Article updated Nov. 16, 2018, by Dave Conlin Read
Tanglewood schedule for the 2019 season in the Berkshires has been released by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Following the Summer of Lenny in the Berkshires, this will be the year that the Leonard Bernstein campus achieves full development with the opening of the Tanglewood Learning Institute, the four buildings overlooking Seiji Ozawa Hall.
Music director Andris Nelsons will be present for the month of July, conducting 13 programs, including the world premiere of a new work by Kevin Puts, The Brightness of Light, based on letters of Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz on July 20, and a concert performance of Wagner’s complete Die Walküre on july 27 and 28. Details of programs in the Tanglewood Learning Institute will be announced on Feb. 7, 2019.
The 2019 Tanglewood schedule will be the 27th one to include performances by James Taylor, who will return with his band for shows July 3 & $, will the annual fireworks extravaganza following his Fourth of July concert. Opening event this year will be another in a nearly two decade run of live radio broadcasts from the Koussevitsky Music Shed, Live from Here at Tanglewood, with Chris Thile on June, 15, 2019.
Tickets for the 2019 Tanglewood season go on sale Sun. Feb. 10, 2019 at Tanglewood’s website, www.tanglewood.org, SymphonyCharge at 888-266-1200.
Hotels near Tanglewood
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Berkshies transportation
For how to get to the Berkshires and public transportation within Berkshire county, see this page: Amtrak and Peter Pan bus schedules.
2019 Tanglewood program
Saturday, June 15, 5:45 p.m. Shed
Popular Artists Series
Live from Here at Tanglewood
with Chris Thile
Live broadcast
American Public Media’s popular Live from Here returns to Tanglewood, with its host Chris Thile. He will be joined by an incredible array of special musical guests—some known to all, and some who soon will be!—for a unique blend of comedy and spoken word. A vocalist and mandolin virtuoso, Chris will perform his Song of the Week, written especially by Thile for the evening’s program.
July 2019 Tanglewood schedule details
Wednesday, July 3, 8 p.m. Shed
Thursday, July 4, 8 p.m. Shed
Popular Artists Series
James Taylor at Tanglewood
James Taylor returns to Tanglewood with his All-Star Band for two nights!
Only New England Performance this summer
Fireworks to follow the July 4 concert
Proceeds from this concert will be donated by Kim and James Taylor to Tanglewood.
Friday, July 5, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Prelude Concert
Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Friday, July 5, 8 p.m. Shed
Opening Night at Tanglewood
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Andris Nelsons, conductor
Emanuel Ax, piano
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat, K.482
MAHLER Symphony No. 5
Saturday, July 6, 10:30 a.m. Shed
Rehearsal, Saturday program
Saturday, July 6, 8 p.m. Shed
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Andris Nelsons, conductor
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin
Joan TOWER Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 1
André PREVIN Violin Concerto, Anne-Sophie*
DVO?ÁK Symphony No. 9, From the New World
*Celebrating Sir André Previn’s 90th birthday
Sunday, July 7, 2:30 p.m. Shed
Boston Pops Orchestra
David Newman, conductor
Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin
Across the Stars: Music of John Williams
Join the Boston Pops for the first of three programs this summer, celebrating the art of John Williams. Drawing from her recent recording “Across the Stars,” the great violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter performs selections from Mr. Williams’ iconic scores, in brilliant new arrangements created especially for her. The program includes music from Star Wars and Memoirs of a Geisha, as well as the haunting melodies of Schindler’s List.
