Leaves rustling in a gentle breeze.
The sound of a violin or a piano drifting across the perfectly manicured lawn.
The occasional pop of a cork from a picnic blanket spread out beneath a tree.
These distinct sounds can often be found each summer at Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. This year is no exception. Concerts for every musical taste – from classical to classic rock, R&B to opera or indie rock – will be featured at this enchanting outdoor performance venue located on a tree-lined hilltop in the Berkshires.
Tanglewood’s 86th season kicks off June 20 with John Fogerty and continues through Aug. 31 with DISPATCH and the Boston Pops. In between, Tanglewood will host more than 140 events, including its signature classical music concerts each weekend featuring three different programs performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, most weekends from July 5 to Aug. 25.
A lot of work goes into putting together all of those performances at Tanglewood. In fact, the Boston Symphony Orchestra is already busy planning next summer’s Tanglewood season, according to Tony Fogg, the head of artistic planning for the BSO.
“We’re typically we’re planning a couple of years in advance,” Fogg said during a recent interview. “We’re well underway with the season plans for 2025, and a few things in place for the 26 season as well. So it’s roughly a two-year cycle of putting all of the programming together.”
“The big projects for each season are put in place first,” Fogg added. “And then little by little, it’s like putting together a jigsaw puzzle by hand, the various other pieces fall into place.”
But all that hard work is worth it since Tanglewood holds such a special place in so many people’s hearts.
Listening to a concert on the lawn or in The Shed or one of the other venues at Tanglewood can be a relaxing, magical experience. You can also feel the sense of history at this place which has hosted performances since 1937.
“It’s an amazing experience,” Fogg said. “The thing about Tanglewood in particular it’s the combination not only of the great music, but of this amazing landscape, and the sheer beauty of the Tanglewood property is an experience unto itself.”
“There is a real spiritual quality about Tanglewood,” Fogg added. “It’s the sense of calm, the great music that’s there… performed at the highest level. They’re the qualities that make it unique, and everyone has their own individual things that they are passionate about with regard to Tanglewood.”
Fogg, BSO music director Andris Nelsons and many other people work hard to strike just the right balance of different concerts throughout the season, especially when it comes to the classical music season at Tanglewood.
“It’s getting that balance across the season, making sure that we have a good mixture of those sort of headline artists who everyone knows and loves – your Yo-Yo Mas (Aug. 18 at Tanglewood) and Joshua Bells (July 31 and Aug. 4) and so on – as well as some new names to show them the next generation of great performer coming through.”
Some of the other best-loved classical musicians performing this summer at Tanglewood include violinist Hilary Hahn (who performs during the Opening Night BSO concert on July 5), pianist Yuja Wang (July 13 and July 17), pianist Emanuel Ax (July 21) and a chamber music concert featuring two of the greatest classical musicians – violinist Leonidas Kavakos and pianist Daniil Trifonov on Aug. 21.
Opera fans will be treated to performances by soprano Renee Fleming in an all-Strauss program on July 7 and Act III of Wagner’s final, monumental Ring Cycle opera “Gotterdammerung” on July 20.
And for those of you who enjoy classical music and dance, the Boston Ballet and the BSO will perform together on July 12.
In addition, this summer’s classical music season will pay tribute to Serge Koussevitzky, the BSO music director born 150 years ago who helped create Tanglewood.
Koussevitsky also created the Tanglewood Music Center, the official name for the summer music school at Tanglewood. Each summer, some of the world’s best young classical musicians attend the intensive music academy and regularly perform concerts throughout the summer at Tanglewood.
But perhaps the most popular classical music concerts of the summer will take place Aug. 2 and 3. That’s when Tanglewood will host John Williams’ Film Night, featuring the 92-year-old composer himself.
In years past, this annual event featuring the memorable music of John Williams (from movies like “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter,” “Jaws” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark”) was held once each summer. But last year’s film night concert was so popular – and created so much traffic on local roads – the BSO decided to present film night two nights in a row this summer.
A separate event based on film music, “Jurassic Park in Concert” will be held on Aug. 17, performed against the backdrop of “visual stunning imagery and groundbreaking special effects,” according to the BSO’s website.
And no summer at Tanglewood would be complete without its final classical music concert featuring Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on Aug. 25.
But it’s not all about classical music. Tanglewood also has a long history of presenting many rock performers – from Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell and The Who in the 1960s to Santana, Ray Charles and Sly and the Family Stone in the 1970s – and this summer is no exception.
Following John Fogerty on June 20, Tanglewood will host a wide range of popular performers, including:
- The Who’s lead singer Roger Daltrey (June 22)
- Kool & The Gang and En Vogue (June 23)
- Boyz II Men (June 27)
- Jon Batiste (June 28)
- Trey Anastasio with the Boston Pops (June 29)
- Brandi Carlile (June 30)
- Jason Mraz with the Boston Pops (July 2)
- The Pretenders (July 16)
- Beck with the Boston Pops (July 23)
- Judy Collins, Rufus Wainwright and The Indigo Girls (Aug. 30)
- DISPATCH with the Boston Pops (Aug. 31)
However, no summer at Tanglewood would be complete without an annual performance by James Taylor and his All-Star Band, which return on July 3 and July 4.
“We have a very robust set of offerings in the popular artist series,” Fogg said. “This is more than we typically have.”
“There’s something for everyone this summer,” Fogg added, “and I think that’s the great appeal of the 2024 season.”
Tanglewood is located at 297 West Street in Lenox. For more information about the complete Tanglewood summer season schedule or to order tickets, visit www.bso.org/tanglewood or call (888) 266-1200.
