Berkshire Links

A Prairie Home Companion

July 2011 events in the Berkshires

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July 2011 schedule in the Berkshires includes some of the most popular attactions and events that help make Berkshire county a top destination for cultural tourism. If you want a reservation at one of the Berkshires’ hotels, Inns, or Bed and Breakfasts (B & Bs), you’re well-advised to book early. There will be one hundred thousand tickets sold for Berkshire plays, concerts, and dance performances this month, anyway.

Listed here are primarily performing arts events at the leading venues; get information on exhibitions and programs at museums in the Berkshires. If you would like to have an event considered for listing here, please use this form.

One-off events

  • Free – Classical Violin Solo Concert
  • New York violinist Akiko Kobayashi
  • Monday, July 25 – 12 Noon
  • Saint John’s Episcopal Church
  • 35 Park Street, Williamstown, MA 01267

Annual favorites at Tanglewood

James Taylor One Man Band at Tanglewood Aug. 24, 2007;photo Jamie GoldenbergTopping the bill are three James Taylor Tanglewood concerts, including one with the Boston Pops, and the annual live broadcast from Tanglewood of A Prairie Home Companion, with Garrison Keillor. All four of the theatres in the Berkshires will be attracting audiences to a wide variety of plays and theatrical events and some of the world’s leading dance troupes will be performing at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.

July 2011 Aston Magna Festival schedule

Aston Magna schedule and ticket details

  • England, Be Glad – Music from the cosmopolitan court of Henry VIII
    • Slosberg Auditorium, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA – June 30 – 8PM
    • The Olin Auditorium, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY – July 1 – 8PM
    • The Daniel Arts Center, Simon’s Rock College, Great Barrington, MA – July 2 – 8PM
    • Pre-concert lecture one hour before concert time at all venues
  • The Italian Madrigal and its legacy
    • The Olin Auditorium, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY – July 8 – 8PM
    • The Daniel Arts Center, Simon’s Rock College, Great Barrington, MA – July 9 – 8PM
    • Pre-concert lecture one hour before concert time at all venues

July 2011 Barrington Stage Co. schedule

Barrington Stage Co. 2011 schedule details and links

  • Theatrical runGuys and Dolls at Barrington Stage Co., through July 16, 2011 – Mainstage – Pittsfield
    • Tuesday and Wednesday at 7pm
    • Thursday-Saturday at 8pm
    • Sunday at 5pm
    • Select Wednesday and Friday matinees at 2pm
  • Theatrical runThe Best of Enemies at Barrington Stage Co. – July 21, 2011 – August 6, 2011 – Mainstage – Pittsfield
    • Tuesday and Wednesday at 7pm
    • Thursday-Saturday at 8pm
    • Sunday at 5pm
    • Select Wednesday and Friday matinees at 2pm
  • Theatrical runZero Hour – Written by and Starring Jim Brochu – through July 5, 2011 – BSC Stage2 – Pittsfield
    • Tuesday-Friday 7:30pm
    • Saturday 4pm and 8pm
    • Sunday 3pm
  • Theatrical runMormons, Mothers and Monsters – July 14, 2011 – July 31, 2011 – BSC Stage2 – Pittsfield
    • Tuesday-Friday 7:30pm
    • Saturday 4pm and 8pm
    • Sunday 3pm
    • Additional matinee: Thursday, July 28 at 3pm
  • Theatrical runGoing to St. Ives – By Lee Blessing, Directed by Tyler Marchant – through July 9, 2011 – BSC Stage2 – Pittsfield
    • Tuesday-Friday 7:30pm
    • Saturday 4pm and 8pm
    • Sunday 3pm
    • Additional matinee: Thursday, July 7 at 3pm
  • Theatrical runAll Shook Up – July 20, 2011 – August 14, 2011 – BSC Youth Theatre – Pittsfield
    • July 20 – August 10, St. Joseph High School, 22 Maplewood Ave., Pittsfield
      • Mon/Thurs/Sat/Sun at 2pm
      • Wed-Sat at 7pm
      • Please note: Pittfield performances the week of August 8 will be Tues., Aug. 9 at 7pm and Wed., Aug. 10 at 2pm.
    • August 12-14, Berkshire South Regional Community Center, 15 Crissey Road, Great Barrington
      • Friday, August 12 at 2pm and 7pm
      • Saturday, August 13 at 2pm and 7pm
      • Sunday, August 14 at 2pm

July 2011 Berkshire Theatre Festival schedule

Berkshire Theatre Festival 2011 schedule details and links

  • Theatrical runMoonchildren – through July 9, 2011 – BTF Unicorn Theatre, Stockbridge
    • Opening Night/Press Night July 2 at 8pm
    • Previews July 28, 29, 30, July 1, 2 at 2pm
    • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday at 8pm
    • Wednesday at 7pm,
    • Thursday and Saturday at 2pm
    • Closes July 16
  • Theatrical runThe Who’s Tommy – July 7 -16, 2011 – Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield
    • Opening Night/Press Night July 9 at 8pm
    • Previews July 7, 8, 9
    • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday at 8pm
    • Wednesday at 7pm,
    • Thursday and Saturday at 2pm
    • Closes July 16
  • Theatrical runSylvia – July 12 -30, 2011 – Fitzpatrick Main Stage, Stockbridge
    • Opening Night/Press Night July 16 at 8pm
    • Previews July 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
    • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday at 8pm
    • Wednesday at 7pm,
    • Thursday and Saturday at 2pm
    • Closes July 16
  • Theatrical runDutch Masters – July 19 -Aug. 6, 2011 – BTF Unicorn Theatre, Stockbridge
    • Opening Night/Press Night July 23 at 8pm
    • Previews July 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
    • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday at 8pm
    • Wednesday at 7pm,
    • Thursday and Saturday at 2pm
    • World Premier

