As a choreographer, Gladstein set twenty-four works on the company from 1962-82 and has been praised for his ability to interpret the scores of twentieth century composers. Of special note, his Symphony in Three Movements was chosen for a special broadcast on KQED-TV in 1982. In addition to the San Francisco Ballet, Gladstein's choreography has been performed by ABT Players, Ballet West, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Sacramento Ballet. He choreographed two productions for the San Francisco Opera. He also worked as the ballet master of the Dallas Ballet in the late 1980s. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Gladstein died after a long illness; the New York Times quotes friend Martin Devin in attributing his death to cancer. However, it is widely believed in the San Francisco Bay Area dance community that Gladstein died of AIDS-related causes.

KEY CONTACT PERSON(S)/EXECUTOR OF ESTATE:
San Francisco Ballet
455 Franklin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-861-5600
sfbmail@sfballet.org

Bart Rawlinson, longtime partner could not be found via internet or phone directory searches.

HUMAN REPOSITORIES OF THE WORK
(name and contact info, relationship to the artist and the work, assessment):
Former members of the San Francisco Ballet

VIDEO DOCUMENTATION:
(location, format, condition, assessment):
The San Francisco Ballet holds archival footage for many of Gladstein's works.

PHOTOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTATION
(location, format, condition, assessment):
In addition to photographic documentation held by the San Francisco Ballet, there are a large number of black and white photographs of Robert Gladstein dancing with the San Francisco Ballet available at the San Francisco Performing Arts Library and Museum (SFPALM). Photographers include: Ken Howard, Chester Kessler, Henri McDowell, Marty Sohl, and Baron Wolman.

MOVEMENT NOTATION
(location, type [including notes taken by dancers], assessment):
None identified.

PRODUCTION MATERIALS
(scores, sound recordings, set/costume designs):
None identified.

ORAL HISTORY:
None as such, however, a 1979 radio interview with Alan Farley is available on analog stereo cassette (60 min.) at SFPALM.

PERSONAL PAPERS
(location of newspaper clippings, printed programs, press releases, notes, files, diaries; assessment):
None identified.

IMMEDIATE NEEDS
(archival assistance? storage? other?):
None identified.

OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION:
Gladstein served on the dance advisory panel of the National Endowment for the Arts from 1981-86, and at time of his death was a board member of the San Francisco Archive for the Performing Arts now known as SFPALM.

LIST OR OVERVIEW OF WORKS
(title, premiere date, music, production notes, performers):
Created from Cobbett Steinberg's San Francisco Ballet: The First Fifty Years:

Biography (1962)—music: Ernest Bloch; costumes: Ken Howard; principal dancers: David Anderson, Cynthia Gregory, Terry Orr, and Robert Vickery; San Francisco Ballet Theatre, San Francisco

Opus One (1962)—music: Sergei Prokofiev; costumes: Virginia Stapleton; principal dancers: Cynthia Gregory, Sue Loyd, Nancy Robinson, Ada Shepard, Gail Visentin, and Shari White; San Francisco Ballet Theatre, San Francisco

Vivaldi Concerto (1963)—music: Antonio Vivaldi; costumes: Kathleen Gee; principal dancers: David Anderson, Henry Berg, Cynthia Gregory, Sue Loyd, Ron Poindexter, and Nancy Robinson; San Francisco Ballet Theatre, San Francisco

Les Desirables (1964)—music: Benjamin Britten; principal dancers: Sally Bailey and Sue Loyd; San Francisco Ballet Theater, San Francisco

Concertare (1964)—music: César Franck (Symphonic Variations); principal dancers: Virginia Johnson, Sue Loyd, Nancy Robinson, and Gail Visentin; San Francisco Ballet Theatre, San Francisco

Face of Death (1965)—music: Belá Bartók and Otto Klemperer; principal dancers: David Anderson and Jocelyn Vollmar; San Francisco Ballet Theatre, San Francisco

Way Out (I) (1965)—music: Jacques Ibert (Concertino da Camera for Saxophone and Orchestra) and Georg Reidel (second movement of Conversation Symphonette); principal dancers: David Anderson, Lee Fuller, Nancy Robinson, and Eloise Tjomsland; San Francisco Ballet Theatre, San Francisco

The Saga of Silver Creek (1966)—music: Aaron Copland; scenery: Jud Stoddard; principal dancers: Henry Berg, Alan Bergman, Betsy Erickson, Jud Stoddard, and Jocelyn Vollmar; San Francisco Ballet Theatre, San Francisco

Variations for Violin and Orchestra (1966)—music: Max Bruch (Fantasy on Scottish Folk Tunes, Op. 46); costumes: Henry Kersh; principal dancers: David Anderson, Sue Loyd, and Nancy Robinson; San Francisco Ballet Theatre, San Francisco

Way Out (II) (1966)—music: Igor Stravinsky (Orchestral Suite No. 2, Scherzo ŕ la Russe, Circus Polka) and George Reidel (second movement of Conversation Symphonette); scenery and costumes: Athena Kalimos; principal dancers: David Anderson, Lee Fuller, Nancy Robinson, and Eloise Tjomsland; War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco

