Performances Magazine: June 2022 @ The Wallis

PLUS: Jordan Bak, Geneva Lewis & Evren Ozel, Grauman Fellow Artem Diaz Kolesov Fominyx VIOLIN, Writers Bloc Presents An Evening with Jane Smiley DAVID ULIN, MODERATOR

THE WALLIS BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2022/2023

Michael Nemeroff

CHAIRMAN, BOARD OF DIRECTORS

David C. Bohnett

CHAIRMAN, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Arnold S. Rosenstein

EXECUTIVE VICE CHAIR & ASSISTANT TREASURER

Honorable Vicki Reynolds

VICE CHAIR, DEVELOPMENT

Ronald D. Rosen

VICE CHAIR, OPERATIONS & SECRETARY

Susan Strauss

VICE CHAIR, PLANNING & ASSISTANT SECRETARY

Jonathan A. Victor TREASURER

Arnon Adar

Ahsan Aijaz

Debbie Allen

Wallis Annenberg

Pamela Beck

John Bendheim

Thomas J. Blumenthal

MeraLee Goldman

Bruce Goldsmith

Carol Goldsmith

Laura Gordon

Halle Hammond

Chad Hummel

Cinny Kennard

Donald P. Kivowitz

Agnes Lew

Mark Louchheim

Sandra Barros Lowy

Linda May

Daphna Nazarian

Gretchen Pace

Arline Pepp

Ron Simms

Stephanie Vahn

Gregory Annenberg

Weingarten

Grant Withers

Richard S. Ziman

FOUNDING CHAIRMAN

Bram Goldsmith*

FOUNDING PRESIDENT

Paul Selwyn*

CHAIRMAN EMERITUS

Jerry Magnin

PRESIDENT EMERITUS

Richard Rosenzweig*

LIFETIME TRUSTEES

Les Bider | Eunice David

Max Salter* | Luanne Wells*

*IN MEMORIAM

A six-week performing arts intensive for students ages8-16!

Students will engage in daily dance, music, and theater classes while rehearsing for a culminating ticketed performance. Every week, performers, designers, technicians, and musical theater professionals will provide master classes in addition to their performing arts curriculum. The experience culminates with a performance for friends and family in the Bram Goldsmith Theater @ The Wallis.

LIMITED ENROLLMENT. REGISTER TODAY!

THEWALLIS.ORG/ SUMMERINTENSIVE

ROBERT VAN LEER | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CEO

PRESENTS

JORDAN BAK VIOLA

GENEVA LEWIS VIOLIN EVREN OZEL PIANO

PROGRAM

CLAUDE DEBUSSY

Violin Sonata

ROBERT SCHUMANN

Fantasiestucke, Op. 73

W.A. MOZART

Duo for Violin and Viola in G Major, K. 423

Intermission

MAX REGER

Piano Trio No. 1 in B Minor, Op. 2

JUNE 1, 2023 AT 7:30 PM

Bram Goldsmith Theater

Running Time: 90 minutes, including a 20-minute intermission.

JORDAN BAK (viola) Award-winning Jamaican-American violist Jordan Bak is building an exciting international career as a trailblazing artist, praised for his radiant stage presence and robust alto sound. The 2021 YCAT Robey Artist and a top laureate of the 2020 Sphinx Competition, Bak is also a Grand Prize winner and Audience Prize recipient of the 2019 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition and the 2019 John White Special Prize from the Tertis International Viola Competition. In addition, Bak is a featured artist for WQXR’s Artist Propulsion Lab. Highlights of the 2021-2022 season include recital debuts at Wigmore Hall, Merkin Concert Hall & Baltimore’s Shriver Hall, chamber music tours with Musicians from Marlboro and CAG on Tour, and new music commissions from such composers as Tyson Davis, Shawn Okpebholo & James Ra. A proud new music advocate, Bak gave the world premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s Du gick, flög for viola and mezzo-soprano and the viola premiere of Jessica Meyer’s Excessive Use of Force. Bak has been a presence at numerous chamber music festivals including the legendary Marlboro Music Festival; he has collaborated and performed with top-level ensembles including Verona Quartet and Merz Trio, and such artists as Jonathan Biss, Lara Downes, and Ani Kavafian. A New York native, Jordan Bak holds degrees from New England Conservatory and The Juilliard School, where he was only the third violist to receive the coveted Artist Diploma. In addition to his performing schedule, Bak serves as Assistant Professor of Viola at Bowling Green State University College of Musical Arts and as returning Viola Faculty for the Classical Music Institute of San Antonio, while giving masterclasses internationally.