July 2011 Clark Art Institute schedule

Clark Art Institute details and links

  • ExhibitionPissarro’s People – July 12 – Oct. 2, 2011
  • ExhibitionEl Anatsui sculpture exhibition – Stone Hill Center – Williamstown
    • July 12 through October 16, 2011 – Related events:
    • Ghanaian storyteller will present weekly tales – Stone Hill Center balcony
    • Susan Vogel documentary and talk – “Fold Crumple Crush: The Art of El Anatsui” – July 24
  • ExhibitionSpaces: Photographs by Candida Höfer and Thomas Struth – Clark Art Institute – Williamstown
    • July 12 through September 5
    • Gallery talks with: Jay A. Clarke, Robin Kelsey, Michael Fried, J. R. Herbert Boone
    • Public lecture by Charles W. Haxthausen
  • Music Clark Art Institute – Williamstown
    • The Doerfels – July 5, 2011 – 6:00 pm
    • The Sweetback Sisters – July 12, 2011 – 6:00 pm
    • Met in HD Summer Encore:La Fille du Régiment – July 13, 2011 – 6:30 pm
    • The Sister City Jazz Ambassadors – July 19, 2011 – 6:00 pm
    • Met in HD Summer Encore:Tosca – July 20, 2011 – 6:30 pm
    • Kinobe – July 26, 2011 – 6:00 pm
    • Met in HD Summer Encore:Don Carlo – July 27, 2011 – 6:30 pm

July 2011 Colonial Theatre schedule

Colonial Theatre 2011 schedule details and links

  • Theatrical runThe Who’s Tommy – July 7 -16, 2011 – Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield
    • Opening Night/Press Night July 9 at 8pm
    • Previews July 7, 8, 9
    • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday at 8pm
    • Wednesday at 7pm,
    • Thursday and Saturday at 2pm
    • Closes July 16
  • Talib Kweli – Friday, July 22 8pm
  • Gospel United, One Word, One People, One Goal – Sunday, July 24 4pm

July 2011 Guthrie Center schedule

  • Imagined:Celebrating the Songs of John Lennon, performed by The Nu-Utopians – Fri. & St. July 1 & 2
  • Christine Lavin & Don White – Fri. & St. July 8 & 9
  • Work O’ The Weavers – Fri., July 15
  • Rory Block – Sat., July 16
  • Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion – Fri., July 22
  • John Gorka – Sat., July 23
  • Barry McGuire – Sat., July 24
  • Tim Grimm Prine: A tribute Concert – Fri., July 29
  • Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams – Sat., July 30

July 2011 Jacob’s Pillow schedule

Jacob’s Pillow 2011 schedule details and links

Carte Blanche – Ted Shawn Theatre

  • Wednesday, June 29 – Saturday, July 2, 8pm
  • Saturday, July 2 & Sunday, July 3, 2pm
  • Tickets $43.50-64.50.

Jane Comfort and Company – Doris Duke Theatre

  • Wednesday, June 29 – Saturday, July 2, 8:15pm
  • Saturday, July 2 & Sunday, July 3, 2:15pm
  • Tickets $34.50-37.50.

Tangueros del Sur – Ted Shawn Theatre

  • Wednesday, July 6 – Saturday, July 9, 8pm
  • Saturday, July 9 & Sunday, July 10, 2pm
  • Tickets $59.50-64.50. $10 Saturday/Sunday matinee youth tickets

Kidd Pivot Frankfurt RM – Doris Duke Theatre

  • Wednesday, July 6 – Saturday, July 9, 8:15pm
  • Saturday, July 9 & Sunday, July 10, 2:15pm
  • Tickets $34.50-37.50

Jacob’s Pillow Community Dance Day – Sunday, July 10, 10am-1pm

Jacob’s Pillow will again offer its community-wide “open house” event on the morning of July 10, aimed at encouraging participation in dance. Community Dance Day will include free performances; open dance classes and workshops especially suited for adults and teens in a variety of movement styles including Pilates, social dance, and more; a master class and meet and greet with Doris Duke Theatre artists Kidd Pivot Frankfurt RM; music; raffles; food and drink; and other attractions. All performances, classes, events, and workshops are free.

DanzAbierta – Ted Shawn Theatre

  • Wednesday, July 13 – Saturday, July 16, 8pm
  • Saturday, July 16 & Sunday, July 17, 2pm
  • Tickets $43.50-64.50

Louise Lecavalier – Doris Duke Theatre

  • Wednesday, July 13 – Saturday, July 16, 8:15pm
  • Tickets $23.50-37.50

Lar Lubovitch Dance Company – Ted Shawn Theatre

  • Wednesday, July 20 – Saturday, July 23, 8pm
  • Saturday, July 23 & Sunday, July 24, 2pm
  • Tickets $59.50-64.50. $10 Friday evening youth tickets

zoe | juniper – Doris Duke Theatre

  • Wednesday, July 20 – Saturday, July 24, 8:15pm
  • Saturday, July 23 & Sunday, July 24, 2:15pm
  • Tickets $23.50-37.50

LDP (Laboratory Dance Project) – Ted Shawn Theatre

  • Wednesday, July 27 – Saturday, July 30, 8pm
  • Saturday, July 30 & Sunday, July 31, 2pm
  • Tickets $43.50-64.50

Big Dance Theater – Doris Duke Theatre

  • Wednesday, July 27 – Saturday, July 30, 8:15pm
  • Saturday, July 30 & Sunday, July 31, 2:15pm
  • Tickets $23.50-37.50

July 2011 Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center schedule

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center 2011 schedule details and links

  • Free Lecture: Pissarro’s People – Thursday July 7 at 7PM
  • Donna McKechnie – My Musical Comedy Life – Sunday July 10 at 7PM
  • Dr. John and the Lower 911 – Saturday July 23 at 8PM
  • Joan Rivers – Friday July 29 2011 at 8PM
  • Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley in: He Said/She Said – Sunday July 31 at 7PM

