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

• Preservation Hall Jazz Band with the Blind Boys of Alabama, "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) 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 80 th 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 Yundi Li 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 Chamber Orchestra of the Armenian Philharmonic perform 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. Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble 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 80 th 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 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 Dance Theater 2 makes its Celebrity Series debut at the Tsai Performance Center. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater celebrates its 50 th 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 Preservation Hall Jazz Band with the Blind Boys of Alabama 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 in September .

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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