For Immediate Release
Press Contacts: Larry Meehan, Vice President of Media Relations & Tourism Sales, direct line for media: 617-867-8231 / email: lmeehan@bostonusa.com; Stacy Shreffler, Media Relations & Tourism Sales Manager, direct line: 617-867-8203 / email: sshreffler@BostonUSA.com; Boston Symphony Orchestra Contacts: Jack Wright, phone: 617-598-3212 / email: jw@celebrityseries.org
CELEBRITY SERIES OF BOSTON ANNOUNCES 2008-2009 SEASON
Highlights of the 70th season include:
•
Pianist
Leon Fleisher’s 80th Birthday Celebration opens season, October 3 at Jordan
Hall
•
David Sedaris, October 12 at Symphony Hall
• Two performances
by
Sweet Honey In The Rock: November 2 at Symphony Hall and April 28 with
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at The Opera House
•
Dresden Staatskapelle, Fabio Luisi, conductor, Yundi Li, piano, November 18
at Symphony Hall
•
Soweto Gospel Choir, “African Spirit” holiday program, November 30 at
Symphony Hall
•
Philharmonia Quartett Berlin, January 23 at NEC’s Jordan Hall
•
Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, two distinct programs, March 8 and 9 at
Symphony Hall
•
The Chieftains, March 13 at Symphony Hall
•
Mark Morris Dance Group, March 19-22 at the Cutler Majestic Theatre
•
The Blind Boys of Alabama and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, "Down By the
Riverside," March 27 at
Symphony Hall
•
Bernadette Peters, April 4 at Symphony Hall
•
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater 50th Anniversary, April 28-May 3, The
Opera House
•
Orion String Quartet with David Krakauer, clarinet, April 18 at NEC’s Jordan
Hall
•
Renée Fleming, April 19 at Symphony Hall
BOSTON, MA — April 25, 2008 — Celebrity Series of Boston, Martha H. Jones,
President and Executive Director, today announced the 2008-2009 Celebrity Series
of Boston season, its 70th year of bringing to Boston the world’s greatest
performing artists. The season opens with pianist
Leon Fleisher’s 80th Birthday Celebration
on October 3 at NEC’s Jordan Hall. The
Opening Night reception and gala dinner to benefit the Walter Pierce
Annual Fund and the Harris A. Berman Fund for After-school Arts will follow the
performance. In total, the 2008-2009 season will include 39 music, dance and
entertainment events from October 2008 through May 2009.
The 2008-2009 season will offer 3 visiting symphony orchestras; 5 dance companies; 4 vocalists in recital; 5 pianists in recital; 6 chamber music ensembles; 3 jazz performances; 1 spoken word performance; 1 violin/piano duo and 1 guitar quartet; and several popular and folk/world music artists and ensembles. Rob Kapilow is host for 4 performances of Rob Kapilow’s Family Musik and 2 editions of Rob Kapilow’s What Makes It Great?. Celebrity Series events in the 2008-2009 season will take place in Symphony Hall, The Opera House, New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, Sanders Theatre, Cutler Majestic Theatre, and the Tsai Performance Center at Boston University.
Orchestras
The Celebrity Series orchestral season begins on Wednesday, November 19, when
the Dresden Staatskapelle with
conductor Fabio Luisi and piano soloist Rudolf Buchbinder
perform a program of Beethoven and Brahms at Symphony Hall; media partner is
WGBH 89.7 FM. Valery Gergiev
conducts the London Symphony Orchestra
on Wednesday, March 25 with piano soloist
Alexei Volodin; the tour is
sponsored by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, and on Wednesday, April 22,
the National Philharmonic of Russia
with conductor Vladimir Spivakov and piano soloist Denis Matsuev
will perform a program of Liadov, Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev at Symphony Hall;
sponsored by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
See additional orchestral performance under
Rob Kapilow’s What Makes It Great?
Vocalists
Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian and the
Manitoba Chamber Orchestraperform a program celebrating the
music of Armenian composer Gomidas, on Sunday, October 19 at NEC’s Jordan Hall,
and tenor Ian Bostridge
makes his Celebrity Series debut in a Jordan Hall recital on Friday, April 3.
Metropolitan Opera star soprano Renée
Fleming will sing a recital at Symphony Hall on Sunday, April 19
at 5pm; sponsored by the DeMoulas Foundation; media partner WGBH 89.7 FM.
Soprano Dawn Upshaw
returns to the Celebrity Series for a recital at NEC’s Jordan Hall on Sunday,
May 3.
See Jazz listings for performance by Anne Sofie von Otter.
Instrumentalists
The Romeros Guitar Quartet
makes its Celebrity Series debut on Saturday, January 24 at NEC’s Jordan Hall
Also at Jordan Hall, on Saturday, January 31, pianist
Leif Ove Andsnes and violinist
Christian Tetzlaff will
play a program of Mozart, Brahms, Janaček and Schubert. Both performances are
Aaron Richmond Recitals; media partner is WGBH 89.7 FM.