July 2011 MASS MoCA schedule

MASS MoCA 2011 details and links

  • Bureau for Open Culture: Bartleby’s Pen – Matthew Stadler – Fri. July 1, 2011, 8:30
  • ReadNex Poetry Squad – Sat. July 2, 2011, 8 PM – Hunter Center
  • Charlie Chaplin The Kid with live score by Marc Ribot – Sat. July 9, 2011, 9 PM – Hunter Center
  • Bang on a Can 2011 — 10th Annual Festival – July 13 – July 30
    • Kids Can Too! – Saturday, July 16, 11:00 AM
    • Tribute to John Adams – Saturday, July 23 – Events at 2:30, 4:30, 8PM
    • Bang on a Can Marathon – Saturday, July 30, 4–10:00 PM
  • Buke and Gass – Saturday, July 16, 2011, 8:00 pm
  • Bureau for Open Culture: On Symptoms of Cultural Industry – Sunday, July 17, 2011, 7:00 pm
  • Bureau for Open Culture: James Voorhies – Friday, July 29, 2011, 8:30 pm

July 2011 Shakespeare and Co. schedule

Shakespeare and Co. 2011 schedule details and links

  • Theatrical runAs You Like It, By William Shakespeare – July 24 – Sep. 4, 2011 – Founders’ Theatre, Lenox
    • Wed. Thur. Fri. Sat. at 7:30pm
    • Sun. at 2pm
  • Theatrical runWomen of Will: The Complete Journey (Parts I-V), By Tina Packer – May 27— July 10, 2011 – Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, Lenox
    • July 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 19, 21, 23, 24, 26, 30 – 8PM
    • July 4, 5, 12, 18, 19, 25 – 3PM
  • Theatrical runThe Memory of Water, By Shelagh Stephenson – July 16—Sept. 4, 2011 – Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, Lenox
    • July 16, 17, 18, 22, 25, 28, 29 – 8PM
    • July 26 – 3PM

July 2011 Tanglewood schedule

Tanglewood 2011 schedule details and links

July 2011 Williamstown Theatre Festival schedule

Williamstown Theatre Festival 2011 schedule details and links

  • Theatrical runA Streetcar Named Desire, By Tennessee Williams – July 22 – July 3, 2011 – Nikos Stage, Williamstown
  • Theatrical runThree Hotels, By Jon Robin Baitz – July 29 – July 24, 2011 – Main Stage, Williamstown

June 2011 events in the Berkshires

June 28 – July 7, 2011 Tanglewood schedule

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The week leading up to the BSO’s Gala Opening Night July 8 holds some of the most anticipated events on the 2011 Tanglewood schedule. There will be four James Taylor concerts, including one with the Boston Pops and one in Ozawa Hall, two appearances of Mark Morris Dance Group with Yo Yo Ma and the Tanglewood Music Center fellows, and the 12th annual broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion, with Garrison Keillor.

Saturday June 25, 7 p.m. – Shed

  • Earth Wind & Fire

Tuesday and Wednesday June 28 & 29, 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. – Theatre

  • String Quartet Marathon
  • Two 2-hour concerts each day

Tanglewood Music Center Instrumental Fellows offer their annual String Quartet Marathon, a series of four 2-hour concerts in the Theater Concert Hall dedicated to the wonderfully intimate chamber music genre.

Tuesday and Wednesday, June 28 & 29, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

  • Mark Morris Dance Group
  • Tanglewood Music Center Fellows
  • Mark Morris, choreographer
  • Yo-Yo Ma, cello
  • Isaac Mizrahi, costume designer
  • Phil Sandstrom and Michael Chybowski, lighting designers
  • Frisson
  • STRAVINSKY Symphonies of Wind Instruments
  • New work (world premiere; BSO commission)
  • STRAVINSKY Renard
  • Falling Down Stairs
  • J.S. BACH Suite No. 3 in C for solo cello, BWV 1009

Mark Morris Dance Group makes its annual appearance in two highly anticipated concerts, collaborating with Yo-Yo Ma and the TMC Fellows. The program includes three Morris works: the world premiere of a new work commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra set to Stravinsky’s Renard; Frisson, set to Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments; and Falling Down Stairs, set to Bach’s Suite No. 3 in C for solo cello, BWV 1009.

Thursday, June 30, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

  • James Taylor in Ozawa Hall
  • James Taylor and guests

In the more intimate setting of Tanglewood’s Ozawa Hall, James Taylor offers the music that has made him one of the most beloved artists of our day.

Friday, July 1, 8:30 p.m. Shed

  • James Taylor and the Boston Pops
  • Boston Pops
  • James Taylor, soloist

Tanglewood’s favorite singer joins “America’s Orchestra,” the Boston Pops, for a remarkable collaboration.

Saturday, July 2, 5:45 p.m. Shed

  • A Prairie Home Companion at Tanglewood, with Garrison Keillor
  • Live broadcast

Sunday, July 3, 7 p.m. Shed

  • Monday, July 4, 7 p.m. Shed
  • The Essential James Taylor
  • Fireworks to follow the July 4 concert
  • Proceeds from the July 4 concert to benefit Tanglewood

James Taylor returns to Tanglewood with his extraordinary band of musicians for two spectacular performances.

Tuesday, July 5, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

  • Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra
  • Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
  • Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellows
  • Program to be announced

Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra opens their season with a concert led by Peruvian conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya. Fellows of the Tanglewood Music Center will also conduct works on this program.

Thursday, July 7, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

  • Mark O’Connor String Quartet*

Mark O’Connor String Quartetmakes its Tanglewood debut performing Mr. O’Connor’s own music, a fascinating blend of bluegrass, swing, and classical.
*connotes Tanglewood debut
**connotes Tanglewood and BSO debut

Tanglewood contact info.