Monday, July 8, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra
Andris Nelsons, conductor
Thomas Rolfs, trumpet
TMC Conducting Fellows
Program to include
TCHAIKOVSKY Hamlet, Overture-fantasy
Detlev GLANERT Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra
(world premiere, TMC commission)
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 1
Wednesday, July 10, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Hilary Hahn, violin
ALL-J.S. BACH PROGRAM
Sonata No. 2 in A minor for solo violin, BWV 1003
Partita No. 3 in E for solo violin, BWV 1006
Sonata No. 3 in C for solo violin, BWV 1005
^ Tanglewood debut
^^ Boston Symphony Orchestra debut
+ Tanglewood and Boston Symphony Orchestra debuts
** 2019 Koussevitzky Artist
Thursday, July 11, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Venice Baroque Orchestra^
Andrea Marcon, conductor and harpsichord^
Avi Avital, mandolin
VIVALDI Sinfonia in C for strings and continuo,
from L’Olimpiade, RV 725
VIVALDI Concerto in D for lute, strings,
and continuo, RV 93
ALBINONI Concerto in G for strings and
continuo, Op. 7, No. 4
VIVALDI Concerto in G for mandolin, recorder, strings,
and continuo, RV 532
CORELLI Concerto grosso in D, Op. 6, No. 4
BARBELLA Concerto in D for mandolin, strings,
and continuo
VIVALDI Sinfonia in C for strings
and basso continuo, RV 114
VIVALDI Concerto in G minor, Op. 8, No. 2, Summer
Friday, July 12, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Prelude Concert
Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Friday, July 12, 8 p.m. Shed
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Andris Nelsons, conductor
Jan Lisiecki, piano^
Thomas Rolfs, trumpet
Robert Sheena, English horn
COPLAND Quiet City
GRIEG Piano Concerto
COPLAND Symphony No. 3
Saturday, July 13, 10:30 a.m. Shed
Rehearsal, Sunday program
Saturday, July 13, 8 p.m. Shed
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Andris Nelsons, conductor
Kristine Opolais, soprano
Oksana Volkova, mezzo-soprano+
Jonathan Tetelman, tenor
Ryan Speedo Green, bass-baritone
Tanglewood Festival Chorus,
James Burton, conductor
VERDI Requiem
Sunday, July 14, 2:30 p.m. Shed
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Andris Nelsons, conductor
Håkan Hardenberger, trumpet
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4
HK GRUBER Aerial, Concerto for trumpet and orchestra
STRAUSS “Dance of the Seven Veils” from Salome
Monday, July 15, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra
Stefan Asbury, conductor
TMC Conducting Fellows
Program to include
Helen GRIME New work
(world premiere; TMC commission)
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 6, Pathétique
Tuesday, July 16, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
MILOŠ, classical guitar^
J.S. BACH Suite No. 2 in C minor, BWV 997
GRANADOS from 12 Spanish Dances:
No. 5, Andaluza
No. 2, Oriental
ALBÉNIZ Asturias
VILLA-LOBOS Five Preludes
LENNON/McCARTNEY (arr. Sergio Assad) Blackbird
LENNON/McCARTNEY (arr. Sergio Assad) Yesterday
HARRISON/LENNON/McCARTNEY (arr. Sergio Assad)
While my guitar gently weeps
Mathias DUPLESSY Cavalcade
Wednesday, July 17, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Gautier Capuçon, cello
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
SCHUMANN Fantasiestücke, Op. 73
BRAHMS Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor, Op. 38
SIBELIUS Malinconia, Op. 20
SHOSTAKOVICH Cello Sonata in D minor, Op. 40
Friday, July 19, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Prelude Concert
Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Friday, July 19, 8 p.m. Shed
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Andris Nelsons, conductor
Gautier Capuçon, cello
Betsy JOLAS A Little Summer Suite
SAINT-SAËNS Cello Concerto No. 1
DEBUSSY La Mer
RAVEL La Valse
UnderScore Friday Concert
Saturday, July 20, 10:30 a.m. Shed
Rehearsal, Sunday program
Saturday, July 20, 8 p.m. Shed
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Andris Nelsons, conductor
Renée Fleming, soprano**
Rod Gilfry, baritone+
Wendall Harrington, video artist
ELGAR Enigma Variations
Kevin PUTS The Brightness of Light
(world premiere; BSO co-commission)
The letters of iconic American artist Georgia O’Keeffe and her husband, the photographer and curator Alfred Stieglitz, are full of poetry, humor, passion, pain, and longing. Written over the many months and years they lived apart, these letters chronicle their initial flirtations in 1915—when Georgia was a young, aspiring artist—to Alfred’s death in 1946. Written especially for Renée Fleming and Rod Gilfry, and accompanied by projections by Wendall Harrington, The Brightness of Light is the story of a great artist who ultimately turns from a painful marriage to embrace her work and the desert landscape she loves.
