The internationally renowned choreographer Cathy Marston holds both British and Swiss citizenship. Since August 2023, she has been Director of the Zurich Ballet. She received her dance training in Cambridge and at the Royal Ballet School in London. Between 1994 and 1999, she danced with the Zurich Ballet, the ballet of the Lucerne Theatre and Konzert Theater Bern. From 2002 to 2006, she was an Associate Artist at the Royal Opera House London, and from 2007 to 2013, she was Director of Ballet at Konzert Theater Bern. Having worked for many years with great success as a freelance choreographer, Cathy Marston has been invited by a large number of renowned international companies and institutions. Her creations have included works for the Royal Ballet, the Hamburg Ballet, the Royal Danish Ballet, the English National Ballet, the Northern Ballet, the Finnish National Ballet, Ballet Black, the National Ballet of Cuba, as well as Opera Australia and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. In recent years, she has increasingly worked in the USA, including for the San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Houston Ballet and Joffrey Ballet Chicago. In her choreographic works, she brings great works of literature to life through dance; she also approaches important historical figures in unconventional and original ways. She achieved great success with her ballet adaptations "Mrs. Robinson" (after Charles Webb's novel "The Graduate"), "Snowblind" (after Edith Wharton's novel "Ethan Frome"), Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre" and John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men". Unusual perspectives also characterize her biographically inspired works "The Cellist", "Victoria" and "Hexenhatz". Cathy Marston has received numerous awards for her choreographic work, including a South Bank Sky Arts Award and the British National Dance Award. In 2020, the International Institute for Dance and Theatre awarded her a prize for excellence in international dance. The highlight of her first season as Director of the Zurich Ballet was the 2024 world premiere of "Atonement", based on the novel of the same name by Ian McEwan (a co-production with the Joffrey Ballet). In addition, Cathy Marston's works "The Cellist", "Snowblind" and "Mrs. Robinson" were performed in Zurich. Her most recent works are the Clara Schumann ballet "Clara", "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream".
Ballet by Cathy Marston
Music by Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann,
Johannes Brahms and Philip Feeney
From 11. October 2024 until 15. November 2024
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Duration :
2 hrs. 45 min. incl. intermissions after 1st part after approx. 45 min. and after 2nd part after approx. 1 hrs. 45 min. -
More information:
Introduction 45 min before the performance.
Cathy Marston
Daniel Capps
Daniel Capps is in demand worldwide primarily as a ballet conductor. He studied at the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music in London and continued his training under renowned mentors such as Colin Metters, Sir Colin Davis, Sir Charles Mackerras, Mark Wigglesworth, Péter Eötvös, and Thomas Adès. From 2003 onward he assisted Sir John Eliot Gardiner with the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, including for Berlioz’s "Les Troyens" at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. In 2008 he made his debut with the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and has since been a regular guest conductor there. Daniel Capps has been associated with the New York City Ballet since 2011, and in 2012 he was appointed Resident Conductor. Also in 2011 he made his debut with the National Ballet of Canada, where he conducted Christopher Wheeldon’s ballet "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland". He has worked with orchestras such as the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Royal Danish Orchestra, the Brighton Philharmonic, the Tokyo Philharmonic, the New Japan Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, the Washington Opera Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, the Orchestre national d'Île-de-France, as well as with the Monteverdi Choir. His artistic work has earned him distinctions including the Ernest Read Conducting Prize and the Fred Southhall Memorial Prize for Conducting. In recent seasons he made his debut with Ballet Zürich ("Walkways"), the Australian Ballet, and the Spanish Compañía Nacional de Danza, all of which have repeatedly invited him back. Tours have taken him to China, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Cuba, France, Spain, Mexico, Denmark, Australia, Colombia, and throughout the United States.
Philip Feeney
Philip Feeney studied composition with Robin Holloway and Hugh Wood at the University of Cambridge and with Franco Donatoni in Rome. He has written a large number of works for ballet and dance and has collaborated as a pianist with numerous ensembles, including the Birmingham Royal Ballet, Rambert, Acosta Danza, Adventures in Motion Pictures, and the Martha Graham Dance Company. As a composer he has worked with choreographers such as Christopher Gable, David Nixon, Michael Pink, Didy Veldman, Michael Keegan-Dolan, Derek Williams, Adam Cooper, Sara Matthews, and the hip-hop artist Jonzi D. His music has been performed by companies such as English National Ballet, Boston Ballet, Cullberg Ballet, Scottish Dance Theatre, Bern Ballett, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, and Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre. For the latter he wrote the scores for the critically acclaimed ballet "Giselle" (2003) and the award-winning "The Bull" (2005). Philip Feeney’s association with Northern Ballet in Leeds, England, spans more than 25 years. For this company he has written eight full-length scores, including Gable’s "Cinderella", Gable and Pink’s "Dracula" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", Veldman’s "A Streetcar Named Desire", Nixon’s "Hamlet" and "Cinderella", and Marston’s "Jane Eyre" and "Victoria". In 2020 he worked for the first time with American Ballet Theatre and arranged the music for the premiere of Alexei Ratmansky’s "Of Love and Rage", which was taken up by the Vienna State Ballet in autumn 2025.
