The Celebrity Series of Boston announced its 2016-2017 season today, marking 78 years of bringing the world’s greatest performing artists to Boston

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CELEBRITY SERIES OF BOSTON 
ANNOUNCES 78th SEASON | 2016-2017

Highlights of the 2016-2017 Season include:

  • A trio of performances from Berlin: Berliner Philharmoniker with conductor Simon Rattle on November 11, 2016 at Symphony Hall; the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet on February 3, 2017 at NEC’s Jordan Hall; and the Philharmonia Quartett Berlin on March 3, 2017 at NEC’s Jordan Hall
  • Jerusalem-based Vertigo Dance Company makes its Boston Debut October 29-30, 2016 at the Shubert Theatre
  • Argentine cello star Sol Gabetta teams up with the young French pianist, Bertrand Chamayou in a Debut Series recital on November 2, 2016 at Longy’s Pickman Hall
  • Chucho Valdés and the Joe Lovano Quintet perform in Boston for the first time on November 6, 2016 at the Berklee Performance Center
  • Metropolitan Opera star Diana Damrau in recital on December 4 at NEC’s Jordan Hall
  • KODO celebrates its 35th Anniversary with Dadan 2017 on March 19, 2017 at Symphony Hall
  • Pianist Paul Lewis in a solo recital on March 26 at NEC’s Jordan Hall
  • Sanam Marvi, Pakistani folk and Sufi singer, makes her Boston Debut on March 26, 2017 at Sanders Theatre
  • Che Malambo, the all-male Argentine dance company celebrates the South American cowboy tradition of the gaucho March 31-April 1, 2017 at the Shubert Theatre
  • Drummer Ali Jackson will propel the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis in a tribute to jazz legend Buddy Rich on April 9, 2017 at Symphony Hall
  • Violinist Hilary Hahn and pianist Robert Levin on April 1, 2017 at NEC’s Jordan Hall
  • Yo-Yo Ma — Edgar Meyer — Chris Thile perform The Bach Trios at Symphony Hall on April 21, 2017 at Symphony Hall
  • Soprano Natalie Dessay makes a return recital appearance on April 29, 2017 at NEC’s Jordan Hall

(Boston) April 13, 2016: The Celebrity Series of Boston announced its 2016-2017 season today, marking 78 years of bringing the world’s greatest performing artists to Boston. The season opens on Saturday, October 15, 2015 with banjoist Béla Fleck and bassist Victor Wooten. In total, the 2016-2017 season will include 41 music, dance and entertainment engagements. The 2016-17 season is sponsored by Amy and Joshua Boger.

The 2016-2017 season offers a five-performance debut series, two orchestras, ten ensembles, four piano recitals, three instrumental recitals, four vocal recitals, ten jazz and popular song performances, six dance companies, and one spoken word performance. Celebrity Series events in the 2016-2017 season will take place in NEC’s Jordan Hall (30 Gainsborough Street, Boston), Symphony Hall (301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston), Longy’s Pickman Hall (27 Garden Street, Cambridge), Berklee Performance Center (136 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston), Sanders Theatre (45 Quincy Street, Cambridge), Shubert Theatre (270 Tremont Street, Boston), and the Wang Theatre (270 Tremont Street, Boston).
SUBSCRIPTION AND SINGLE TICKET SALES

Subscription sales (any order with three or more events), both online and by mail, will begin on April 13, 2016. Online subscriptions will be available beginning at 9am on April 13 at www.celebrityseries.org. Subscription brochures with mail order forms will be mailed the week of April 13. Subscription sales include half-price child ticket pricing for most events.

Subscription orders by phone will begin on Monday, June 6, 2016, and single ticket sales for most events will begin on Monday, September 12, 2016. The deadline for subscription orders is Friday, October 14, 2016.

Persons who wish to receive a copy of the new brochure in the mail should email [email protected] with their full name and mailing address or write to Celebrity Series of Boston, 20 Park Plaza, Suite 1032, Boston, MA 02116.

