Celebrity Series of Boston
January/February 2015 Events
January 2015
Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
Friday, January 16, 8pm
NEC’s Jordan Hall: 30 Gainsborough St., Boston, MA
Tickets: Sold out
Phone: (617) 482-6661
MBTA: Green line E to Symphony
A Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain concert is a genre-crashing ride through popular music: funny, virtuosic, foot-stomping and melodious entertainment. It is a joyous, thought-provoking journey through songs you’ve heard, songs you’ve forgotten, and songs you perhaps wish you hadn’t encountered, all transformed into a lively, headlong stream of transcendent sounds and warm personality. Program to be announced from the stage.
Sponsored by The D.L. Saunders Real Estate & Hotel Investors Group, AMO
Emerson String Quartet
Thursday, January 22, 8pm
NEC’s Jordan Hall: 30 Gainsborough St., Boston, MA
Tickets: $35 and up
Phone: (617) 482-6661
MBTA: Green line E to Symphony
The Emerson String Quartet has an unparalleled list of achievements over three decades: more than 30 acclaimed recordings, nine Grammys® (including two for Best Classical Album), three Gramophone Awards, the Avery Fisher Prize, Musical America’s “Ensemble of the Year” and collaborations with many of the greatest artists of our time. The Boston Debut of the new Emerson, with cellist Paul Watkins, is greatly anticipated.
Program:
Purcell | Two Fantasias
Purcell | Chacony arranged by Benjamin Britten
Lowell Liebermann | String Quartet (Boston premiere)*
Beethoven | String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Opus 132
*Co-commissioned by Celebrity Series of Boston
Angela Hewitt & Anne Sofie von Otter
Friday, January 23, 8pm
NEC’s Jordan Hall: 30 Gainsborough St., Boston, MA
Tickets: $35 and up
Phone: (617) 482-6661
MBTA: Green line E to Symphony
Link to high-res images: Angela Hewitt | Anne Sofie von Otter
Internationally acclaimed Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and world-renowned British/Canadian pianist, Angela Hewitt, are two remarkably refined and sensitive performers, perfectly suited in musical temperament for brilliant music making.
Sponsored by The D.L. Saunders Real Estate & Hotel Investors Group, AMO
Ira Glass, Monica Bill Barnes, Anna Bass
in “Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host”
January 24 and 25
Saturday | 8pm, Sunday | 3pm
Citi Shubert Theatre: 270 Tremont St., Boston, MA
Tickets: $35 and up
Phone: 866-348-9738
MBTA: Green line to Boylston
This American Life host Ira Glass has been working with Monica Bill Barnes & Company to invent a show that combines two art forms that, as Glass puts it, “have no business being together – dance and radio.” One is all words and no visuals. One is all visuals and no words. The result is a funny, lively, and very talky evening of dance and stories that brought down the house in its first test run at Carnegie Hall.
The Dance Series is sponsored by the Royal Little Family Foundation and the John S. and Cynthia Reed Foundation.
An Evening with Branford Marsalis
Thursday, January 29, 8pm
Sanders Theater: Memorial Hall, Harvard University, 45 Quincy St., Cambridge, MA
Tickets: $45 and up
Phone: (617) 482-6661
MBTA: Red line to Harvard Square
NEA Jazz Master, renowned Grammy Award-winning saxophonist, and Tony Award nominee Branford Marsalis is among the most revered instrumentalists of his time. Leader of one of the finest jazz quartets and a frequent soloist with classical ensembles, he continues to exercise and expand his skills as an instrumentalist and a composer. Expect an astounding performance by one of the most innovative and forward-thinking jazz ensembles around.
February 2015
Janine Janson & Itamar Golan
Friday, February 6, 8pm
NEC’s Jordan Hall: 30 Gainsborough St., Boston, MA
Tickets: $45 and up
Phone: (617) 482-6661
MBTA: Green line E to Symphony
Link to high-res images: Janine Jansen | Itamar Golan
Globe-trotting Dutch violinist Janine Jansen’s career is skyrocketing, as is that of pianist Itamar Golan, a consummate collaborator who has concentrated his formidable energies on chamber music. Both of these remarkable musicians share a passion for music played at the highest level.