GENEVA LEWIS (violin) New Zealand-born violinist Geneva Lewis has forged a reputation as a musician of consummate artistry whose performances speak from and to the heart. Lauded for the “remarkable mastery of her instrument” (CVNC), Geneva is the recipient of a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant and Grand Prize winner of the 2020 Concert Artists Guild Competition. Other recent accolades include Kronberg Academy’s Prince of Hesse Prize, as well as being named a Performance Today Young Artist in Residence and Musical America’s New Artist of the Month. After her solo debut at age 11 with the Pasadena Symphony, Geneva has gone on to perform with orchestras around the world, including appearances with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia, Sarasota Orchestra, Pensacola Symphony, Augusta Symphony, and Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra. In recital, recent and upcoming highlights include performances at Wigmore Hall, Emory University, Kravis Center, and Myra Hess, among others. Passionate about collaboration, Geneva has participated in many chamber music festivals including the Marlboro Music Festival and Ravinia Steans Music Institute. She has had the pleasure of performing with such prominent musicians as Ilya Kaler, Michael Kannen, Kim Kashkashian, Ida Kavafian, Mitsuko Uchida, and the Borromeo String Quartet.

EVREN OZEL (piano) Hailed an “exceptionally gifted artist” by the South Florida Classical Review, pianist Evren Ozel performs frequently throughout the United States as an up-and-coming soloist and chamber musician. Ozel’s playing has earned him success in several major piano competitions, such as the Dublin Competition, the Cooper Competition, and the US National Chopin Competition, the last of which secured him a spot in the biggest piano competition in the world: the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, where he participated in October 2021 and advanced to the quarter-final stage. As a chamber musician, he has performed at Marlboro Music Festival (with artists like Jonathan Biss and Joseph Lin) and ChamberFest Cleveland (with Franklin Cohen and Peter Wiley), and performed twice with the Jupiter Chamber Players in NYC who specialize in non-standard repertoire. Performance venues include apartments in Boston via Groupmuse as well as places like Boston’s Symphony Hall, Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center and New York’s Carnegie Hall. Ozel is currently in the Master of Music program at New England Conservatory, where he has been a student of Wha Kyung Byun since 2014. He is represented by Concert Artists Guild as an Ambassador Prize winner of their 2021 Victor Elmaleh Competition.

PRESENTS

INAUGURAL GRAUMAN FELLOW ARTEM DIAZ KOLESOV FOMINYX

YSAŸE VIOLIN SONATAS NO. 4, 5 & 6

PROGRAM

EUGÈNE YSAŸE (1858-1931)

Sonata No. 4 in E minor

DEDICATED TO FRITZ KREISLER

1. Allemanda

2. Sarabande

In collaboration with The People’s Ensemble

3. Finale

Sonata No. 5 in G Major

DEDICATED TO MATHIEU CRICKBOOM

1. L’aurore

2. Danse Rustique

Sonata No. 6 in E Major

DEDICATED TO MANUEL QUIROGA

SATURDAY, JUNE 3, 2023 AT 7:30 PM

Lovelace Studio Theater

Running Time: 55 minutes, no intermission.

ARTEM DIAZ KOLESOV FOMINYX

(Violinist, Grauman Fellow) is a performing artist from Maloyaroslavetz, Russia. Artem is the first person in his entire family’s history to become a musician and perform professionally. At 8 years old he began to win local competitions and help improve his family’s financial situation by winning awards such as monthly stipends for young artists. Throughout his childhood Artem and his 5 brothers performed folk and Western European classical music in concerts across Russia and Ukraine. After the rapid privatization of education in early 2000’s Russia, his music lessons became incredibly expensive and often had to be paid through savings from his previous winnings as well as the money the family would make by selling his grandparents’ honey on the streets as well as by collecting and donating glass bottles and tin cans that he and his brothers would find on the streets. After winning the International Young Artist violin competition in Tallinn, Estonia, he went on to place 1st and be awarded a Gran Prix at the Freiburg International competition in Germany. Upon winning these contests Artem was invited to perform with the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic at 15 years old, which led to a full scholarship to study with Philippe Djokic at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Canada. While in Canada, Artem won the Canadian National Festival in both solo violin and chamber group categories and soloed with orchestras across the country. An avid chamber musician, Artem has worked with the Ying, Pacifica, Juilliard and Tokai string quartets, and was a guest artist at the St. Cecilia and the Music Room concert series for three seasons, where he performed chamber works alongside professional artists from around the world. While living in Halifax, he continued to volunteer at homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and offer free translation services at non-profit refugee centers. After moving to Chicago to study with Almita Vamos, Artem won the CCPA Competition and performed the Brahms Violin Concerto in the Chicago Symphony Hall. Despite not being allowed to work as an international student and struggling finding housing, he was able to continue performing as a soloist and a chamber player. During this period, as a former member of the Yas Quartet he became a prize winner at the Schoenfeld International Competition in 2016 and a guest artist at Colorado College Music Festival. Currently Artem is working on his Doctorate of Musical Arts under the tutelage of Bing Wang at University of Southern California. A passionate advocate for the arts and education, Artem and his incredible team at the Wallis are developing an artistic project in collaboration with the participants from the neighborhood of West Adams. In the meantime, he also teaches a private piano and violin studio at Yamaha in Torrance, California. Artem believes that every human should have access to free education that does not only provide the necessary tools to individuals of any age and ability, but also empowers them to express themselves confidently as they join billions of humans that came before them on a journey of art-making that spans over a million years.

