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Welcome to City Ballet The Podcast, an exploration of New York City Ballet introduced by Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford, where we'll journey through our history, delve into our new and existing repertory, and reveal insider tidbits.

The Rosin Box with Claire Kretzschmar and Aarón Sanz

The Rosin Box gives you the opportunity to listen in on candid conversations with members of the New York City Ballet. Hosted by NYCB Soloist Aarón Sanz and recently retired Soloist Claire Kretzschmar, these episodes take you behind-the-scenes, offering you exclusive insight into the lives of the Company’s dancers.

New Combinations with Wendy Whelan

During our performance season, New York City Ballet showcases recent works from some of the most influential choreographers working today. Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan hosts the New Combinations episodes, where she talks to the choreographers and other artists behind the unique new works premiering this season at New York City Ballet.

Hear the Dance 

Explore our expansive repertory, from the earliest Balanchine works to more recent classics, with an insider’s take on the Company’s rich history with Hear the Dance. Taking on a new ballet each episode, the host is joined by many key players, from original cast members to ballet masters to current NYCB dancers, who share their personal experiences performing and coaching works from our illustrious repertory.

See the Music with Andrew Litton

In See the Music, New York City Ballet’s Music Director Andrew Litton takes us off the stage and into the orchestra pit, giving listeners an in-depth look at the scores from some of our most notable ballets, featuring discussions with both orchestra members and commissioned composers.

Apr 28, 2025

Silas Farley returns with another Hear the Dance conversation, focusing this week on the George Balanchine pas de deux Sonatine, choreographed in 1975 as the opening ballet for the company's Ravel Festival. Repertory Director Christine Redpath shares memories of performing in that festival and of watching Sonatine's original dancers Violette Verdy and the late Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, commemorated in this episode by former Principal Dancer Peter Boal, while Principal Dancer Megan Fairchild describes the ways in which this ballet taught her that a single piece can have "many textures." (56:31)

Written by Silas Farley 
Edited by Emilie Silvestri

Music:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Sonatine for Piano (1905) by Maurice Ravel
All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra, All Sonatine excerpts played by NYCB Solo Pianist Elaine Chelton

Reading List: 
Thirty Years: The New York City Ballet by Lincoln Kirstein
Repertory in Review: Forty Years of The New York City Ballet by Nancy Reynolds, with an Introduction by Lincoln Kirstein
Balanchine Then and Now Edited by Anne Hogan
Mr. B: George Balanchine’s 20th Century by Jennifer Homans
Ravel by Roger Nichols
Maurice Ravel: A Life by Benjamin Ivry
The Cambridge Companion to Ravel by Deborah Mawer
Ballerina: A Biography of Violette Verdy by Victoria Huckenpahler
Violette Verdy by Dominique Delouche and Florence Poudrou