Alonzo King LINES Ballet and Appalachian Spring

Choreographer Alonzo King and LINES Ballet's regular collaborations with the San Francisco Symphony feel both like a homecoming and an evolution of a shared artistic language. In reimagining the expansive Americana of Copland's Appalachian Spring and the evocative, impressionistic textures of Debussy's Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun, King and LINES Ballet invite us to explore how movement and sound breathe together in real time. Conductor James Gaffigan and SF Symphony Principal Cello Rainer Eudeikis expand the palette with Prokofiev's sardonic and spectacular Sinfonia concertante. This cello concerto in all but name boasts one of the most demanding roles in the repertoire. The cello doles out every frequency in its range, from throbbing low notes to piercing cries.


Artists

James Gaffigan
Conductor

Rainer Eudeikis
Cello

Alonzo King
Choreography

Alonzo King LINES Ballet

Robert Rosenwasser
Costume Designer

San Francisco Symphony


Program

Sergei Prokofiev
Sinfonia concertante

Claude Debussy
Prélude à L'Après-midi d'un faune

Aaron Copland
Suite from Appalachian Spring

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https://linesballet.org/fall-2026/

This fall, LINES Ballet is thrilled to continue its ongoing partnership with the San Francisco Symphony, returning to Davies Hall to perform two world premiere works choreographed by LINES Artistic Director and Co-Founder Alonzo King. Set to two of the most iconic works in the classical music canon, Copland's Suite from Appalachian Spring and Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (Afternoon of a Faun), the program offers the unparalleled experience of live symphonic music performed on stage alongside LINES' extraordinary dancers, for an immersive dialogue between movement and sound.

Conductor James Gaffigan will lead the San Francisco Symphony in this collaborative program, which will also include Prokofiev's Sinfonia concertante, featuring SF Symphony Principal Cellist Rainer Eudeikis.

"Returning to collaborate with the San Francisco Symphony feels both like a homecoming and an evolution of a shared artistic language," says LINES Ballet Co-Founder and Artistic Director Alonzo King. "Creating world premiere works with these extraordinary artists -- reimagining the expansive Americana of Copland's Suite from Appalachian Spring and the evocative, impressionistic textures of Debussy's Afternoon of a Faun -- is an invitation to explore how movement and sound breathe together in real time. When dancers and musicians meet in this way, something larger than either form emerges: a living architecture of emotion, memory, and the human spirit."



Image Credit: Photo by RJ Muna