Ring in new year with DPO, Dayton Ballet, Dayton Opera at Schuster

Dec. 22—The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance is preparing to usher in 2022 with "Return to Vienna," a New Year's Eve concert beginning at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 31 at the Schuster Center.

The festive concert, encompassing the musicians of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, singers of Dayton Opera and dancers of Dayton Ballet, is respectively spearheaded by DPO artistic director and conductor Neal Gittleman, Dayton Opera artistic director Kathleen Clawson and Dayton Ballet artistic director Karen Russo Burke.

The program opens with the Viennese pomp and circumstance of Wagner's "Under the Double Eagle" March. Next, Johann Strauss's overture to "Die Fledermaus" will be heard followed by "Come scoglio" from Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte." Mozart's aria will be performed by soprano Teresa Perrotta, who will make her Dayton Opera debut.

Then, tenor Alec Carlson, also making his Dayton Opera debut, will take the stage for Schubert's dreamy "Nacht und Traüme," featuring Dayton Ballet. In fact, dancers Emily Luria, Marie Tender, Lukas Pringle and Isaac Jones will represent the company.

The first half of the program also features Richard Strauss's overture to Act 1 of his orchestral suite "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme," Perrotta and Carlson's love duet "Gluck das mir verlieb" from Korngold's 1920 opera "The Dead City," and the third movement of Khachaturian's melodic Violin Concerto. The concerto, spotlighting acting DPO concertmaster Aurelian Oprea, has been described by NAXOS's Kevin Sutton as a "whirlwind of motion and virtuosity."

Johann Strauss's "Express Polka" opens the second half of the program followed by Perrotta's rendition of Hungarian composer Emmerich Kalman's "Heia in den Bergen" from his charming operetta "The Gypsy Princess," and Carlson's rendition of the romantic "Yours is My Heart Alone" from Franz Lehar's operetta "The Land of Smiles."

Next, Dayton Ballet returns with choreography by the aforementioned Jones to Beethoven's "German Dances, WoO 8." The concert also returns to the repertoire of composer Lehar and his classic operetta "The Merry Widow" as Perrotta and Carlson perform the final romantic waltz duet "Lips Stay Silent."

The evening closes with the gorgeous "Blue Danube Waltz" from Johann Strauss II, "Radetzky's March" from Johann Strauss I, and the traditional, nostalgic "Auld Lang Syne."

A complimentary flute of champagne at intermission and a colorful climactic balloon drop will also be a part of the festivities.

HOW TO GO

What: "New Year's Eve: Return to Vienna"

Where: Schuster Center, Second and Main Streets, Dayton

When: Friday, Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Cost: $5-$50

Tickets: Call 937-228-3630 or visit daytonperformingarts.org.

FYI: Masks are required for all patrons over the age of 6