Posted December 15, 2021
DAYTON, OH (December 14, 2021) – On Tuesday, December 31, 2021 at 8 pm in the Mead Theatre of the Schuster Center, the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA) will present New Year’s Eve: Return to Vienna. This concert is a DPAA Signature Event where musicians of the Dayton Philharmonic, singers of Dayton Opera, and dancers of Dayton Ballet combine their talents for an artistic celebration second to none. Dayton Philharmonic Artistic Director and Conductor Neal Gittleman, Dayton Opera Artistic Director Kathleen Clawson, and Dayton Ballet Artistic Director Karen Russo Burke together ring in the New Year 2022!
The DPAA welcomes to the stage two outstanding singers for this special performance. Dayton Opera is thrilled to spend the evening with soprano Teresa Perrotta and tenor Alec Carlson, both making their Dayton Opera debut with this performance.
Four exquisite dancers from Dayton Ballet take the stage as well to dance works choreographed by Dayton Ballet’s Isaac Jones. The DPAA welcomes dancers Emily Luria, Marie Tender, Lukas Pringle, and Isaac Jones for this performance.
The DPAA’s New Year’s Eve program begins with a flare of Viennese pomp and circumstance with Wagner’s regal “Under the Double Eagle” March. The evening continues with a visit to two lively operas from the repertoire, with the infectious overture to Strauss’s popular operetta Die Fledermaus and “Come scoglio” from Mozart’s delightful opera buffa Cosi fan tutte. This enchanting aria will be sung by soprano Teresa Perrotta. Then, tenor Alec Carlson and Dayton Ballet join the DPO for Schubert’s dreamy “Nacht und Traüme.”
The DPO then turns to Richard Strauss’s swirling overture to Act I of his orchestral suite Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme. Following, Ms. Perrotta and Mr. Carlson captivate the audience with the deeply emotional love song “Glück das mir verlieb” from Korngold’s 1920 opera Die tote Stadt (The Dead City). The first half of the program closes with Acting DPO Concertmaster Aurelian Opera in the spotlight for the third movement of Khachaturian’s melodic Violin Concerto. This final movement has been described by NAXOS’s Kevin Sutton as “a whirlwind of motion and virtuosity.”
After intermission, Neal and the DPO kick off the party for the second half of the evening with Johann Strauss’s “Express Polka.” Then, Ms. Perrotta takes the stage once again for Hungarian composer Kalman’s dazzling “Heia in den Bergen” from his charming operetta The Gypsy Princess. Mr. Carlson follows with the romantic favorite “Dein ist mein ganzes Herz” (“Yours is My Heart Alone”) from Franz Lehar’s operetta The Land of Smiles.
Dayton Ballet graces the stage once again with choreography by dancer Isaac Jones to Beethoven’s famous German Dances, WoO 8. The concert returns to composer Lehar and his beloved operetta The Merry Widow, as Ms. Perrotta and Mr. Carlson perform the lovely final waltz duet “Lippen schweigen” (“Lips Stay Silent”).
The evening closes with the beautiful Blue Danube Waltz from Johann Strauss II, Radetzky’s March from Johann Strauss I, and the traditional and nostalgic Auld Lang Syne as we say goodbye to 2021 and welcome 2022!
The DPAA’s New Year’s Eve traditions that patrons have come to love and anticipate will again be part of the evening’s festivities: a complimentary flute of champagne at intermission and a colorful climactic balloon drop. These traditions and the acclaimed performances from the DPAA have made this evening in the Mead Theatre the essential place to be on New Year’s Eve in Dayton.
This New Year’s Eve concert is an excellent option for those looking for an end-of-year tradition that favors the 8 pm to 10:30 pm time slot and sets the tone for whatever else concert-goers may want to do that night before the ball drops. Seats should be reserved early, as New Year’s Eve with the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance nearly sells out every year!
Safety Protocols
The DPAA is excited to welcome audiences back to the 2021–2022 Season. The health and safety of patrons, performers, staff, and volunteers is our top priority. Beginning November 22, 2021, in partnership with DPAA’s venue partner Dayton Live, the following new health and safety protocols are in place at all performances and events until further notice:
- Vaccination and Testing – Proof of vaccination or COVID-19 testing will no longer be required to attend performances at Dayton Live venues, including the Schuster Center and the Victoria Theatre.
- Masks – Masks will be required for all patrons over the age of 6 during the entire visit while attending a DPAA performance or event. Mask must cover both nose and mouth.
Tickets for New Year’s Eve: Return to Vienna begin at $5 and are available by calling the box office at (937) 228-3630 or online at www.daytonperformingarts.org. Senior, teacher and military discounts are available at the box office. For more information or to order subscriptions, including flexible subscription types that include performances by Dayton Philharmonic, Dayton Opera and Dayton Ballet, visit www.daytonperformingarts.org.
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About the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance
The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA) was formed in July 2012 as the result of a groundbreaking and innovative merger between the Dayton Ballet, the Dayton Opera, and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. Together, they are the largest performing arts organization in the greater Dayton community, with a mission to be the community’s indispensable source for traditional, diverse and innovative experiences in ballet, opera, and orchestral music. The vision of the DPAA is to transform lives through the power of music and dance. The DPAA offers a wide variety of performance and education programs, setting a new standard for artistic excellence. DPAA performances reach an audience of more than 90,000 people annually, and their rich arts education programming serves over 60,000 schoolchildren in 150 schools in the Miami Valley. These performances and education initiatives are made possible in part through major support provided by the Ohio Arts Council, Culture Works, the City of Dayton, Montgomery County and the National Endowment for the Arts.