  • 297 West Street (Rt. 183)
  • Lenox, MA 01240
  • Box Office: 617-266-1200; 888-266-1200
  • Website: tanglewood.org

How to get Tanglewood brochures

Tanglewood brochures are available by sending your request to CustomerService@bso.org.

Tanglewood driving directions

[mappress mapid=”100″]

Hotels, B & B’s, Motels, and Inns near Tanglewood

Tanglewood 2011 schedule at-a-glance

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Highlights of the 2011 Tanglewood schedule include an all-Italian opening night concert with Maestro James Levine leading the BSO in music by Verdi, Rossini, and Respighi; four performances each by Yo Yo Ma and James Taylor; BSO performing Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess; A Prairie Home Companion at Tanglewood, with Garrison Keillor; Tanglewood debut of Train; and the annual Labor Day Tanglewood Jazz Festival.

Tanglewood contact info.

  • 297 West Street (Rt. 183)
  • Lenox, MA 01240
  • Box Office: 617-266-1200; 888-266-1200
  • Website: tanglewood.org

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Tanglewood Pre-season schedule June 28 – July 7

Read more: Tanglewood schedule June 28 – July 7, 2011.

Tuesday and Wednesday, June 28 & 29, 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Theatre

  • String Quartet Marathon
  • Two 2-hour concerts each day

Tuesday and Wednesday, June 28 & 29, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

  • Mark Morris Dance Group
  • Tanglewood Music Center Fellows
  • Mark Morris, choreographer
  • Yo-Yo Ma, cello
  • Isaac Mizrahi, costume designer
  • Phil Sandstrom and Michael Chybowski, lighting designers
  • Frisson
  • STRAVINSKY Symphonies of Wind Instruments
  • New work (world premiere; BSO commission)
  • STRAVINSKY Renard
  • Falling Down Stairs
  • J.S. BACH Suite No. 3 in C for solo cello, BWV 1009

Thursday, June 30, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

  • James Taylor in Ozawa Hall
  • James Taylor and guests

In the more intimate setting of Tanglewood’s Ozawa Hall, James Taylor offers the music that has made him one of the most beloved artists of our day.

Friday, July 1, 8:30 p.m. Shed

  • James Taylor and the Boston Pops
  • Boston Pops
  • James Taylor, soloist

Tanglewood’s favorite singer joins “America’s Orchestra,” the Boston Pops, for a remarkable collaboration.

Saturday, July 2, 5:45 p.m. Shed

  • A Prairie Home Companion at Tanglewood, with Garrison Keillor
  • Live broadcast

Sunday, July 3, 7 p.m. Shed

  • Monday, July 4, 7 p.m. Shed
  • The Essential James Taylor
  • Fireworks to follow the July 4 concert
  • Proceeds from the July 4 concert to benefit Tanglewood

James Taylor returns to Tanglewood with his extraordinary band of musicians for two spectacular performances.

Tuesday, July 5, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

  • Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra
  • Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
  • Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellows
  • Program to be announced

Thursday, July 7, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

  • Mark O’Connor String Quartet*

Composer and virtuoso violinist Mark O’Connor introduces and performs a fascinating evening of his own music. Drawing on sources as diverse as bluegrass, swing, and the great classical traditions, O’Connor has defined a new style of string playing in North America. The program will include solos, duets, quartets, and excerpts from the acclaimed Appalachia Waltz Trio.

Tanglewood Week 1 July 8-14 – Opening Night All Italian Program, Berlioz’s Requiem, Joshua Bell

Read more: Tanglewood schedule July 8-14, 2011

Friday, July 8, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall

  • Prelude Concert
  • Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Friday, July 8, 7:15 p.m. Shed

  • This Week at Tanglewood
  • Panel discussion with moderator Martin Bookspan and guest artists

Friday, July 8, 8:30 p.m. Shed

  • Opening Night at Tanglewood
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • James Levine, conductor
  • Angela Meade, soprano**
  • Kristine Jepson, mezzo-soprano
  • Joseph Calleja, tenor**
  • James Morris, bass-baritone
  • Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver, conductor
  • BELLINI Excerpts from Act 1 of Norma
  • VERDI Overture to La forza del destino
  • VERDI Trio from Act 3 of I lombardi
  • GABRIELI Canzonas for brass
  • ROSSINI Overture to La Cenerentola
  • RESPIGHI Pines of Rome

Saturday, July 9

  • Saturday, July 9, 9:30 a.m. Shed
  • Pre-Rehearsal Talk
  • Saturday, July 9, 10:30 a.m. Shed
  • Rehearsal, Sunday program
  • Saturday, July 9, 8:30 p.m. Shed
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • James Levine, conductor
  • Joseph Calleja, tenor
  • Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver, conductor
  • BERLIOZ Requiem

Sunday, July 10

  • Sunday, July 10, 2:30 p.m. Shed
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
  • Joshua Bell, violin
  • HIGDON Loco
  • BRUCH Scottish Fantasy, for violin and orchestra
  • TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 6, Pathétique
  • Sunday, July 10, 8 p.m. Theatre
  • Tanglewood Music Center Vocal and Instrumental Fellows
  • Mark Morris, director
  • An evening of short operas and art song

Monday, July 11

  • Monday, July 11, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Tanglewood Music Center Chamber Orchestra
  • Stefan Asbury, conductor
  • Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellows
  • Program to be announced

Tuesday, July 12

  • Tuesday, July 12, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Emerson String Quartet
  • HAYDN Quartet No. 67 in F, Op. 77, No. 2
  • BARTÓK Quartet No. 6
  • SCHUBERT Quartet No. 15 in G, D.887

Thursday, July 14

  • Thursday, July 14, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Nikolaj Znaider, violin*
  • Saleem Abboud Ashkar, piano*
  • BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 8 in G for violin and piano,Op. 30, No. 3
  • SCHUMANN Sonata No. 2 in D minor for violin and piano, Op. 121
  • FRANCK Sonata in A for violin and piano

Tanglewood Week 2 July 15-21 – Kurt Masur And Lynn Harrell, Levine’s Sibelius, Boston Pops, TMCO, And Jean-Yves Thibaudet’s Ravel

Read more: Tanglewood schedule July 15-21, 2011.

