Southbank Centre, 2011 Season

Mahler, Mahler and anyone who even remotely knew Mahler. There is, of course, more to the South Bank's 2011 season listings than this but the great symphonic agoniser (and his many chums) forms the bedrock of the classical programming as we all go wild for the centenary of his death this year. In contemporary music big names such as Rumer, Elaine Paige and Brian Wilson will pack them in, while newcomers like Josh T Pearson and Melissa Laveaux have first Southbank exposure. The London International Mime Festival in January leads off dance and performance, which has a child-friendly look this year. But watch out for the digital-electronic Rites, fascinating last time round and now welcome back for a second experience.

Visual arts focus on the once-in-five-years British Art Show and the UK debut of a leading Dutch installation artist, while there are so many gamelan classes that you might become a master in a year.

Classical

January 2011

16: Budapest Festival Orchestra, Ivan Fischer (pictured left) and Stephen Hough: Haydn Symphony No 92, Liszt Piano Concerto No 1 and Beethoven Symphony No 6

19: LPO, Yannick Nézet-Séguin: Mahler Five

21: Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Vladimir Jurowski and Sarah Connolly: Wagner's Parsifal Prelude, Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and Totenfeier and Liszt's Les Préludes

22: LPO. Nézet-Séguin. Fauré Requiem and Franck Symphony in D min

26: LPO, Jurowski: Zemlinsky's Lyric Symphony

27: PO, Salonen and Yefim Bronfman: Bartók's Kossuth, First Piano Concerto and a complete, semi-staged performance of The Miraculous Mandarin

February 2011

8: OAE, David Zinman and clarinettist Anthony Pay: Mendelssohn's Overture, Intermezzo, Nocturne and Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Weber's Clarinet Concerto No 1 in F minor and Beethoven's Symphony No 7

10: PO, Salonen, Gulbenkian Choir and Philharmonia Voices: Bartók's Cantata Profana and Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste, and Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring

16: LPO, Nézet-Séguin and Anna Catarina Antonacci (mezzo-soprano): Ravel's Mother Goose Suite and Berlioz's La Mort de Cléopâtre and Symphonie fantastique

19: LPO, Nézet-Séguin, 
Stefan Jackiw (violin) Richard Yongjae O'Neill (viola), 
Sarah Connolly and 
Toby Spence: Mozart's Sinfonia concertante in E flat for violin & viola, K364
 and Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde

20 & 23: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle (pictured above right): One chamber recital performed by members of the orchestra includes Schoenberg and Mahler; the other concert performance includes Mahler's Third Symphony.

25: LPO, Christoph Eschenbach: Mahler Nine

March 2011

3: OAE, Sir Roger Norrington conducts a selection of the work of CPE Bach

25: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mariss Jansons (left) and Mitsuko Uchida: Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 3 and Strauss's Ein Heldenleben

27: Soloists of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Mitsuko Uchida: Beethoven's Quintet in E flat for piano & wind, Op 16 and Schubert's Octet

April 2011

12, 17, 19 and 28: Philharmonia Orchestra and Lorin Maazel (pictured right, in Life magazine, aged 12) start their Mahler cycle

May 2011

4: OAE, Sir Charles Mackerras and Artur Pizarro: Mozart's Symphony No 40 in G minor, Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 4 in G and Schubert's Symphony No 4 in C minor

5, 8 and 26: PO and Lorin Maazel continue their Mahler cycle

June 2011

13: Berlin Staatskapelle, Pierre Boulez and Daniel Barenboim: Wagner's Faust Overture and Siegfried Idyll and Liszt's two piano concertos.

21: OAE, Sir Simon Rattle and the Labèque sisters (pictured left): Haydn's Symphony No 64 in A "Tempora mutantur" and No 95 in C minor and Mozart's Concerto in E flat for Two Pianos, K365

23: PO, Salonen and Christian Tetzlaff: Béla Bartók's Violin Concerto No 2 and Concerto for Orchestra

• Classical information and booking on the Southbank Centre website

Gigs & Contemporary

January

21: Rún, Foyer Bar - level 2: Singing exclusively in Celtic languages, their repertoire combines four-part harmony interpretations of traditional folk songs.