Sunday, July 21 2:30 p.m. Shed
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Andris Nelsons, conductor
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
GERSHWIN Piano Concerto in F
GERSHWIN Variations on “I Got Rhythm,” for piano
and orchestra
STRAVINSKY Petrushka
Tuesday, July 23, 8 p.m. Shed
Tanglewood on Parade
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Pops Orchestra
Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra
Boston Symphony Children’s Choir
Andris Nelsons, Keith Lockhart, John Williams, Thomas Wilkins, and James Burton, conductors
Program to include
WAGNER “The Ride of the Valkyries” from Die Walküre
James BURTON The Lost Words, for children’s choir
and orchestra (world premiere)
TCHAIKOVSKY 1812 Overture
Fireworks to follow the concert
Wednesday, July 24, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Renée Fleming, soprano**
Emerson String Quartet
WALKER Lyric for Strings
Richard WERNICK String Quartet No. 10
BARBER String Quartet, Op. 11
André PREVIN and Tom STOPPARD Penelope, for soprano,
string quartet, and piano
(world premiere; BSO co-commission)*
*Celebrating Sir André Previn’s 90th birthday
Thursday, July 25, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Stefan Jackiw, violin^
Jeremy Denk, piano
Hudson Shad, vocal quartet^
ALL-IVES PROGRAM
Violin Sonata No. 4, Children’s Day
Violin Sonata No. 3
Violin Sonata No. 2
Violin Sonata No. 1
Plus hymns, patriotic songs, and marches that inspired these sonatas
Friday, July 26, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Prelude Concert
Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Friday, July 26, 8 p.m. Shed
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Andris Nelsons, conductor
Paul Lewis, piano
Tanglewood Festival Chorus,
James Burton, conductor
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 2
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 12 in A, K.414
RAVEL Daphnis et Chloé (complete)
Saturday, July 27, 10 a.m. Ozawa Hall
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Wilkins, conductor
BSO Family Concert
Saturday, July 27, 10:30 a.m. Shed
Rehearsal, Sunday program
Saturday, July 27, 8 p.m. Shed
The Leonard Bernstein Memorial Concert
Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra
Andris Nelsons, conductor
Amber Wagner, soprano (Sieglinde)
Simon O’Neill, tenor (Siegmund)^
Ain Anger, bass (Hunding)
WAGNER Die Walküre, Act I
Concert performance sung in German with English supertitles
Sunday, July 28, 2:30 p.m. (Act II) Shed
Sunday, July 28, 6:30 p.m. (Act III) Shed
Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra
Andris Nelsons, conductor
Amber Wagner, soprano (Sieglinde)
Christine Goerke, soprano (Brünnhilde)
Mezzo-soprano to be announced (Fricka)
Simon O’Neill, tenor (Siegmund)
James Rutherford, bass-baritone (Wotan)^
Ain Anger, bass (Hunding)
Eve Gigliotti^, Wendy Bryn Harmer^, Kelly Cae Hogan^,
Ronnita Miller^, Mary Phillips, and Renée Tatum
(Valkyries)
WAGNER Die Walküre, Acts II and III
Concert performance sung in German with English supertitles
Tuesday, July 30, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Paul Lewis, piano
HAYDN Sonata No. 34 in E minor
BRAHMS Three Intermezzi, Op. 117
BEETHOVEN Seven Bagatelles, Op. 33
HAYDN Sonata No. 52 in E-flat
Wednesday, July 31, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Thomas Hampson, baritone
Lara Downes, piano^
The Beyond Liberty Players^
Song of America: Beyond Liberty
Beloved American baritone Thomas Hampson opens the American Songbook to explore the influential people and monumental events that helped create and define “the land of the free.” Guiding the audience through centuries of stories, Mr. Hampson will share personal anecdotes and readings, offering a rich context within which to celebrate America’s history of song.
