FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: November 20, 2009

JAMES LEVINE LEADS BSO IN MAHLER’S SYMPHONIES 2 & 4, STRAVINSKY’S SYMPHONY OF PSALMS, AND MOZART’S REQUIEM AND “THE ABDUCTION FROM THE SERAGLIO”; LEVINE LEADS TANGLEWOOD MUSIC CENTER FELLOWS IN PERFORMANCES OF MAHLER’S SYMPHONY NO. 3 AND STRAUSS’ “ARIADNE AUF NAXOS”

SEIJI OZAWA MAKES A WELCOME RETURN CONDUCTING BSO IN ALL-BRAHMS CONCERT AND TANGLEWOOD MUSIC CENTER ORCHESTRA IN RAVEL’S “DAPHNIS AND CHLOÉ”

THE INCOMPARABLE JAMES TAYLOR RETURNS FOR TWO CONCERTS WITH CAROLE KING, JULY 3 AND 4

ARLO GUTHRIE JOINS KEITH LOCKHART FOR ONE OF TWO BOSTON POPS CONCERTS CELEBRATING THE ORCHESTRA’S 125TH ANNIVERSARY

JOHN WILLIAMS CELEBRATES 30TH YEAR AT TANGLEWOOD WITH EVER-POPULAR FILM NIGHT

BSO CELEBRATES 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF TANGLEWOOD MUSIC CENTER FEATURING TMC ALUMS IN PERFORMANCES THROUGHOUT THE SEASON;
FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS THE GREAT TMC COMPOSERS FROM THE PAST SEVEN DECADES

TANGLEWOOD FESTIVAL CHORUS CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

YO-YO MA BRINGS HIS SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE TO THE KOUSSEVITZKY MUSIC SHED

OZAWA HALL HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE MARK MORRIS DANCE GROUP, AUDRA MCDONALD, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA, AND GARRICK OHLSSON IN TWO ALL-CHOPIN RECITALS

In a season that offers a rich array of artists and repertoire representing the best of the classical music world and beyond, the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s 2010 Tanglewood season will open on July 9 with BSO Music Director James Levine leading Mahler’s titanic Symphony No. 2, Resurrection, featuring soprano Layla Claire*, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe* and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. Maestro Levine, marking his sixth season as BSO Music Director, will lead eight Tanglewood programs, including a BSO concert performance of Mozart’s delightful comic opera The Abduction from the Seraglio (July 23), with a cast to include sopranos Lisette Oropesa and Ashley Emerson and bass Morris Robinson, and fully-staged Tanglewood Music Center performances of Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos (August 1 and 4).
 
Continuing a multi-season survey of the symphonies of Mahler, Maestro Levine also conducts the composer’s Symphony No. 3 (July 17) with the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, featuring mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill, the Women of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and the American Boychoir; and the Symphony No. 4 with the BSO (July 31), repeating this season’s Symphony Hall program that also includes Berg’s Three Pieces for Orchestra and Strauss’s luminous Four Last Songs.

Maestro Levine and the orchestra reprise two other programs from the 2009-10 Symphony Hall season:  the pairing of Mozart’s beloved Requiem and Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, written to celebrate the BSO’s 50th anniversary (July 16); and a program of marches, waltzes, and polkas in the great Viennese tradition by the Strauss family—Johann I, Johann II, and Joseph (July 25), a concert also including Richard Strauss’s Don Quixote with cellist Lynn Harrell and BSO principal violist Steven Ansell.  On August 3, Maestro Levine is one of several conductors helming the podium for the ever-popular Tanglewood on Parade, which this year celebrates John Williams’ 30th Tanglewood season.

Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra located in Lenox, MA, opens its 2010 season on June 27 with a performance by the Mark Morris Dance Group and ends with the annual Jazz Festival, September 3-5.  Tickets for the 2010 Tanglewood season go on sale to the general public on Sunday, February 14 (see ticket information at end of press release for details).

* Indicates Former TMC Fellow, at Tanglewood to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Tanglewood Music Center.

