Spanish Orchestra

The New Year concert by the century-old Navarro Royal Symphone Orchestra from Spain features a rainbow of programs, ranging from Bizet’s“Carmen Suite No. 1,”Sarasate’s“Sarasate Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20,”to three Chinese pieces and the popular John Strauss Family waltz and polkas. Beijing-born 19-year-old violinist Yang Tianwa will be the soloist.

Date: December 30, 7pm

Tickets: 100-880 yuan

Venue: Shanghai Concert Hall

Address: 523 Yan’an Rd. E.

Ballet and Concert

The 77-year-old Birmingham Royal Ballet from Britain will give two ballet shows,“Beauty and Beast”and“Romeo and Juliet.”During their Shanghai stay, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia will also stage a concert of Debussy’s“Prelude a l’apres-midi d’un faune”and Shostakovich’s“Piano Concerto No. 2.”The dance company features the world’s top ballet dancers and stage designers, with an extensive repertoire from the most classical to the most avant-garde.

Royal Ballet Sinfonia

Date: January 22, 7:15pm

Tickets: 120-680 yuan

Tel: 6272-1976, 6272-0310

Venue: Shanghai Concert Hall

Address: 523 Yan’an Rd. E.

Creative Work

Famed Japanese artist Kuroda Seitaro’s subject always revolves around flower and bird, which he sees as the symbol for life. Huanted by the tragic wartime scenes some 60 years ago, Seitaro paints colorful fairytale-like subjects to show happiness and optimism.

Date: through December 31, 10am-6pm

Tel: 5485-0700

Venue: Jing Art Gallery

Address: 3758 Qixin Rd.

Art Explored

The exhibition“The Plague of Fantasies”presents photograps taken by Gao Lei and Dai Mouyu, paintings by Zhao Yang and Zheng Qiang and video work by Jin Shan. All try to explore how one should, in this age of consumerism and information technology, carry out artistic creation as an individual.

Date: through January 4 (closed on Mondays), 10am-6pm

Tel: 5671-3605

Venue: Osage Contemporary Art and Ideas

Address: 93 Duolun Rd.

New Opening

The opening exhibition features traditional ink-wash and oils by Wang Yuhong, Lu Jiren, Zheng Hao and Sun Weihua. Works depict goddesses in the Dunhuang grotto sculpture and frescoes, small watertowns in southern China and tranquil still-life scenes from the 1970s.

Date: through December 31, 10am-8pm

Tel: 6242-8177

Venue: Simply Noble Gallery

Address: 1900 Hongqiao Rd.

Qiang Embroidery

The Qiang minority is one of the oldest in China. Qiang embroidery, as its signature art, is known for bright color palette, unique stitching styles and vivid depictions of nature. The exhibition features handcrafted works by Qiang women, including scarves, gowns, cloth shoes and small accessories. A charity auction of the exhibits will be held tomorrow. All proceeds will be donated to help the Qiang people rebuild their homeland in quake-hit Wenchuan, Lixian and Maoxian counties in Sichuan Province.

Date: through January 1, 10am-10pm

Tel: 6288-3060

Venue: 3/F, City Plaza Mall

Address: 1618 Nanjing Rd. W.

‘Il Tango’

The exhibition hosted by Shanghai Times Square features 26 mannequins, all created by Italian artist Gigi Rigamonti. Costumes on each mannequin are specifi cally tailored to highlight its movements and underline its shape, posture and looks.

Date: through January 11, 10am-10pm

Tel: 6391-0691

Venue: Shanghai Times Square

Address: 99 Huaihai Rd. M.

Symphonia Vienna

Founded in 1978, Symphonia Vienna is composed of musicians from both Vienna, the hometown of European music, and other countries. It preserves the tradition of Vienna while at the same time explores the new ways of performance. They will play under the baton of Hans-Peter Manser“An der schonen blauen Donau”of Johann Strauss II and“Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor”of Otto Nicolai. Soloist is Christina Zurbruegg.

