Celebrity Series reverts to old name

For its 2007-08 season, Bank of America Celebrity Series is returning to its original name, the Celebrity Series of Boston, the group announced yesterday.

The name change was prompted by the ending of Bank of America's title sponsorship of the series, a move that Celebrity Series officials said had been anticipated. Without a new title sponsor to replace Bank of America, the organization has shifted its sponsorship structure and has embarked on a $21 million capital campaign. Next season, the overall number of series events will decline only slightly from this year's season.

There will be no large-scale international dance company comparable to the Kirov Ballet on this year's schedule, but the series has bolstered its orchestral offerings and will present the Berlin Philharmonic in its first local performance since 2001, as well as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the Orchestre National de France, and other ensembles. The Berlin Philharmonic concert, which promises to be a new season highlight, takes place Nov. 19 at Symphony Hall, and will feature Simon Rattle leading the orchestra in works by Mahler ("Das Lied von der Erde") and Gyorgy Kurtag ("Stele"), with tenor Ben Heppner and bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff as vocal soloists.

The season will open Oct. 14 with a performance by soprano Kiri Te Kanawa as part of a farewell tour. Other prominent soloists who will perform recitals include the countertenor David Daniels, the violinists Itzhak Perlman and Gil Shaham, and the pianists Alfred Brendel, Emanuel Ax, and Marc-André Hamelin. In the chamber music department, there will be performances by the Takacs Quartet, the St. Lawrence Quartet, and the Guarneri Quartet will play a joint recital with the Johannes Quartet that will feature the local premiere of William Bolcom's Octet, co-commissioned by the Celebrity Series. The Beaux Arts Trio will appear as part of its farewell tour, and both the Imani Winds and the edgy new music quartet Ethel will make their Boston debuts.

Highlights of the dance offerings include an appearance by the Mark Morris Dance Group, which will be joined by the orchestra and chorus of Emmanuel Music in Morris's staging of Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas." The Paul Taylor Dance Company and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will also perform next season. The Chieftains will appear in Symphony Hall and the bluegrass band Cherryholmes will come to Sanders Theatre. Among the jazz and cabaret offerings will be the Maria Schneider Orchestra and vocalist Audra McDonald, in November and May , respectively. Authors to be featured include David Sedaris, Sarah Vowell, and David Rakoff.

The Boston Marquee programs return next year and include a 50th anniversary performance by the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra (formerly known as GBYSO) and a recital by the rising young cellist Alisa Weilerstein.

For more information or a season brochure, call 617-482-2595 or visit celebrityseries.org.