Cathy Marston
The internationally renowned choreographer Cathy Marston holds both British and Swiss citizenship. Since August 2023, she has been Director of the Zurich Ballet. She received her dance training in Cambridge and at the Royal Ballet School in London. Between 1994 and 1999, she danced with the Zurich Ballet, the ballet of the Lucerne Theatre and Konzert Theater Bern. From 2002 to 2006, she was an Associate Artist at the Royal Opera House London, and from 2007 to 2013, she was Director of Ballet at Konzert Theater Bern. Having worked for many years with great success as a freelance choreographer, Cathy Marston has been invited by a large number of renowned international companies and institutions. Her creations have included works for the Royal Ballet, the Hamburg Ballet, the Royal Danish Ballet, the English National Ballet, the Northern Ballet, the Finnish National Ballet, Ballet Black, the National Ballet of Cuba, as well as Opera Australia and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. In recent years, she has increasingly worked in the USA, including for the San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Houston Ballet and Joffrey Ballet Chicago. In her choreographic works, she brings great works of literature to life through dance; she also approaches important historical figures in unconventional and original ways. She achieved great success with her ballet adaptations "Mrs. Robinson" (after Charles Webb's novel "The Graduate"), "Snowblind" (after Edith Wharton's novel "Ethan Frome"), Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre" and John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men". Unusual perspectives also characterize her biographically inspired works "The Cellist", "Victoria" and "Hexenhatz". Cathy Marston has received numerous awards for her choreographic work, including a South Bank Sky Arts Award and the British National Dance Award. In 2020, the International Institute for Dance and Theatre awarded her a prize for excellence in international dance. The highlight of her first season as Director of the Zurich Ballet was the 2024 world premiere of "Atonement", based on the novel of the same name by Ian McEwan (a co-production with the Joffrey Ballet). In addition, Cathy Marston's works "The Cellist", "Snowblind" and "Mrs. Robinson" were performed in Zurich. Her most recent works are the Clara Schumann ballet "Clara", "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream".
Edward Kemp
Edward Kemp, born in Oxford, has collaborated with Cathy Marston on more than twenty ballets, including seven for Bern Ballett. Recent collaborations include "Summer & Smoke" (Houston/American Ballet Theatre), "Of Mice and Men" (Joffrey), "Mrs. Robinson" (San Francisco), "The Cellist" (Royal Ballet), "The Suit" (Ballet Black), "Lady Chatterley’s Lover" (Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal), "Liaisons Dangereuses" (Royal Danish Ballet), and a screenplay for Disney+. He has written texts for composers such as Sally Beamish, Victoria Borisova Ollas, Jason Carr, Tansy Davies, Terry Davies, Péter Eötvös, Stuart MacRae, Julian Philips, and Gary Yershon. In theatre, his works include "King James Bible" (National Theatre), "The Mysteries" (Royal Shakespeare Company), as well as stage adaptations of Bulgakov’s "The Master and Margarita" (Chichester/Complicite/Avignon), Lessing’s "Nathan the Wise" (Chichester/Off-Broadway/Shaw Festival), and Faulkner’s "As I Lay Dying" (Baton Rouge). He also adapted works by Brecht, Goldoni, Kleist, Lorca, Prokofiev, Molière, Racine, and Sibelius for the stage and translated novels by Paul Auster, Eça de Queirós, Charles Dickens, Knut Hamsun, Ted Hughes, Salman Rushdie, and W. G. Sebald. He has written dramas and comedies for BBC Radio and directed plays and musicals in the United Kingdom and the United States, from authors such as Gertrude Stein and William Shakespeare to Alan Bennett and Stephen Sondheim. From 2008 to 2021 he was Director and Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). Today he is Chief Executive of the Royal Literary Fund, the oldest literary charity in the United Kingdom.
Hildegard Bechtler
The internationally active stage designer Hildegard Bechtler lives in London. Her work in opera and ballet includes productions for the Metropolitan Opera, the Santa Fe Opera, the Canadian Opera Company, the Sydney Opera House, the Opéra National de Paris, La Scala in Milan, the Glyndebourne Festival, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, and the Amsterdam Muziektheater. These include the world premieres of Cathy Marston’s "The Cellist" for The Royal Ballet and Thomas Adès’s opera "The Exterminating Angel", which was performed at the Salzburg Festival, the Met, and the Royal Opera House. Further work includes "La damnation de Faust" at the Schiller Theater in Berlin – a revival of the award-winning ENO production – as well as "Dido and Aeneas" and "Acis and Galatea", choreographed and directed by Wayne McGregor, for the Royal Opera House and La Scala in Milan. For her design of "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk" at the Sydney Opera House, she received the Australian Green Room Award. She has also worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Old Vic, the Donmar Warehouse, on Broadway, and in London’s West End. "Top Hat" (2012) and "Oresteia" (2016) were nominated for the Olivier Award. For the Royal National Theatre she designed "Antony and Cleopatra", "Hansard", "After the Dance" (Olivier Award), "Iphigenia at Aulis", and most recently "Dr. Strangelove". Together with director Robert Icke she created, among other works, "Hamlet", "The Doctor", and "Oedipus". In opera she most recently designed the sets for "La traviata" at the Glyndebourne Festival and, in summer 2025, for "Don Giovanni" at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.
Bregje van Balen
Bregje van Balen was born in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and trained as a dancer at the National Ballet Academy in Amsterdam. She was a member of Nederlands Dans Theater for eighteen years. Even during her active career as a dancer, she repeatedly worked as a costume designer, and after retiring from the stage she completed her studies at the Baruch Fashion Academy in Amsterdam. She has created costume designs for dance and theatre, including for Nederlands Dans Theater, the Norwegian National Ballet, the Gothenburg Ballet, Hamburg Ballett, Introdans, Aterballetto, the Győr Ballet, the Royal Swedish Ballet, the Royal Danish Ballet, the Bolshoi Theatre, the Stanislavsky Theatre in Moscow, the Opéra de Lyon, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Staatstheater Mainz, Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz, the dance company of St. Gallen, Bern Ballett, and the Nationaltheater Mannheim. She has worked with choreographers such as Patrick Delcroix, Jorma Elo, Medhi Walerski, Cathy Marston, Alexander Ekman, Johan Inger, and Jo Strømgren. At Zurich Opera House she most recently created the costumes for parts of the triple bills "Timekeepers" and "Countertime" as well as for "Atonement" and "Clara".