BOSTON DEBUTS


The 2016-2017 season will feature the Boston debuts of the Budapest Festival Orchestra, Vertigo Dance Company, cellist Sol Gabetta and pianist Bertrand Chamayou, pianist Igor Levit, Jessica Lang Dance, Sydney Dance Company, Argentinian dance company Che Malambo, vocal ensemble VOCES8, Sufi singer Sanam Marvi, the Escher String Quartet, and the L.A Dance Project.

CELEBRITY SERIES DEBUTS

Making their Celebrity Series debuts during the 2016-2017 season are pianist Imogen Cooper, conductor Ivan Fischer, composer and pianist Thomas Adès, guitarist Kevin Eubanks, soprano Diana Damrau, vocalist Lizz Wright, guitarists Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge, bassist Dave Holland, and trumpeter Avishai Cohen.

THE DEBUT SERIES

The Debut Series continues for the fifth year at Longy’s Pickman Hall with cellist Sol Gabetta and pianist Bertrand Chamayou, percussionist Colin Currie, pianist Igor Levit, vocal ensemble VOCES8, and the Escher String Quartet. The Debut Series is sponsored by Harriet and David Griesinger and the Longy School of Music of Bard College.
STAVE SESSIONS

Celebrity Series will present the signature contemporary music festival Stave Sessions for its third year March 19-25, 2017 at 160 Mass Ave at Berklee College of Music. Performers TBA.

ORCHESTRAS

Celebrity Series will present Berliner Philharmoniker with conductor Sir Simon Rattle in the ensemble’s final U.S. tour under his baton on Friday, November 11, 2016 at 8pm at Symphony Hall. They will perform Boulez’s Éclat and Mahler’s Symphony No. 7. Sponsored by Amy and Joshua Boger and Eleanor and Frank Pao; Media partner 99.5 WCRB.

Budapest Festival Orchestra with conductor Ivan Fischer and piano soloist Richard Goode will perform an all-Beethoven program in the orchestra’s Boston debut on Sunday, February 12, 2017 at 3pm at Symphony Hall. They will perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1, Piano Concerto No. 4, and Symphony No. 5. Sponsored by Zachary R. Haroutunian and the Garbis & Arminé Barsoumian Charitable Foundation, In Loving memory of Garbis Barsoumian; and by Gabor Garai, Hungarian Consul General and the Hungarian Society of Massachusetts; Media partner 99.5 WCRB.

PIANISTS

The 2016-2017 Celebrity Series season will feature four piano recitals, beginning with pianist Imogen Cooper in her Celebrity Series debut on Saturday, November 5, 2016 at 8pm at NEC’s Jordan Hall. She will perform a program of Beethoven, Schumann, Debussy, De Falla, and Albéniz. Media partner 99.5 WCRB.

Pianist Igor Levit makes his Celebrity Series debut on Wednesday, January 20, 2016 at 8pm at Longy’s Pickman Hall in a program of Shostakovich Selections from 24 Preludes and Fugues, Opus 87 and Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. This performance is part of The Debut Series, sponsored by Harriet and David Griesinger and the Longy School of Music of Bard College.
Paul Lewis returns to the Celebrity Series on Sunday, March 26, 2017 at 3pm at NEC’s Jordan Hall. He will perform Bach’s Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major; Beethoven’s Sonata in E-flat Major Op. 7; Chopin Waltz’s in A minor, Opus 34 No. 2, in F minor, Opus 70 No. 2, and in A-flat Major, Opus 42; and Weber’s Sonata No. 2 in A-flat Major. Media partner 99.5 WCRB.
Marc-André Hamelin performs the season’s final piano recital on Friday, May 5, 2017 at 8pm at NEC’s Jordan Hall. He will perform Haydn’s Sonata in C Major; Feinberg’s Sonata No. 1 in A Major, Opus 1 and Sonata No. 2 in A minor, Opus 2; Beethoven’s Sonata in F minor, Opus 57, “Appassionata”; Brahms Three Intermezzi, Opus 117, and Ravel’s Jeux d’eau and La Valse, arranged by Marc-André Hamelin. An Aaron Richmond Recital; Media partner 99.5 WCRB.