August 2019 Tanglewood schedule details
Thursday, August 1, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America
Sir Antonio Pappano, conductor^
Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano^
BERLIOZ Les Nuits d’été
STRAUSS An Alpine Symphony
Friday, August 2, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Prelude Concert
Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Friday, August 2, 8 p.m. Shed
The Serge and Olga Koussevitzky Memorial Concert
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Ken-David Masur, conductor
Joshua Bell, violin
MARTIN? Memorial to Lidice
DVO?ÁK Violin Concerto
DVO?ÁK Symphony No. 8
UnderScore Friday Concert
Saturday, August 3, 10:30 a.m. Shed
Rehearsal, Sunday program
Saturday, August 3, 8 p.m. Shed
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Asher Fisch, conductor
Pinchas Zukerman, violin
Amanda Forsyth, cello
SCHUMANN Overture to Genoveva
Avner DORMAN Double Concerto for violin, cello,
and orchestra (American premiere; BSO co-commission)
BEETHOVEN Romance No. 1 in G for violin and orchestra
MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 3, Scottish
Sunday, August 4, 2:30 p.m. Shed
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Dima Slobodeniouk, conductor
Yefim Bronfman, piano
RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 3
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 1
Tuesday, August 6, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Emanuel Ax, piano
Leonidas Kavakos, violin
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
ALL-BEETHOVEN PROGRAM
Selected trios for piano, violin, and cello
Wednesday, August 7, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Yefim Bronfman, piano
ALL-BEETHOVEN PROGRAM
Sonata No. 5 in C minor, Op. 10, No. 1
Sonata No. 6 in F, Op. 10, No. 2
Sonata No. 7 in D, Op. 10, No. 3
Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57, Appassionata
Friday, August 9, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Prelude Concert
Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Friday, August 9, 8 p.m. Shed
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Leonidas Kavakos, conductor and violin
BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto
DVO?ÁK Symphony No. 7
UnderScore Friday Concert
Saturday, August 10, 10:30 a.m. Shed
Rehearsal, Sunday program
Saturday, August 10, 8 p.m. Shed
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Rafael Payare, conductor+
Nikolai Lugansky, piano
CARREÑO Margaritena
RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 1
BRAHMS Symphony No. 1
Sunday, August 11, 2:30 p.m. Shed
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Adès, conductor
Inon Barnatan, piano+
IVES Three Places in New England
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6, Pastoral
Sunday, August 11, 7:30 p.m.
Shed
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
J.S. BACH Suites for unaccompanied cello
In this special Sunday-evening Shed concert, Yo-Yo Ma plays all six of J.S. Bach’s Suites for Solo Cello, music that has given him, in his own words, “sustenance, comfort, and joy during times of stress, celebration, and loss.” This concert is part of his two-year global initiative, “The Bach Project,” encompassing performances he will give of the Bach suites across six continents, coupled with what he calls “days of action,” seeking “to put culture in action by bringing people and organizations together to address pressing social issues” and “invite all of us to think differently about the role of culture in society.”
2019 Festival of Contemporary Music, August 8-12
BSO Artistic Partner Thomas Adès, Director
Thursday, August 8, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Opera
TMC Vocal Fellows
Richard AYRES The Cricket Recovers (American Premiere)
Friday, August 9, 2:30 p.m. Center for Music and Learning
Chamber Music
Erika FOX Hungarian Rhapsody (American premiere)
Andrew HAMILTON New work
(world premiere; TMC commission)
Hilda PAREDES Altazor (American premiere)
Saturday, August 10, 6:15 p.m. Center for Music and Learning
Prelude Concert
Poul RUDERS String Quartet No. 3 (American premiere)
SEEGER String Quartet
Chaya CZERNOWIN Anea Crystal
Sunday, August 11, 10 a.m. Ozawa Hall
Chamber Music
Andrew HAMILTON music for people who like art
(American premiere)
Nathan SHIELDS New work
(American premiere; TMC commission)
Steve REICH Radio Rewrite
Thea MUSGRAVE Space Play
Monday, August 12, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Prelude Concert
Piano works of Oliver Knussen
Monday, August 12, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra
Thomas Ades, conductor
TMC Conducting Fellows
TMC Vocal Fellows
Gerald BARRY Canada (American premiere)
Poul RUDERS Symphony No. 5 (American premiere)
KNUSSEN Whitman Settings
György KURTÁG …concertante…, Op. 42
(American premiere)
The 2019 Festival of Contemporary Music has been endowed in perpetuity by the generosity of Dr. Raymond H. and Mrs. Hannah H. Schneider, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Helen F. Whitaker Fund.