Martin Gebhardt
Martin Gebhardt was lighting designer and Head of Lighting for John Neumeier’s Hamburg Ballet. From 2002 onward he collaborated with Heinz Spoerli and the Ballett Zürich. Ballet productions of both companies took him to renowned theatres across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. At Zurich Opera House he created the lighting design for productions by Jürgen Flimm, David Alden, Jan Philipp Gloger, Grischa Asagaroff, Matthias Hartmann, David Pountney, Moshe Leiser/Patrice Caurier, Damiano Michieletto, and Achim Freyer. At the Salzburg Festival he designed the lighting for "La bohème" and for a new version of Spoerli’s "Der Tod und das Mädchen". Since the 2012/13 season Martin Gebhardt has been Head of Lighting at Zurich Opera House. He maintains a close collaboration with choreographer Christian Spuck (including "Winterreise", "Nussknacker und Mausekönig", "Messa da Requiem", "Anna Karenina", "Woyzeck", "Der Sandmann", "Leonce und Lena", "Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern"). He has also worked as lighting designer for choreographers Edward Clug (including "Strings", "Le Sacre du printemps" and "Faust" in Zurich), Alexei Ratmansky, Wayne McGregor, Marco Goecke, and Douglas Lee. He collaborated with Christoph Marthaler and Anna Viebrock on Handel’s "Sale" and Rossini’s "Il viaggio a Reims" in Zurich as well as on "Lulu" at the Hamburg State Opera, and with Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito at the Grand Théâtre de Genève for "Les Huguenots". In 2023 he designed the lighting for Spuck’s ballet "Bovary" at the Staatsballett Berlin and in 2024 for Rossini’s "Tancredi" at the Bregenz Festival. He was also the lighting designer for Cathy Marston’s "Atonement" at Zurich Opera House.
Edward Kemp
Edward Kemp, born in Oxford, has collaborated with Cathy Marston on more than twenty ballets, including seven for Bern Ballett. Recent collaborations include "Summer & Smoke" (Houston/American Ballet Theatre), "Of Mice and Men" (Joffrey), "Mrs. Robinson" (San Francisco), "The Cellist" (Royal Ballet), "The Suit" (Ballet Black), "Lady Chatterley’s Lover" (Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal), "Liaisons Dangereuses" (Royal Danish Ballet), and a screenplay for Disney+. He has written texts for composers such as Sally Beamish, Victoria Borisova Ollas, Jason Carr, Tansy Davies, Terry Davies, Péter Eötvös, Stuart MacRae, Julian Philips, and Gary Yershon. In theatre, his works include "King James Bible" (National Theatre), "The Mysteries" (Royal Shakespeare Company), as well as stage adaptations of Bulgakov’s "The Master and Margarita" (Chichester/Complicite/Avignon), Lessing’s "Nathan the Wise" (Chichester/Off-Broadway/Shaw Festival), and Faulkner’s "As I Lay Dying" (Baton Rouge). He also adapted works by Brecht, Goldoni, Kleist, Lorca, Prokofiev, Molière, Racine, and Sibelius for the stage and translated novels by Paul Auster, Eça de Queirós, Charles Dickens, Knut Hamsun, Ted Hughes, Salman Rushdie, and W. G. Sebald. He has written dramas and comedies for BBC Radio and directed plays and musicals in the United Kingdom and the United States, from authors such as Gertrude Stein and William Shakespeare to Alan Bennett and Stephen Sondheim. From 2008 to 2021 he was Director and Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). Today he is Chief Executive of the Royal Literary Fund, the oldest literary charity in the United Kingdom.
Michael Küster
Michael Küster is German. After studying German language and literature, art and speech science at the University of Halle, he worked as a presenter, author and announcer for various broadcasting organizations in Germany. There, he presented a wide range of classical music programmes and live broadcasts of major concert events, including from the Metropolitan Opera New York, the Semperoper Dresden and the Gewandhaus in Leipzig. To this day, he remains associated with the radio programme SWR Kultur. Since 2002, he has been a dramaturg at the Zurich Opera House, working with directors including Matthias Hartmann, David Alden, Robert Carsen, Moshe Leiser/Patrice Caurier, Damiano Michieletto, David Pountney, Johannes Schaaf and Graham Vick. As a dramaturg for the Zurich Ballet, Michael Küster has worked with Cathy Marston, Marco Goecke, Marcos Morau, Kim Brandstrup, Edward Clug, Alexei Ratmansky, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Mats Ek and Hans van Manen, among others, since 2012. With Christian Spuck, he created, among other works, "Winterreise" ("Prix Benois de la Danse"), "Romeo and Juliet", "Messa da Requiem" and "The Sleeping Beauty". At La Scala in Milan, Michael Küster was dramaturg for Matthias Hartmann's opera productions of "Der Freischütz", "Idomeneo" and "Pique Dame".
Cast
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Giorgia Giani
Giorgia Giani is Italian. She received her ballet training at the school of Hamburg Ballet. After an initial engagement with the Bundesjugendballett, she was engaged with Hamburg Ballet John Neumeier from 2016 to 2023, where she gained extensive stage experience. Since the 2023/24 season, Giorgia Giani has been a member of Zurich Ballet. Here, she has appeared in numerous ballets by Cathy Marston (including as Clara in "Clara" and as Briony Tallis in "Atonement"). She has also danced in Patrice Bart's "Giselle" (Peasant Pas de deux), as well as in Kenneth MacMillan's "Concerto", Wayne McGregor's "Infra" and William Forsythe's "In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated".