ENSEMBLES

Banjoist Béla Fleck and bassist Victor Wooten open the Celebrity Series season on Saturday, October 15, 2016 at 8pm at Sanders Theatre.

Emerson String Quartet returns to the Celebrity Series on Sunday, November 20, 2016 at 3pm at NEC’s Jordan Hall in a program of Mozart’s Quartet in D minor, K.421; Shostakovich’s Quartet No. 10 in A-flat Major, Opus 118; and Ravel’s Quartet in F Major. Sponsored by Sally Seaver; An Aaron Richmond Recital; Media partner 99.5 WCRB.
The Danish String Quartet returns to the Celebrity Series following their sold out 2013 Debut recital. On Saturday, January 28, 2017 at 8pm at NEC’s Jordan Hall they perform Beethoven’s Quartet in G Major, Opus 18 no. 2; Schnittke’s Quartet No. 3; and Beethoven’s Quartet in B-flat Major, Opus 130 and Grosse Fuge, Opus 133. Sponsored by The D.L. Saunders Real Estate Corp.; An Aaron Richmond Recital; Media partner 99.5 WCRB.

Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet will perform the Boston premiere of a new work by Kalevi Aho, composed in 2015 for the Quintet in addition to Mozart’s Fantasy in F minor for Mechanical Organ; Ligeti’s Six Bagatelles; and Carl Nielson’s Wind Quintet, Opus 43. The performance will take place on Friday, February 3, 2017 at 8pm at NEC’s Jordan Hall. Media partner 99.5 WCRB.

Philharmonia Quartett Berlin will perform Haydn’s Quartet in G Major, Opus 64 No. 4, Hob.III:66; Beethoven’s Quartet in B-flat Major, Opus 18 No. 6; and Schumann’s Quartet in A minor, Opus 41 No. 1 on Friday, March 3, 2017 at 8pm at NEC’s Jordan Hall. Sponsored by TheD.L. Saunders Real Estate Corp.; An Aaron Richmond Recital; Media partner 99.5 WCRB.

Singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan and guitarists Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge perform a double-bill evening of genre-stretching acoustic music on Friday, March 17, 2017 at 8pm at Sanders Theatre. Sponsored by The D.L. Saunders Real Estate Corp.
KODO celebrates its 35th Anniversary in 2016-17 by bringing Dadan 2017 to North America. Dadan is the latest work by KODO’s renowned Artistic Director Tamasaburo Bando and offers a bold new exploration of Japanese drumming traditions on Sunday, March 19, 2017 at 5pm at Symphony Hall. Sponsored by Charlesbank Capital Partners and The D.L. Saunders Real Estate Corp.

The Escher String Quartet will perform on Wednesday, April 12, 2017 at 8pm as part of the Debut Series at Longy’s Pickman Hall. They will perform Beethoven’s Quartet in E-flat Major, Opus 127; Webern’s Five Pieces for Quartet, Opus 5; and Debussy’s Quartet in G minor, Opus 10. The Debut Series is sponsored by Harriet and David Griesinger and the Longy School of Music of Bard College.

Yo-Yo Ma – Chris Thile – Edgar Meyer perform The Bach Trios on Friday, April 21, 2017 at 8pm at Symphony Hall. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, bassist Edgar Meyer, and mandolinist Chris Thile collaborate bring their virtuosity to the music of Bach. Media partner 99.5 WCRB.
INSTRUMENTALISTS

Cellist Sol Gabetta and pianist Bertrand Chamayou
make their Boston Debut as part of The Debut Series at Longy’s Pickman Hall on Wednesday, November 2, 2016 at 8pm. They will perform Beethoven’s Sonata No. 1 in F major, Opus 5; Britten’s Sonata in C Major, Opus 65; and Chopin’s Sonata in G minor, Opus. 65. The Debut Series is sponsored by Harriet and David Griesinger and the Longy School of Music of Bard College.

Percussionist Colin Currie makes his Boston Debut as part of The Debut Series at Longy’s Pickman Hall on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 at 8pm. The Debut Series is sponsored by Harriet and David Griesinger and the Longy School of Music of Bard College.

