AMERICAN BALLET THEATER DANCER JENNIFER ALEXANDER KILLED IN A 16-CAR COLLISION IN EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY; HUSBAND AND FELLOW DANCER JULIO BRAGADO YOUNG IN SERIOUS CONDITION.

December 3, 2007, Carmel, California: Monterey Symphony music director Max Bragado-Darman's son and daughter-in-law were involved in a 15-car collision in East Rutherford, New Jersey yesterday evening. Jennifer Alexander was killed instantly and Julio Bragado suffered neck injuries and a broken leg. He is in critical condition in the Hackensack Hospital. The wreck is still under investigation, but the ice storm which struck the area last night is a probable cause. They were returning home from a performance of "The Nutcracker."

Both dancers appeared with the Monterey Symphony in January of this year. It was the first time father and son had worked together on stage. The couple returned to area in July for their marriage in Carmel Valley.

Ballerina Jennifer Alexander was born in Calgary, Canada and began studying ballet at the age of five. From the age of fourteen, Ms. Alexander studied at the School of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and joined that company at the age of 18. Moving to New York in 1993, Ms. Alexander appeared in the Broadway productions of The Red Shoes in 1993 and Carousel in 1994, and appeared in the movie, Center Stage. She joined the American Ballet Theater in 1994 and has appeared in more than twenty different productions. She was the only child of Keith and Vanessa Alexander of Calgary.

Julio Bragado Young was born in Cleveland, Ohio, while his father, Max Bragado Darman, was conducting the Youth Orchestra there. He moved to Valladolid, Spain at the age of two. At six, he began his training as a classical ballet dancer. He returned to America to attend the North Carolina School of the Arts and upon graduation, joined the corps de ballet of the American Ballet Theater. He has danced numerous productions with ABT, specializing in character roles, such as Bottom in ABT's highly acclaimed production of The Dream, based on Mendelssohn's Incidental music from A Midsummer Night's Dream, which was broadcast nationally on PBS's Great Performances series.

The Monterey Symphony's January 2007 performance which featured three pas de deuxs from Tchaikovsky ballets drew in one of the largest, youngest, and most diverse audiences in the orchestra's history. Both were scheduled to reappear with the orchestra in January 2009.

Monterey Symphony president Janet McDaniel has asked that all who wish to express their condolences to Max and Mary Bragado send cards to the Monterey Symphony, PO Box 3965, Carmel, CA 93923.