Psychal (1967)—music: Belá Bartók; scenery and costumes: Kageyama; principal dancers: Lee Fuller, Lynda Meyer, and Nancy Robinson; San Francisco Ballet Theatre, San Francisco

Divertissement (1967)—music: Jacques Ibert (Divertissement); scenery and costumes: Jud Stoddard; principal dancer: Nancy Robinson; San Francisco Ballet Theatre, San Francisco

Impressions in Black and White (1968)—music: Paul Hindemith (Symphonic Metamorphosis); costumes: Kageyama; principal dancers: David Coll, Jon Engstrom, Victoria Gyorfi, Virginia Johnson, Kenneth Lipitz, Diana Marks, John McFall, and Lynda Meyer; Presentation Theater, San Francisco

The Mistletoe Bride (1971)—music: Francis Poulenc (Audabe: Choreographic Concerto for Piano and 18 Instruments); book: based on the poem, "The Mistletoe Bough," by Thomas Haynes Bayly; scenery: Dennis Hudson; principal dancers: Sandra Adamson, Robert Gladstein, and Daniel Simmons; Creative Arts Auditorium, San Francisco State University, San Francisco

Jon Lord—Both Sides Now (1971)—music: Jon Lord (Concerto for Group and Orchestra); costumes: Marcos Paredes; scenery: Robert Darling; principal dancers: Barbarajean Martin, Sara Maule, Lynda Meyer, Anita Paciotti, Daniel Simmons, Geoffrey Thomas, and Kerry Williams; Palace of Fine Arts Theater, San Francisco

Celebration (A Gala Appearance of Four Ballerinas) (1972)—music: Alexandra Luigini (from The Egyptian); principal dancers: Damara Bennett, Victoria Gyorfi, Virginia Johnson, and Lynda Meyer; Windsor Vineyards Amphitheater, Sonoma, Calif.

N.R.A. or If You Remember Cats, Canaries and Kicking Out, Then I'm Talking to the Right Person (An Entertainment of Music and Dance of the 1930s) (1972)—collage of words and music: Warner Jepson; costumes and projections: Cal Anderson; principal dancers: Sandra Adamson, Beverly Kopels, Laurence Matthews, John McFall, Antony Valdor, and Jocelyn Vollmar; Palace of Fine Arts Theater, San Francisco

Preludium (1973)—music: Dag Wiren (Serenade for Strings, Op. 11); principal dancers: Mariana Alvarez, Michael Dwyer, Betsy Erickson, Gary Moore, Gina Ness, Daniel Simmons, and Paula Tracy; McKenna Theater, San Francisco State University, San Francisco

Gershwin (A Suite of Dances) (1977)—music: George Gershwin (Porgy & Bess, arranged by Rober Russell Bennett as A Symphonic Picture, 1942); costumes and scenery: David Guthrie; principal dancers: Laurie Cowden, Susan Magno, David McNaughton, Anita Paciotti, Tina Santos, Vane Vest, and Gary Wahl; War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco

Chi Mai (1978)—music: Ennio Morricone (Chi Mai); costumes: Read Gilmore; principal dancers: Anita Paciotti, Jim Sohm, and Vane Vest; Geary Theater, San Francisco

Stravinsky Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (1978)—music: Igor Stravinsky (Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra); costumes: Willa Kim; principal dancers: Laurie Cowden, Alexander Filipov, Dennis Marshall, and Gina Ness; War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco

The Mistletoe Bride (1979)—music: Paul Seiko Chihara; book: based on the poem, "The Mistletoe Bough," by Thomas Haynes Bayly; costumes: Sandra Woodall; scenery: Jesse Hollis; principal dancers: Susan Magno, Jim Sohm, and Vane Vest; War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco

Psalms (1980)—music: Leonard Bernstein (Chichester Psalms); costumes: Sandra Woodall; War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco

Symphony in Three Movements (1982)—music: Igor Stravinsky (Symphony in Three Movements); principal dancers: Laurie Cowden, Tracy-Kai Maier, Dennis Marshall, Victoria Morgan, Jim Sohm, and Alexander Topciy; War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco

Additionally, Gladstein's San Francisco Chronicle Obituary credits him with choreographing La Traviata (1983) and Samson et Delila (1983) for the San Francisco Opera.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• Cariaga, Daniel. 1986. "Music and Dance News: French, Italian Works at UCLA Festival." Los Angeles Times (22 June).
• Commanday, Robert. 1992. "S.F. Ballet Flourishes Safety First: New Season to Have Old Look." San Francisco Chronicle (May 31).
• Dunning, Jennifer. 1988. "A Sampler of Start at Spoleto Festival." New York Times (3 June).
• Dunning, Jennifer. 1987. "Dallas Dancers a Hit as Fund-Raisers." New York Times (19 March).
• Jackson, George. 1982. "Dance From the Golden Gate." Washington Post (26 August).
• Kisselgoff, Anna. 1980. "Ballet: San Franciscans Offer Bold Theatricality." New York Times (17 October).
• Los Angeles Times. 1992 [Obituary] (9 May).
• New York Times. 1992 [Obituary] (8 May).
• San Francisco Chronicle, 1992 [Obituary] (7 May).
• Steinberg, Cobbett. 1983. San Francisco Ballet: the First Fifty Years. San Francisco Ballet Association: Chronicle Books.