Violinist Hilary Hahn and pianist Robert Levin perform a recital on Saturday, April 1, 2017 at 8pm NEC’s Jordan Hall. An Aaron Richmond Recital; Media partner 99.5 WCRB.

THE HUMAN VOICE

Tenor Ian Bostridge and pianist Thomas Adès perform Schubert’s masterful song cycle Winterreise on Friday, October 28, 2016 at 8pm at NEC’s Jordan Hall. This performance is co-presented with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Boston favorite David Sedaris returns for an evening of readings and irreverent humor on Sunday, November 20, 2016 at 7pm at Symphony Hall. Sponsored by Foley & Lardner LLP.

Soprano Diana Damrau, one of the world’s leading operatic sopranos, will partner with harpist Xavier de Maistre to perform works by Debussy, Smetana, Richard Strauss, Reynaldo Hahn, Chausson, Fauré, Duparc, and Eva Dall’Acqua on Sunday, December 4, 2016 at 3pm at NEC’s Jordan Hall. Media partner 99.5 WCRB.

Soprano Susanna Phillips returns to the Celebrity Series after her 2013 Debut Series recital. The performance will take place on Saturday, February 4, 2017 at 8pm at NEC’s Jordan Hall. Sponsored by The D.L. Saunders Real Estate Corp.; Media partner 99.5 WCRB.

VOCES8, an exciting and versatile vocal octet from Britain, performs repertoire ranging from Renaissance polyphony to modern jazz and pop arrangements. They perform on Wednesday, February 15, 2017 at 8pm as part of The Debut Series at Longy’s Pickman Hall. The Debut Series is sponsored by Harriet and David Griesinger and the Longy School of Music of Bard College.

Sanam Marvi is known as one of the finest singers of Sufi devotional music and Pakistani folk songs in Bollywood and beyond. She will make her Boston Debut on Sunday, March 26, 2017 at 7:30pm at Sanders Theatre. Co-presented with World Music/Crash Arts. Support provided by Centerstage.

Vocal project Roomful of Teeth will partner with local favorites the collective A Far Cry in a program which will include selections from Ted Hearne’s Law of Mosaics and Coloring Book, and Caroline Shaw’s arrangement of Josquin’s La déploration de la mort de Johannes Ockeghem and Music In Common Time. The performance will take place on Thursday, April 13, 2017 at 8pm at Sanders Theatre.
Soprano Natalie Dessay and pianist Philippe Cassard return to the Celebrity Series on Saturday, April 29, 2017 at 8pm at NEC’s Jordan Hall in a program which will include works by Schubert, Fauré, Pfitzner, Liszt and Bizet. Support provided by the French Cultural Center; Media partner 99.5 WCRB.
JAZZ

Jazz 100
celebrates the Centennial Birthdays of Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Mongo Santamaria, and Ella Fitzgerald. Under the musical direction of Danilo Pérez, former pianist for Dizzy Gillespie (from his United Nations Orchestra, 1989 to 1992), the lineup includes an unparalleled combination of players: Chris Potter (tenor saxophone), Avishai Cohen (trumpet), Wycliffe Gordon (trombone), Lizz Wright (vocals), and an A-list rhythm section on Sunday, October 16, 2016 at 7pm at Sanders Theatre. Sponsored by Donna and Mike Egan.

Chucho Valdés Joe Lovano Quintet pair up for an evening of unforgettable creativity and musical exploration on Sunday, November 6, 2016 at 7pm at the Berklee Performance Center.

Violinist Regina Carter performs Simply Ella, a project which celebrates the 100th birthday of musical icon Ella Fitzgerald on Friday, February 10, 2017 at 8pm at Sanders Theatre. Sponsored by Donna and Mike Egan.

