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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.

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  2. Episode 62: Hear the Dance: Helgi Tomasson (Part 1)

Episode 62: Hear the Dance: Helgi Tomasson (Part 1)

Apr 19, 2022

On this week’s Hear the Dance episode of City Ballet the Podcast, join host Silas Farley for an in-depth conversation with former NYCB Principal Dancer Helgi Tomasson. In Part 1, Tomasson shares his journey from childhood in his native Iceland to joining the Company at age 26. In between, Tomasson auditioned for Jerome Robbins’ Ballet USA, gaining a significant fan in the choreographer; discovered the States while on tour with the Joffrey Ballet; danced for six years with the Harkness Ballet; and won the silver medal following an adventure-filled performance at the First International Ballet Competition in Moscow in 1969. Tune in to Part 2 for more of Tomasson’s fascinating story. (45:15)

Written by Silas Farley
Edited by Emilie Silvestri

MUSIC:
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major (1931) by Igor Stravinsky
Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by Igor Stravinsky
Le Baiser de la Fée (1928) by Igor Stravinsky
Aria with Variations in G, BWV 988 (1742), "The Goldberg Variations" by Johann Sebastian Bach
Symphony No. 1 in C major (1855) by Georges Bizet

All music performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra

READING LIST:
The Joffrey Ballet: Robert Joffrey and the Making of an An American Dance Company by Sasha Anawalt
The Stravinsky Festival of The New York City Ballet Written and Edited by Nancy Goldner Thirty Years: Lincoln Kirstein’s The New York City Ballet by Lincoln Kirstein
Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Amanda Vaill
San Francisco Ballet at Seventy-Five by Janice Ross; Preface by Brigitte LeFévre; Foreword by Allan Ulrich
How Helgi Tomasson Reshaped S.F. Ballet to World-Class Renown by Rachel Howard