ABOUT THE GRAUMAN FELLOWSHIP

The Walter and Peggy Grauman Fellowship in Classical Music is made possible by the generosity of performing arts philanthropist and Wallis Ambassador Peggy Parker Grauman and her late husband, Walter Grauman. The Grauman Fellowship in Classical Music, the first ever fellowship program at The Wallis and the first of its type in Los Angeles County, will provide an annual Fellowship Award of $15,000 to advance the career of an exceptionally talented emerging classical pianist or strings musician based in Los Angeles. The program is intended to support the Fellow during the transition from formal education and training to the professional music world. The Fellow will have an inside look at how classical music is programmed, how artists are selected, how shows are marketed, and the essential role of philanthropic support. In addition to receiving a $15,000 Fellowship award, the Grauman Fellow will receive mentorship from The Wallis, including live performance opportunities, guidance related to successful auditioning, and the chance to meet with and learn from leading artists. The Fellow will also be asked to plan and implement a community-based outreach project designed to promote awareness and appreciation of classical music in Los Angeles County. The Wallis will announce the selection of a Grauman Fellow annually. Learn more at TheWallis.org/Grauman.

ABOUT GRoW @ THE WALLIS The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts believes everyone deserves to learn and grow through the arts. Thanks to a generous gift from Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family, our campus includes GRoW @ The Wallis, a wing dedicated to sharing the arts with learners of all ages. Arts learning is integral to all that we do at The Wallis: connecting audiences with the very best in the performing arts; using the power of the arts to build community and address pressing social issues; and responding to critical needs in the greater community through arts leadership, collaboration, and partnership. Our GRoW programs serve youth, serious young artists, and older adults online, in our classrooms, and in our theaters. Learn more at TheWallis.org/GRoW

ROBERT VAN LEER | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CEO

PRESENTS

ALONZO KING LINES BALLET

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & CO-FOUNDER Alonzo King

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CREATIVE DIRECTOR & CO-FOUNDER Robert Rosenwasser

THE COMPANY

Babatunji • Adji Cissoko • Madeline DeVries • Theo Duff-Grant

Lorris Eichinger • Shuaib Elhassan • Joshua Francique • James Gowan • Ilaria Guerra

Maya Harr • Marusya Madubuko • Michael Montgomery • Tatum Quiñónez

PROGRAM

DEEP RIVER

WORLD PREMIERE MAY 13, 2022

CHOREOGRAPHY Alonzo King

ORIGINAL MUSIC Jason Moran, Lisa Fischer

MUSIC Pharoah Sanders, Maurice Ravel, James Weldon Johnson

VOCALS Lisa Fischer

LIGHTING DESIGN Jim French

COSTUME AND SET DESIGN Robert Rosenwasser

SOUND DESIGN Philip Perkins

BALLET MASTER Julia Erickson

LIGHTING SUPERVISOR Seah Johnson

COMPANY MANAGER Brandi Williams

COSTUME CONSTRUCTION Joan Raymond

STAGE MANAGER Byron Roman

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Adam Cook

JUNE 9 - 10, 2023

Bram Goldsmith Theater

Running Time: 65 minutes, no intermission.

Dance @ The Wallis is made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

INSPIRATION FOR DEEP RIVER

Over the first two years of the pandemic, Alonzo King and the artists of LINES worked in confined bubbles at their studios, in outside grassy areas of Golden Gate Park, on a farm in the isolated desert of Wickenburg Arizona, and in other locales in order to build work and not be halted or harmed by the pandemic. Deep River is the result of three years of working in designated time periods in unusual settings.

Along with the compositions of Jason Moran, and the remarkable voice of Ms. Lisa Fischer, the use of spiritual music from the Black and Jewish traditions was selected to address the power of inspiration during difficulty and hope and determination against seemingly impossible odds. Deep River is the call to be fanatically positive regardless of circumstance. To bloom the lotus in the muck. And to look at one another as a family of souls. It points to the imbalance of the intellect without a heart, and the necessity to feel for others as we do for ourselves. It is a love letter to a world writhing in pain. The majority of the company is predominantly on stage, sewn through solos and pas de deux.

STAFF

LEADERSHIP TEAM

Alonzo King

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & CO-FOUNDER

Robert Rosenwasser

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CREATIVE DIRECTOR & CO-FOUNDER

Jane Clifford INTERIM CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Masami Kondo DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

Elizabeth Lopez DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Wynter Martinez DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

Tammy Lai DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

Michael Tiknis

INTERIM DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

FINANCE AND HUMAN RESOURCES

Pam Hagen

PAYROLL MANAGER, CO-FOUNDER

Jeremy Dela Pena

PAYROLL ADMINISTRATOR

Penelope Frank STAFF ACCOUNTANT

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Matthew Trevino VCIO CONSULTANT

DEVELOPMENT

Jessica Browning ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Lavanya Ganganna

DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR

Sydney Hartman MANAGER OF DONOR COMMUNICATION & EVENTS

MARKETING

Jamie Lyons MARKETING MANAGER

Erin McKay

EDITOR/WRITER & CONTENT MANAGER

Mona Baroudi

PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSULTANT

EDUCATION

Marina Hotchkiss BFA PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Jordan Wanderer BFA PROGRAM COORDINATOR/ DANCE CENTER COORDINATOR

