Ballet Theatre of Maryland is kicking off its 48th season with an outdoor garden preview at a colonial-era Annapolis mansion, followed weeks later by the company's first-ever staging of a nearly 200-year-old ballet considered the oldest surviving story ballet in the world. The two-part season opener pairs an intimate wine reception with a full mainstage production, giving local audiences a preview and then a payoff within the span of a month.
The season kicks off with Ballet in the Garden, set for September 19 at 5 p.m. at the Hammond-Harwood House, according to Eye On Annapolis. The outdoor event offers a preview of the upcoming season, pairing short dance excerpts from the troupe's repertory with complimentary wine in the historic gardens of the 1774 mansion. Built by architect William Buckland for lawyer Matthias Hammond, the Hammond-Harwood House is a National Historic Landmark known for its Georgian Palladian architecture and a front entryway often called the most beautiful doorway in America, according to the Maryland State Archives.
Tickets for the garden event run $60 for Hammond-Harwood House members and Ballet Theatre of Maryland subscribers, and $80 for the general public, per the same account. Ballet Theatre of Maryland first launched the outdoor preview in September 2022, and it has since grown into one of the company's signature traditions ahead of each new season, according to Eye On Annapolis' earlier reporting.
La Sylphide Makes Its Annapolis Debut
Weeks after the garden preview, the company brings its full mainstage production to life with La Sylphide, running October 16 through October 18 at Maryland Hall. It marks Ballet Theatre of Maryland's first production of the ballet, which was first performed in 1832 and is considered the world's oldest surviving story ballet, per the same account. The version being staged in Annapolis carries choreography based on the work of Danish choreographer August Bournonville, who created his own 1836 rendition for the Royal Danish Ballet after the Paris Opéra demanded too high a fee for the original 1832 score, according to background from San Francisco Ballet. That new score came from a 19-year-old composer, Herman Severin Løvenskiold, whose music underpins the production headed to Maryland Hall.
The ballet follows James, a young Scotsman who encounters a mysterious sylph on the morning of his wedding and abandons the ceremony to follow the supernatural creature into the forest. A witch later offers James a way to make the sylph his own, setting up the ballet's tragic turn. The production blends Scottish folk dancing with the traditional white-costumed ballet blanc style that defines the Romantic era of dance.
Kelsch, who took the helm of the company in July 2020 after a 14-year career as a BTM Principal Dancer, School Principal, and Ballet Mistress, retired from performing following a March 2020 production of Swan Lake, according to the Severna Park Voice.
Ticket Prices and How to Buy
La Sylphide tickets are priced at $62, with discounts available for seniors, military members, students, and children. A virtual ticket option is also available for $36 per household. Ballet Theatre of Maryland advises that BalletMaryland.org and Eventbrite are its only authorized ticket outlets, warning prospective buyers against third-party resellers that may distribute inflated or fraudulent tickets. Additional information is available at balletmaryland.org, or by calling 410-224-5644.
A Season Rooted In Annapolis History
Ballet Theatre of Maryland traces its roots to November 1978, when it was founded as the Ballet Theatre of Annapolis. The company achieved full-time professional status in 1996 and rebranded as Ballet Theatre of Maryland in 2000 to reflect a statewide mission, according to background compiled on Wikipedia. The company's mainstage home, Maryland Hall at 801 Chase Street, was established in 1979 inside the former 1932 Annapolis High School building and today houses four resident performing arts companies, as Hoodline previously reported.
Ahead of the new season, the company promoted dancers Cindy Case and Brayden Page to Principal Dancers, while elevating Amanda Cobb to Soloist — moves that put fresh faces in leading roles throughout the 2026-2027 repertory. Beyond its ticketed weekend performances, Ballet Theatre of Maryland also runs weekday Student & Senior Matinee Mini performances at Maryland Hall, aimed at expanding access to dance for local schools and older adults across Anne Arundel County.
La Sylphide and Ballet in the Garden are just the opening chapters of a fuller season. The company's 2026-2027 calendar continues with an Annapolis-themed staging of The Nutcracker in December, the Momentum: A Mixed Bill showcase in February, and a reimagined production of the comedic ballet Coppélia in April — rounding out a season that Maryland Hall has folded into its broader 2026-2027 Annapolis performance calendar.
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