Something quite wonderful has happened that I would like to share with fans of my novel.  Last year I received a direct message through Facebook from the venerable artistic director of the Tulsa Ballet, Marcello Angelini.  The Tulsa Ballet is one of the country’s oldest and most esteemed ballet companies. He wanted me to know that he had read “Pyotr Ilyich” (now re-published as “Fate”) and that he was so taken with my story that he decided to produce, from scratch, a full evening-length ballet about the life of Tchaikovsky!  

The moment was surreal for me of course, and once I came back to Earth and thought about what this really meant, I was ecstatic.  While the libretto does not follow the exact course of Tchaikovsky’s life as described in my novel, I am pleased that this ballet means more people will be exposed to the composer’s work and general persona.

Well, the choreography and casting are now complete, the sets and costumes are ready, the music (some original, and the rest compiled from the great composer) are now set in a new score.  The New Zealand Ballet, whose technical crew is collaborating on this project, has arrived in Oklahoma and things are moving at a hurried pace towards the premiere date at the gorgeous Tulsa Performing Arts Center.  The new ballet is titled “Tchaikovsky – the man behind the music.”  You can purchase tickets right on their website.  Here are all the exciting details:

Artistic Director: Marcello Angelini, Choreography: Ma Cong, Costume & set design: Tracy Grant Lord, and Musicologist: Oliver P. Graber.  Premiere dates are March 29-31, 2019.

Photo courtesy of the Tulsa Ballet