Karah M. Abiog TRAINING AND SUMMER PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Linda Lam SUMMER PROGRAM OPERATIONS MANAGER

Mary Carbonara DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

Jamie Carter DANCE CENTER MANAGER

Jamie Wright DANCE CENTER ASSISTANT MANAGER

Alexandra Tiscareno DANCE CENTER ASSOCIATE

Isadora Kolmorgan

FRONT DESK COORDINATOR

COMPANY STAFF

Brandi Williams COMPANY MANAGER

Syam Waymon ASSISTANT TO ALONZO KING

Adam Cook TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Dr. Sonia Bell MEDICAL DIRECTOR

Seah Johnson LIGHTING SUPERVISOR

Philip Perkins SOUND DESIGNER

Joan Raymond COSTUME CONSTRUCTION

Byron Roman STAGE MANAGER

UNITED STATES REPRESENTATION

Selby Artists Management

Margaret Selby, Director mselby@selbyartistsmgmt.com

262 West 38th Street, Suite 1701, New York, NY 10018

EUROPEAN REPRESENTATION

Delta Danse

Thierry DuClos, Director td@deltadanse.com

102 Rue Pasteur, 16600 Magnac sur Touvre, FR

Alonzo King LINES Ballet would like to thank the following funders for their invaluable support:

Additional support provided by:

There is nothing that is made or formed without a line. Straight and Circle encompass all that we see. Whatever can be seen is formed by a line. In mathematics it is a straight or curved continuous extent of length without breadth. Lines are in our fingerprints, the shapes of our bodies, constellations, geometry. It implies genealogical connection, progeny and spoken word. It marks the starting point and finish. It addresses direction, communication, and design. A line of thought. A boundary or eternity. A melodic line. The equator. From vibration or dot to dot it is the visible organization of what we see.”

ALONZO KING LINES BALLET is a celebrated contemporary ballet company that has been guided since 1982 by the artistic vision of acclaimed choreographer Alonzo King. Collaborating with extraordinary composers, musicians, writers, and visual artists from around the world, King draws on a diverse set of deeply rooted cultural traditions, imbuing classical ballet with new expressive potential. He has been heralded as a visionary and thought leader on topics that reach far beyond dance, receiving numerous accolades such as a 2020 Dance Magazine Award. The company brings new works of illuminating beauty to Bay Area audiences in bi-annual home seasons. LINES Ballet’s national and international tours allow the company to share its vision of transformative, revelatory dance through performances worldwide. LINES Ballet is dedicated to training the next generation of artists through its pre-professional Summer Program, Training Program, and Bachelor of Fine Arts Program with Dominican University of California. LINES also makes dance accessible to Bay Area adults and youth through world-class, affordable classes open to the community and free in-school education programs. After San Francisco’s stay-at-home order began in March 2020, all of LINES Ballet’s programs transitioned into the online space. The company also produced a new film series, There Is No Standing Still, which The New York Times and The Guardian included in their respective “Best Dance of 2020” lists.

ALONZO KING LINES Ballet • 26 Seventh Street, San Francisco, California • Tel. 415.863.3040 • linesballet.org • facebook • instagram • twitter

“The term LINES alludes to all that is visible in the phenomenal world.

— ALONZO KING

ALONZO KING (Co-Founder, Artistic Director & Choreographer) Alonzo King has been called a visionary choreographer, who is altering the way we look and think about movement. King calls his works ‘thought structures’, created by the manipulation of energies that exist in matter through laws, which govern the shapes and movement directions of everything that exists. Named as a choreographer with ”astonishing originality” by the New York Times, Alonzo King LINES Ballet has been guided by his unique artistic vision since 1982. King has works in the repertories of the world’s leading ballet and modern companies and has collaborated with distinguished visual artists, musicians and composers across the globe. His work has been recognized for its impact on the cultural fabric of the company’s home in San Francisco, as well as internationally by the dance world’s most prestigious institutions. Named a Master of Choreography by the Kennedy Center in 2005, King is the recipient of the NEA Choreographer’s Fellowship, the Jacob’s Pillow Creativity Award, the US Artist Award in Dance, NY Bessie Award, and the National Dance Project’s Residency and Touring Awards. In 2015 he received the Doris Duke Artist Award in recognition of his ongoing contributions to the advancement of contemporary dance. Joining historic icons in the field, King was named one of America’s “Irreplaceable Dance Treasures” by the Dance Heritage Coalition. He is a former San Francisco commissioner, and a writer and lecturer on humanity and art. Inducted into the California Hall of Fame, King holds an honorary Doctorate from Dominican University, California Institute of the Arts, and The Juilliard School.

ROBERT ROSENWASSER (Co-Founder, Executive Director & Creative Director) Robert Rosenwasser shapes the aesthetic and artistic direction of each project at the Company, including conceptual design and production. In addition to his work with Alonzo King LINES Ballet, he has designed for American Ballet Theater, Ballet de Monte Carlo, Ballet Bejart, the Royal Swedish Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Alvin Ailey American, Dance Theater of Harlem, Ballet Rambert, Joffrey Ballet, and Frankfurt Ballet. Working with Kelsey St. Press, Mr. Rosenwasser has collaborated with artists and poets Richard Tuttle, Kiki Smith, Cecilia Vicuna, Mei-mei Berssenbrugge, and Barbara Guest. This work can be found at the New York Museum of Modern Art in the Department of Books and Illustrated Prints, at the Whitney Museum, and at the Spencer Collection of the New York Public Library. He has been Executive Director of LINES since 2019. Mr. Rosenwasser grew up in New York and attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, Cooper Union, and California Institute of the Arts.