21: Tomorrow's Warriors Jazz Orchestra, The Front Room at QEH: The Tomorrow's Warriors Jazz Orchestra (TWJO) is a professional 16-piece touring orchestra consisting of past and present members of the Tomorrow's Warriors jazz education and development programme.

28: Tatcho Drom, Foyer Bar - level 2: A group of musicians dedicated to celebrating the essence of Gypsy and Balkan music.

28: McCormack/Yarde Duo, The Front Room at QEH: Jason Yarde started his playing career with the Jazz Warriors at 16, and has performed in a wide variety of bands including work with Louis Moholo, Manu Dibango, Hermeto Pascoal, Sam Rivers, McCoy Tyner, Andrew Hill, Hugh Masekela and many others.

29: Eduardo Niebla, Queen Elizabeth Hall: Flamenco-jazz guitar virtuoso. (pictured right)

31: Transatlantic Sessions, Royal Festival Hall: Long established among the jewels in the crown of Glasgow's Celtic Connections festival, and fresh from the success of last year's sold-out national tour.

February

1: Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, Queen Elizabeth Hall: Legendary country music star performs a rare London show.

2: The Richard Thompson Band, Royal Festival Hall: One of this country's greatest songwriters and most distinctive of guitar virtuosos, whom Rolling Stone has hailed as "a perennial dark-horse contender for the title of greatest living rock guitarist". (pictured left)

4: Ben Waters Band, Purcell Room: One of the world's leading boogie-woogie / rock'n'roll piano players.

4: Chris Lee & Jenny Howe, Foyer Bar - level 2: Arranger, composer and pianist Chris Lee has worked with some of the leading singers on the UK jazz scene, including Anton Browne, Tina May and Clare Foster.

4: Natalie Williams, The Front Room at QEH: MOBO-nominated singer-songwriter Natalie Williams is one the UK's leading soul-jazz stars,

5: An Evening with the Masters of Persian Music, Queen Elizabeth Hall: Stories and experiences of the legends of Persian music as well as their music.

11: Kosmos, Foyer Bar - level 2: Internationally acclaimed string trio Kosmos unites the rich texture of the string trio with the depth and integrity of traditional music from the Balkans and beyond.

11: The Magic Lantern, The Front Room at QEH: A five-piece alt folk band who have created a sound inspired by folk, jazz and experimental classical music.

13: The Fats Waller Valentine Anniversary Concert, Purcell Room: The musical legacy of Fats Waller is enormous and this popular tribute performance celebrates his life and legacy.

18: Living Room, Foyer Bar - level 2: Living Room consists of Austrian bass clarinettist Christoph Pepe Auer and Manu Delago, one of the most popular Hang players in the world.

18: Rhythmica, The Front Room at QEH: Rhythmica are a fresh, eclectic and exciting new force on the UK jazz scene, bringing together five diverse yet complementary jazz musicians.

21-22: Ray Lamontagne and the Pariah Dogs, Royal Festival Hall: With a voice that recalls a huskier version of Van Morrison and Tim Buckley, Ray LaMontagne forges folk songs that are alternately lush and intimately earthy.

24-27: Dan Zanes and Friends, Queen Elizabeth Hall: 21st-century, all-aged handmade family music all the way from Brooklyn, New York, back by popular demand after a sold-out run of shows in 2008. (pictured left)

25: Trudy Kerr's Jazz for Juniors, The Clore Ballroom: A show by the acclaimed Australian singer specially created for children, and also for lovers of jazz and great music-making.

26-27: Penguin, Purcell Room: Long Nose Puppets' new show is based on the award-winning book by Polly Dunbar.

28: Led Bib, Purcell Room: One of the original torchbearers for the revitalised young British jazz scene, Led Bib launch their new album Bring Your Own.

March

2: Mulatu Astatke, Queen Elizabeth Hall: Mulatu Astatke's 1970's ethio-jazz records are revered around the world by jazz, funk and African record collectors - some of them selling for in excess of £2,000 at auction.

4: Elaine Paige In Concert, Royal Festival Hall: Award-winning musical theatre star, multi-platinum recording artist and popular BBC radio presenter with a new evening of music and song. (pictured right)

4: Cara Dillon Plus Special Guests, Queen Elizabeth Hall: Cara Dillon's rare talent, gentle charm and natural personality combine with a mesmerising gift to relate a great story through song.

