New York City Ballet has announced the Opening Night of its 2003-2004 season, Balanchine 100: The Centennial Celebration. The Opening Night Benefit will feature an all-Balanchine program of Serenade, Bugaku (the only performance of this ballet scheduled for 2003-2004), and Symphony in C. The Opening Night Benefit performance will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 25, at the New York State Theater.

The Chairmen for the evening are Isabella Rossellini and Lilly Samuels Tartikoff. The Corporate Chairmen are Mr. and Mrs. Samuel A. DiPiazza, Jr., and the evening is generously sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The Opening Night Benefit brings together three of Balanchine’s masterpieces in a program that shows his versatility and range. Serenade (1934), the first work that Balanchine choreographed in the United States, is set to the Serenade for Strings by Tschaikovsky, one of the choreographer’s favorite composers.

In Bugaku (1963), Balanchine showed his appreciation of Japanese ceremony and dance forms by creating a stylized, elegant ballet set to a commissioned score by Toshiro Mayuzumi; this will be the only performance of Bugaku for the 2003-2004 season.

Symphony in C (1947), one of Balanchine’s most popular ballets, uses a Bizet score that had been lost for almost 100 years; Balanchine learned of its existence from Stravinsky and used it for a work for Paris Opéra Ballet, Le Palais de Cristal. He revised and renamed the ballet the following year for its American premiere on NYCB’s first program, October 11, 1948.

For its tribute to Balanchine during his centennial year, NYCB has devoted its 2003-2004 winter season to exploring Balanchine’s heritage, including his influences and early works, while the spring season illustrates his vision, including his encouragement of other choreographers and his belief in the importance of new works.

Born in 1904 in St. Petersburg, Russia, George Balanchine is widely regarded as one of ballet’s foremost choreographers and one of the great artists of the 20th century. He had an immense influence on the world of dance, as well as a profound impact on the cultural history of New York City.

After arriving in America in 1933, Balanchine, with NYCB co-founder Lincoln Kirstein, first opened the School of American Ballet. Several short-lived ballet companies followed, culminating in the establishment of the New York City Ballet in 1948. From that time until his death in 1983, Balanchine built the Company into one of the world’s great arts institutions, while creating a new ballet repertory that is unparalleled in the history of dance. An authoritative catalogue of Balanchine’s creative output lists 425 works created from 1920 to 1982, many of which are recognized as masterpieces of the 20th century and are performed today by ballet companies around the world.

The Opening Night Benefit will begin with a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m. on the Promenade of the New York State Theater. A black-tie tribute ball and dinner will immediately follow the performance, which begins at 7:00 p.m.

The Opening Night Sponsor, PricewaterhouseCoopers, is the world’s largest professional services organization. Drawing on the knowledge and skills of more than 125,000 people in 142 countries, PWC is committed to building relationships by providing services based on quality and integrity.

Tables of ten for the Centennial Ball are available for $10,000, $15,000, and $20,000 and include performance tickets, while individual tickets are priced from $1,000 to $2,000; these tickets are available through the NYCB Special Events Office at 212-870-5585. Tickets for the cocktail reception and the performance (orchestra sides and back) are $200 and are also available through the NYCB Special Events Office. Tickets for the performance only are priced from $20 to $100 and are available through Ticketmaster at 212-307-4100, at the New York State Theater Box Office, or through the NYCB website at www.nycballet.com.

The New York State Theater is located on the Lincoln Center Plaza at Columbus Avenue at 63rd Street. For more information on tickets for any New York City Ballet performance, call 212-870-5570 or visit www.nycballet.com.