BABATUNJI (Dancer) was born in Portland, Oregon but raised on the Big Island of Hawaii. He received his formal dance training from Center Stage Dance Studio and the University of Hawaii in Hilo before moving to San Francisco to train at the LINES Ballet | Training Program on full scholarship. Babatunji has performed works by diverse choreographers such as Sidra Bell, Amanda Miller, Gregory Dawson, and Maurya Kerr. He has performed overseas in Japan and China and danced with Philein/ ZiRu productions, Maurya Kerr’s tinypistol, and Dawson|Wallace Dance Project. Babatunji joined LINES Ballet in 2013 and danced with the company for six years. Currently, he is a dancer with Post:Ballet and SFDanceworks in San Francisco. He rejoined LINES Ballet in 2021 as a guest artist.

ADJI CISSOKO (Dancer) was born and grew up in Munich, Germany where she trained at the Ballet Academy Munich and graduated with a diploma in dance. Cissoko attended the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre in New York City on full scholarship, before joining the National Ballet of Canada in 2010. In 2012, she was awarded the Patron Award of Merit by the Patrons’ Council Committee of The National Ballet of Canada. Cissoko joined LINES Ballet in 2014. Since then she’s originated many central roles and guested for galas worldwide. Cissoko has given multiple masterclasses and taught classes around the world as part of the company’s outreach program. In 2020, she became certified in health/life coaching and ABT’s National Training Curriculum. Cissoko choreographed her first piece AZIZ for Ballet X in 2021. She is also a 2022 recipient of the Toulmin fellowship.

MADELINE DEVRIES (Dancer) grew up in Southern California studying at the Santa Clarita Ballet Academy. She continued her training at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School and PNBS Professional Division program on full scholarship, spending summers with the Houston Ballet, The Rock School, PNB, and National Ballet of Canada. DeVries apprenticed with the Semperoper Ballet in Dresden, Germany in 2012, and in 2013 she danced with the Seattle based contemporary companies Whim W’Him and Coriolis. DeVries joined LINES Ballet in 2014.

THEO DUFF-GRANT (Dancer) was born in Vancouver, Canada. He studied at Goh Ballet Academy for ten years before completing his training at the Dutch National Ballet Academy. In 2015, he joined the Dutch National Ballet. In 2017, he moved to Saint Petersburg, Russia to join the Mikhailovsky Theatre. In 2022, he joined LINES Ballet.

SHUAIB ELHASSAN (Dancer), from Manhattan’s Lower East Side, began his formal dance training at The Ailey School under the co-direction of Tracy Inman and Melanie Person on a full scholarship. Elhassan has also trained at intensives such as Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts, Jacob’s Pillow, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Elhassan was a member of Complexions Contemporary Ballet during their 2012- 2013 season. Additionally, Elhassan has performed with Life Dance Company, Zest Collective, Dance Iquail, and the Von Howard Project. Elhassan joined LINES Ballet in 2014.

JOSHUA FRANCIQUE (Dancer) was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He began his dance training with Deeply Rooted Dance Theater back in 2015. Joshua continued his training at the Northern Illinois University BFA dance program and, soon after at The Ailey School on a full scholarship. Francique has performed works by Nicole Clark-Springer, Gary Abbott, and Kevin Iega Jeff, to name a few. In 2020, Francique attended the LINES Ballet | Training Program for a year. Joshua joined LINES Ballet in 2022.

JAMES GOWAN (Dancer), from Phoenix, AZ, began dancing at the age of 16 at Tempe Dance Academy. He graduated with a BFA in Dance from Point Park University in 2015. James has danced as a company member with Texture Contemporary Ballet, River North Dance Chicago, and DanceWorks Chicago. James joined LINES Ballet in 2016.

ILARIA GUERRA (Dancer) was born in Torino, Italy. At the age of five, she moved to Palos Verdes Estates, California where she trained in classical ballet at Lauridsen Ballet Center, performing with their pre-professional company, South Bay Ballet. Ilaria graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Alonzo King LINES Ballet | BFA Program at Dominican University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a minor in Arts Management in 2013. She joined dawsondancesf under the direction of Gregory Dawson in 2013. In 2016, Ilaria received an Isadora Duncan Dance Award for Ensemble Performance. Ilaria joined LINES Ballet in 2018 and has had the chance to tour all over the US, Canada, and Europe with the company. In 2022, Ilaria earned her Master’s degree in Arts Administration from Drexel University.

