Biss, Bostridge, Ma, and more

Valery Gergiev will conduct the London Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall. (Marco Borggreve)

The London Symphony Orchestra will perform Prokofiev and Beethoven in Symphony Hall under the volatile baton of Valery Gergiev March 25, an appearance that should be a highlight of the 2008-09 Celebrity Series of Boston season, details of which were announced today.

The total number of scheduled offerings will decline from 46 this season to 39 next season, though the organization will present a higher percentage of its events at Symphony Hall. Other notable changes in what appears to be an artistically conservative slate include the dropping of the Boston Marquis series, which this season has included an anniversary concert by the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra and the local recital debut of cellist Alisa Weilerstein, scheduled for May 4.

The 70th Celebrity Series season will open on Oct. 3 with a tribute to the organization's founder, Aaron Richmond, and to pianist Leon Fleisher, with his former students Yefim Bronfman and Jonathan Biss participating. Other pianists to appear in recital will be Angela Hewitt in her Boston debut (Feb. 22), as well as Lang Lang, Murray Perahia, and Krystian Zimerman. Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes will also appear, sharing the stage with violinist Christian Tetzlaff in what should be one of the more anticipated recitals of the season (Jan. 31).

Yo-Yo Ma and his Silk Road Ensemble will perform two programs in Symphony Hall (March 8 and 9). The season's chamber music offerings also include the Tokyo String Quartet, the Emerson String Quartet, the Philharmonia Quartett Berlin, and the Orion String Quartet joined by clarinetist David Krakauer. The Takács Quartet will appear alongside the traditional Hungarian folk ensemble Muzsikás (Nov. 16) for an unusual program devoted to exploring the folk roots of Bartok's music through both live performance and the composer's own field recordings.

In addition to the London Symphony, visiting orchestras include the Dresden Staatskapelle under Fabio Luisi (Nov. 19) and the National Philharmonic of Russia returning under Vladimir Spivakov (April 22). Vocalists slated to appear in recital are Ian Bostridge, Dawn Upshaw, and Renée Fleming. Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian performs with an Armenian chamber orchestra, and mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter will share a program with the jazz pianist Brad Mehldau.

The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Wynton Marsalis will perform (March 15), and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band will collaborate with the Blind Boys of Alabama (March 27), co-presented with World Music/CRASHarts.

Dance offerings include Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, which will give seven performances at the Opera House (April 28 to May 3), including an opening-night program shared with the a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock, which also performs Nov. 2. In addition, there will be performances by the Mark Morris Dance Group (March 19-22), Nederlands Dans Theater II (April 16 and 17), the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company (Dec. 12 and 13), and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (Feb. 6-8).

Rob Kapilow's series "What Makes it Great?" returns with programs devoted to the Bach Double Concerto (Nov. 15) and Dvorak's "American" Quartet (March 28). Kapilow also presides over two family programs with Boston Musica Viva (Feb. 28 and May 9). Additional events include appearances by Bernadette Peters (April 4), the Soweto Gospel Choir (Nov. 30), the Kodo Drummers (March 22), the Romeros Guitar Quartet (Jan. 24), and the Golden Dragon Acrobats (Feb. 8), as well as return visits from David Sedaris (Oct. 12) and the Chieftains (March 13).

More information and season brochures are available at 617-482-2595, celebrityseries.org.