Date: January 2-3, 7:30pm

Tickets: 180-880 yuan

Venue: Concert Hall, Shanghai Oriental Art Center

Address: 425 Dingxiang Rd., Pudong

‘Wheels of Times’

The group exhibition provides a close-up on the mysterious and controversial world of abstract art. Five heavyweight Chinese artists are displaying a total of 25 abstract oil paintings in diverse styles.

Date: through January 19 (closed on Mondays), 10:30am-6:30pm

Tel: 6299-6610

Venue: M Art Center

Address: Bldg 2, 50 Moganshan Rd.

‘The Other Side’

The exhibition is a collaboration of Christiana Haase from Germany and Hu Xingyi from China. Their works deal with the complexity of human emotions by employing mysterious human figures and faces that resemble both ghostly images and living human beings.

Date: through January 24 (closed on Mondays), 11am-8pm

Tel: 2635-9535

Venue: Stir Gallery

Address: 1/F, 1 Maoming Rd. S.

Strauss Capelle

Wiener Johann Strauss Capelle will stage its fifth New Year concert in Shanghai, with musicians once again dressed in festive red jackets and white trousers. Following the tradition of the Strauss Dynasty, the coming concerts will be a combination of cheerful waltzes, tunes from famous operas and classic Austrian ballet music.

Date: December 31, 7:30pm, 10:30m; January 1, 2pm, 7:30pm; January 2, 2pm

Tickets: 180-980 yuan

Venue: Shanghai Concert Hall

Address: 523 Yan’an Rd. E.

Strauss Orchester

The Wiener Johann Strauss Walger Orchester was fist founded by Johann Strauss I in Vienna in 1824. The orchestra still holds the tradition of the concertmaster’s style. The program includes“Hungarian Dance No. 5,”“Carmen Suite”as well as some Chinese music.

Date: January 1, 2:30pm, 7:30pm

Tickets: 180-880 yuan

Venue: Concert Hall of Shanghai Oriental Art Center

Address: 425 Dingxiang Rd., Pudong

Disney On Ice

The icy performances, named“Princess Wishes,”presents for local little audiences a fairytale world that includes almost all familiar Disney characters such as Minnie, Snow White, Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella.

Date: December 30-January 3, 7:30pm

Tickets: 100-680 yuan

Venue: Shanghai International Gymnastic Center

Address: 777 Wuyi Rd.

Russian Orchestra

The Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, a representative for the Concert Hall of Tchaikovsky Comprehensive Musical University, will bring up two New Year concerts in traditional Russian style. Besides the classical piece like“Swan Lake”and“Nutcracker,”the orchestra will also present nostalgic tunes like“Katyusha”and“The Night in the Suburbs of Moscow”in the Shanghai show.

Date: December 30-31, 7:30pm

Tickets: 80-880 yuan (limited 40- yuan tickets for students)

Venue: Concert Hall of Shanghai Oriental Art Center

Address: 425 Dingxiang Rd., Pudong

Ono Lisa

Crowned as the“Queen of Bossa Nova,”the Brazilian-born Japanese diva began singing with her guitar at the age of 15. She released her first album in 1989 in Japan, gaining wide recognition for her special voice mixed with unique Brazilian jazz elements. Her concert is part of the annual“Jazzy Shanghai”International Jazz Week.

Date: January 16, 7:30pm

Tickets: 180-1280 yuan

Venue: Shanghai Grand Stage

Address: 1111 Caoxi Rd. N.

‘ERA’

The multimedia spectacular, a perfect mix of Chinese acrobatics and Western performance art, has become a must-see. It has staged more than 1,000 shows, and Hollywood star Tom Cruise watched the show during the shooting of“Mission Impossible III”in the city.

Date: Daily, 7:15pm

Tickets: 80-580 yuan

Venue: Shanghai Circus World

Address: 2266 Gonghexin Rd.