Hailed as one of America's most electrifying dance companies and always a favorite of Detroit audiences, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to the Detroit Opera House stage for five incredible performances, Jan. 31 – Feb. 3, 2008. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 2008 Detroit appearances are a "must-see" for dance enthusiasts and novices alike.

Fairy tales, world music and kids, oh my! The Detroit Symphony Orchestra skips into a new year of "Macy's Super Saturdays at The Max" on Saturday, January 19. First up, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Conductor Lawrence Loh leads the DSO as they put music to timeless children's classics in "Musical Tales," the National City Young People's Concert, at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. in Orchestra Hall.

Put on your dancing shoes and prepare to swing the night away. On Friday, January 18, the Arts League of Michigan and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra present a party like none other. "A Swinging Dancing Good Time," the second event in Arts League's 2007-08 Jazz at the Center series, features two concerts starring Master Dancer Frankie Manning and the MSU Jazz Orchestra I led by Rodney Whitaker performing some of the most popular standards from the swing era.

Stage performers Debbie Gravitte, Joan Hess, Doug LaBrecque and Kirby Ward will lend their talents to these song and dance concerts, the latest in the DTE Energy Foundation Pops Series, on Thursday, January 17 at 10:45 a.m. and 8 p.m.; Friday, January 18 at 8:30 p.m.; Saturday, January 19 at 8:30 p.m.; and Sunday, January 20 at 3 p.m. in Orchestra Hall.

Maestro Peter Oundjian returns to his second "home" in January as he leads the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in a special performance of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7, a tribute to the spirit of the composer's hometown of Leningrad. Joining the DSO's Principal Guest Conductor and Artistic Advisor is violinist James Ehnes who will be performing Barber's popular Violin Concerto.

Mother and son join the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for a stirring rendition of Felix Mendelssohn's vision of Shakespeare's woodland fantasy A Midsummer Night's Dream. Conductor Dmitry Sitkovetsky (pronounced sitt-kuh-VETT-skee) leads the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and his mother, legendary pianist Bella Davidovich, who will perform Schumann's beautiful Piano Concerto while Sitkovetsky himself takes center stage as soloist on Bach's Violin Concerto No. 1.

The 2007 Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, a collection of images from the world’s largest and most prestigious wildlife photography competition, makes its North American premiere at the Detroit Zoo’s Ford Education Center.

Things will be hopping at the Detroit Zoo in the coming year in celebration of all things amphibian as part of the global conservation community’s designation of 2008 as “Year of the Frog.” The cooperative campaign will focus attention on endangered amphibians and the critical work being done by zoos and aquariums to save them.

African Footprint, South Africa's longest-running show, brings its vibrant, high-energy act that has wowed audiences and critics around the world to the Detroit Opera House over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, January 19-20, 2008 as part of the first African Footprint U.S. tour.

One of the most famous works in classical music, Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons," remains as popular today as when it was written nearly three centuries ago. The appeal of this timeless Baroque masterpiece, a musical portrait of spring, summer, autumn and winter, extends beyond the concert hall and has captured popular imagination through its use in films, television, advertising, and even cell phone ring tones.

"Hallelujah" will resonate throughout Orchestra Hall as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra performs "Handel's Magnificent Messiah," the Baroque work that has become synonymous with the holidays and an annual tradition at the DSO. Two afternoon concerts will feature the DSO and the Michigan State University Chorale performing one of the most beloved oratorios of all time.

Beloved R&B/soul singer and songwriter Michael McDonald puts his unique stamp on the holidays with "On This Night," an exclusive, one-night only engagement in Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center on Tuesday, December 11 at 8 p.m.