5: An Evening with Barbara Dickson, Queen Elizabeth Hall: For over four decades Barbara Dickson OBE has established herself as one of the most popular entertainers in Britain today.

10: Ralph Towner and Paolo Fresu, Purcell Room: The artistic collaboration between two very particular musical worlds.

11: The Taylor Maids, Purcell Room: After a hugely successful career in cabaret and variety, having performed with Shirley Bassey, Des O'Connor, Edmund Hockridge and The Billy Cotton Band, The Taylor Maids reformed in 2010.

16: Naina lagai ke: Asha Bhosle and Shujaat Khan Live, Royal Festival Hall: The legendary Bollywood playback singer Asha Bhosle teams up with sitar virtuoso and vocalist Shujaat Khan for an evening of light traditional Indian music. (pictured left)

18: Geoff Eales & Friends, Purcell Room: Geoff Eales celebrates his 60th birthday in the company of some of the finest musicians from the world of jazz.

22: Norooz Feast, Purcell Room: A celebration of one of the oldest living festivals in the world, the ancient Persian New Year, Norooz.

24: Fitkin Band v Trinity Laban, Queen Elizabeth Hall: Graham Fitkin's nine-piece band is joined by massed musicians and dancers from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in creating a vast site-specific event.

25: ShivaNova and Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Purcell Room: The cross-cultural master musicians of ShivaNova share the stage with renowned author and commentator Yasmin Alibhai-Brown in Table Talk: food, memory, creative dialogue and lived histories.

28: Rumer, Royal Festival Hall: Rumer's instantly identifiable voice positions her as one of the most arresting talents of recent years. (pictured right)

28: Yoruba Women Choir, Queen Elizabeth Hall: One of Nigeria's biggest musical exports, the majestic Yoruba Women Choir, directed by founder Funmi Olawumi, creates music of astounding power.

29: Eleftheria Kotzia, Purcell Room: The soulful and exhilarating sounds of South America.

April

1: Josh T. Pearson, Purcell Room: Josh T. Pearson comes to London to play tracks from his debut solo album Last Of The Country Gentlemen. (pictured left)

2: London Sinfonietta: Xenakis - Architect of Sound, Queen Elizabeth Hall: Explore the music of Xenakis, whose pioneering compositions integrated the worlds of sound and architecture.

5: Micachu and the Shapes and London Sinfonietta, Queen Elizabeth Hall: Rising stars of experimental pop Micachu and the Shapes collaborate once again with the London Sinfonietta for Chopped and Screwed, first performed in May 2010.

11: The Low Anthem, Queen Elizabeth Hall: The Low Anthem won the acclaim of the music press with the melancholic Oh My God, Charlie Darwin.

12: Guilty Pleasures with Ian Shaw and Gill Manly, Purcell Room: Twice BBC Jazz Award winner Ian Shaw and Ronnie Scott's favourite diva, Gill Manly.

13: Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Royal Festival Hall: Son of the legendary Fela Kuti, Seun Kuti performs with Fela's band Egypt 80.

15: Bolivian, Latin American, Italian and French Music, Purcell Room: Marcos Puña is one of the best young Bolivian classical guitarists.

22: Melissa Laveaux, Purcell Room: Twenty-four-year-old Haitian singer Mélissa Laveaux came to world attention in 2009 with music that evokes the spirit of her homeland. (pictured right)

May

18: Grant Lee Buffalo, Royal Festival Hall: Famed in the 1990s for albums Fuzzy, Mighty Joe Moon, Copperopolis and Jubilee, Grant Lee Buffalo were one of the leading lights of the American alt-rock scene.

20: Loudon Wainwright III, Royal Festival Hall: Having sold out Royal Festival Hall with Richard Thompson this June, the legendary Loudon Wainwright III returns for a solo show.

June

21: Wine, Women and Song, Queen Elizabeth Hall: Singer-songwriters and old friends Suzy Bogguss, Gretchen Peters and Matraca Berg get together on stage.

