Events

In this 71st season the BSOC is again proud to present The Nutcracker for three show times at the newly renovated Alberta Bair Theater. It is the perfect time to come and enjoy the Billings Symphony Orchestra and San Diego’s namesake ballet company as they bring to life the timeless tale of Clara and her beloved nutcracker doll.

Guest Conductor Sarah Ioannides is recognized as one of the most inspiring and creative conductors of her generation. Music Director of Symphony Tacoma, she is active internationally as a guest conductor with orchestras such as the Tonkünstler, Orchestre Nationale de Lyon, Seattle Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic and Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra. Sarah has recorded world premieres with the Royal Philharmonic, the Malmö Symphony and Nordic Chamber Orchestra.

The San Diego Ballet brings America’s favorite holiday event to dazzling life. The annual production of The Nutcracker features Tchaikovsky’s timeless score performed by the Billings Symphony Orchestra and an international cast of beautifully costumed San Diego Ballet dancers along with the exuberance of more than 100 local children! Sugarplum fairies, leaping cossacks and flurries of snowflakes swirl across the stage, in this magical journey through a young girl’s imagination.

This charmingly lighthearted interpretation is a holiday classic the whole family will love.

SARAH IOANNIDES

Described by the New York Times as a conductor with “unquestionable strength and authority” and as a conductor with “magic”, Sarah Ioannides’ dynamic presence on the podium has won praise from audience and critics internationally. Ioannides, now in her 8th Season as Music Director of Symphony Tacoma, has gained recognition as one of the most engaging and respected conductors of her generation.

With guest engagements spanning six continents, Sarah Ioannides has conducted the Tonkünstler Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre Nationale de Lyon, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Flemish Radio Orchestra, National Symphony of Colombia, Daejeon Philharmonic, Translyvannian Philharmonic Orchestra, Wuttenbergisches Kammerorchester, South African Youth Orchestra and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra. Ioannides has also led orchestras extensively in the United States including the Buffalo Philharmonic, Charleston Symphony, Hawai’i Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, New Haven Symphony, New West Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Toledo Symphony, and Tulsa Symphony with numerous return engagements. Ioannides has also appeared in special engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New World Symphony and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Listed one of the top twenty female conductors worldwide by Lebrecht’s “Woman Conductors: The Power List” in 2016, Sarah Ioannides has been named by the Los Angeles Times as “one of six female conductors breaking the glass podium” and noted in the New York Times as part of “a new wave of female conductors in their late 20’s through early 40’s”. Ioannides was awarded the JoAnn Falletta award for the most promising female conductor and under her leadership, both Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra and Symphony Tacoma have received ArtWorks grants from the National Endowment for the Arts for creativity in collaborations, community and commissioning projects and is now well recognized for her skills as a musical curator and adventurous programming. Serving on numerous advisory boards, as a competition adjudicator, public speaker, and educator, she has served as panelist for the National Endowment of the Arts for the US Government. In 2015, 2016, and 2017 she received three proclamations for Sarah Ioannides’ Day from both the County and the City of Spartanburg and the city of Tacoma.