The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma
will bring two distinct programs to Symphony Hall on March 8 and 9; the
performance is sponsored by Foley and Lardner, LLP; media partner is WGBH 89.7
FM.
Pianists
The Celebrity
Series piano recital selections open with an
80th Birthday Celebration for pianist Leon
Fleisher on Friday, October 3 at NEC’s Jordan Hall. Joining
Fleisher for this performance are former students
Yefim Bronfman, Jonathan Biss and Katherine
Jacobson Fleisher . The evening is also a tribute to
Celebrity Series founder, Aaron Richmond
; media sponsor is WGBH 89.7 FM. The
Opening Night reception and dinner will precede the performance.
Tickets for The Opening Night
may be ordered with subscriptions. On Sunday, February 22, pianist
Angela Hewitt will make her
Boston debut at Jordan Hall, and on Sunday, March 1, pianist
Lang Lang will give a recital
at Symphony Hall. Murray Perahia
plays a recital at Symphony Hall on Sunday, March 29 and
Krystian Zimerman performs
Friday, April 10 at NEC’s Jordan Hall.
See visiting orchestra listings for
additional pianists in concert.
The Aaron
Richmond Recitals
The Aaron Richmond Recitals include all of the piano recitals and the concerts
by the Romeros Guitar Quartet and pianist Leif Ove Andsnes and violinist
Christian Tetzlaff. These recitals are generously endowed by Nancy Richmond
Winsten and Dr. Joseph Winsten in memory of Aaron Richmond, founder of the
Celebrity Series.
Chamber Music
Ensembles
The
Tokyo String Quartet opens the
Celebrity Series chamber music season on Saturday, November 1 at NEC’s Jordan
Hall with a program of Haydn, Bartók and Mandelssohn. On Sunday, November 16 at
Jordan Hall, the Takács Quartet with
Muzsikás and special guest vocalist Marta Sebestyén will perform
a unique program illuminating the relationship between the Hungarian folk music
and the compositions of Bela Bartók; the concert is sponsored by Susan Pravda
and Gabor Garai, Honorary Consul General of Hungary, and the Hungarian Society
of Massachuetts; media partner is WGBH 89.7 FM. The
Emerson String Quartet visits
Jordan Hall on Friday, December 5 with a program of Dvořák, Ravel, and Webern,
and the Philharmonia Quartett Berlin
make their Celebrity Series debut at Jordan Hall on Friday, January 23. On
Saturday, April 18, the Orion String
Quartet and clarinetist David Krakauer bring a program of
Beethoven, Hugo Wolf, Osvaldo Golijov, and a Celebrity Series co-commision,
Magyar Madness, by composer David
Del Tredici to NEC’s Jordan Hall.
See additional chamber music selection
under Rob Kapilow’s What Makes It Great?
The six chamber music concerts in 2008-2009 are supported in part by the Celebrity Series Friends of Chamber Music, established with a generous gift from the Catherine and Paul Buttenwieser Foundation. Those seeking more information or wishing to join the Friends of Chamber Music may contact the Celebrity Series Development Office at (617) 598-3228.
The Dance Series
Five major dance
companies comprise the 2008-2009 Dance
Series. The Dance Series is sponsored by The Little Family
Foundation and Emerson College. WGBH is media partner for the 2008-2009 Dance
Series.
The 2008-2009 Dance Series launches with the Celebrity Series debut of the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company for two performances at the Tsai Performance Center on December 12 and 13, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago performs February 6-8 at the Cutler Majestic Theatre. The Mark Morris Dance Group visits the Cutler Majestic Theatre for four performances March 19-22. On April 16 and 17, Nederlands Dans Theater 2 makes its Celebrity Series debut at the Tsai Performance Center. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater celebrates its 50th Anniversary with seven performances at The Opera House from April 28 to May 3. The opening night performance on Tuesday, April 28 will feature a live performance by Sweet Honey In The Rock ; the Standing O! 2009 gala reception and dinner also takes place on April 28. The Ailey engagement and Standing O! 2009 are sponsored by Tufts Health Plan. This engagement is the Celebrity Series’ first at The Opera House since its renovation.
Jazz and Cabaret
Pianist Brad Mehldau and mezzo-soprano
Anne Sofie von Otter bring their collaboration to Sanders
Theatre on February 13 and the Jazz at
Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis returns to
Symphony Hall on March 15; media partner is WGBH 89.7 FM. On March 27,
The Blind Boys of Alabama and the Preservation
Hall Jazz Band collaborate on a program entitled
“Down by the Riverside” at
Symphony Hall. The performance is a co-presentation with
World Music/Crash Arts.