Friday, July 15

  • Friday, July 15, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Prelude Concert
  • Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Friday, July 15, 7:15 p.m. Shed
  • This Week at Tanglewood
  • Panel discussion with moderator Martin Bookspan and guest artists
  • Friday, July 15, 8:30 p.m. Shed
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Kurt Masur, conductor
  • Lynn Harrell, cello
  • DVORÁK Cello Concerto
  • SCHUMANN Symphony No. 1, Spring

Saturday, July 16

  • Saturday, July 16, 9:30 a.m. Shed
  • Pre-Rehearsal Talk
  • Saturday, July 16, 10:30 a.m. Shed
  • Rehearsal, Saturday program
  • Saturday, July 16, 8:30 p.m. Shed
  • James Levine, conductor
  • Nikolaj Znaider, violin
  • ALL-SIBELIUS PROGRAM
  • Finlandia
  • Valse triste
  • Violin Concerto
  • Symphony No. 5

Sunday, July 17

  • Sunday, July 17, 2:30 p.m. Shed
  • Boston Pops Orchestra
  • Keith Lockhart, conductor
  • Kelli O’Hara, vocalist
  • Jason Danieley, vocalist

Two of Broadway’s most acclaimed stars join Keith Lockhart for a program of Pops orchestral favorites and a tribute to the great Cole Porter.

  • Sunday, July 17, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra
  • Kurt Masur, conductor
  • Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellows
  • DUKAS The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
  • KODÁLY Háry János Suite
  • STRAUSS Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks
  • SCHUMANN Symphony No. 2

Wednesday, July 20

  • Wednesday, July 20, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
  • RAVEL Complete Works for Piano, Program 1
    • Serenade grotesque
    • Menuet antique
    • Miroirs
    • Sonatine
    • Gaspard de la nuit

Thursday, July 21, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

  • Thursday, July 21, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
  • RAVEL Complete Works for Piano, Program 2
    • Pavane pour une infante défunte
    • Jeux d’eau
    • Menuet sur le nom d’Haydn
    • Valses nobles et sentimentales
    • Prélude
    • A la manière de Borodine
    • A la manière de Chabrier
    • Le Tombeau de Couperin

Tanglewood Week 3 July 22 – 28 – Susan Graham, Jaap Van Zweden, And Jean-Yves Thibaudet

Read more: Tanglewood schedule July 22-28, 2011.

Friday, July 22, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall

  • Friday, July 22, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Prelude Concert
  • Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Friday, July 22, 7:15 p.m. Shed
  • This Week at Tanglewood
  • Panel discussion with moderator Martin Bookspan and guest artists
  • Friday, July 22, 8:30 p.m. Shed
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Pablo Heras-Casado, conductor**
  • Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano

All-Baroque program to include arias by HANDEL and GLUCK, plus popular orchestral works by BACH and RAMEAU. This concert is performed without intermission.

Saturday, July 23

  • Saturday, July 23, 9:30 a.m. Shed
  • Pre-Rehearsal Talk
  • Saturday, July 23, 10:30 a.m. Shed
  • Rehearsal, Sunday program
  • Saturday, July 23, 8:30 p.m. Shed
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Jaap van Zweden, conductor**
  • Arabella Steinbacher, violin
  • STUCKY Rhapsodies
  • BRAHMS Violin Concerto
  • BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7

Sunday, July 24

  • Sunday, July 24, 2:30 p.m. Shed
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • James Levine, conductor
  • Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
  • ALL-RAVEL PROGRAM
  • Valses nobles et sentimentales
  • Piano Concerto in G
  • Piano Concerto in D for the left hand
  • Boléro

Monday, July 25

  • Monday, July 25, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra
  • James Levine, conductor
  • José van Dam, bass-baritone (Golaud)
  • Elliot Madore, baritone (Pelleas)
  • Evan Hughes, bass-baritone (Arkel)
  • Vocal Alumni of the TMC
  • DEBUSSY Pelléas et Mélisande

Tanglewood Week 4 July 29 – August 4 – Levine’s Mozart And Mahler, Leon Fleisher, Christoph Eschenbach, Tanglewood On Parade, Festival Of Contemporary Music

Read more: Tanglewood schedule July 29 – August 4, 2011.

Friday, July 29

  • Friday, July 29, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Prelude Concert
  • Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Friday, July 29, 7:15 p. m. Shed
  • This Week at Tanglewood
  • Panel discussion with moderator Martin Bookspan and guest artists
  • Friday, July 29, 8:30 p.m. Shed
  • The Serge and Olga Koussevitzky Memorial Concert
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • James Levine, conductor
  • Leon Fleisher, piano
  • MOZART Piano Concerto No. 12 in A, K.414
  • MAHLER Symphony No. 5

Saturday, July 30

  • Saturday, July 30, 9:30 a.m. Shed
  • Pre-Rehearsal Talk
  • Saturday, July 30, 10:30 a.m. Shed
  • Rehearsal, Sunday program
  • Saturday, July 30, 8:30 p.m. Shed
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Christoph Eschenbach, conductor
  • Peter Serkin, piano
  • ALL-BRAHMS PROGRAM
  • Piano Concerto No. 1
  • Symphony No. 4

Sunday, July 31

  • Sunday, July 31, 2:30 p.m. Shed
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Christoph Eschenbach, conductor
  • Alisa Weilerstein, cello
  • HAYDN Cello Concerto No. 1 in C
  • MAHLER Symphony No. 1

Tuesday, August 2

  • Tuesday, August 2, 8:30 p.m. Shed
  • Tanglewood on Parade
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Boston Pops Orchestra
  • Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra
  • James Levine, John Williams, and Christoph Eschenbach, conductors
  • WAGNER Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
  • TCHAIKOVSKY 1812 Overture
  • Fireworks to follow the concert

Wednesday, August 3

  • Wednesday, August 3 – Sunday, August 7
  • 2011 Festival of Contemporary Music

Directed by Pulitzer prize-winning Charles Wuorinen, the six-program festival will feature two world premiere performances including Mr. Wuorinen’s It Happens Like This, a dramatic, semi-staged 35-minute cantata for four singers and 12 instrumentalists set to six selections from James Tate’s Return to the City of White Donkeys (2004), which will open the festival on August 3, and will be conducted by James Levine.