Jazz pianist Aaron Diehl and vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant revisit and revitalize the works of jazz piano greats George Gershwin and Jelly Roll Morton in Jelly and George on Friday, February 17, 2017 at 8pm at the Berklee Performance Center.
Vijay Iyer introduces his sextet to Celebrity Series audiences on Thursday, March 9, 2017 at 8pm at Sanders Theatre. The lineup is Vijay Iyer, piano; Graham Haynes, trumpet; Mark Shim, tenor saxophone; Steve Lehman, alto saxophone; Stephan Crump, bass; and Marcus Gilmore, drums. Sponsored by Donna & Mike Egan; Media Partner 89.7 WGBH.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis will perform the Buddy Rich Centennial: Celebrating the Jazz Drum with JALCO drummer Ali Jackson at the helm. For the program’s second half, audiences will hear the Boston premiere of Jackson’s Rhythm Concerto, an extended piece written in the innovative spirit of drum greats like Rich. The program will take place on Sunday, April 9, 2017 at 5pm at Symphony Hall. Sponsored by The D.L. Saunders Real Estate Corp.

Tenor saxophonist Chris Potter, bassist Dave Holland, guitarist Kevin Eubanks, and drummer Obed Calvaire will bring an evening of improvised jazz to Sanders Theatre on Saturday, May 6, 2017 at 8pm. Sponsored by Donna and Mike Egan and The D.L. Saunders Real Estate Corp.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT?
Rob Kapilow shines the What Makes It Great? spotlight on Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition with the NEC Philharmonia on Friday, December 2, 2016 at 8pm at NEC’s Jordan Hall. Sponsored by D.L. Saunders Real Estate Corp.; An Aaron Richmond Recital; Media partner 99.5 WCRB. What Makes It Great? is sponsored by Amy and Joshua Boger.
What Makes It Great? with Rob Kapilow explores The Train in Classic Jazz from Miller to Marsalis with the Kyle Athayde Dance Party. They will examine and perform iconic jazz classics inspired by trains and composed by Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, and Wynton Marsalis on Friday, January 20, 2017 at 8pm at NEC’s Jordan Hall. What Makes it Great? is sponsored by Amy and Joshua Boger; Media Partner 89.7 WGBH.

DANCE

Jerusalem-based Vertigo Dance Company makes its Boston Debut on October 29 & 30, 2016 at the Shubert Theatre. The company has become internationally celebrated for their artistic innovation and unwavering commitment to creativity, social responsibility, and ecological sustainability. Program will include Vertigo 20, which revisits the company’s history and development over the past two decades. Support provided by the Consulate General of Israel to New England.

Jessica Lang Dance makes its Boston Debut January 27 & 28, 2017 at the Shubert Theatre. Based in New York City, Jessica Lang Dance is a company dedicated to creating and performing the work of Jessica Lang, a former dancer with Twyla Tharp. Lang, known for her artful and emotional choreography, was a 2015 New York City Center Fellow, the recipient of a 2014 Bessie Award, and the recipient of 2010 Joyce Theater Artist Residency.

Sydney Dance Company makes its Boston Debut March 4 & 5, 2017 at the Shubert Theatre. A legendary force in Australian contemporary dance, Sydney Dance Company is led by Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela. The program includes Bonachela’s Frame of Mind, Jacopo Godani’s Raw Models, and Gabrielle Nankivell’s Wildebeest. Sponsored by The D.L. Saunders Real Estate Corp.

Argentine dance company Che Malambo makes its Boston Debut March 31 & April 1, 2017 at the Shubert Theatre. The powerhouse all-male company is a thrilling, percussive dance and music spectacle that celebrates the unique South American cowboy tradition of the gaucho. Sponsored by The D.L. Saunders Real Estate Corp.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns for their annual visit with exciting and expanded repertoire under the guidance of Artistic Director Robert Battle April 27-30, 2017 for five performances at the Wang Theatre.
L.A. Dance Project was founded in 2012 by renowned choreographer and former New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Benjamin Millepied. The company makes its Boston Debut May 19-21, 2017 for three performances at the Shubert Theatre.
The Dance Series is sponsored by the Stephanie L. Brown Foundation, the Royal Little Family Foundation and the Cynthia and John S. Reed Foundation.

ARTS FOR ALL!


