Conductor Zubin Mehta among stars of Oriental Art Center's new season

Internationally famed musicians and performing troupes, including 89-year-old conductor Zubin Mehta, will meet Shanghai audiences during the Shanghai Oriental Art Center's newly announced Spring-Summer Performance Season, which includes nearly 70 performances covering music, dance and drama through August.

Mehta led the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra on his Shanghai debut at the Art Center back in 2009. This year, the world-renowned Indian conductor will lead the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra for a concert on July 30.

In May, the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra will perform Mahler's Symphony No. 9 under the baton of 75-year-old Hungarian conductor Adam Fischer.

Nikolay Alexeev and the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra will bring Shostakovich's works back to Shanghai. They will be joined by young pianist Daniel Kharitonov for the concert on June 25.

Chamber music and recital performances will be equally exciting. On April 3, violinist Lu Siqing will be joined by the Major Ensemble for a concert during which they will perform Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" and Wen Ziyang's "The Four Seasons of China".

Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder will perform Beethoven's piano sonatas "Pathetique," "Moonlight," and "Appassionata" during his recital on April 24.

Symphony Drama "Romeo and Juliet," starring actor Wang Yaoqing, will meet audiences on May 7. Music critic Jiao Yuanpu joins conductor Zhang Jiemin, giving Prokofiev's ballet music a dramatic context. Wang interprets various roles in the play, recreating the passionate and sincere classic love legend by William Shakespeare in a brand-new way.

Shanghai Opera House's "Carmina Burana" has been scheduled for May 31.

Other popular musicians to step on to the Art Center's stage include The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic, American pianist Sergei Babayan and French cellist Gautier Capuçon.

As for dance, the Paris Opera Ballet star dancers will return to Shanghai in July for a gala show. Yang Liping's "The Peacock" will meet audiences in June.

The Oriental Art Center will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this summer by staging home productions, including dance drama "Thunder Storm" and play "The Unknown Heroes".

Those interested can follow the Art Center's official WeChat ticket account "SHOAC_Tix" for more information about the performances.

If you go:

Venue: Shanghai Oriental Art Center 上海东方艺术中心

Address: 425 Dingxiang Road, Pudong New Area 浦东丁香路425号