Article updated June 20, 2018 by Dave Read
Tanglewood schedules present an embarrassment of riches, putting us at risk of fun-overload, which is as dangerous as second-helpings of pecan pie at Thanksgiving. Having covered Tanglewood since the Clinton Administration, we know enough to moderate, not overbook, and to look closely at the lineup so as to avoid regret.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra has listed 15 concerts on the 2018 Popular Artist calendar before Maestro Andris Nelsons opens the BSO’s Tanglewood season on July 6. The first weekend included Roger Daltry and the Boston Pops performing The Who’s Tommy, followed by a show billed as David Crosby and Friends, and then Steven Stills and Judy Collins for Sunday afternoon.
Underwhelmed by last summer’s Pete Townsend/Boston Pops mashup, we eliminated this year’s Who remnant, leaving us to decide between factions of Crosby, Stills, and Nash. We chose the show scheduled for Sunday largely because Tanglewood is the most beautiful music venue in the world on a Sunday in June, but also because we figured Stills’ guitar chops will have aged better than Crosby’s front-man chops.
We were so right about the Sunday afternoon at Tanglewood aspect of our choice, but from what we hear, we missed a pretty exciting show Saturday night!
2018 Tanglewood schedule
The 2018 Tanglewood schedulefeatures a season-long celebration of the centennial of Leonard’s Bernstein’s birth, culminating in the Aug. 25 Bernstein Centennial Celebration hosted by Audra McDonald, with Maestro Andris Nelsons, four guest conductors and soloists Yo-Yo Ma, Midori, and others.
Hotels near Tanglewood
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Tanglewood tickets and box office information
Tickets for the 2018 Tanglewood season available through Tanglewood’s website, www.tanglewood.org, SymphonyCharge at 888-266-1200, and at the Symphony Hall Box Office at 301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston MA.
Getting around the Tanglewood campus
The Tanglewood campus, summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Tanglewood Music Center comprises several hundred acres in the towns of Lenox and Stockbridge. It is the location of the Koussevitsky Music Shed and Ozawa Hall, where hundreds of thousands attend concerts and a variety of events, including picnics. We always advise new visitors to arrive early and take their daily walking exercise wandering the beautiful Tanglewood grounds. This dynamic map of the Tanglewood grounds includes photos and information for such points of interest as Aaron Copland Library, Highwood Manor House, The Glass House, and The Lion’s Gate.
