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Solange Knowles will compose her first score for a ballet company and it’s set to debut with the New York City Ballet this fall. It’ll be only the second time a Black woman has created a score for the ballet.
The score, which will be choreographed by Gianna Reisen, will premiere at the Fall Fashion Gala on September 28 at Lincoln Center and will also be performed this October and next May. A Grammy-Award-winning singer, songwriter, and visual artist, Knowles wrote the piece for a chamber ensemble. It’ll be performed by some of the composer’s frequent musical collaborators, along with members of the New York City Ballet Orchestra.
Expect the costumes to shine alongside the music. Costumes made by fashion designer Alejandro Gómez Palomo for Palomo Spain will feature Swarovski crystals, and they’ll be sure to dazzle under the lighting design created by the ballet’s resident lighting director Mark Stanley.
If, by chance, you have a few thousand dollars to spare, the show’s premiere at the Fall Fashion Gala promises to be a star-studded event celebrating music, dance, and fashion. It’ll honor Sarah Jessica Parker, who serves on the ballet’s board of directors.
Otherwise, to see the show, tickets start at $38 and are on sale now.
Knowles’ 2019 album, “When I Get Home,” scored her third Top 10 debut on the Billboard 200, reached #1 on iTunes, and kicked off a global tour. In addition to her album success, the Houston native has also performed for President Barack Obama at the White House and conducted performance art shows across the world. She was named Harvard University’s Artist of the Year in 2018 and received NYU’s Global Trailblazer Award for Creative and Artistic Excellence.
Continuing her trailblazing career path, she’s one of only two Black women to have a score commissioned by the city’s ballet.
“Solange is the second Black woman to have a score commissioned by New York City Ballet,” according to a statement from the ballet. “Lido Pimienta, who composed the score for ‘sky to hold,’ choreographed by Andrea Miller in 2021, was the first.”
STOP EVERYTHING!!!! SOLANGE WROTE A PIECE FOR THE NEW YORK CITY BALLET ORCHESTRA!! What I was doing last year 🥹😭🙏🏽😩❤️ I HOPE I GET TO EXPERIENCE IT LIVE ❤️🙏🏽 taking over those spaces is so intimidating but we are here and doing the thing! She is the 3rd woman to ever do it!
— Lido Pimienta (@LidoPimienta) August 16, 2022
In an Instagram post, Solange Knowles wrote that she’s “very excited to announce i’ve composed an original score for the New York City Ballet.” On social media, her mom Tina Knowles wrote “I am beyond proud of Solange ! She is always kicking down doors and opening doors for other Artist of Color!”