Solange Knowles will compose her first score for a ballet company and will make her debut with New York City Ballet this fall. It will only be 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 in October and May. A Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and visual artist, Knowles wrote the piece for a chamber ensemble. It will be performed by some of the composer’s frequent musical collaborators, as well as 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 be adorned with Swarovski crystals, and they’re sure to dazzle under the lighting design created by the ballet’s resident lighting director, Mark Stanley.
If, by any chance, you have a few thousand dollars to spend, the runway premiere at the Fall Fashion Gala promises to be a star-studded event celebrating music, dance and fashion. He will pay tribute to Sarah Jessica Parker, who sits 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,” marked her third Top 10 debut on the Billboard 200, reached No. 1 on iTunes and launched a world tour. In addition to her album success, the Houston native has also performed for President Barack Obama at the White House and has led performance art shows around 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 pioneering career, she is one of only two black women to have a score commissioned by the city 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 WRITTEN A PIECE FOR THE NEW YORK CITY BALLET ORCHESTRA!! What I was doing last year 🥹😭🙏🏽😩❤️ HOPE I COME LIVE ❤️🙏🏽 taking over these spaces is so daunting but we are here and doing the thing! She is the 3rd woman to do so!
— Lido Pimienta (@LidoPimienta) August 16, 2022
In an Instagram post, Solange Knowles wrote that she was “very excited to announce that I have composed an original score for New York City Ballet.” On social media, her mom Tina Knowles wrote, “I’m beyond proud of Solange! She’s always kicking down doors and opening doors for other artists of color!