Tanglewood Week 5 August 5 – 11 – Rafael Frühbeck De Burgos, Sarah Chang, Emanuel Ax, Fcm Continues, Train, And Stephanie Blythe

Read more: Tanglewood schedule August 5-11, 2011.

Friday, August 5

  • Friday, August 5, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Prelude Concert
  • Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Friday, August 5, 7:15 p.m. Shed
  • This Week at Tanglewood
  • Panel discussion with moderator Martin Bookspan and guest artists
  • Friday, August 5, 8:30 p.m. Shed
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, conductor
  • Yuja Wang, piano*
  • BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 8
  • RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
  • STRAUSS Suite from Der Rosenkavalier

Saturday, August 6

  • Saturday, August 6, 9:30 a.m. Shed
  • Pre-Rehearsal Talk
  • Saturday, August 6, 10:30 a.m. Shed
  • Open Rehearsal, Sunday program
  • Saturday, August 6, 8:30 p.m. Shed
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Sean Newhouse, conductor**
  • Sarah Chang, violin
  • JALBERT Music of air and fire
  • MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto
  • RACHMANINOFF Symphony No. 2

Sunday, August 7

  • Sunday, August 7, 2:30 p.m. Shed
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Lionel Bringuier, conductor**
  • Emanuel Ax, piano
  • SMETANA The Moldau
  • MOZART Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat, K.482
  • TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5

Monday, August 8

  • Monday, August 8, 7 p.m. Shed
  • Train

Join this Grammy Award-winning band playing songs from their latest release, Save Me, San Francisco, and more.

Tuesday, August 9

  • Tuesday, August 9, 8:00 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Boston Symphony Chamber Players
  • André Previn, piano
  • MARTIN Les Madrigaux, for winds
  • PREVIN Octet for Eleven, for winds, brass, and strings
  • MILHAUD La Cheminée du Roi René, suite for wind quintet, Op. 205
  • MOZART Piano Quartet in G minor, K.478

Wednesday, August 10

  • Wednesday, August 10, 8 p. m. Ozawa Hall
  • Stephanie Blythe and Friends
  • Stephanie Blythe, mezzo-soprano
  • Alan Smith, piano
  • Andrew Jennings, violin
  • Norman Fischer, cello
  • Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver, conductor
  • SMITH Vignettes: Covered Wagon Woman, for mezzo-soprano, violin, cello, and piano
  • SMITH An Unknown Sphere, for mezzo-soprano and chorus (world premiere; BSO commission)
  • plus early American popular songs and choruses

Tanglewood Week 6 August 12 – 18 Spanish Music, Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, Tmco’s Brahms, Handel’s Orlando

Read more: Tanglewood schedule August 12-18, 2011.

Friday, August 12

  • Friday, August 12, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Prelude Concert
  • Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Friday, August 12, 7:15 p.m. Shed
  • This Week at Tanglewood
  • Panel discussion with moderator Martin Bookspan and guest artists
  • Friday, August 12, 8:30 p.m. Shed
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, conductor
  • Pepe Romero, guitar*
  • BIZET Preludes from Carmen
  • RODRIGO Concierto de Aranjuez, for guitar and orchestra
  • BOCCHERINI/BERIO Ritirata notturna di Madrid
  • FALLA Interlude and First Dance from La vida breve
  • GRANADOS Intermezzo from Goyescas
  • GIMÉNEZ Intermezzo from La boda de Luís Alonso
  • This concert is performed without intermission.

Saturday, August 13

  • Saturday, August 13, 9:30 a.m. Shed
  • Pre-Rehearsal Talk
  • Saturday, August 13, 10:30 a.m. Shed
  • Rehearsal, Saturday program
  • Saturday, August 13, 8:30 p.m. Shed
  • Christoph von Dohnányi, conductor
  • Yo-Yo Ma, cello
  • PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 1, Classical
  • SCHUMANN Cello Concerto
  • BRAHMS Symphony No. 1

Sunday, August 14

  • Sunday, August 14, 2:30 p.m. Shed
  • The Leonard Bernstein Memorial Concert
  • Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra
  • Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, conductor
  • Stephanie Blythe, mezzo-soprano
  • Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver, conductor
  • ALL-BRAHMS PROGRAM
  • Nänie, for chorus and orchestra
  • Schicksalslied, for chorus and orchestra
  • Alto Rhapsody¸ for mezzo-soprano, male chorus, and orchestra
  • Symphony No. 2
  • Sunday, August 14, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Emanuel Ax, piano
  • Yo-Yo Ma, cello
  • Anthony McGill, clarinet*
  • BRAHMS Trio in A minor for clarinet, cello, and piano, Op. 114
  • BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 3 in A for cello and piano, Op. 69

Tuesday, August 16

  • Tuesday, August 16, 7:30 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra*
  • Nicholas McGegan, conductor*
  • Dominique Labelle, soprano (Angelica)
  • Susanne Rydén, soprano (Dorinda) *
  • Diana Moore, mezzo-soprano (Medoro) *
  • Clint van der Linde, countertenor (Orlando) *
  • Wolf Matthias Friedrich, baritone (Zoroastro) *
  • HANDEL Orlando

This is an extended concert with two intermissions. Sung in Italian with English supertitles.

