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Boise Phil Maestro Eric Garcia and Ballet Idaho Artistic Director Garrett Anderson are always scheming for new ways to work together. So, when the opportunity came for a collaboration between the Boise Phil and Ballet Idaho, the two could not pass it up.
“What we loved about Rodion Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite from a few years ago and what the audience reacted so strongly to was the fact that we were both onstage,” says Garcia. “We were sharing the stage and making this beautiful art together. So, for me, it was a matter of finding that particular work that would facilitate us both occupying the stage again in some way.”
October’s Sound in Motion will be a true collaboration with the audience seeing both companies performing together, but also in the sense of nitty gritty mechanics. The two organizations have collaborated on everything from ticket sales, to fundraising, to marketing and producing this show. The process began with quite a few late night texts.
“We will sometimes text each other with ideas in the middle of the night, and the thread might go on for months,” laughs Anderson.
“The concept started with Stravinsky,” adds Garcia. “And that was because we knew we could fit the orchestra forces as that piece calls for a smaller orchestra. It is slightly smaller than you might get with, let’s say, a Tchaikovsky.”
Famed choreographer Justin Peck’s Pulcinella Variations, set to Stravinsky’s score of the same name and originally choreographed for the New York City Ballet, was the obvious first choice.
“I’ve been talking to Justin for years, trying to find the right piece to do for Ballet Idaho, and this was it,” Anderson says. “And we will be the first company other than NYCB to perform it, which is really an honor.”
Pulcinella Variations will close out the show, while the opener is Tchaikovsky’s dreamy The Sleeping Beauty Suite, allowing the audience to gear up for Ballet Idaho’s full production of the fairytale in May. Following this classical piece is Terrence Marling’s Twice(Once), a poignant and stirring piece that contemplates the afterlife, set to the stunning music of contemporary composer Anna Clyne’s Within Her Arms.
“What is so interesting about Anna Clyne’s piece from the Boise Phil perspective is that it is a smaller group of musicians and Clyne gives a very specific diagram,” Garcia explains. “It is very unlike anything our musicians usually experience because all of the musicians are standing except for the basses and the cellos. So, if you were to watch this piece in a concert setting, it is visually very arresting. In addition to what Ballet Idaho will be doing in front of us, the Phil will be doing their own kind of visual interpretation of the piece. That, in itself, makes it really exciting."
A collaboration of this scale is not without its challenges, however. With two large organizations sharing the stage, it is important to do it in such a way that the dancing or musical arrangement isn’t diminished.
“That’s where I relied on Eric’s knowledge of what arrangements could work and what pieces would be physically possible to coexist,” says Anderson. “Even though the Morrison Center stage is vast, we didn’t want one part of the collaboration to suffer. And of course, we perform every year with the Boise Phil for The Nutcracker but for that show, the musicians are in the orchestra pit, not onstage with the dancers.”
During the annual performances of The Nutcracker, Garcia has a maestro’s unobstructed VIP view of the stage. The musicians do not. In a delightful twist, for Sound in Motion, Garcia’s back will now be to the dancers and the orchestra will get the visual front row seat. “I’ll be looking at the orchestra, but also kind of peering over my shoulder and doing a little side eye, just to make sure we are all moving together,” Garcia laughs.
“Honestly, when we share a dressing room during The Nutcracker, that’s when a lot of our scheming happens,” Anderson adds. “And it's great to finally see it come to life in Sound in Motion. It’s going to be such a celebratory moment. I would say to our audience, there is absolutely no reason to not be there and celebrate both of these organizations.”
When asked if the two will anticipate trying something like this again, Anderson and Garcia are back to plotting.
“Well, there’s certainly no shortage of ideas, it's just a matter of timing and planning,” says Garcia.
“We are percolating some ideas for down the road,” Anderson agrees. “I think you’ll definitely see more of Ballet Idaho and the Boise Phil together.
Sound in Motion runs October 25-27, 2024 at the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets can be purchased here.
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