“Raffaella”: A New Fairytale Ballet

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Raffaella is a new fairytale ballet commissioned by the Stroik family, in memory of their daughter, Raffaella Stroik. Inspired by her life, this full-length ballet follows the lineage of classical ballets such as Giselle and The Sleeping Beauty and seeks to embody Raffaella’s motto, “Beauty will save the world.”

The ballet will be premiered on Saturday, June 29 and Sunday, June 30, 2024, by the South Bend Symphony under the baton of Robin Fountain, at the Morris Performing Arts Center in South Bend, Indiana.

Tickets may be purchased at the website here.

Choreography by Claire Kretzschmar

Music by Michael Kurek

Performed by Isabella LaFreniere and Jonatan Luján

Set design by Gabrielle Stroik Johnson

Executive Producers: Duncan and Ruth Stroik

Run Time: 1 hour 50 minutes including intermission

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Images courtesy of the Raffaella website.

American composer Michael Kurek is the author of the recently released book, The Sound of Beauty: A Composer on Music in the Spiritual Life (Ignatius Press) and the composer of the recent Billboard No. 1 classical album The Sea Knows (Parma Recordings). His compositions for symphony orchestra and chamber ensembles have been performed or heard in over sixty countries on six continents. The winner of numerous composition awards, including the prestigious Academy Award in Music from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, he holds the doctorate in music composition from the University of Michigan and is Emeritus Professor of Composition at Vanderbilt University. For more information and music, visit MichaelKurek.com.