RITE OF SPRING, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Audra McDonald and More Set for Virginia Arts Festival, Now thru 6/2

A variety of artists celebrate the centennial of the most controversial premiere in both ballet and music history - Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. The Festival provides an extraordinary opportunity to see this historical performance on May 29, one hundred years from the day the work was premiered. This new production of "The Rite" is collaboration between Virginia Arts Festival, Richmond Ballet and Virginia Symphony Orchestra with music director JoAnn Falletta conducting. "The Rite is a piece that forever changed the landscape of the music world. People who witnessed the premier May 29, 1913 were stunned by its primal power and visceral energy. While we don't expect our performance to provoke the riot of that first performance, I know our audiences will never forget experiencing this masterpiece live at the Virginia Arts Festival." JoAnn Falletta says.