Alongside the main stage performances, Celebrity Series’ Arts for All! community engagement programs reach over 10,000 individuals annually, through master classes with main stage artists in public schools and conservatories; hands-on, interactive workshops for youth led by a core group of Boston area artists; free community concerts in Boston neighborhoods; free and discounted tickets to main stage performances; and large-scale, public participatory performance projects.
Neighborhood Arts will sponsor 85 workshops/classes and 14 concerts in schools and community venues in Dorchester, Hyde Park, Mattapan, Roslindale, Roxbury and the South End.
New projects for 2016-2017 include two Stringfests with composer-violinist Shaw Pong Liu, tabla player Sandeep Das, and four Dorchester and Roxbury youth ensembles, as well as ethnic percussion and dance residencies with drummer Ryan Edwards and choreographers Jean Appolon (JAE Expressions) and Jorge Arce, among others. Sol y Canto will share a Day of the Dead concert with Mariachi singer Verónica Robles, and a collaborative event with La Piñata and Ms. Robles’ dance program, both at Villa Victoria. Guy Mendilow Ensemble will present excerpts from his CD Tales from the Forgotten Kingdom (ladino music) and a dance collaboration to be announced.
These programs connect Celebrity Series with community collaborators and root the organization more deeply in local neighborhoods, helping fulfil Celebrity Series’ vision of a community of Greater Boston where the performing arts are a valued, lifelong, shared experience – on stages, in schools, in homes – everywhere.

SPECIAL EVENTS

The 2017 Gala will be held on April 8, 2017. Join the Celebrity Series for a spectacular evening that will recognize the Celebrity Series’ history and its impact on Boston’s cultural community. Supporters, patrons and community leaders will come together to celebrate the future of the Celebrity Series of Boston during this black-tie event. Proceeds from the Gala will benefit the education, programming, and outreach efforts of the Celebrity Series of Boston.
ABOUT CELEBRITY SERIES OF BOSTON
Celebrity Series of Boston was founded in 1938 by pianist and impresario Aaron Richmond. Over the course of its 78-year history, Celebrity Series has presented an array of the world’s greatest performing artists, including Sergei Rachmaninoff, Arturo Toscanini, Ignace Paderewski, Artur Rubenstein, Vladimir Horowitz, Glenn Gould, Fritz Kreisler, Jascha Heifetz, Isaac Stern, Andrés Segovia, Kirsten Flagstad, Marian Anderson, Luciano Pavarotti, Béla Bartók, Igor Stravinsky, Martha Graham, Ballet Russe De Monte Carlo, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Mstislav Rostropovich, and the New York City Opera Company.
The Celebrity Series has been bringing the very best performers–from orchestras and chamber ensembles, vocal and piano music, to dance companies, jazz, and more–to Boston’s major concert halls for 78 years. The Celebrity Series of Boston believes in the power of excellence and innovation in the performing arts to enrich life experiences, transform lives and build better communities. Through its education initiatives, the Celebrity Series seeks to build a community of Greater Boston where the performing arts are a valued, lifelong, shared experience–on stages, in schools, at home– everywhere.
The Celebrity Series of Boston, Inc. receives generous support from Amy & Joshua Boger, Leslie & Howard Appleby, The Garbis & Arminé Barsoumian Charitable Foundation, the Boston Cultural Council, the Stephanie L. Brown Foundation, Charlesbank Capital Partners LLC, the Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation, Deloitte LLP, Donna & Mike Egan, EMC, Foley & Lardner LLP, Gabor Garai & Susan Pravda, David & Harriet Griesinger, the Charles and Cerise Jacobs Charitable Foundation, Paul L. King, The Royal Little Family Foundation, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Joseph McNay, Stewart Myers, the National Endowment for the Arts, Eleanor & Frank Pao, The Peabody Foundation, PTC, The Cynthia and John S. Reed Foundation, The D.L. Saunders Real Estate Corp., the Stifler Family Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Henri A. Termeer, Tufts Health Plan, Sanjay & Sangeeta Verma, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Nancy Richmond Winsten, Anonymous, and many others.
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