Ballett Zürich has announced that Cathy Marston will take over as new Ballet Director and Chief Choreographer for an initial period of two years, starting from the 2023-24 season. She will succeed Christian Spuck, who has successfully led the company since 2012, and who in turn is taking over the artistic directorship of the Staatsballett Berlin.
Marston has previous directorship experience in Switzerland, having been Ballet Director at the Konzert Theater Bern from 2007-2013. There, she created several world premieres including Wuthering Heights (2009), and led the ballet from the brink of closure to a flourishing period of ensemble work.
and Pippa Moore as Older Princess Beatrice
in Cathy Marston’s Victoria for Northern Ballet
Photo Emma Kauldhar
Particularly noted for her narrative work that offers new perspectives to existing stories and a unique hybrid choreographic signature, Marston has been active as a successful and sought-after freelance choreographer for years, appearing as a guest at numerous companies and institutions the world over. Among her many more recent successful works are The Cellist for The Royal Ballet, Jane Eyre and Victoria for Northern Ballet (the former now also in the repertory of American Ballet Theatre), and The Suit for Ballet Black. Her darkly dramatic Snowblind, based on Edith Wharton’s novella, Ethan Frome, was recently streamed by San Francisco Ballet.
She says, “I am thrilled to take forward the direc-tion of Zurich Ballet, building on the wonderful work of my colleague, Christian Spuck. Under his direction Zurich Ballett has welcomed many of the definitive choreographic voices of our time and been a hothouse of creation. I look forward to expanding this portfolio even further through my own choreography and curation, collaborating with the company‘s versatile and beautiful dancers as well as the brilliant production team, and bringing the era of Andreas Homoki at Zurich Opernhaus to an inspiring conclusion.”
Marston there is referring to the forthcoming change at the top of the Opernhaus Zürich, where Andreas Homoki has decided to bring what will by then be a 13-year tenure to a close in 2025. The search for his successor to lead Switzerland’s largest cultural institution is now underway.