhance the quality. It's a must see addition to holiday entertainment in Baltimore."

"Collaborations like this do so much to enrich our collective cultural landscape and help us to continue to expand our role in the community as well as provide opportunities for our young artists," said BSA director Dr. Chris Ford, "It has always been a dream of the School to perform to live symphony and on a stage of this scale. It is going to be quite an experience for our students."

While several of the organizations have joined forces before, this is the first time that all four will come together, marking a new chapter in the collaborative efforts of Baltimore arts organizations.

Composed in 1891 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet that has enchanted audiences of all ages for generations. The story follows a young girl named Clara through her vivid dreams on Christmas Eve. After falling asleep under the Christmas tree with her broken nutcracker doll, a prince greets Clara in her dreams and embarks with her on an adventure filled with life?size mice, dolls, fairies and sweets. Their journey to the Kingdom of Sweets includes the famous divertissements: Chocolat, Café, Thé, Trepak, Mirlitons, Waltz of the Flowers and Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

ABOUT THE BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is internationally recognized as having achieved a preeminent place among the world's most important orchestras. Acclaimed for its pursuit of artistic excellence, the BSO has attracted a devoted national and international following while maintaining deep bonds throughout Maryland with innovative education and community outreach initiatives.

The BSO made musical history in September 2007, when Maestra Marin Alsop led her inaugural concerts as the Orchestra's 12th music director, making her the first woman to head a major American orchestra.

For more than 80 years, the BSO has maintained a vibrant educational presence throughout Maryland. The 2012-2013 season marks the fifth year of OrchKids™, a year-round program that provides music education to Baltimore's neediest youngsters at no cost.

In addition to the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where the orchestra has performed for 29 years, the BSO is a founding partner and the resident orchestra at the Music Center at Strathmore, just outside Washington, D.C. With its opening in February 2005, the BSO became the nation's only major orchestra with year-round venues in two metropolitan areas.

ABOUT BALTIMORE SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS
Founded in 1980, Baltimore School for the Arts is a nationally recognized public high school that provides its students with intensive pre-professional training in the arts in conjunction with a rigorous academic curriculum. BSA graduates go on to the most selective arts and university programs nationwide and achieve prominence in theater, film, music, dance and visual arts. Additionally, BSA's TWIGS program offers free after-school arts instruction to more than 700 city elementary and middle school children. BSA is a vibrant part of Baltimore's cultural community, reaching thousands of families and children each year with free and low-cost performances, exciting collaborative projects, exhibitions, and educational programming.

ABOUT MARYLAND INSTITUTE COLLEGE OF ART
Founded in 1826, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is the oldest continuously degree-granting college of art and design in the nation. The College enrolls nearly 3,500 undergraduate, graduate and continuing studies students from 48 states and 54 countries in fine arts, design, electronic media, art education, liberal arts, and professional studies degree and non-credit programs. Redefining art and design education, MICA is pioneering interdisciplinary approaches to innovation, research, and community and social engagement. Alumni and programming reach around the globe, even as MICA remains a cultural cornerstone in the Baltimore/Washington region, hosting hundreds of exhibitions and events annually by students, faculty and other established artists.

ABOUT THE MODELL PERFORMING ARTS CENTER AT THE LYRIC
The Patricia and Arthur Modell Performing Arts Center at The LYRIC is one of Baltimore's oldest and most venerable institutions.  Founded in 1894 (originally called The Music Hall), the Lyric Opera House has been the home of Grand Opera, the world's greatest performers, and full-scale productions.  The acoustics of The Modell/Lyric are world-renowned and conductors and performers alike have attested to this fact from the beginning.  With a mission and commitment built on public access, education and preservation of this historic theater, The Modell/Lyric plays a leadership role in the cultural vitality of the greater Baltimore area.  Following the completion of a $13 million stage renovation and the re-naming of the theater through a generous gift from Patricia and Arthur Modell, the Modell/Lyric will reopen its doors in September 2011 as a state-of-the art world-class theater and we look forward to ushering in this exciting new chapter in its long and illustrious history. 

COMPLETE PROGRAM DETAILS
The Nutcracker
Friday, December 21, 2012 at 2 p.m. - Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric
Friday, December 21, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. - Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric
Saturday, December 22, 2012 at 2 p.m. - Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric
Saturday, December 22, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. - Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric

Cristian Macelaru, conductor
Baltimore School for the Arts dancers

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker

Tickets range from $33 to $63 and are available through Ticketmaster at 410-547-SEAT or online at www.ticketmaster.com, or in person at the Modell Lyric box office from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday thru Friday.

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