MAYA HARR (Dancer) grew up in Alexandria, Virginia where she studied ballet at The Washington School of Ballet under the tutelage of former LINES Ballet company dancer, Kristina Windom and award-winning choreographer Mimmo Miccolis. As a student, Maya was the recipient of the Mary Day Scholarship and was selected to participate in the Kennedy Center Master Class Series. Maya spent her summers with San Francisco Ballet, PNB, Ballet West, ABT and the Kirov Academy. After graduating from high school, Maya moved to the Bay Area to attend the LINES Ballet | Summer Program and began her training in the LINES Ballet | Training Program. Maya joined LINES Ballet in 2016.

MARUSYA MADUBUKO (Dancer) originally from New York, NY, she began her preprofessional training at age 15 with Premiere Division Ballet under the tutelage of Nadege Hottier. In 2019, Madubuko competed at the Royal Grand Prix in Italy, winning second place for her contemporary and classical solo. She has trained with the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, the Royal Ballet School, and at San Francisco Ballet School where she had the opportunity to dance repertoire including Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcracker and Cinderella, as well as George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In 2021, she participated in BalletUnleashed’s first creative project Switchback, working with choreographer Cathy Marston to create a solo. Madubuko joined LINES Ballet in 2021.

TATUM QUIÑÓNEZ (Dancer) began her training at Master Ballet Academy in Phoenix, Arizona. She then continued her training at Ballet West Academy and the BWA trainee program. She spent her summers at Ballet Arizona, Ballet Austin, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ballet West, and Oregon Ballet Theatre. Quiñónez then joined Oregon Ballet Theatre’s second company, OBT2, in 2019. She has performed works by George Balanchine, August Bournonville, Willam Christensen, Gerald Arpino, Christopher Stowell, James Canfield, and LeeWei Chao. Quiñónez joined LINES Ballet in 2021.

JULIA ERICKSON (Ballet Master) is a former Principal Dancer with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. She joined the company in 2001 and danced 17 seasons with the company, including ten as a Principal Dancer. Erickson began her career with Texas Ballet Theatre. She then danced with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Barak Ballet, and Chamber Dance Project, where she serves as the Ballet Master as well. She was also a guest artist with Suzhou Ballet in 2018 and with LINES Ballet during the 2019/20 season. As a choreographer, Julia has created works for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, and The Dancers’ Trust Fund, among others. She trained on scholarship with Pacific Northwest Ballet School and San Francisco Ballet School. She is a member of the ballet faculty at Point Park University and is also a writer and entrepreneur.

ROBERT VAN LEER | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CEO

AN EVENING WITH AUTHOR JANE SMILEY

MODERATED BY DAVID ULIN

JUNE 15, 2023 AT 7:00 PM

Bram Goldsmith Theater

Running Time: 90 minutes, no intermission.

JANE SMILEY is the author of numerous novels, including A Thousand Acres, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, and the Last Hundred Years Trilogy: Some Luck, Early Warning, and Golden Age. Her novel Horse Heaven was shortlisted for the Orange Prize, and Some Luck was longlisted for the National Book Award. Most recently, she authored The Questions That Matter Most: Reading, Writing, and the Exercise of Freedom, a book that reflects on the literature that has meant the most to her. From Icelandic sagas to Mark Twain, from Little Women to Jessica Mitford and Harriet Beecher Stowe, Smiley explores what connects us to the stories we love, and why. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, she has also received the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature. She lives in Northern California.

DAVID L. ULIN is the author or editor of ten books, including Sidewalking: Coming to Terms with Los Angeles (University of California Press, 2015), shortlisted for the PEN/DiamonsteinSpielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay; The Lost Art of Reading: Books and Resistance in a Troubled Time (Sasquatch Books, 2018), and Writing Los Angeles: A Literary Anthology (Library of America, 2002), which won a California Book Award. He is currently editing the Collected Works of Joan Didion for the Library of America. The former book editor and book critic of the Los Angeles Times, he has also written for The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, The New Yorker, The Nation, The New York Times, Bookforum, The Paris Review, Black Clock, Virginia Quarterly Review, AGNI, Zyzzyva, Columbia Journalism Review, and National Public Radio's All Things Considered.

A former member of the Board of Directors of the National Book Critics Circle and the PEN Center USA, he is the recipient of a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, a Tom and Mary Gallagher Fellowship from Black Mountain Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a Lannan Foundation Residency Fellowship. He teaches at the University of Southern California, and lives in Los Angeles.

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The Wallis is committed to accommodating and ensuring a pleasant experience for all of our patrons with special needs or disabilities. Please contact Ticket Services, our House Manager or an usher to discuss your needs.

LATE SEATING

Should you arrive late for any performance or need to leave your seat during the performance, please expect to be held in the lobby until an appropriate moment or pause. To minimize any disturbance to other patrons, you may be seated in the first available locations by our staff even if different than your assigned seat locations. Please also be advised that some performances or circumstances may not allow for late seating or return seating.

LARGE PRINT PROGRAMS

The Front of House Staff is happy to provide programs with larger print to patrons upon request.

In The Bram Goldsmith Theater

TELECOIL INDUCTION SYSTEM FOR HEARING ASSISTANCE

A state of the art “hearing loop”—a thin copper wire—has been installed beneath the floor of the orchestra seating in the Bram Goldsmith Theater. For guests wearing a hearing aid with a copper telecoil wire or who have a cochlear implant, the system captures electromagnetic waves and broadcasts signals directly to your hearing aid device. For assistance, please inquire with Patron Services.

