A total of 49 stage productions in 61 performances will be presented during the Shanghai Oriental Art Center's newly announced performance season from February to August.

In terms of symphonic concerts which is the Art Center's forte, the BBC Symphony Orchestra is scheduled to revisit on March 18 under the baton of its chief conductor Sakari Oramo. They will be joined by French pianist Bertrand Chamayou for diversified programs.

On March 31, conductor Iván Fischer will lead the Budapest Festival Orchestra – the youngest ensemble ever to be ranked among the "World's Top Ten Orchestras" which he himself founded – to perform Prokofiev's classics. Rising violinist Amira Abouzahrah will join the concert to perform Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor.

Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen will make his debut at the Art Center with the Orchestre de Paris on April 18. Accompanied by French violinist Renaud Capuçon, they will perform works by Debussy, Ravel and Mozart over two consecutive evenings.

On May 26 and 27, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra will make a return under the baton of Andris Nelsons. Tenor Klaus Florian Vogt will also join to present excerpts from Wagner's opera "Die Walküre."

The lineup of soloists for the new season includes Russian master Mikhail Pletnev, star pianists Yuja Wang and Zhang Haochen, as well as emerging artists such as An Tianxu and Wang Zitong.

In the chamber music section, the 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic Piano Quartet will perform successively.

Lorenz Nasturica-Herschcowici, concertmaster of the Mariinsky Orchestra, will lead the Stradivarius Ensemble, using century-old instruments to dedicate performances to classical music lovers in Shanghai.

The new season also involves traditional opera and low-cost charity performances. The "Moscow Conservatory at SHOAC" project will resume in July, bringing events such as piano masterclasses and recital concerts.

Those interested can log on to the Art Center's official website www.shoac.com.cn for more information and buy tickets.