Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet to be staged in Houston

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" ballet will be presented on December 7-8, in Houston, Texas, Azernews reports.

The ballet will be accompanied by the newly established Houston Repertory Ballet Orchestra, led by Azerbaijani conductor Tarana Taylor.

The Nutcracker is an 1892 two-act ballet originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Op. 71).

The ballet is based on E.T.A. Hoffmann's 1816 fairy tale "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg in 1892.

It tells the story of a little girl who goes to the Land of Sweets on Christmas Eve. Ivan Vsevolozhsky and Marius Petipa adapted Hoffmann's story for the ballet

The main parts in the ballet will be performed by renowned soloists from the American Ballet Theater, Léa Fleytoux and Jake Roxander.

The first presentation of "The Nutcracker," under the baton of Tarana Taylor, took place in 2023 and was warmly received by the Texas community.

Tarana Taylor is a graduate of the Baku Musical Academy. She is an experienced pianist with a strong background in solo, vocal, instrumental, chamber, orchestral, theater, and ballet music.

Before founding the orchestra she currently leads, she worked as a pianist for the Houston Repertory Ballet Orchestra (HRB) for seven years.

The members of the orchestra are well-known musicians who have performed on stages across the United States and various countries.

In 2024, Tarana Taylor's Texas Music Club saw 15 of its students participate in the "All State Music" festival held across the U.S., where they achieved high results and received awards..