Ruka Nakagawa
Ruka Nakagawa is from Japan. She received her ballet training at Shimoda Harumi Ballet in Japan, at the Benedict Manniegel Ballett Akademie in Munich and at the Royal Ballet School in Antwerp. From 2017 to 2023, she danced with Opera Ballet Vlaanderen in Belgium. Among other roles, she appeared as Giselle in Akram Khan's "Giselle", as the Chosen One in Pina Bausch's "The Rite of Spring", as well as in choreographies by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Ohad Naharin, Hofesh Shechter and Johan Inger. Since the 2023/24 season, she has been a member of Zurich Ballet. Here, she has danced leading roles in choreographies by Cathy Marston ("Clara", Mattie in "Snow Blind", Lola in "Atonement", Flower Girl in "Romeo and Juliet") and has also appeared in choreographies by Mats Ek, William Forsythe, Marco Goecke, Marcos Morau, Crystal Pite and Christian Spuck.
Nancy Osbaldeston
Nancy Osbaldeston holds both Belgian and British citizenship. She received her dance training at the English National Ballet School in London. In 2008, she joined English National Ballet, where she received the "Emerging Dance Award" in 2013. In 2014, she joined Royal Ballet of Flanders, where she became a Principal Dancer. She regularly appeared as a guest with the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich. She later danced with Ballet du Capitole de Toulouse. Her repertoire includes leading roles in choreographies by Yuri Grigorovich (Aegina in "Spartacus"), John Neumeier (Marie in "The Nutcracker"), Akram Khan ("Giselle"), Kader Belarbi (Kitri in "Don Quixote") and Pina Bausch ("Café Müller"). She has also appeared in choreographies by George Balanchine, Ohad Naharin, Jiří Kylián, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Andonis Foniadakis. Since the 2024/25 season, she has been a Principal Dancer with Zurich Ballet. Here, she has danced leading roles in choreographies by Cathy Marston (Julia in "Romeo and Juliet", "Clara", Cecilia in "Atonement", "Mrs. Robinson"), Patrice Bart ("Giselle"), Mats Ek ("Carmen"), William Forsythe ("In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated"), Kenneth MacMillan ("Concerto") and Bryan Arias ("Colorful Darkness"). In 2026, she received the "Dance Prize of the Friends of Zurich Ballet".
Daniela Gómez Pérez
Daniela Gómez Pérez is from Cuba. She studied at the Fernando Alonso National Ballet School and at the Instituto Superior de Arte de Cuba. From 2015 to 2023, she was a Principal Dancer with the National Ballet of Cuba. Under the direction of Alicia Alonso, she danced leading roles in "Coppélia", "Giselle", "Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker". She also appeared in choreographies by Peter Quanz, Brian McDonald, George Balanchine, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Cathy Marston, Ricardo Amarante, Alexei Ratmansky, Uwe Scholz, Ben Stevenson, Mikhail Fokine and Gemma Bond. For her interpretation of Daniel Proietto's "Cigne", she was entered in the Golden Book of the Gran Teatro de La Habana. Since the 2023/24 season, she has been a member of Zurich Ballet. She has danced leading roles in "Snow Blind", "The Cellist" and "Clara" by Cathy Marston. She has also appeared in choreographies by Patrice Bart, Wayne McGregor, William Forsythe, Christian Spuck, Kenneth MacMillan, Jerome Robbins, Mats Ek, Kim Brandstrup, Mthuthuzeli November, Dani Rowe and Bryan Arias.
Sujung Lim
Sujung Lim is from South Korea. She received her training at Yewon Arts High School and the University of Music and Performing Arts Mannheim. She won gold medals at the Tanzolymp Berlin in 2008 and 2011. From 2011 to 2018, she danced as a Soloist with Ballet Karlsruhe, including in Kenneth MacMillan's "Romeo and Juliet", John Cranko's "The Taming of the Shrew", Peter Wright's "Giselle" and Christopher Wheeldon's "Swan Lake". Since the 2018/19 season, Sujung Lim has been a member of Zurich Ballet. Here, she has appeared in numerous choreographies by Cathy Marston, Christian Spuck, Wayne McGregor, Patrice Bart, William Forsythe, Johan Inger, Jiří Kylián, Marcos Morau and Crystal Pite. In 2025, she received the "Dance Prize of the Friends of Zurich Ballet".
Mélanie Borel
Mélanie Borel comes from France. She studied at the École Nationale Supérieure de Danse in Marseille and at the École de Danse de l’Opéra de Paris. Engagements have taken her to the Ballet de l’Opéra National de Bordeaux and, from 2005 to 2008, to the Peter Schaufuss Ballet in Denmark. She has been a member of Ballett Zürich since the 2008/09 season and has performed as a soloist in choreographies by Twyla Tharp, Heinz Spoerli, and Mats Ek. She was the Haushofmeister in Spuck’s Leonce und Lena and danced the «Cholerisch» variation in Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments. In addition, she has appeared in choreographies by Marco Goecke, Douglas Lee, Jiří Kylián, Wayne McGregor, Martin Schläpfer, Hans van Manen, Edward Clug and Crystal Pite.
Inna Bilash
Inna Bilash is from Ukraine. She received her ballet training at the Kharkov Choreographic School, the Perm State Choreographic College and the Perm State Academy of Arts and Culture. She was a Soloist with Perm Ballet, where she danced, among other roles, Julia in Kenneth MacMillan's "Romeo and Juliet", Odette/Odile in Natalia Makarova's "Swan Lake", Giselle in the choreography by Perrot/Coralli/Petipa, the Bride in Kylián's "Svadebka" and Masha in MacMillan's "Winter Dreams". She also appeared as a soloist in choreographies by Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine, Douglas Lee, William Forsythe, Mats Ek, Marco Goecke and Crystal Pite. She was the winner of the Arabesque competition in Perm and the Bolshoi Ballet television competition. In 2017, she received the award of the ballet magazine "The Soul of Dance". Since the 2018/19 season, Inna Bilash has been a member of Zurich Ballet and has appeared here, among other roles, as Briony in Cathy Marston's "Atonement" and in the title role of Patrice Bart's "Giselle". In 2024, she received the "Dance Prize of the Friends of Zurich Ballet".