Entertainment
Author and radio personality David
Sedaris comes to Symphony Hall on Sunday, October 12; media
partner is WGBH 89.7 FM. Sweet Honey In
The Rock makes the first of two appearances in the
2008-2009 Celebrity Series season on Sunday, November 2 at Symphony Hall;
sponsored by Tufts
Health Plan (see Dance Listings for second appearance), and on Sunday, November
30, the Soweto
Gospel Choir brings its
“African Spirit” holiday program
to Symphony Hall; sponsored by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; media
partner is WGBH 89.7 FM. On the heels of their wildly popular performance last
season, the Golden Dragon Acrobats
return to Symphony Hall on Sunday, February 8.
The Chieftains continue their
annual tradition on Friday, March 13 at Symphony Hall; sponsored by Tufts Health
Plan. The Kodo Drummers
make a long-anticipated return to Symphony Hall on Sunday, March 22;
sponsored by PTC, and Broadway star
Bernadette Peters sings with full orchestra at Symphony Hall on
Saturday, April 4.
Rob Kapilow’s
What Makes It Great?
The 2008-2009
season features two installments of Rob Kapilow’s popular What Makes It Great?
programs. On Sunday, November 15 at NEC’s Jordan Hall,
Rob Kapilow, Boston Musica Viva, and violin
soloists Chee Yun and Jennifer Frautschi examine J. S. Bach’s Double Concerto
for Two Violins in D minor. Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 12, the
“American” quartet, goes under the What Makes It Great? microscope with
Rob Kapilow and the Parker String Quartet
on Saturday, March 28 at Jordan Hall.
Rob Kapilow’s
Family Musik
The 2008-2009
season of Rob Kapilow’s Family Musik
begins on Saturday, February 28 with
the popular Green Eggs
and Hamadeus with performances at 12pm and 2pm at the Tsai
Performance Center. Family Musik continues on Saturday, May 9 with
the Boston premiere of Rob Kapilow’s
Jabberwocky with performances at 12pm and 2pm at the Tsai
Performance Center. Rob Kapilow’s Family
Musik is sponsored by The Collings Foundation.
The 2008-2009 edition of Rob Kapilow’s Family Musik is supported in part by the
Family Musik Circle of Friends,
established by the generous gifts of donors dedicated to furthering the
educational goals of Family Musik and the Celebrity Series. Those seeking more
information or wishing to join the Family Musik Circle of Friends may contact
the Celebrity Series Development Office at (617) 598-3226.
Subscription
Brochures
Subscription brochures describing the entire 2008-2009 Celebrity Series of
Boston season, complete with ticket order forms,
will be mailed on April 24 to
current Celebrity Series subscribers. Persons who wish to receive a copy of the
new brochure should call (617) 482-2595 or write to Celebrity Series of Boston,
20 Park Plaza, Suite 1032, Boston, MA 02116. Visit the Celebrity Series of
Boston web site,
www.celebrityseries.org, for more information.
Subscriptions will be available online
beginning at 12:01am on April 25.
Note: Individual tickets at regular box-office prices go on sale on September 8, 2008.
About Celebrity
Series of Boston
Celebrity Series of Boston
is New England’s leading presenter of music, dance, and the performing arts from
around the world. Founded in 1938, the Series incorporated as a not-for-profit
corporation in 1989. Each year, the Celebrity Series brings to Boston’s major
concert halls performances by instrumental and vocal soloists, symphony
orchestras, chamber ensembles, dance companies, jazz and popular music
performers, folk and ethnic performance groups, and other performing artists.
The Celebrity Series’ Arts, Education and Community program was initiated in
1984. It reaches over 20,000 students annually through more than 130 activities
each year at 225 Boston area schools and organizations, including AileyCamp
Boston, a six-week summer dance program for Boston middle school students. For
more information on the Celebrity Series of Boston, call (617) 482-2595 or visit
us online at www.celebrityseries.org.
The Celebrity Series receives major annual support from The Little Family Foundation; the Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation; Bank of America; The Linde Family Foundation; Tufts Health Plan; Talbots Charitable Foundation; Foley & Lardner LLP; Amy and Joshua Boger; John Chany Trust; Charlesbank Capital Partners; Comcast; Morgan Stanley; The Deborah Munroe Noonan Memorial Fund u/w/o Walter J. Noonan, Bank of America, Trustee; PTC; Pierre and Maria-Gaetana Matisse Foundation; Steven and Joan Belkin Foundation; Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; The Collings Foundation; The Red Sox Foundation; Massachusetts Cultural Council; National Endowment for the Arts; New England Foundation for the Arts; Catherine and Paul Buttenwieser Foundation; the Harris A. Berman and Ruth E. Nemzoff Family Foundation; DeMoulas Foundation; Kathleen and Steven Haley; Cerise and Charles Jacobs; Paul L. King; Sylvia and Gene Landy; Jann E. Leeming and Arthur D. Little; Paul F. and Barbara A. Levy; Frank and Eleanor Pao; Spring Sirkin and Arthur Frank; Dorothy and Steven Weber; Nancy Richmond Winsten and Dr. Joseph Winsten; Charles O. Wood, III and Miriam M. Wood; Ellen and Arnold Zetcher.
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