Tanglewood Week 7 August 19 – 25 Dohnányi Returns, Film Night With John Williams, Mozart With Bernard Labadie, And Brad Mehldau

Read more: Tanglewood schedule August 19-25, 2011.

Friday, August 19

  • Friday, August 19, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Prelude Concert
  • Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Friday, August 19, 7:15 p.m. Shed
  • This Week at Tanglewood
  • Panel discussion with moderator Martin Bookspan and guest artists
  • Friday, August 19, 8:30 p.m. Shed
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Christoph von Dohnányi, conductor
  • Martin Helmchen, piano**
  • SCHOENBERG Chamber Symphony No. 1
  • SCHUMANN Piano Concerto
  • BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3, Eroica

Saturday, August 20

  • Saturday, August 20, 9:30 a.m. Shed
  • Pre-Rehearsal Talk
  • Saturday, August 20, 10:30 a.m. Shed
  • Rehearsal, Sunday program
  • Saturday, August 20, 8:30 p.m. Shed
  • Film Night at Tanglewood
  • Boston Pops
  • John Williams, conductor
  • Gil Shaham, violin
  • Guest narrator

One of the season’s most enduring and popular traditions, the annual Film Night concert celebrates the music of the movies. This summer, John Williams is joined by frequent collaborator Gil Shaham in a program featuring film music arranged for violin and orchestra. Also on the program will be Mr. Williams’ nostalgic evocation of early 20th-century America, The Reivers, with special guest narrator.

Sunday, August 21

  • Sunday, August 21, 2:30 p.m. Shed
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Bernard Labadie, conductor*
  • Benedetto Lupo, piano**
  • ALL-MOZART PROGRAM
  • Chaconne from Idomeneo
  • Piano Concerto No. 18 in B-flat, K.456
  • Symphony No. 41, Jupiter
  • Sunday, August 21, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Radio Deluxe – with John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey

Thursday, August 25

  • Thursday, August 25, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Brad Mehldau, piano

One of the most lyrical and intimate voices of contemporary jazz piano, Brad Mehldau has forged a unique path, which embodies the essence of jazz exploration, classical romanticism, and pop allure. From critical acclaim as a bandleader to major international exposure in collaborations with Pat Metheny, Renée Fleming, and Joshua Redman, Mehldau continues to garner numerous awards and admiration from both jazz purists and music enthusiasts alike.

Tanglewood Week 8 August 26 – 29 Porgy And Bess, Itzhak Perlman, Lorin Maazel, Beethoven’s Ninth

Read more: Tanglewood schedule August 26-29, 2011.

Friday, August 26

  • Friday, August 26, 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Prelude Concert
  • Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Friday, August 26, 7:15 p.m. Shed
  • This Week at Tanglewood
  • Panel discussion with moderator Martin Bookspan and guest artists
  • Friday, August 26, 8:30 p.m. Shed
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Bramwell Tovey, conductor**
  • Alfred Walker, bass-baritone (Porgy)
  • Marquita Lister, soprano (Bess) **
  • Nicole Cabell, soprano (Clara)
  • Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver, conductor
  • GERSHWIN Porgy and Bess

Saturday, August 27, 8:30 p.m. Shed

  • Saturday, August 27, 9:30 a.m. Shed – Pre-Rehearsal Talk
  • Saturday, August 27, 10:30 a.m. Shed – Rehearsal, Sunday program
  • Saturday, August 27, 8:30 p.m. Shed
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Itzhak Perlman, conductor and violin
  • ALL-BEETHOVEN Program
  • Romances Nos. 1 and 2 for violin and orchestra
  • Symphony No. 1
  • Symphony No. 5

Sunday, August 28

  • Sunday, August 28, 2:30 p.m. Shed
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • Lorin Maazel, conductor
  • Joyce El-Khoury, soprano**
  • Margaret Gawrysiak, mezzo-soprano**
  • Garrett Sorenson, tenor
  • Eric Owens, bass-baritone*
  • Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver, conductor
  • BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9

Tanglewood Jazz Festival – Labor Day weekend – Sept. 2-4

Friday, September 2

  • Friday, September 2, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Robin McKelle Quartet
  • Michael Kaeshammer Quintet

Saturday, September 3

  • Saturday, September 3, 2 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Live taping of the “Jazz Inspired” with host Judy Carmichael with special guest from the worlds of Jazz, Broadway, or Hollywood to be announced.

  • Saturday, September 3, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Federico Britos Sextet
  • John Santos Sextet

A Latin Jazz Tribute to Cachao with Federico Britos Sextet and John Santos Sextet as featured in the American Masters/PBS documentary Cachao: Uno Mas. Five-time Grammy-nominated percussionist John Santos, and Uruguayan violinist Federico Britos, a career symphony concertmaster as well as jazz musician.

Sunday, September 4

  • Sunday, September 4, 2 p.m. Ozawa Hall
  • Coast to Coast Sextet featuring NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Cobb
  • Mingus Orchestra conducted by NEA Jazz Master Gunther Schuller

Schuller, a long-time Tanglewood presence, as well as a recipient of a Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur Fellowship, will conduct the Mingus Orchestra, one of several orchestras ordained to carry on the legacy of jazz great Charles Mingus. Drummer Jimmy Cobb, an elder statesman of the art, will perform with the Coast to Coast Sextet.

  • Sunday, September 4, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall

Sing the Truth: Celebrating the History of Women Vocalists at Tanglewood with Grammy award-winning Angelique Kidjo, of Benin, West Africa, four-time Grammy award-winning jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves and genre-defying gospel artist Lizz Wright, and more.

*connotes Tanglewood debut
**connotes Tanglewood and BSO debut

How to get Tanglewood brochures

Tanglewood brochures are available by sending your request to CustomerService@bso.org.

