Big stars, classic shows and several firsts populate Charlotte’s new performing arts season

Charlotte’s performing arts groups have lined up of a mix of beloved classic performances, along with a number of firsts and some surprises in the new season.

We asked leaders of the Charlotte Ballet, Charlotte Symphony and Opera Carolina what audiences can look forward to this fall. All three groups are pushing beyond typical presentations to reach more people and grow attendance.

Here’s what they told us:

Charlotte Ballet

Alejandro Cerrudo, artistic director

The Charlotte Ballet’s first performance this fall will be at the Fall For Dance North festival in Toronto, which opens Sept. 26. It’s the company’s first international tour since 1981, Cerrudo said.

This is your first season you curated with the Charlotte Ballet. What does the season hold?

“It’s the first steps toward my vision and a new chapter for the company. I feel honored and privileged to be here to lead the company.”

The season’s first program, “Breaking Boundaries” runs Oct. 5-28 with two debut works by South African choreographer Mthuthuzeli November and Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin.

“With this performance, we’re pushing the boundaries of how dance performances are presented. It’s very bold and exciting.”

Between the works will be an extended intermission that transforms the performance space and extends the program into the lobby with live music and local art on display through partnering with Charlotte Art League. “It’s going to be a surprise. We’re presenting the Center for Dance in a way that hasn’t been presented before.”

The show is for all ages, too.

Next is the beloved “Nutcracker” in December, performed with the Charlotte Symphony, which is “a luxury and a pleasure to have such wonderful live music.”

In March, “Come to Life” includes three contemporary works: a new work by native Floridian Penny Saunders; Jiri Kylian’s iconic “Petite Mort”; and Cerrudo’s own emotional piece, “Little Mortal Jump”.

“Petite Mort” holds special meaning for Cerrudo, who grew up studying classical ballet. “This was the work that changed everything for me. This was the work that really opened my eyes to the broadest spectrum of dance and the beauty of other dance forms.”

Cerrudo said his own work has lightness but some seriousness. “It’s a very surreal work that takes you on a roller coaster of emotions and you don’t really know how you got there.”

Contemporary pieces, he said, should be experienced in the same way as classical or other music without lyrics. “We don’t try to find a story in music. We just listen to the music and let us feel whatever we feel and not trying to understand. We just absorb it.”

In May, the company performs “Swan Lake,” again with live music by the Charlotte Symphony. Cerrudo called it a big deal because it’s the first time Charlotte Ballet is performing the iconic piece.

“It’s a classic that everybody loves and knows.”

What is one of the shows you are particularly excited about, and why?

“I like everything I programmed. I really hope I can create curiosity among audience members.”

Programs from contemporary to classic ballets showcase the diversity of the company. “I’m so proud of the range of these artists to deliver. It’s not an easy task to go from different styles.

“I want to create that bridge between the audiences and show that any of these programs are going to be a great night out and inspiring and entertaining.”

Who is a dancer that audiences should watch closely, and why?

Cerrudo wouldn’t highlight just one dancer. “They all have something special and unique about them.”

He said choreographers’ works, such as November’s with big ensemble sections, are like a flock of birds. “You see that flock, and at the same time you see the personalities and the individual within that ensemble, and I love that.”

Talk about one of the performances coming up that fosters better understanding of or highlights DEI.

“With our dancers, with our staff and through the artists that we bring, that’s how we highlight and contribute to who we want to become, which is as diverse as possible and make everyone feel welcome, included and invited.”

What is the biggest challenge facing the ballet now?

Awareness of Charlotte Ballet and dance in general to grow audiences.

“Dance is this unique art form that not enough people experience and I really want to share this with as many people as possible. We’re much more than pointe shoes and tutus.”

Anything else to add about your season plans?

The final program of the season is “Choreographic Workshop: Flip,” June 6-8.

“It’s more of an experimental performance that you don’t know what you’re going to get. It’s a way to provide a platform for our dancers to see if they want to become a choreographer and see how they can become a better dancer. That’s how I became a choreographer.”

Charlotte Symphony Orchestra

David Fisk, president and CEO

The Charlotte Symphony has a full concert season with special events, like Nashville TiKTok star and singer, songwriter Cody Fry in October, along with its Classical, Pops, Movie and Family series. Christopher Warren-Green is the conductor laureate and artistic adviser until a successor is named. Fisk said they are down to fewer than five candidates, and that the orchestra expects to make a decision about its next maestro in December.

What does the season hold for audiences?

“What we’re enjoying doing is reflecting on the successes we’ve had in recent years and trying to build on them, and welcoming more and more people back.” After the pandemic, he said, “people were desperate to come back.” Last year, audiences returned for sold-out brewery concerts, and movie and pops concerts. “We survey our audiences on a regular basis and we deliberately try to program movies, for example, based on audience requests.”

Other programming takes a curatorial approach because “we’re always looking for new ideas.”

For example, the Pops Series includes previous acts mixed with new, recommended programming. Those shows include The Hot Sardines, Holiday Pops and Great Ladies of Swing.

“We try to do the programming on the basis of a mixture of audience requests and folks we want to present to an audience they may not know.”

What is one of the shows you are particularly excited about, and why?

That would be violinist Regina Carter, who will join the symphony Feb. 9-10, 2024, as part of the Pops Series. Fisk has worked with her elsewhere, but this will be Carter’s first performance in Charlotte. “She’s an awesome musician, an absolutely fantastic performer and has incredible stage chemistry.”

The Classical Series offers a range of traditional and recently commissioned pieces. The program is a mix of new and established artists, green and experienced conductors and diversity in gender, race and ethnicity.