McKhayla Pettingill
McKhayla Pettingill is Filipino American. She received her ballet training at Houston Ballet Academy and in Houston Ballet II. At Houston Ballet, she danced in choreographies by Jerome Robbins, Stanton Welch, James Kudelka, Disha Zang, John Neumeier and George Balanchine. At National Ballet of Canada, she appeared in choreographies by Crystal Pite, David Dawson and Kenneth MacMillan. Since the 2023/24 season, she has been a member of Zurich Ballet. Among other roles, she has appeared as Clara in Cathy Marston's "Clara", in Patrice Bart's "Giselle" (Peasant Pas de deux), Kenneth MacMillan's "Concerto", as well as a soloist in choreographies by Wayne McGregor, Christian Spuck, William Forsythe and Mats Ek.
Max Richter
Max Richter is from the USA and received his ballet training with Houston Ballet II. Important choreographies during his engagement with Houston Ballet included Cathy Marston's "Summer and Smoke", Ben Stevenson's "Sleeping Beauty" and Balanchine's "Diamonds". Since the 2023/24 season, Max Richter has been a member of the Zurich Ballet. In addition to leading roles in Cathy Marston's ballets "Atonement", "Clara" and "Romeo and Juliet", Max Richter has appeared in the title role of Patrice Bart's "Giselle", as the bride in Bronislava Nijinska's "Les Noces", as well as in choreographies by Wayne McGregor, Jerome Robbins, Marcos Morau, Meryl Tankard, Christian Spuck, Marco Goecke, William Forsythe, Kim Brandstrup, Kenneth MacMillan, Hans van Manen and Mats Ek. The choreography "The Decision" was created for the "Next Generation" series.
Sujung Lim
Sujung Lim is from South Korea. She received her training at Yewon Arts High School and the University of Music and Performing Arts Mannheim. She won gold medals at the Tanzolymp Berlin in 2008 and 2011. From 2011 to 2018, she danced as a Soloist with Ballet Karlsruhe, including in Kenneth MacMillan's "Romeo and Juliet", John Cranko's "The Taming of the Shrew", Peter Wright's "Giselle" and Christopher Wheeldon's "Swan Lake". Since the 2018/19 season, Sujung Lim has been a member of Zurich Ballet. Here, she has appeared in numerous choreographies by Cathy Marston, Christian Spuck, Wayne McGregor, Patrice Bart, William Forsythe, Johan Inger, Jiří Kylián, Marcos Morau and Crystal Pite. In 2025, she received the "Dance Prize of the Friends of Zurich Ballet".
Francesca Dell'Aria
Francesca Dell’Aria is from Italy. She received her training at Elmhurst School and with Birmingham Royal Ballet. After engagements with Slovak National Ballet and Bavarian State Ballet, she has been a member of Zurich Ballet since the 2014/15 season. She has appeared, among other works, in choreographies by William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, George Balanchine, Hans van Manen, Jacopo Godani, Douglas Lee, Edward Clug ("Peer Gynt"), Marco Goecke ("Nijinski"), Crystal Pite and Marcos Morau. She has also danced title roles in Cathy Marston's "The Cellist" and Christian Spuck's "Anna Karenina", as well as Myrtha in Patrice Bart's "Giselle". In 2019, she received the "Dance Prize of the Friends of Zurich Ballet".
Karen Azatyan
Karen Azatyan is from Armenia. Trained at Yerevan Dancing Art State College and at the Zurich Dance Academy, he was a winner of the Prix de Lausanne in 2005. From 2007 to 2014, he was a member of the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich (Soloist since 2012). In 2014, he joined Hamburg Ballet as a Principal Dancer, where he worked closely with John Neumeier until his retirement in 2024. He danced leading roles and solos in many of Neumeier's ballets, including "Illusions – like Swan Lake", "The Nutcracker", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "A Streetcar Named Desire", "Death in Venice", "Peer Gynt", "Romeo and Juliet", "Nijinsky", "Liliom", "The Seagull", "Winterreise", "St. Matthew Passion", "The Song of the Earth" and Mahler's "Symphony No. 3". His repertoire also includes choreographies by Frederick Ashton, Nacho Duato, Mats Ek, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Marius Petipa, Jerome Robbins and Christopher Wheeldon. Since the 2024/25 season, Karen Azatyan has been a Principal Dancer with Zurich Ballet. Here, he has appeared as Robert Schumann in Cathy Marston's "Clara", Hilarion in Patrice Bart's "Giselle", as the Shadow in Kim Brandstrup's "Of Light, Wind and Waters" and as Romeo in Cathy Marston's "Romeo and Juliet".
Brandon Lawrence
Brandon Lawrence is from the United Kingdom. He received his ballet training at the Royal Ballet School. From 2011 to 2023, he danced with Birmingham Royal Ballet, becoming a Principal Dancer in 2019. Important roles included the Prince ("The Nutcracker"), Franz ("Coppélia"), Prince Florimund ("The Sleeping Beauty"), Prince Siegfried ("Swan Lake") in choreographies by Peter Wright, Romeo in Kenneth MacMillan's "Romeo and Juliet", Colas in Frederick Ashton's "La Fille mal gardée", the Prince ("Cinderella"), Beast ("The Beauty and the Beast"), Albrecht ("Giselle") and Otello ("Shakespeare Suite") in choreographies by David Bintley. He has also appeared in works by Carlos Acosta, Edward Clug, Jiří Kylián, Juliano Nunes, Twyla Tharp and Uwe Scholz. Since the 2023/24 season, Brandon Lawrence has been a Principal Dancer with Zurich Ballet and has danced leading roles in choreographies by Cathy Marston ("Atonement", "The Cellist", "Snowblind", "Clara", "Romeo and Juliet"), Marco Goecke, Wayne McGregor, Bronislava Nijinska, Mthuthuzeli November, Jerome Robbins, Christian Spuck, Kenneth MacMillan, Bryan Arias, William Forsythe, Crystal Pite, Kim Brandstrup and Andonis Foniadakis. In 2025, he received the "Dance Prize of the Friends of Zurich Ballet".
