Marcello Angelini to Step Down as Tulsa Ballet Artistic Director After 2026-27 Season

Marcello Angelini and his wife Daniela Buson will relinquish their roles as artistic director and assistant artistic director of Tulsa Ballet at the end of the 2026-2027 season. Angelini will become artistic director emeritus. The announcement was made last month by Nicole Morgan, chair of the ballet company's board of directors, who said Angelini's impact is impossible to overstate. Angelini joined Tulsa Ballet in 1995 after a career as a principal dancer with Cincinnati Ballet. Under his leadership, the company grew from a regional troupe known for preserving Ballet Russe traditions into a versatile company praised by critics. He commissioned more than 100 new ballets, including works by Edwaard Liang, Kenneth Tindall, Val Caniparoli, and Ma Cong. The company premiered Nacho Duato's 'Jardi Tancat' in 1999, which helped attract choreographers such as Christopher Wheeldon, Twyla Tharp, and William Forsythe. Tulsa Ballet built Studio K in 2008, opened two dance schools, and established a second company, TBII. The company first toured internationally in 2002, performing in Sintra, Portugal, and later toured Italy, Germany, eastern Europe, South Korea, and England's Royal Opera House. A $16 million 'Preserving the Legacy' campaign has raised about $15 million. Tulsa Ballet operates in the black with assets over $40 million. Angelini and Buson plan to remain in Tulsa and spend more time in Italy.