Tuesday, August 13, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Leonidas Kavakos, violin
Emanuel Ax, piano
ALL-BEETHOVEN PROGRAM
Violin Sonata No. 4 in A minor, Op. 23
Violin Sonata No. 6 in A, Op. 30, No. 1
Violin Sonata No. 10 in G, Op. 96
Thursday, August 15, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
The Knights
Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Gil Shaham, violin
LIGETI Concert Românesc
BRAHMS Violin Concerto
György KURTÁG Signs, Games, and Messages
KODÁLY Dances of Galánta
BRAHMS (arr. Paul Brantley) Four Hungarian Dances
Friday, August 16, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Prelude Concert
Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Friday, August 16, 8 p.m. Shed
Boston Pops Orchestra
Keith Lockhart, conductor
Star Wars: A New Hope (film with live orchestra)
Join Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops as they present this classic film with live orchestral accompaniment. Set 30 years after Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: A New Hope, the fourth episode of the saga, returns to the desert planet of Tatooine. A young Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) begins to discover his destiny when, searching for a lost droid, he is saved by reclusive Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness). A civil war rages in the galaxy, and Rebel forces struggle against the evil Galactic Empire, Luke and Obi- Wan enlist the aid of hotshot pilot, Han Solo (Harrison Ford). Joined by the quirky droid duo R2-D2 and C-3PO, the unlikely team sets out to rescue Rebel leader Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and make use of the stolen plans to destroy the Empire’s ultimate weapon. In a legendary confrontation, the rogue group mounts an attack against the Death Star for a climactic battle with the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.
Saturday, August 17, 10:30 a.m. Shed
Rehearsal, Sunday program
Saturday, August 17, 8 p.m. Shed
Boston Symphony Orchestra
François-Xavier Roth, conductor^
Kirill Gerstein, piano
BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 2
SCHUMANN Symphony No. 2
Sunday, August 18, 2:30 p.m. Shed
Boston Symphony Orchestra
François-Xavier Roth, conductor
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Members of the BSO horn section
SCHUMANN Concert Piece for four horns and orchestra
SCHUMANN Cello Concerto
BRAHMS Serenade No. 1
Sunday, August 18, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
TMC Conducting Fellows
Program to include
MAHLER Symphony No. 4
Wednesday, August 21, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra^
Huichang Yan, conductor^
With its roots in the musical heritage of its homeland, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra is a cultural phenomenon: an ensemble of more than 80 players, performing on traditional Chinese instruments placed in a Western orchestral configuration. The orchestra has built a repertoire that includes not only time-honored Chinese music but also contemporary works, many composed especially for the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra by some of the leading composers of our time. This is one of only two U.S. engagements on the ensemble’s 2019 international tour.
Friday, August 23, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Prelude Concert
Tanglewood Festival Chorus, James Burton, conductor
Friday, August 23, 8 p.m. Shed
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Yu-An Chang, conductor^^
Ingrid Fliter, piano
MENDELSSOHN Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream
RAVEL Piano Concerto in G
SCHUBERT Symphony No. 2
Saturday, August 24, 10:30 a.m. Shed
Rehearsal, Sunday program
Saturday, August 24, 8 p.m. Shed
John Williams’ Film Night
Boston Pops
David Newman, conductor
John Williams, host
John Williams’ Film Night has long been established as one of the Tanglewood calendar’s most anticipated and beloved evenings. Join Mr. Williams as he introduces this year’s celebration of the music of Hollywood and beyond, featuring the Boston Pops and conductor David Newman.
Sunday, August 25, 2:30 p.m. Shed
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Nicole Cabell, soprano
J’Nai Bridges, mezzo-soprano+
Nicholas Phan, tenor
Morris Robinson, bass
Tanglewood Festival Chorus,
James Burton, conductor
SCHOENBERG Friede auf Erden (Peace on Earth),
for unaccompanied chorus
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9