Who is a musician that audiences should watch closely, and why?

Charlotte Symphony likes to showcase talent from its orchestra, Fisk said. That includes, for example, Concertmaster Calin Ovidiu Lupanu, lead violinist, performing Wieniawski’s “Concerto for Violin No. 2” Feb. 16-18.

Principal trumpeter Alex Wilborn will perform Böhme’s “Trumpet Concerto” March 22-23. It’s a rare opportunity to hear a local musician star on stage, Fisk said.

And resident conductor Christopher James Lees will present his first main-stage Classical Concert, Chopin’s “Piano Concerto No. 2” from Oct. 20-22.

What is the biggest challenge facing the orchestra now?

“Paying enough attention to everything we should be doing, and (to) do it really well.” The symphony is balancing concerts uptown with community and neighborhood engagement. “We’re always looking for the opportunity to introduce our music to the next generation of audiences.”

Talk about one of the performances coming up that fosters better understanding of or highlights DEI.

The symphony twice a year updates its DEI report online.

Upcoming performances of the Classical Series, for example, feature female composers and people of color, “those who have been forgotten that shouldn’t have been forgotten,” like William Grant Still’s “African-American Symphony” and Florence Price’s piano concerto in October.

The Family Series is introducing children to a composer who lived in France at the same time as Mozart, Fisk said. Saint-Georges’ Sword & Bow on Feb. 10 teaches children about French-African composer, conductor and violinist Joseph Bologne, who also was renowned as the greatest swordsman in Europe in the 1700s. He’s considered the first classical composer of African descent to receive widespread critical acclaim.

The orchestra also is celebrating the great ladies of swing, including Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, along with holiday programming like Soulful Christmas to reflect that musical genre.

Anything else to add about your season plans?

The Charlotte Symphony Annual Gala and Concert featuring Renée Fleming on Sept. 20 at Urban Garden at Belk Theater will include pre-concert cocktails, then the 75-minute concert followed by dinner.

“We’re thinking beyond simply the traditional way of presenting music,” Fisk said.

On Sept. 21, Fleming will present her “Music and the Mind” seminar at Queens University of Charlotte, about how music can be used as therapy for treatment of mental illness and disability.

“I would think of Renée’s visit here not being just about a single concert, but getting engaged with the Charlotte community,” Fisk said. “That’s an example of what we’re trying to do, (to) be of service to the community, not just about presenting concerts, (but also highlight) other ways in which music intersects with our lives.”

Opera star Renée Fleming on performing, music and the mind, and... pickleball?

Opera Carolina

Maestro James Meena, artistic director

What are some of the highlights of your new season?

Three classic grand operas that star the Opera Carolina resident company plus three international stars. The season opens with a double bill, two one-act operas “Pagliacci with Cavalleria Rusticana” Oct. 28-29 and Nov. 2. “Godfather III” fans will recognize “Pagliacci,” which is performed toward the end of the movie.

“This is an opera that hasn’t been performed in Charlotte for more than 20 years,” Meena said.

“Pagliacci” features Italian soprano Barbara Frittoli and opera star Carl Tanner paired with Carolina Opera’s leading tenor, Jonathan Kaufmann.

The 74th season also brings “Madam Butterfly” to the Charlotte stage in January starring Chinese soprano Hui He. The last time the opera was performed in Charlotte was in 2011.

“It’s one of the world’s great operas and one of the most popular operas ever.”

“Samson and Delilah,” the biblical opera, closes the season in April. “This is an opera we haven’t performed in more than 20 years,” Meena said.

It will star Alyson Cambridge, who is no stranger to Charlotte having sung in “Carmen” and “I Dream” productions.

“Sometimes you let even great works sit on the shelf for a while and you appreciate them even more when they come back and are performed.”

What is one of the shows you are particularly excited about, and why?

Meena is most excited about “Pagliacci with Cavalleria Rusticana.”

“Italy is very close to my heart.” Meena will be there in September to conduct. “These works are special for me. Both works I conducted as a young musician with amazing artists from The Met some 40 years ago.”

Who is a singer that audiences should watch closely, and why?

Opera audiences will be really taken by lead soprano Hui He in “Madame Butterfly.”

“This is an extraordinary talent, and particularly because ‘Madame Butterfly’ is such a beloved opera. And to have an acclaimed Chinese soprano on our stage I think is going to be an exceptional experience for everybody.”

Locally, Meena said to watch for Kaufman, lead baritone Zachary Hugo in “Madame Butterfly” and Jonathan White in “Pagliacci” and “Madame Butterfly.”

“We’re just so proud of these younger artists.”

What is the biggest challenge facing the opera now?

Communications. “As Charlotte continues to grow, how do we reach those new residents and let them know we have not just an opera company, but a really good opera company.”

Talk about one of the performances coming up that fosters better understanding of or highlights DEI.

In February in honor of Black History Month, Opera Carolina will perform “The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson,” starring opera superstar Denyce Graves. It is about the founder of the historic Black opera house in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She created free violin, piano, cello, singing lessons for children in the neighborhood.

“Mary Cardwell Dawson believed that young people of all colors deserve to have a proper music education.”

All of the productions feature and star a diverse array of artists. “When you come to the opera, you’re going to see a company that we hope and aspire looks like Charlotte.”

Anything else to add about your season plans?

“You don’t need to be a millionaire to come to the opera. It’s an experience unlike anything they’ll have going to the movies or a Broadway show or even to a concert.”

Opera Carolina uses English titles above the stage so it’s easy to follow the story.

“Opera music is very accessible and very demonstrative so it’s easy to follow the story even if you don’t speak French or Italian.”

More arts coverage

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