Bal Harbour

P H OTO G R A P H @ DAV I D C O R I O C O U R T E S Y O F D E N V E R A R T M U S E U M ( W H I T N E Y H O U S TO N ) ; P H OTO © DA N I E L A ZO U L AY, C O U R T E S Y M I A M I C I T Y B A L L E T; © 2 0 2 5 LU C A S M U S E U M O F N A R R AT I V E A R T, P H OTO BY P E D R O R A M I R E Z YES QUEEN! We know their names by heart: Callas, Gaga, Cher, Rihanna. Yet how often do we get to talk about the qualities that unite these enigmatic individuals? This fall, the Denver Art Museum does its part in correcting that injustice by hosting "DIVA," a new leading lady-themed exhibition that originated, appropriately, at a monument to one: the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Seen through their ephemera, clothing, videos, and behind-the- scenes footage, divas past and present begin to seem more like long-lost peers, traveling through time in a clique of excellence. —K.H. READ ALL ABOUT IT The Miami Book Fair, the largest in the country, returns to Downtown Miami from November 15 through 22 in a celebration of stories and storytelling, hosting hundreds of authors across all genres and with special programming for readers of all ages. Fun fact: The fair was cofounded in 1984 by Books & Books owner Mitchell Kaplan, and Miami Dade College President Emeritus Eduardo J. Padrón. —S.G. THE RHYTHM IS GONNA GET YOU Miami City Ballet has one of the most exciting repertoires in the US, in part because of its proximity to the New York City Ballet (all three of its artistic directors are alumni)—but also because the company has always commissioned original works. This fall (from October 16 through 25), its "American Rhythms" program features a premiere by former principal dancer Patricia Delgado (most recently, she and her husband, the choreographer Justin Peck, won a Tony for Buena Vista Social Club). The piece, still untitled and sharing a program with Balanchine's Allegro Brillante and Jerome Robbins's exuberant N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz, will be Delgado's first solo choreographic work for a ballet company. It's a homecoming, as well as an artist leaping—with beautifully pointed feet, of course—into a new chapter. —S.G. POWER FORWARD Grammy-nominated Missy Mazzoli—who has been called "a once-in-a-generation magician of the orchestra"—is no stranger to operatic adaptations (she wrote a searing three-act based on the film Breaking the Waves). But her newest work debuting at the Metropolitan Opera is her most ambitious, and not just because she's only one of the first two women to be commissioned by the New York institution. Based on George Saunders's "Lincoln in the Bardo," the new work has a luminous cast, led by imposing Swedish baritone Peter Mattei, and a creative team helmed by director Lileana Blain-Cruz, crossing the plaza from her resident post at Lincoln Center Theater, and wunderkind librettist Royce Vavrek. Lincoln in the Bardo premieres on October 19, with performances through November 14. —S.G. After a long drought, LA's institutional landscape is springing back to life. On the heels of LACMA's new Peter Zumthor- conceived David Geffen Galleries comes the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, founded by George Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson. Similarly, the building itself is a marvel conceived by another high-wattage architect, Ma Yansong of MAD. Where LACMA appears like a primordial outgrowth, the Lucas looks like it's ready to take off. A double-header to see the inaugural Hollywood-sized installations is a must. —K.H. TAKE TWO culture bites Whitney Houston performing at London's Wembley Arena, May 1988 The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art George Balanchine's Allegro Brillante 208 208 BALHAR B O U RSH O P S .CO M

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