Nevada Ballet Theatre is kicking off its 2026-2027 season with a production big enough to need its own scaffolding — nearly 80 singers from the Las Vegas Master Singers will perform from an elevated scenic structure above the stage as the company presents Carmina Burana, paired with George Balanchine's Serenade, for three performances at The Smith Center starting Friday.
The season-opening double bill contrasts two very different works: Nicolo Fonte's dramatic, choral-driven staging of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana against Balanchine's 1934 Serenade, a purely classical piece set to Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings, according to 8 News Now. As detailed by BroadwayWorld, Serenade holds a particular distinction in ballet history: it was the first work Balanchine choreographed after immigrating to the United States.
The scale of the production is what sets this opener apart from a typical night at the ballet. Along with Nevada Ballet Theatre's dancers and the Las Vegas Philharmonic, the nearly 80 operatic singers stationed above the stage are joined by soloists Melissa Heath, Christopher Clayton, and Christopher Puckett, as BroadwayWorld reports. Conductor Eric McAllister leads the orchestra through Orff's score, a piece the composer built in the 1930s from 24 medieval poems discovered in a Bavarian monastery, per the outlet's account.
A Choreography With Roots Outside Las Vegas
Fonte's staging of Carmina Burana didn't originate in Southern Nevada. It first premiered in November 2017 as a co-production between Ballet West and Cincinnati Ballet, complete with its own original scenic and costume designs, the report states. Fonte created the choreography while serving as resident choreographer for Ballet West, according to the same account.
Leading the company through this ambitious opener is Artistic Director Roy Kaiser, appointed in 2017 as the fourth artistic leader in Nevada Ballet Theatre's history. Placing the theatrical intensity of Carmina Burana alongside the classical rigor of Serenade reflects Kaiser's broader approach to balancing drama with tradition, as outlined by BroadwayWorld.
A Resident Company
Nevada Ballet Theatre is the resident ballet company of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. Beyond its professional ensemble, the organization has an affiliated school and education programs.
Performance Dates And Ticket Details
Carmina Burana & Serenade runs for three performances at The Smith Center: Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m., according to 8 News Now. Ticket prices for the run range from $43.65 to $226.45, including facility fees, per KNPR. Tickets are available through The Smith Center box office at 702-749-2000 or online at www.nevadaballet.org, 8 News Now reports.