Program:
Prokofiev | Five Melodies
Beethoven | Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 10 in G Major
Ravel | Sonata for Violin and Piano
Ravel | Tzigane
Christian McBride Trio with Cécile McLorin Salvant
Friday, February 6, 8pm
Sanders Theatre: Memorial Hall, Harvard University, 45 Quincy St., Cambridge, MA
Tickets: $40 and up
Phone: (617) 482-6661
MBTA: Red line to Harvard Square
Link to high-res images: Cécile McLorin Salvant | Christian McBride Trio:
This incredible double bill pairs the Christian McBride Trio with Cécile McLorin Salvant and her trio. Bassist Christian McBride has been one of the busiest and most important figures in the jazz world for 20 years. Miami born and raised, 24-year old vocalist Salvant has burst onto the jazz scene with astonishing speed since winning the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition three years ago.
Sponsored by Donna and Mike Egan
Renée Fleming, soprano
Sunday, February 8, 3pm
Symphony Hall: 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, MA
Tickets: $55 and up
Phone: (617) 482-6661
MBTA: Green line E to Symphony
One of the most beloved and celebrated musical ambassadors of our time, soprano Renée Fleming captivates audiences with her sumptuous voice, consummate artistry, and compelling stage presence.
Sponsored by Eleanor and Frank Pao
Calder Quartet
Friday, February 20, 8pm
NEC’s Jordan Hall: 30 Gainsborough St., Boston, MA
Tickets: $35
Phone: (617) 482-6661
MBTA: Green line E to Symphony
The Calder Quartet performs a broad range of repertoire at an exceptional level, always striving to channel and fulfill the composer’s vision. Already the choice of many leading composers to perform their works – including Christopher Rouse, Terry Riley and Thomas Adès—the group’s distinctive approach is exemplified by a musical curiosity brought to everything they perform.
Program:
Andrew Norman | Sabina
Ravel | String Quartet in F Major
Thomas Adès | Arcadiana
Beethoven | String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Opus 95, “Serioso”
An Aaron Richmond Recital
Sponsored by The D.L. Saunders Real Estate & Hotel Investors Group, AMO
Mahler Chamber Orchestra with Leif Ove Andsnes
Sunday, February 22, 8pm
NEC’s Jordan Hall: 30 Gainsborough St., Boston, MA
Tickets: $25 and up
Phone: (617) 482-6661
MBTA: Green line E to Symphony
Link to high-res images: Mahler Chamber Orchestra | Leif Ove Andsnes
The magnificent pianist Leif Ove Andsnes collaborates as player/conductor with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra as part of his epic long-term project, The Beethoven Journey, focusing on the master composer’s five piano concertos.
Program:
Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, Opus 19
Piano Concerto No 3. In C minor, Opus 37
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Opus 58
Sponsored by Tufts Health Plan
Brian Brooks Moving Company with special guest Wendy Whelan
Boston Debut
February 28, 8pm | March 1, 3pm
Citi Shubert Theatre: 270 Tremont St., Boston, MA
Tickets: $55 and up
Phone: (617) 482-6661
MBTA: Green line to Boylston
Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Brian Brooks is a daring choreographer, concocting precise, kinetic, and volatile choreography that tests the threshold of physical endurance. In addition to Brooks’ choreography, Wendy Whelan joins Brooks for a collaborative duet that was originally choreographed to be part of the Celebrity Series’ 2013-2014 season.
Program:
Descent (2011)
I’m Going to Explode (2007)
Division (2014)
Motor (2010)
First Fall (2012), with Wendy Whelan
Torrent (2014, restaging)
The Dance Series is sponsored by the Royal Little Family Foundation and the John S. and Cynthia Reed Foundation. Sponsored by Jann E. Leeming and Spring Sirkin.
