Tanglewood's 76th Season!
The Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, Massachusetts, is the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and the setting for a wide variety of musical performances each year. There's no better place in all of New England to spread out a picnic blanket, feast on gourmet goodies and listen to live music as the sun sets and the stars unveil themselves. This summer, Tanglewood marks its 76th season.
Highlights of the 2013 summer season include:
- The Tanglewood season officially opens with an all-Tchaikovsky program featuring virtuosos violinist Joshua Bell, who performs at Tanglewood for his 25th consecutive year. (July 5) The BSO will also play an all-Mozart concert (July 26) and an all-Beethoven program (August 11) this season.
- Singer/songwriter Jackson Browne returns to Tanglewood for the first time in 15 years for a 4th of July concert that will be followed by fireworks. (July 4) Other popular artists who will take the Tanglewood stage in 2013 include Melissa Etheridge (June 21), Esperanza Spalding (August 4) and country legend Vince Gill, who will sing and play with the Boston Pops (July 7).
- Minnesota Public Radio's "A Prairie Home Companion" with host Garrison Keillor will broadcast live from the Koussevitzky Music Shed for the 14th consecutive year. (June 29)
- Stars from the music world will join in the Tanglewood 75th celebration during a special gala concert featuring the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops and Tanglewood Music Center orchestras, led by conductors John Williams, Keith Lockhart and Andris Nelsons. Emanuel Ax, Yo-Yo Ma, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Peter Serkin, James Taylor, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and other special guests will perform. (July 14)
- Boston Pops Laureate Conductor John Williams, one of the best-known composers of his generation with credits that include some of the 20th and 21st centuries' most memorable film scores, will be joined by conductor David Newman and vocalist Audra McDonald for the always popular Film Night at Tanglewood. (August 24)
- The Boston Pops, under the direction of Keith Lockhart, will be showcased in a Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration featuring new arrangements of Garcia's storied original compositions, as well as classic interpretations of timeless standards that were hallmarks of Garcia's shows. (June 22). The Pops will also appear with Michael Feinstein and Friends. (August 16).
- Tanglewood on Parade will feature a full day of activities, culminating in a gala concert with Williams, Lockhart, Stéphane Denève and Charles Dutoit conducting. The combined forces of the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops and Tanglewood Music Center orchestras will present works including the traditional performance of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture featuring fireworks. (August 6)
- The Boston Symphony Orchestra will perform Leonard Bernstein's iconic score as the newly re-mastered 1961 film West Side Story is shown on large screens in high definition with the original vocals and dialogue. (July 13)
- Yo-Yo Ma is joined by American string virtuosos Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile and Stuart Duncan to perform a program inspired by their recent genre-defying recording, The Goat Rodeo Sessions. (August 15)
- The 200th birthdays of Wagner and Verdi will be marked with two special BSO programs: Bryn Terfel, along with Katarina Dalayman and Amber Wagner, will be featured in Act III of Wagner's Die Walküre under the direction of the acclaimed Wagner conductor Lothar Koenigs (July 20), and Andris Nelsons will lead the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and acclaimed soloists in the Verdi Requiem (July 27).
- Emmanuel Music will present a concert performance of John Harbison's opera The Great Gatsby, in celebration of the composer’s 75th birthday. (July 11)
- Tanglewood hosts the U.S. premiere of George Benjamin's highly acclaimed opera, Written on Skin, in concert performance during the Festival of Contemporary Music. (August 12).
- The 2013 Tanglewood season brings the world's most celebrated piano virtuosos to the Berkshires, including legendary figures Leon Fleisher (July 12) and Menahem Pressler (August 20): These programs will take place in celebration of Mr. Fleisher's 85th birthday and Mr. Pressler's 90th birthday. Other featured soloists will include Emanuel Ax (August 18), Yefim Bronfman (August 10), Christoph Eschenbach (July 26), Paul Lewis (July 24), Garrick Ohlsson (July 28), Jean-Yves Thibaudet (July 19), Peter Serkin (August 23) and Christian Zacharias (August 11). Two stars of the younger generation, Lang Lang (August 3) and Daniil Trifonov (August 22), will also be featured.
Check the complete Tanglewood 2013 schedule for other fabulous performances, then purchase your tickets, compare rates at nearby hotels, pack your picnic and head for Tanglewood. While you're anticipating the summer season, learn a bit about the history of Tanglewood and explore my gallery of Tanglewood photos.
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