Come the end of the 2025 Metropolitan Opera House season, current American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Cassandra Trenary will leave the company to join Vienna State Opera Ballet at which point, Alessandra Ferri will be the new Artistic Director. Of her time in New York City, Trenary expresses:
“American Ballet Theatre is my family and has been my home since my very first Summer Intensive – through the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
School, and on to rising through the ranks of the Company.I am immensely grateful for the dreams realized, the artistic development, and the strong foundation ABT has given me. I will carry it all forward as I step into this next journey, and I’m excited to embrace new growth and challenges.
I will cherish every moment I’ve had with ABT.”
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Cassandra Trenary at American Ballet Theatre
Trenary joined American Ballet Theatre in 2011 and spent the following fifteen years of her career rising through the ranks as she danced the leading roles in some of the most famous classical ballets in the company’s repertory such as Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker, and The Sleeping Beauty.
She is also well known for her portrayals in contemporary works, most recently as Raskolnikov in Helen Pickett’s Crime and Punishment, Sally in Wayne McGregor’s Woolf Works, and Tita in Christopher Wheeldon’s Like Water for Chocolate.
Fittingly, she will debut in the lead role in Woolf Works, originally created for Ferri.
Susan Jaffe, Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre says of Trenary, “Cassandra has been a luminous presence on our stage, and we will miss her artistry, generosity, and unwavering commitment to the art form. Her performances have left an indelible mark on our repertoire, and we wish her great success as she embarks on this exciting new chapter in Vienna.”
Trenary’s final performance with ABT will be on July 5 in Wheeldon’s The Winter’s Tale.
Featured Photo of Cassandra Trenary in Helen Pickett’s Crime and Punishment, which premiered at ABT in October 2024. Photo by Quinn Wharton.