September

16-18: Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin, Royal Festival Hall: Legendary songwriter, producer, arranger and co-founder of the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson performs tracks from his latest critically acclaimed Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin as well as classics from the Beach Boys back-catalogue. (pictured right)

• Contemporary information and booking

Dance & Performance

January

15-19: Teatro Corsario (London International Mime Festival), Purcell Room: Based on stories by celebrated horror writer Edgar Allan Poe, a gothic thriller from Spain's puppetry experts.

20-23: Compagnia Due+Uno (London International Mime Festival), Purcell Room: Fantasy, illusion and old-fashioned artistry.

21-23: Compagnie 111 / Aurelién Bory (LIMF), Queen Elizabeth Hall: An industrial robot is the unlikely hero of a futurist fantasy. (pictured)

24-26: Upswing (LIMF), Purcell Room: Dance, aerial, circus, shadows and animation with African spirituality and a contemporary story.

27-30: Paolo Nani & Kristjan Ingimarsson (LIMF), Purcell Room: The Art of Dying explores the big taboo issue we all have to face but want to ignore.

February

11: Purcell's The Fairy Queen, Queen Elizabeth Hall: Philip Pickett's iconoclastic approach, brilliant circus artists, star solo singers and mesmeric staging by brilliant Mexican director Mauricio García Lozano combine.

12-13: The Flying Machine 3D, Royal Festival Hall: A 3D adventure for the whole family, a modern fairy tale combining live action and stop motion animation. (pictured)

19-21: James Campbell's Comedy and Songs for Kids, Purcell Room: Stand-up comedy and music show for children

20: Arlene Phillips, Purcell Room: Choreographer and presenter of So You Think You Can Dance, and now the author of the Alana Dancing Star series.

26: Kathak Stanzas, The Clore Ballroom: SBC resident artist Gauri Sharma Tripathi in a workshop combining words, traditional South Asian kathak dance and traditional Indian mythology.

26-27: Penguin, Purcell Room: Long Nose Puppets' new show is based on the award-winning book by Polly Dunbar.

28: English National Ballet Emerging Dancer Award, Queen Elizabeth Hall

March

15-17: DancEUnion, Purcell Room: Three performances offering a variety of overseas artists and performers

15-17: Logobi, The Front Room at QEH & Canapé Art, Southbank Centre

16: In 'N' Out, The Clore Ballroom

24: Fitkin Band v Trinity Laban, Queen Elizabeth Hall: Graham Fitkin's nine-piece band is joined by massed musicians and dancers from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in creating a vast site-specific event. (pictured)

31-1 Apr: Will Gregory's Piccard in Space, Queen Elizabeth Hall: Gregory's debut opera is a classic adventure about the brilliant physicist Auguste Piccard.

April

21-25: Chouf Ouchouf (see video above), Queen Elizabeth Hall: Weaving together contemporary performance and traditional Moroccan acrobatics in a skilled evocation of life in Tangiers.

23: Rites, Royal Festival Hall: Digital artist Klaus Obermaier and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra create a 21st-century realisation of Stravinsky’s early modernist masterpiece The Rite of Spring with a single dancer Julia Mach performing on stage.

• Dance and performance information and booking

Visual Arts

12 January-27 February: Erik van Lieshout: How Can I Help You?, Hayward Gallery Project Space: The first solo show in UK by a major Dutch artist, who last summer opened a temporary "shop" in an abandoned unit in the Zuidplein mall in Rotterdam South, a working-class district of Holland that is home to several large immigrant communities. His new film installation Commission documents this experience, examining the impact of figures such as the Rotterdam-based "starchitect" Rem Koolhaas and the Islamophobe Dutch politician Geert Wilders. (picture right)

16 February-17 April: British Art Show 7: In the Days of the Comet, Hayward Gallery: Every five years British Art Show collects and aims to reflect the widest and most influential selection of contemporary British art. Film premieres and new works including performance art, previously unveiled in Nottingham, can be seen in London here, then in Glasgow and Plymouth. Artists include Anja Kirschner & David Panos, Sarah Lucas, Haroon Mirza, Christian Marclay, Steve Claydon, Charles Avery, Wolfgang Tillmans and Tris Vonna-Michell.

• Visual arts information and booking