Charles-Louis Yoshiyama
Charles-Louis Yoshiyama holds both Japanese and French citizenship. He received his dance training at Trinity College in London and at the English Ballet School. In 2007, he joined Houston Ballet, where he was appointed Principal Dancer in 2016. Important roles included Crown Prince Rudolf in "Mayerling" and De Grieux in "Manon" by Kenneth MacMillan, as well as Oberon in John Neumeier's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". He also danced in Roland Petit's "L'Arlésienne" and numerous works by George Balanchine. In choreographies by Ben Stevenson, he portrayed Basilio ("Don Quixote"), Prince Florimund ("Sleeping Beauty"), Franz ("Coppélia"), Mercutio ("Romeo and Juliet") and the Prince ("The Nutcracker"). In choreographies by Stanton Welch, he danced Siegfried ("Swan Lake"), Solor ("La Bayadère") and Albrecht ("Giselle"). In John Cranko's "The Taming of the Shrew", he danced Lucentio and Hortensio. In 2023, Charles-Louis Yoshiyama was a Principal Dancer with Oregon Ballet Theatre. Since the 2023/24 season, he has been a Principal Dancer with Zurich Ballet. He has danced leading roles in choreographies by Cathy Marston (Cello in "The Cellist", Robert Schumann in "Clara", Robbie Turner in "Atonement", Mercutio in "Romeo and Juliet"), Albrecht/Hilarion in Patrice Bart's "Giselle", among others.
Chandler Dalton
Chandler Dalton is American. He was trained at the School of Richmond Ballet and Houston Ballet Academy. At Houston Ballet, he was appointed Principal Dancer. Highlights there included James in Bournonville's "La Sylphide", Bluebird and Pas de Quatre in Ben Stevenson's "Sleeping Beauty", Pas de trois in George Balanchine's "Emeralds", the Prince in Stanton Welch's "The Nutcracker", as well as leading roles in ballets by John Neumeier, Jerome Robbins, Christopher Bruce and Justin Peck. Since the 2023/24 season, Chandler Dalton has been a member of Zurich Ballet and has appeared here in the title role of Marco Goecke's "Nijinski", as Romeo in Cathy Marston's "Romeo and Juliet" and as Johannes Brahms in Cathy Marston's "Clara". He has also danced in Patrice Bart's "Giselle" (Peasant Pas de deux), William Forsythe's "In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated" and in ballets by Marcos Morau, Wayne McGregor, Mats Ek, Christian Spuck and Kenneth MacMillan.
Joel Woellner
Joel Woellner is Australian. He received his training at the Ben Stevenson Academy of Houston Ballet and with Houston Ballet II. In 2013, he was a two-time prizewinner at the Prix de Lausanne. After an engagement with Houston Ballet, he was a Principal Artist with Queensland Ballet from 2015 to 2024. Joel Woellner danced Des Grieux in Kenneth MacMillan's "Manon", Valmont in Liam Scarlett's "Dangerous Liaisons", Oberon in Scarlett's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Prince Ivan in Scarlett's "The Firebird", Prince Siegfried in Ben Stevenson's "Swan Lake", as well as in choreographies by Greg Horsman, Christopher Bruce and Jiří Kylián. Since the 2024/25 season, he has been a member of the Zurich Ballet. Here, he has appeared, among other roles, as Johannes Brahms in Cathy Marston's "Clara", as Albrecht in Patrice Bart's "Giselle", as Escamillo in Mats Ek's "Carmen", as well as in choreographies by Hans van Manen, Wayne McGregor, William Forsythe, Marcos Morau, Bryan Arias, Kenneth MacMillan and Crystal Pite.
Marià Huguet
Marià Huguet is from Spain. He received his dance training at the Classical Ballet School in Girona, at the Royal Ballet School and at the ballet school of Hamburg Ballet. From 2016 to 2023, he danced with Hamburg Ballet John Neumeier, including in Neumeier's productions "Anna Karenina", "Ghost Light", "Dona Nobis Pacem", "Nijinsky", "Lady of the Camellias" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Since the 2023/24 season, Marià Huguet has been a member of Zurich Ballet. Here, he has appeared as Johannes Brahms in Cathy Marston's "Clara", as Kai in Kim Brandstrup's "Of Light, Wind and Waters", as Wilfried in Patrice Bart's "Giselle", as well as in choreographies by Marcos Morau, Christian Spuck, Wayne McGregor, William Forsythe, Crystal Pite and Bryan Arias.
Esteban Berlanga
Esteban Berlanga is Spanish. After training at the Royal Conservatory of Albacete and the Professional Dance Conservatory of Madrid, he danced with the English National Ballet from 2006 to 2013. There, he was appointed Principal in 2012. Among other roles, he danced Prince Siegfried in Derek Deane's "Swan Lake", the Prince in Kenneth MacMillan's "The Sleeping Beauty", Albrecht in Mary Skeaping's "Giselle", the Nutcracker in the choreography by Wayne Eagling and Frédéric in Roland Petit's "L'Arlésienne". For David Dawson's "Faun(e)", he was nominated for the "Benois de la Danse". From 2013 to 2018, he was a Principal Dancer with the Compañia Nacional de Danza de España. From 2018 to 2026, he was a member of the Zurich Ballet, and Principal from 2022. He appeared in the title role of Marco Goecke's "Nijinski" and danced leading roles in choreographies by Christian Spuck (including "The Sleeping Beauty" and "Anna Karenina") and Cathy Marston ("The Cellist", "Snowblind", "Romeo and Juliet"). In 2024, he received the "Tanzpreis der Freunde des Balletts Zürich". In the 2026/27 season, he is appearing as a guest with the Zurich Ballet.