Founded in 1940 by legendary BSO music director Serge Koussevitsky, the Tanglewood Music Center (originally called the Berkshire Music Center) was created to provide young musicians with a premier academy for advanced study using the vast resources of the orchestra and visiting guest artists.  As part of the 70th anniversary celebration of the TMC, Tanglewood will feature TMC alumni throughout the summer's concerts, including performers Stefan Asbury, Stephanie Blythe, Layla Claire, Christoph von Dohnányi, Charles Dutoit, Marcus Haddock, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Oliver Knussen, Ludovic Morlot, Seiji Ozawa, Dawn Upshaw, David Zinman, and BSO musicians Elizabeth Rowe and Thomas Martin, and composers Michael Gandolfi, Osvaldo Golijov, John Harbison, and Oliver Knussen, as well as the late Leonard Bernstein. (TMC alums performing with the BSO during the 2010 Tanglewood season will be acknowledged by an asterisk).

The Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra begins its season-long celebration of the 70th anniversary of the TMC in Seiji Ozawa Hall on July 5 with performances of works by Falla, Albéniz, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Debussy, led by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos and TMC conducting fellows.  The Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra continues the season with performances of works for chamber orchestra led by James Levine and TMC conducting Fellows (July 12) which features the world premiere of a work by Elliott Carter; Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 led by James Levine (July 17); Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé led by Seiji Ozawa* (July 25), and a fully-staged performance of the Strauss opera Ariadne auf Naxos (August 1 and 4), led by James Levine, with a TMC conducting fellow leading the August 2 performance of the work.  The TMC orchestra also joins the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops for the ever-popular Tanglewood on Parade on August 3.  

FCM CELEBRATES TMC’S 70TH
The 2010 Festival of Contemporary Music will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the TMC and the seven decades of great composers who have led and taken a major role in its composition program, teaching and inspiring the next generation of composers and performers.  Directed and programmed by the three still-living composers who have chaired the composition activities at the TMC—Gunther Schuller, Oliver Knussen, and John Harbison—the Festival will feature works by these three composers as well as by some of the great figures of the 20th and early 21st centuries, starting with Copland and Hindemith, and continuing up to recent resident composers (complete programs to be announced at a later date).
   
A highlight of FCM is the annual Fromm Concert at Tanglewood, this year to include concert performances of John Harbison’s* A Full Moon in March and Oliver Knussen’s* Where the Wild Things Are, both conducted by Stefan Asbury* (August 15).  The Festival of Contemporary Music will close with a performance of Copland’s Symphony No. 3, on a TMCO concert led by Robert Spano and conducting fellows (August 16).   

BOSTON POPS CELEBRATES 125TH ANNIVERSARY
“America’s Orchestra,” the one and only Boston Pops, celebrates its 125th anniversary this summer at Tanglewood with a pre-season tribute to the legacies of Arthur Fiedler, John Williams, and Keith Lockhart, led by Mr. Lockhart (July 2). In addition, Mr. Lockhart and the Pops welcome the one and only Arlo Guthrie (July 18). The Pops’ final appearance of the summer is the always popular Film Night at Tanglewood, with John Williams. In his 30th summer at Tanglewood, Mr. Williams presents a memorable evening that recreates some of the great musical moments in Hollywood history (August 14). Conductors James Levine, Keith Lockhart, and John Williams appear together for Tanglewood on Parade.  Saluting John Williams on his 30th Tanglewood summer, this year’s program will include some of his most popular concert and film scores, as well as the traditional TOP finale, Tchaikovky’s 1812 Overture (August 3). 

JAMES TAYLOR AND CAROLE KING, JULY 3 AND 4; PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION, JUNE 26
Two of America’s most beloved singer/songwriters, James Taylor and Carole King, return to Tanglewood as part of their 2010 World Tour, featuring a band of legendary musicians in two special evenings (July 3 and 4). The Fourth of July concert winds up with a fireworks finale. A Prairie Home Companion at Tanglewood brings the inimitable Garrison Keillor and a colorful cast of friends from the shores of Lake Wobegon to the festival for a live broadcast in what has become a favorite annual event (June 26).

