Ballet Des Moines and Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus announce new artistic directors – Des Moines Register
Both Ballet Des Moines and the Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus have chosen new artistic directors in the past two weeks.
Tom Mattingly is coming to the ballet from Madison, Wisconsin, where he was ballet master for the Madison Ballet.
Eric Shepard is a Des Moines native and has been involved with the gay men’s chorus since about 2009, previously serving as a performer, choreographer and member of the board of directors as he has taken on increasingly responsible roles.
Mattingly, who begins work Nov. 8, is by contrast a newcomer to Des Moines. He said he recalled visiting the city only once before, while with a touring production of “An American in Paris” in 2017.
He created choreography for the Madison Ballet’s upcoming performance of “The Nutcracker” and will inherit in his new role what Ballet Des Moines is calling an “expanded and updated” production of the same, famed Tchaikovsky ballet.
“I absolutely loved what (Ballet Des Moines) wanted to accomplish, which is a classic ‘Nutcracker,’ repackaged in a brand new way,” said Mattingly. “The audiences will see a true reimagining of the story.”
Ballet Des Moines’ production of “The Nutcracker “ will run Dec. 10-12 at Hoyt Sherman Place before going to the Staplin Performing Arts Center in West Des Moines for shows Dec. 17 and 18.
Mattingly already has started getting involved with the ballet’s strategic planning and choreography, studying videos of its performances.
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“These are strong dancers with a great technical base,” he said. “They are stunning performers and it was clear to me when I was watching these videos that these dancers understand how to make new work.”
Creating new work and presenting pieces that broaden the audience, such as the pandemic-inspired October modern dance performance “Kiss,” are top of mind for Mattingly as he takes up his new role.
Other than “The Nutcracker” one of the upcoming productions Mattingly said he is especially looking forward to is “Of Gravity and Light,” being performed at the Civic Center on April 22.
“(Composer Beau Kenyon) and I are working together and we have some other collaborative partners who will be working with us on the visual side, as well, who will be crafting this really lush and multilayered performance,” said Mattingly.
At the gay men’s chorus, Shepard will begin his tenure as the organization’s third artistic director Jan. 1.
The chorus in July celebrated its 20th anniversary as a nonprofit dedicated to music and enhancing LGBTQ visibility in the Des Moines community. A diversity, equity and inclusion consultant and practitioner in his day job, Shepard is excited to pursue those goals with the chorus.
“Hitting the ground running is basically my goal on Jan. 1, with basically 11 weeks until the first concert of my first artistic director career of the organization,” said Shepard, a former director of vocal music for the Johnston schools. The chorus’ spring performance is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. March 25 at Drake University’s Sheslow Auditorium.
Shepard will be introduced to the community during the chorus’ Dec. 17 and 18 holiday performances at Plymouth Church. He said he looks forward to gauging what the singers and the community want from the organization.
“It’s the people that make this organization what it is,” said Shepard. “Folks of all gender identities and sexual orientations sing with this organization as people who are committed to raising the voices of LGBTQIA people.”
Isaac Hamlet covers arts, entertainment and culture at the Des Moines Register. Reach him at ihamlet@gannett.com or (319)-600-2124, follow him on Twitter @IsaacHamlet.