Mlindi Kulashe
Mlindi Kulashe is from South Africa. He received his dance training at the English National Ballet School. From 2013 to 2022, he danced with Northern Ballet in Leeds, where he appeared in numerous leading roles. Since the beginning of 2023, he has been a member of Zurich Ballet. Here, he has appeared in choreographies by Cathy Marston, including as Cello ("The Cellist"), Officer ("Atonement") and Wieck ("Clara"). As part of the "Next Generation" series, he choreographed his piece "Molo".
Pablo Octávio
Pablo Octávio is Brazilian. He studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Mannheim. He was a finalist at the Prix de Lausanne in 2011. From 2012 to 2023, he danced with Badisches Staatsballett Karlsruhe. Important roles in Karlsruhe included Romeo, Mercutio and Benvolio in Kenneth MacMillan's "Romeo and Juliet", the Prince in Youri Vamos's "The Nutcracker", Lucentio in John Cranko's "The Taming of the Shrew" and Albrecht in David Dawson's "Giselle". Since the 2023/24 season, Pablo Octávio has been a member of Zurich Ballet. Here, he has appeared, among other roles, in the title role of Marco Goecke's "Nijinski", as Joseph Joachim in Cathy Marston's "Clara", in Patrice Bart's "Giselle" (Peasant Pas de deux), as Dancaïre in Mats Ek's "Carmen" and in choreographies by Jerome Robbins, Marcos Morau, Wayne McGregor and Crystal Pite.
Wei Chen
Wei Chen is from the USA and received his training at Boston Ballet School, Margo Marshall’s School of Ballet, Walnut Hill School and Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy. At Royal Ballet of Flanders, he danced in Marcia Haydée's "Swan Lake" (Siegfried) and "The Sleeping Beauty" (Prince Désiré), as well as in Cranko's "Onegin" (Lensky). He also appeared in choreographies by Balanchine, Bournonville, Dawson, Forsythe, Godani, McGregor, Nureyev, Pite, Stevenson and Wheeldon. Since the 2013/14 season, he has been a member of Zurich Ballet and has appeared here, among other works, in choreographies by Douglas Lee, Jiří Kylián, Marco Goecke, Edward Clug, William Forsythe and Crystal Pite. He has also danced Romeo and Mercutio in Spuck's "Romeo and Juliet", Benno in Ratmansky's "Swan Lake", Coppelius in Spuck's "The Sandman", Albrecht in Patrice Bart's "Giselle" and Cello in Cathy Marston's "The Cellist". In 2023, he received the "Dance Prize of the Friends of Zurich Ballet".
Shelby Williams
Shelby Williams holds both American and Italian citizenship. She studied at Houston Ballet Academy, Washington School of Ballet and Dancer’s Workshop Baton Rouge (Louisiana, USA). After engagements with Semperoper Ballett, Corella Ballet and Ballet d’Europe, she was a Soloist with Ballett Mainz, Hessisches Staatsballett in Wiesbaden and, from 2016 to 2023, Royal Ballet of Flanders. In 2017 and 2018, she was nominated in the categories "Best Performance by a Female Dancer" and "Best News" for the "Critic's Choice Awards" of "Dance Europe Magazine". She danced Pina/Malou in Pina Bausch's "Café Müller", Rusalka in Alan Lucien Øyen's choreography of the same name, Myrtha in Akram Khan's "Giselle" and further leading roles in choreographies by Martha Graham, Johan Inger, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Andonis Foniadakis, William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Édouard Lock and Jermaine Spivey. Since the 2023/24 season, Shelby Williams has been a member of Zurich Ballet, where she has taken on leading roles in creations by Meryl Tankard, Bryan Arias and Cathy Marston and danced important roles in the repertoire of Marcos Morau, Marco Goecke, William Forsythe and Mats Ek.
Elena Vostrotina
Elena Vostrotina comes from St. Petersburg. She received her ballet education at the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. In 2003 she became a member of the Mariinsky Ballet. There she danced among others Odette/Odile in Schwanensee (Petipa/Ivanov), Myrtha in Giselle (Coralli/Perrot), Queen of the Dryads in Don Quixote (Gorsky) and in Approximate Sonata (Forsythe). In 2006 she was engaged by Aaron S. Watkin at the Semperoper Ballett Dresden. Here she was appointed principal dancer and danced a wide repertoire of classical, neoclassical and modern ballets. She has collaborated with renowned choreographers and performed at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theater in Moscow, at the State Theater Novosibirsk, at the gala «Roberto Bolle and Friends», and at the Ballets Bubeníček. Elena Vostrotina has been a first soloist at Ballett Zürich since the 2017/18 season, where season she has appeared as Odette/Odile in Ratmansky’s Schwanensee reconstruction, as the nursemaid in Christian Spuck’s Romeo und Julia, Myrtha in Patrice Bart’s Giselle as well as in Christian Spuck’s Nussknacker und Mausekönig, Winterreise and Nocturne.
Mélanie Borel
Mélanie Borel comes from France. She studied at the École Nationale Supérieure de Danse in Marseille and at the École de Danse de l’Opéra de Paris. Engagements have taken her to the Ballet de l’Opéra National de Bordeaux and, from 2005 to 2008, to the Peter Schaufuss Ballet in Denmark. She has been a member of Ballett Zürich since the 2008/09 season and has performed as a soloist in choreographies by Twyla Tharp, Heinz Spoerli, and Mats Ek. She was the Haushofmeister in Spuck’s Leonce und Lena and danced the «Cholerisch» variation in Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments. In addition, she has appeared in choreographies by Marco Goecke, Douglas Lee, Jiří Kylián, Wayne McGregor, Martin Schläpfer, Hans van Manen, Edward Clug and Crystal Pite.
