Boston Conservatory at Berklee Announces Center Stage Performances for Spring 2023
Boston, MA (January 17, 2023)—Boston Conservatory at Berklee is pleased to announce the spring lineup for its curated performance collection, Center Stage, which offers exceptional programming in dance, music, and theater. The lineup includes crowd favorites Into the Woods and The Marriage of Figaro, a varied Boston Conservatory Orchestra performance featuring African American composer Ulysses Kay’s The Southern Harmony, and a dance concert presenting epic masterwork constructions and exciting world premieres by highly sought-after choreographers.
The spring series will begin with Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning musical Into the Woods from March 30 to April 2. Putting a dark and comical spin on classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales, Into the Woods tells a cautionary tale in which everyone is delighted that their wish is granted—until the consequences of their actions make them question their motives and relationships. Coming off a critically acclaimed Broadway revival, this production marks Boston Conservatory’s premiere of Into the Woods, one of the most celebrated musicals of all time. This production will be directed by associate professor M. Bevin O’Gara, with music directing and conducting by professor Eric Stern.
On Saturday, April 8, Boston Conservatory Orchestra will present Songs of Reflection and Joy at Groton Hill Music Center. Conductor and Professor Bruce Hangen will lead the orchestra through a spectacular program that embraces the changing season. The lineup includes an instrumental excerpt from Richard Wagner’s final opera, Parsifal, in which the character Parsifal on Good Friday “gazes in gentle rapture on wood and meadow, which are now glowing in the morning light;” Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Russian Easter Overture, an ode to nature’s bright awakening after a long and somnolent winter; and the warming songs “Aylesbury,” “The Heavenly March,” “Wondrous Love,” and “Saint's Delight,” from African American composer Ulysses Kay’s The Southern Harmony. This performance will also feature a solo student performance by the 2022–2023 Boston Conservatory at Berklee Concerto Competition winner, who will be announced this spring.
From April 13 to 15, Boston Conservatory opera students will perform Mozart's beloved opera Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro). Last performed at the school in 2016, the opera will return to the Boston Conservatory stage in a gorgeous physical production borrowed from the Maryland Lyric Opera. Le nozze di Figaro takes audiences through one wild day in the court of Count Almaviva—the wedding day of his servant Figaro to Susanna. The masterfully comic tale follows the adventures of wily servant Figaro and his beloved Susanna as they unravel numerous complications and foil nefarious plots to prevent their marriage. This production will be conducted by acclaimed guest artist Joseph Mechavich, with stage direction by associate professor David Gately.
The spring Center Stage season will conclude with the annual spring dance concert, Limitless, from April 27 to 30. The lineup for this year’s showcase includes three epic masterwork reconstructions: 18+1 by Gustavo Sansano, D-Man in the Waters by Bill T. Jones, and The Constant Shift of Pulse by Doug Varone. In addition, globally renowned and highly in-demand Canadian choreographer Aszure Barton will create a new work specially for Boston Conservatory students—one of the rare times the choreographer has accepted a commission to generate new work for a college dance program. The piece will premiere at Limitless, alongside the masterwork reconstructions.
Tickets for spring Center Stage performances can be purchased online or in person at the Berklee Performance Center, located at 136 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston starting on Tuesday, January 17. For questions about purchasing tickets or attending a performance, contact the Berklee Box Office at boxoffice@berklee.edu or at 617-747-2261. Learn more and view all upcoming Boston Conservatory events at bostonconservatory.berklee.edu/events.