 SEIJI OZAWA RETURNS TO TANGLEWOOD
Former Boston Symphony Orchestra Music Director Seiji Ozawa*, whose history at Tanglewood dates back to his student days in the early sixties as a protégé of Leonard Bernstein, makes a welcome return to Tanglewood for two highly anticipated programs, conducting the BSO in an all-Brahms program featuring Peter Serkin as soloist in Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1 (July 24) and leading the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2 (July 25).

BSO FAVORITE GUEST CONDUCTORS
Among the venerable conductors to lead the BSO this summer is popular Spanish conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, who will lead two programs—first an all-Beethoven concert including the composer’s Symphony No. 5 and Piano Concerto No. 3, with soloist Gerhard Oppitz (July 10), then a program of Mozart and Strauss with Strauss’s epic Ein Heldenleben and featuring Pinchas Zukerman in Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 (July 11).  Charles Dutoit* returns to Tanglewood for two diverse programs—the Serge and Olga Koussevitzky Memorial Concert, featuring the young Russian pianist Kirill Gerstein in Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 (July 30), and a program highlighted by Elgar’s Cello Concerto with Yo-Yo Ma (August 1). Christoph von Dohnányi* also conducts the BSO in two programs—a concert featuring pianist Richard Goode in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 14, on a program with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, Pathétique (August 6), and a program featuring Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, on a program with Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 (August 8).

Kurt Masur leads the BSO’s final program of the 2010 Tanglewood season (August 29), the traditional season-ending performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, soprano Nicole Cabell, mezzo-soprano Marietta Simpson, tenor Marcus Haddock*, and bass-baritone John Relyea.

BSO’S CELEBRATED ASSISTANT CONDUCTORS
The Boston Symphony Orchestra has a long tradition of celebrated assistant conductors, many of whom have gone on to prestigious directorships of major orchestras around the world. Former assistant conductor Robert Spano (1990-93), who has made a notable mark on the classical music landscape as former music director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic and current music director of the Atlanta Symphony, returns to conduct the BSO in a jazz-inflected program highlighted by Gershwin’s An American in Paris and Piano Concerto, the latter with French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet (August 15). The concert also includes Gunther Schuller’s Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee and Leonard Bernstein’s* Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs, for clarinet and jazz ensemble, featuring BSO principal clarinetist Thomas Martin*. Ludovic Morlot* (BSO assistant conductor, 2004-07), widely acclaimed for his successes as guest conductor with many of the country’s leading orchestras, will be joined by celebrated American soprano Dawn Upshaw* in a program that features her in Osvaldo Golijov’s* Three Songs for Soprano and Orchestra and selections from Joseph Canteloube’s Songs of the Auvergne (August 20). Current BSO assistant conductor Shi-Yeon Sung collaborates with 2008 “Gramophone Artist of the Year” Hilary Hahn in the Sibelius Violin Concerto, the centerpiece of a wide-ranging program also including music by Wagner, Copland, and Stravinsky (August 7).

TANGLEWOOD DEBUTS AND FAVORITE GUEST ARTISTS
The young Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki makes her Tanglewood debut with a program featuring violinist Joshua Bell in Beethoven’s Romance No. 2 in F for violin and orchestra and Mendelssohn’s Double Concerto in D minor for violin, piano, and strings, the latter with pianist Jeremy Denk (August 21). Costa Rican conductor Giancarlo Guerrero, the new music director of the Nashville Symphony, makes his BSO debut with a program anchored by music for the violin, with violinists Gil Shaham and Adele Anthony. The program includes J.S. Bach’s Concerto in D minor for two violins and strings and two works for violin and orchestra by Spanish composer Pablo de Sarasate, as well as a suite from Bizet’s Carmen and award-winning American composer Jennifer Hidgon’s blue cathedral (August 22).