Joel Woellner
Joel Woellner is Australian. He received his training at the Ben Stevenson Academy of Houston Ballet and with Houston Ballet II. In 2013, he was a two-time prizewinner at the Prix de Lausanne. After an engagement with Houston Ballet, he was a Principal Artist with Queensland Ballet from 2015 to 2024. Joel Woellner danced Des Grieux in Kenneth MacMillan's "Manon", Valmont in Liam Scarlett's "Dangerous Liaisons", Oberon in Scarlett's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Prince Ivan in Scarlett's "The Firebird", Prince Siegfried in Ben Stevenson's "Swan Lake", as well as in choreographies by Greg Horsman, Christopher Bruce and Jiří Kylián. Since the 2024/25 season, he has been a member of the Zurich Ballet. Here, he has appeared, among other roles, as Johannes Brahms in Cathy Marston's "Clara", as Albrecht in Patrice Bart's "Giselle", as Escamillo in Mats Ek's "Carmen", as well as in choreographies by Hans van Manen, Wayne McGregor, William Forsythe, Marcos Morau, Bryan Arias, Kenneth MacMillan and Crystal Pite.
Sean Bates
Sean Bates is from the United Kingdom and studied at the Royal Ballet School. He danced with Northern Ballet under the direction of David Nixon and appeared in numerous leading roles, including Jay Gatsby ("The Great Gatsby"), Romeo ("Romeo and Juliet") and Puck ("A Midsummer Night's Dream"). Following his collaborations with Cathy Marston on "Jane Eyre" and "Victoria", he joined Zurich Ballet for the 2023/24 season. Here, he has appeared as a soloist, among other roles, in Marco Goecke's "Nijinski", in Kenneth MacMillan's "Concerto", as Denis in Cathy Marston's "Snowblind", as Bargiel in "Clara" and as Paris and Mercutio in "Romeo and Juliet". He has taught at Cape Town City Ballet and at various summer schools in the United Kingdom and Zurich.
Francesca Dell'Aria
Francesca Dell’Aria is from Italy. She received her training at Elmhurst School and with Birmingham Royal Ballet. After engagements with Slovak National Ballet and Bavarian State Ballet, she has been a member of Zurich Ballet since the 2014/15 season. She has appeared, among other works, in choreographies by William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, George Balanchine, Hans van Manen, Jacopo Godani, Douglas Lee, Edward Clug ("Peer Gynt"), Marco Goecke ("Nijinski"), Crystal Pite and Marcos Morau. She has also danced title roles in Cathy Marston's "The Cellist" and Christian Spuck's "Anna Karenina", as well as Myrtha in Patrice Bart's "Giselle". In 2019, she received the "Dance Prize of the Friends of Zurich Ballet".
Nancy Osbaldeston
Nancy Osbaldeston holds both Belgian and British citizenship. She received her dance training at the English National Ballet School in London. In 2008, she joined English National Ballet, where she received the "Emerging Dance Award" in 2013. In 2014, she joined Royal Ballet of Flanders, where she became a Principal Dancer. She regularly appeared as a guest with the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich. She later danced with Ballet du Capitole de Toulouse. Her repertoire includes leading roles in choreographies by Yuri Grigorovich (Aegina in "Spartacus"), John Neumeier (Marie in "The Nutcracker"), Akram Khan ("Giselle"), Kader Belarbi (Kitri in "Don Quixote") and Pina Bausch ("Café Müller"). She has also appeared in choreographies by George Balanchine, Ohad Naharin, Jiří Kylián, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Andonis Foniadakis. Since the 2024/25 season, she has been a Principal Dancer with Zurich Ballet. Here, she has danced leading roles in choreographies by Cathy Marston (Julia in "Romeo and Juliet", "Clara", Cecilia in "Atonement", "Mrs. Robinson"), Patrice Bart ("Giselle"), Mats Ek ("Carmen"), William Forsythe ("In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated"), Kenneth MacMillan ("Concerto") and Bryan Arias ("Colorful Darkness"). In 2026, she received the "Dance Prize of the Friends of Zurich Ballet".
Ragna Schirmer
Pianist Ragna Schirmer performs worldwide in major concert halls with renowned conductors and chamber music partners. Her interpretations are characterized by subtle nuance, meticulous attention to detail, and a search for hidden historical and contemporary connections. Early in her career, the award-winning artist attracted wide attention with her recording of Bach’s "Goldberg Variations," which marked a striking CD debut. For her complete recording of the keyboard suites by Georg Friedrich Händel, she was honoured with the Händel Prize of the City of Halle. In 2003 and 2009 she received the ECHO Klassik. Her discography comprises 19 CDs, 2 DVDs, and one vinyl recording. In addition to moderated piano recitals, she appears in cross-genre theatre productions written and staged specifically for her, including the 2012 premiere of "Blendwerk" with Christian Brückner and the production "Ich könnte lachen vor Todesschmerz" with Dominique Horwitz. A central focus of her artistic work is the life and music of Clara Wieck-Schumann. In 2015 she released the CD "Liebe in Variationen" exploring the relationships between Clara and Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms; in 2017 this was followed by an album featuring the composer’s Piano Concerto Op. 7. In the 2019 Clara Schumann anniversary year, Schirmer celebrated the pianist and composer with the recording "Madame Schumann" and with more than 100 concerts, for which she received the Schumann Prize of the City of Zwickau. In 2023 she was "Artiste étoile" at the Mozartfest Würzburg. Since the 2025/26 autumn semester, Ragna Schirmer has been Professor of Piano at the Zurich University of the Arts.
Photo Gallery «Clara»
