Sir Peter Wright made Founding Director Laureate of Birmingham Royal Ballet
Birmingham Royal Ballet has announced that Sir Peter Wright’s title will change from Director Laureate to Founding Director Laureate of the company.
Sir Peter Wright CBE is central in the history of Birmingham Royal Ballet and was instrumental in moving the then Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet from London to Birmingham in 1990. Birmingham Royal Ballet will perform three of Sir Peter Wright’s ballets, Coppélia, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake in the 2022/23 season, in recognition of his importance to the company and celebration of his eminent career and work.
Sir Peter Wright said of the appointment:
I am delighted to be honoured in this way. Birmingham Royal Ballet remains very close to my heart… And what better way to mark the occasion than by reviving three of my productions, two of which will tour and all three staged in our home city! I have so many wonderful memories of this company and remain devoted to it.
Birmingham Royal Ballet Director Carlos Acosta said:
It is an honour and a privilege to recognise Sir Peter in this way and to celebrate his life’s work by performing three of his ballets this season. He was one of the great Artistic Directors, building on the heritage of Dame Ninette de Valois, but also always looking to the future success of Birmingham Royal Ballet. He has been a constant inspiration to everyone he has worked with during his tenure and ever since… I am very proud to be following in his footsteps and to be upholding the classical values and traditions manifested in his repertoire.
Sir Peter Wright is a longstanding and devoted supporter of The Royal Ballet School. Recruited by Dame Ninette de Valois as a dancer in Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet, he joined The Royal Ballet School as a teacher in 1959. After a period working as Ballet Master, teacher and choreographer at Stuttgart Ballet in the 1960s, he returned to The Royal Ballet in 1969 as Associate to the Directors and later Associate Director. In 1977 he was appointed Director of Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet and moved the Company to Birmingham to become Birmingham Royal Ballet in 1990.
On his retirement in July 1995, he was made Director Laureate. He was awarded his knighthood in the Queen’s birthday honours list in 1993. His productions of many of the classic ballets are much cherished and are performed in the repertories of companies around the world.
