Edited by Randi Bjornstad

Apparently someone has been counting, and when Orchestra Next accompanies Eugene Ballet in its world premiere performance of Peter Pan, it will be the 100th time the two groups have collaborated onstage.

The ballet, of course, tells the story of Neverland, Peter Pan (the little boy who never grows up) and his band of Lost Boys, Peter’s friends Wendy and Michael Darling, Captain Hook and his ne’er-do-well fellow pirates, and, naturally, Tinkerbell the fairy.

This balletic version of the story will be seen onstage for the first times ever on May 17-19, 2024. The score is the creation of Portland composer and violist Kenji Bunch, and the choreography comes from Toni Pimble, co-founder and artistic director of Eugene Ballet and creator of more than 60 works premiered by the company.

Peter Pan will conclude Eugene Ballet’s 2023-24 season. The full-length ballet takes 96 minutes to perform.

As for Orchestra Next, it is a nonprofit organization devoted to preparing orchestral musicians for professional careers in the field. Participating musicians are students and professionals who rehearse and perform a wide range of musical programs.

Since its inception in 2012, Orchestra Next has become the resident orchestra for Euegene Ballet, playing every performance of the annual run of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s classic, The Nutcracker, as well as premiere productions such as The Great Gatsby (music by Wynton Marsalis), Peer Gynt (Edvard Grieg), The Firebird (Igor Stravinsky), and The Snow Queen (Kenji Bunch).

The orchestra has performed widely at events and performances throughout the area, ranging from opera, choir, and theater to playing live national anthems at the World Indoor Track & Field championships.

World Premiere: Eugene Ballet and Orchestra Next do Kenji Bunch’s Peter Pan

When: 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 17; 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, May 18-19

Where: Silva Concert Hall, Hult Center for the Performing Arts, One Eugene Center (Seventh and Willamette streets), downtown Eugene

Tickets: Adults $25/$45/$55/$65; $15 for youths high school and younger and full-time college students with current ID; available at the Hult Center box office, by telephone at 541-682-5000, or online at eugeneballet.org or hultcenter.org

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