Gifted by Virginia and Frank Maas.

QUIET ROOM

The Lynn and Les Bider Family Foundation

Quiet Room is available during the performance for patrons who wish or need to step away for a moment. You can still see and hear the performance in progress, but we can’t hear you.

310.475.3540

THE WALLIS IS PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY: ENJOY LOCAL DINING

 PLATINUM CIRCLE

The Ahmanson Foundation

Annenberg Foundation/ Wallis Annenberg & Kris Levine

Dan Clivner

The Seattle Foundation/

Katharyn A. Gerlich

The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation 

Bruce Goldsmith

Peggy Parker Grauman*

GRoW @ Annenberg Foundation/ Gregory Annenberg Weingarten & Family

Los Angeles County

Department of Arts & Culture

Anahita and Jim Lovelace

Meeghan and Michael Nemeroff

Ralph M. Parsons Foundation

Arline and Buddy Pepp

Dwight Stuart Youth Fund

Vanity Fair

Luanne Wells*

 GOLD CIRCLE

Camille and Arnon Adar

Ahsan Aijaz

Jacqueline* and Clarence Avant

Leon Lowenstein Foundation/ John M. Bendheim 

Thomas J. Blumenthal

David C. Bohnett

Colburn Foundation

Carol Goldsmith

Halle and Oliver Hammond

Chad Hummel and Tara Church

Stacey and Donald Kivowitz

Agnes Lew

Cathy and Mark Louchheim

Peter Lowy

Nigel Lythgoe OBE

Matt Construction

Daphna Nazarian

Neiman Marcus

Linda May and Jack Suzar

The Estate of Ted and Hedy Orden

Vicki Reynolds and Murray Pepper

Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Rosenstein

Ruby Family Foundation/ Wendy and Ken Ruby

Stephanie & Howard Sherwood

The Simms/Mann Family Foundation

Susan and Peter Strauss

Leon and Stephanie Vahn

Jonathan A. Victor

May and Richard Ziman

 SILVER CIRCLE

Anonymous

City of Beverly Hills

Lynn and Les Bider

Family Foundation

Anoosheh Bostani

Capital Group Companies

Charitable Foundation

Louise and Brad Edgerton

Lisa FIeld

Hon. MeraLee Goldman

Betty Hayman

Morris & Shîla Hazan Charitable Fund

Ronnie and Barbara Kahn

Sandra Krause & William Fitzgerald

Elisabeth and Jeffrey Lipsman

National Endowment for the Arts

Gloria and Richard Pink

Koni and Geoffrey Rich

Karen Sulzberger and Eric Lax

Bob Tuttle & Maria Hummer-Tuttle

Catherine and Grant Withers

 DIRECTORS CIRCLE

Beverly Hills Rotary Community Foundation

Dale Cochran

Bonnie and Ronald Fein

The Feintech Family Foundation

Sonia and Robert Freedman

Helene and Louis Galen Family Foundation

Kiki and David Gindler

Debra Holstein

Ronnie and Barbara Kahn

David Lee Foundation

Anu Leemann

Karen and Walter Loewenstern

Virginia and Francis S. Maas

Michal Amir Salkin and Kenneth H. Salkin

Ronald and Carole Sasiela

Moshe and Helen Sassover

The Selwyn/Wyatt Families

The Younes & Soraya

Nazarian Family Foundation

 AMBASSADORS

Laura and Harvey Alpert

Judith and Thomas Beckmen

Martha and Barry Berkett

Robert and Elissa Bregman

Consulate General of Israel

Eunice David

Mrs. Diane Deshong

Honorable Donna Ellman Garber

Mimi Alpert Feldman

Judy O. and Robert T. Flesh

Friars Charitable Foundation

Anita Dann Friedman

Benita and Bert Ginsberg

Lou and Kelly Gonda

Vera and Paul Guerin

Bucky Hazan & Eva Aaronson

Dr. Ariella D. Herman

Susan Howard

Mark and Freya Ivener

Jewish Community Foundation

Laurie and Lyn Konheim

Ronald and Stephanie Kramer

Pamela and Bob Krupka

Tamara and David Lachoff

Deborah Laub and Eddie Israel

Lawry’s The Prime Rib

Barbara and Joel Marcus

Cookie Miller

Joanne Mogy

The Estate of Leah and William Molle

Ann Mulally

Lawrence Murphy

Ilene and Jeff Nathan

Suzanne Papaian

Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts

Jane Rascoff

Ron Rosen and Judi Lawenda

Barbara Ruben

Thomas Safran

Marc Selwyn Fine Arts

Joan and Paul Selwyn

In memory of Gail Silver

Lisa Sockolov

Melissa Rosenberg and Lev L. Spiro

Elaine and Ronald Stein

I.H. Sutnick

Elizabeth Topkis

Andrea Van de Kamp

Rayni Williams

Marc Zachary

 ENTHUSIAST

Robert and Jeanie Anderson

Caherine Glynn Benkaim

David Brecher

Robert and Elissa Bregman

Judy Briskin

Richard Bronson

Barbara Bruser

Linda Burrow

Rosette Varda Delug

Laura Donnelly

Patricia Feldman

Diane Futterman

Howard Gleicher

Richard and Harriet Gold

Dr. Phillip Green and Dr. Neerad Varshney

Marty and Eden Halfon

Carolyn and Bernard Hamilton

Lynn and Bruce Heymont

Steven Jones

Deborah Bach Kallick