Tanglewood driving directions

[mappress mapid=”100″]

Hotels, B & B’s, Motels, and Inns near Tanglewood

2010 A Prairie Home Companion at Tanglewood

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As completely satisfying as the weekly 2 hour broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion is, it can seem like a souvenir when compared to a live broadcast, such as we’ve witnessed at Tanglewood the first Saturday of summer since 2000. The radio audience gets 120 minutes of humor and music; those in attendance get all that, plus the chance that the strolling serenading Keillor will help himself to their picnic goodies before airtime, and the opportunity to sing along with him, the show’s musical guests, and the Guy’s All Star Show Band for another hour afterwards.

Garrison Keillor and Andrea Suchy sing America the Beautiful, 2010 Tanglewood encore

With BSO opening night two weeks away, the show was without the usual participation of BSO/TMC musicians. Rather, it featured 3 musical guests, all drawn from the distaff side: Andrea Suchy, Hilary Thavis, and The Wailin’ Jennys. Expanding upon that gynocentric theme were the Lives of the Cowboys skit and the introduction of Erica Rhodes as Keillor’s replacement as the show’s host (once certain issues are resolved, that is).

The localised scripts were funny; especially Guy Noir on the case of the imaginary grandson of Edith and Teddy Wharton showing up to claim the Mount and convert it into a dirt bike race track. Scripts and podcast of the show are available at PrairieHome.org.

Update: Your intrepid reporter is seen on the Prairie Home Youtube clip (above) capturing Flip video of the encore:
Dave Read A Prairie Home Ciompanion Tanglewood June 26, 2010

2009 A Prairie Home Companion at Tanglewood review

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June 29, 2009 Tanglewood concert review by

How ’bout that Garrison Keillor, ladies and gentlemen, ain’t he something – signs you up for two hours of entertainment, then goes and delivers three! To the two hour live broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion, in the Koussevitsky Music Shed at Tanglewood, he appended a twenty minute pre-show and a forty minute after-show that included audience sing-alongs, duets with Heather Masse, and thrilling encore performances by guests Steve Martin with The Steep Canyon Rangers and hometown favorite Arlo Guthrie. (re: Arlo)

This was the tenth time he’s brought the 35 year old show to Tanglewood, and it keeps getting better. Arlo Guthrie, whose Thanksgiving garbage caper took place just down the road 42 years ago, was an unannounced guest; Keillor said he’ll be back next year so they can talk “Berkshire history.” Early afternoon showers had cleared by the time we arrived around 5PM and mother nature delivered a splendid tableau for the festivities. Maybe jealous at being upstaged by the lanky Minnesotan, midway through the show she delivered a steady drizzle that sparkled through bright sunshine to about one-third of the Lawnsters outside the Shed. Keillor asked Guthrie if that was typical Berkshires weather? “Oh yeah, it’s been like that for weeks.”

Actor Martin Sheen was the show’s non-musical guest, delighting the audience in the role of a prickly wi-fi hog at Arlo’s Dew Drop Inn. Sheen and family were seen around Stockbridge throughout the weekend, at Mass on Sunday and then greeting fans on the porch at the Red Lion Inn.

Keillor, Martin, and Guthrie are pretty good talkers

Even though all the music and comedy performed today was as good as it gets, this show is especially memorable because it displayed the powerful beauty of the spoken word; for the satisfying feeling of community that can arise from the plain speaking of artists whose medium is language.

Besides all their other talents, Keillor, Martin, and Guthrie are talking adepts, which raises all the connecting patter of show to the level of the performance. We’re envious, wishing we could summarize more smartly than by declaring that the tenth Tanglewood rendition of A Prairie Home Companion was a titillating picnic of linguistic penache, verbal verve, and jocular jello.

re: Arlo: You may be interested in : Arlo Guthrie concert reviews, photos, and an interview.

2008 Review of A Prairie Home Companion at Tanglewood

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Article updated June 26, 2018 by

The June 30, 2008 installment of “A Prairie Home Companion at Tanglewood, with Garrison Keillor” could be emended to read “…with Garrison Keillor and Inga Swearingen,” as the lovely Californian played a variety of roles in every segment of the show, except for the news, which only can be delivered by the lanky Minnesotan. When you consider that Keillor has been at this since the Nixon administration, it doesn’t take a genius to conjecture that he may be contemplating passing the torch to a new generation. Ms. Swearingen, for whom we’ve been carrying a torch since first seeing her on the 2004 show here, displayed the versatility and endurance that it would take to host a two hour show, partiucularly the facility to flow effortlessly between a comic and a serious persona. (Photo:copyright Denise Ofelia Mangen)

Inga Swearingen was featured on the 2008 broadcast from Tanglewood of A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor
Inga Swearingen was featured on the 2008 broadcast from Tanglewood of A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor.Photo:copyright Denise Ofelia Mangen

Of course there could be no Prairie Home Companion without the sui generis Garrison Keillor, but if there ever were to be a Regis and Kathy Lee for the smart set, we saw the model for it today.

Ms. Swearingen, with a Master’s in music to compliment Keillor’s mastery of English, radiates joy, beauty, and artistry from the stage unlike any performer we’ve ever seen. She, too, is one of a kind, and until we find a weekly show for her, you’ll have to be content with her recordings and gigs, or you could enroll in her course at Cuesta College in her hometown of San Luis Obispo.

Besides those two, this show featured the Del McCoury Band and recent Poet Laureate Donald Hall, as well as the usual funny business, with Tanglewood angles, and musical augmentation from the ad hoc Tanglewood/B.S.O. rhythm section, “Old Wood and Heavy Metal.”

McCoury and band were brilliant, crisp picking and strumming along with rich harmonizing; it was Bluegrass at its best – taut and restrained, rather than showy. Their choice of material was marked by lyrics so simple and direct that even an English major could get them.

Simple and direct characterizes also the poetry of Donald Hall, whose genius it is to embue plain language with the pathos of a life not only lived well, but with ardent attention to one’s place on earth and to one’s place in relation to another.

(More about Donald Hall and Dave Read)