Events
Classic Series
The Nutcracker Ballet
Saturday
Nov 28, 2026
2:00PM & 7:00PM
Sunday
Nov 29, 2026
2:00PM
Alberta Bair Theater
2801 3rd Ave N
$10-80
Michelle Di Russo, Guest Conductor
San Diego Ballet
Billings School of Classical Ballet
A time-honored classic, The Nutcracker Ballet has wowed the Billings community for over 45 years now. From the battle of the Mouse King to the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, the vibrant storytelling will keep even the unruliest of children—and adults—captivated. With stunning choreography, dazzling costumes, and the magical sound of the Billings Symphony Orchestra, it’s no wonder this concert is a must see!
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
The Nutcracker Ballet
-
The Nutcracker premiered in St. Petersburg in 1892 - "The Nutcracker" ballet premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg on December 18, 1892. It was performed along with Tchaikovsky's one-act opera "Iolanta."
-
Two Different Choreographers Created "The Nutcracker". Choreographer Petipa became ill during the creation of "The Nutcracker" and withdrew. His assistant of seven years, Lev Ivanov, took his place and completed the choreography. Though Ivanov's style of dance differed from Petipa, it was hardly noticeable, as Petipa left strict guidelines for Ivanov to follow.
-
The First Full-Length Production Was in the U.S. The Christmas ballet was first performed outside of Russia in England in 1934, but the full-length production first appeared in the United States in 1944 at the San Francisco Opera Ballet under the direction of William Christensen.
Guest artist
MICHELLE DI RUSSO | GUEST CONDUCTOR
A graceful yet powerful force on the podium, Argentinian-Italian conductor Michelle Di Russo is known for her compelling interpretations, passionate musicality, and championing of contemporary music. Di Russo is thrilled to have been named Music Director of the Delaware Symphony, being the sixth music director in its 119-year history and to begin her tenure in the 25/26 season. Di Russo was appointed Associate Conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony by Robert Spano in 2024 and is a two-time recipient of the The Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award. She has held several conducting fellowships at prestigious institutions including being a Dudamel Fellow with LA Philharmonic, a mentee of the Taki Alsop Fellowship and a conducting fellow of the Verbier Festival, the Chicago Sinfonietta and The Dallas Opera Hart Institute.
This season’s highlights include guest conducting engagements with the Knoxville Symphony, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Fort Worth Symphony and a return to The Dallas Opera Hart Institute as part of their 10th year anniversary. She will also be the assistant conductor for the production of Aida with Washington National opera and will be returning to cover for Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil. This summer Di Russo will be guest conducting at Prague Summer Nights in a shared concert with Marin Alsop and collaborating with principal clarinetist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Ricardo Morales. She will be a fellow at the Aspen Music Festival and return to the Lucerne Festival Academy to be a part of the Roche Young Commissions where she was selected to be a part of a two-year project.
Di Russo has guest conducted LA Phil, San Diego Symphony, Vermont Symphony, Portland Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic and worked as cover conductor for the National Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, LA Phil and NY Phil. She has held positions as Associate Conductor with North Carolina Symphony assisting Carlos Miguel Prieto, Interim Director of Orchestras at Cornell University, and is conducting fellow alumni of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music and a Joel Revzen fellow of the Napa Valley Festival. As part of her work as a conducting fellow at the Verbier Festival she assisted and worked closely with Simon Rattle, Klaus Mäkelä and Lahav Shani.
SAN DIEGO BALLET
Founded in 1990 by Robin Morgan, the San Diego Ballet features strong classical and contemporary ballets created by award-winning resident choreographer and Artistic Director, Javier Velasco. San Diego Ballet strives to truly represent San Diego with its diverse programming and by collaborating with esteemed organizations including the San Diego Symphony, San Diego Opera, Colleges and Universities, San Diego Culture Shock, and San Diego Dance Theater among others. SDB has been voted #1 dance troupe by The Reader’s Poll of the San Diego Union-Tribune and is the only Nutcracker in San Diego included in CBS-Los Angeles’ top picks of “So Cal’s 5 Best Nutcrackers!” San Diego Ballet is thankful for the Billings Symphony Orchestra for helping to make Big Sky Country their Thanksgiving weekend holiday tradition.
JAVIER VELASCO | ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Javier Velasco has supplied dances for productions at the La Jolla Playhouse, Old Globe, and has a long-standing relationship with the San Diego Repertory Theatre, where he has staged productions of A Christmas Carol, Cabaret, Hairspray, Tommy, In The Heights, and many others. He has enjoyed many long creative relationships, having worked with: Luis Valdez on the 20th Anniversary production of Zoot Suit, Bandido, and Corridos.; composer Steve Gunderson on the premieres of Suds (NYC) Dixie Highway, Back To Bacharach And David (NYC) and the dance/theatre piece The Brontes/Secret Pleasures, Secret Tears; and Douglas Jacobs and Sam Woodhouse, founding directors of the San Diego Rep. He currently serves as artistic director of the San Diego Ballet, having created over 70 original pieces for the company since its inception, including 10 pieces in collaboration with composer David Burge, to commissioned scores. His ballet set to the poems of Kenneth Fearing, Love: 20 Cents The First Quarter Mile, was given the award for Best Choreography by the San Diego Area Dance Alliance, the third time he was honored by the organization. Most recently, Mr. Velasco wrote and directed The Toughest Girl Alive, which premiered at Moxie Theatre and had a successful run at the New York International Fringe Festival. Mr. Velasco was recently awarded a Creative Catalyst Fellowship by the San Diego Foundation to create new work.
SCHOOL OF CLASSICAL BALLET
Since 1970, the School of Classical Ballet in Billings, Montana, has offered high-quality dance education to dancers of all ages. Students who have trained at SCB have gone on to prestigious summer dance programs, high-quality colleges and universities, and professional dance companies.
JULIA MARBLE | OWNER, CO-DIRECTOR, INSTRUCTOR
Julia Marble Blass’ dance education began in Birmingham, MI, followed by six years training in Billings with June Austin and School of Classical Ballet. She then attended and graduated high school from the National Academy of the Arts (Champaign-Urbana, IL), attended college at Cornish Institute of the Allied Arts (Seattle, WA) on scholarship, before moving to New York City to further her training under many great instructors of ballet, modern, and jazz. She performed with various dance companies in NYC for 12+ years. Julia has taught all ages ballet, modern, and early childhood dance for more than 25 years, and has numerous prestigious teacher training certifications, including American Ballet Theater (NYC) and Anne Green Gilbert's (BCDE) Program (Seattle). She served as the Director (Instructor and Choreographer) at Dance Arts Los Alamos (NM), and in 2012, co-founded the children’s community non-profit dance company, Motion Arts Dance Company (MADCo), currently serving as a Director.
BETTY LOOS | CO-DIRECTOR
Betty Loos directed her own school for six years before co-founding the School of Classical Ballet with former business partner Jana Stockton. Betty received her early training from June Austin and Hungarian teachers Ildiko Perjessy and Angela McAlpin in Billings, MT. she continued her training at the University of Utah, and at the Teachers’ Training Program through the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and National Ballet of Canada. Betty was awarded a teacher’s fellowship to attend the National Ballet of Canada.
Betty has served as a Founder, Co-Director and choreographer with the Billings children’s community dance company, Motion Arts Dance Company, established in the fall of 2012.
Sponsors
SERIES SPONSOR
CONCERT SPONSOR
CONCERT HOTEL SPONSOR
SERIES HOTEL
SERIES MEDIA SPONSOR
VENUE