Sally Karbelnig

Patricia Keating and Bruce Hayes

Elodie Keene and Bruce Fortune

Joanne C. Kozberg

Stewart and Grace Krakover

Susan and George Krouse

Renee Kumetz

Pearle Rae & Mark Levey

Anita Lorber

Cornelius and Andrea Littlejohn

Marlene Louchheim

Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP

Jeannette Mandelbaum

The Marks Family Foundation

Jeanne and Leonard Marks

Frank and Virginia Maas

Cynthia McGranahan and Lyle Dawn

Charles and Dori Mostov

Mahnaz and David Newman

Phylis Nicolayevsky

Lee Ramer

Herbert and Felice Reston

Dan Ricketts

Brandi Roth and Bruce Clemens

Ann Sunshine

Joel Wachs

Janice and Daniel Wallace

Les Weinstein

Richard and Patricia Wilson

Keenan Wolens

Hailey Yoo

Victoria Zalben

Walter Zifkin

* = IN MEMORIAM

 = MULTI-YEAR COMMITMENT EXCLUSIVE HOTEL SPONSOR

THE WALLIS IS THE PROUD RECIPIENT OF GENEROUS SUPPORT AND RECOGNITION FROM

SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM

Robert van Leer

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CEO

Kurt J. Swanson

ACTING CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Christine Bernardi Weil DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Joel Hile DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Erin Mahan

DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Coy Middlebrook

ACTING CHIEF ARTISTIC OFFICER

Manuel Prieto

DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

Edward L. Rada

INTERIM CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

David Truly

DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS

Michelle Wiesel

GENERAL MANAGER

ARTISTIC

Camille Jenkins

PROGRAMMING MANAGER

Meghan Ripchik ARTISTIC COORDINATOR

DEVELOPMENT

Peter Indall

DIRECTOR OF INDIVIDUAL GIVING

Summer Grubaugh

DONOR EVENTS MANAGER

Loren Hayes

INSTITUTIONAL GIVING COORDINATOR

Debra Steckler

DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR

Lisa Cowell Shams

SPECIAL ADVISOR TO THE COMPREHENSIVE CAMPAIGN

EDUCATION / GROW @ THE WALLIS

Debra Pasquerette DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE AGING PROGRAMS

Rachel Kilroy

EDUCATION PROGRAM MANAGER

Pat Taylor

EDUCATION PROGRAMS COORDINATOR

Will Nedved

CREATIVE AGING TEACHING ARTIST

Dan Oliverio

CREATIVE AGING TEACHING ARTIST

Michelle Rearick

GRAUMAN FELLOWSHIP ADVISOR

Annalise Englert

EDUCATION ASSISTANT

MARKETING

Chandra Jackson

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Hannah Burnett

DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER

Libby Huebner

Laura Stegman

PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSULTANTS

Studio Fuse

GRAPHIC DESIGN CONSULTANTS

PRODUCTION

Samantha Else INTERIM DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION

Lauren Wemischner* LIGHTING SUPERVISOR

Sean Kozma* AUDIO VIDEO SUPERVISOR

Joshua Shelden* ASSISTANT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Joseph Skowronski*

LIGHTING COORDINATOR

Jose Miguel Cortes*

AUDIO VIDEO COORDINATOR

Joyce Maddox

PRODUCTION ADMINISTRATOR

Bryant Heatherly

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION

April Clements

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE CLERK

Emily Bisno

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CEO

FACILITIES

Roland Henriquez

FACILITIES MANAGER

TICKET SERVICES

Jacob Houser

ASSISTANT TICKET SERVICES MANAGER

Tori Long

TICKET OPERATIONS SPECIALIST

Eric Latham

Bradley Roa

SENIOR TICKET SERVICES ASSOCIATES

FRONT OF HOUSE

Bryan Puckett

AUDIENCE SERVICES MANAGER

Nick Johnson

Piatrice Shekerjian

HOUSE MANAGERS

Laura Long

Ann McDowell

Timm Carney

GRAND HALL GREETERS

USHERS

Ruby Arreguin

Diana Borja

Annabel Chick

Jacqui Creekmore

Hector Eribez

Brandon Fricke

Judith Halle

Ruby Layne

Adam Linde

Casey McDougal

Itzhak Matos

Charlie Pinel

James Poulin

Allie Stratton

The City of Beverly Hills collects both waste refuse and recyclables in the same container.

WARNING: The photographic or sound recording of any performance or the possession of any device for such photographic or sound recording inside the theater, without the written permission of the management, is prohibited by law. Violators may be punishable by ejection and violations may render the offender liable for money damages.

* The noted staff employed by The Wallis are members of the IATSE union.