Esteemed American conductor David Zinman* returns to conduct the BSO in two concerts during the final festival weekend—a program pairing Holst’s The Planets and Poulenc’s Gloria with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus (August 27), and a program the following evening featuring Emanuel Ax in Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 2, on a program with Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, From the New World.

“CAMINOS DEL INKA: A MUSICAL JOURNEY” AND THE SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE
The incomparable Yo-Yo Ma brings to Tanglewood a very special program with his internationally-renowned Silk Road Ensemble. This 10th anniversary program features virtuoso musicians from around the globe and reflects Mr. Ma’s long advocacy of nurturing global connections among musical traditions from countries along the famed Silk Road trade route (August 8). Former TMC Fellow Miguel Harth-Bedoya* leads the multi-media Caminos del Inka: A Musical Journey, featuring BSO, principal flutist Elizabeth Rowe*, and cellist Alisa Weilerstein performing music along with specially-created videography by Peruvian photographer Gabriela Fit that evokes the rich colorful history and breathtaking landscapes of the ancient Inca empire.

OZAWA HALL HIGHLIGHTS
Kicking off the pre-season activities is the Mark Morris Dance Group, which returns to collaborate on a program of dance with live music played by Tanglewood Music Center Fellows. The program is planned to include Morris’s Grand Duo, set to music by Lou Harrison, and a new work choreographed to Beethoven arrangements of traditional folk songs (June 27 and 28).

In Beowulf: The Epic in Performance, medievalist Benjamin Bagby, accompanying himself on a six-stringed harp, vividly recreates, through song and speech, the epic Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, the oldest extant complete poem in English, which tells the story of the chieftain Beowulf who defeats the monster Grendel in battle (July 21). Renowned cellist Pieter Wispelwey offers Tanglewood audiences a rare opportunity to hear J. S. Bach’s Complete Suites for solo cello in one concert, as performed on Baroque cello and violoncello piccolo (July 22).

Broadway and television veteran Audra McDonald makes her Ozawa Hall debut in “A New American Songbook.” One of the most versatile singers on the scene today, with repertoire ranging from opera and musical theater to pop, Ms. McDonald presents an eclectic mix of standards and songs written expressly for her by some of today’s finest music theater composers (July 18).

French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard returns to Tanglewood with members of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe performing music that ranges from Bach to Carter (August 10). Cellist Steven Isserlis joins the Australian Chamber Orchestra under violinist/leader Richard Tognetti for Schumann’s Cello Concerto, on a program also including Peter Vasks’s new Vox amoris for violin and strings, Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro for strings, and Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony (August 18).  Pianist Garrick Ohlsson, the first American ever to win the top prize in the Chopin International Piano Competition, offers two all-Chopin programs marking the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death (August 24 and 26).

Argentine mezzo-soprano Bernarda Fink makes her Tanglewood recital debut with pianist Anthony Spiri (August 5). The adventurous young Paris-based Ébène String Quartet makes its Tanglewood debut August 19 with music of Mozart, Bartók, and Beethoven (August 19).

The Emerson String Quartet, with guest clarinetist David Shifrin, presents a concert of music by Bach and Mozart, including Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet in A (July 6).  The celebrated Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio plays an evening of piano trios by Haydn, Shostakovich, and Mendelssohn (July 15). The Boston Symphony Chamber Players’ annual Tanglewood includes music of Mozart, Brahms, Villa-Lobos, and Gandolfi* (July 14).

TANGLEWOOD FESTIVAL CHORUS AND CONDUCTOR JOHN OLIVER CELEBRATE 40 YEARS
The Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver, conductor, is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2010.  On Opening Night at Tanglewood, the Chorus will mark its anniversary with a Prelude Concert in Seiji Ozawa Hall before joining the BSO in the Shed for Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 (July 9).  The TFC will also be heard with the BSO in Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms and Mozart’s Requiem with James Levine conducting (July 16), Poulenc’s Gloria conducted by David Zinman (August 27), and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 conducted by Kurt Masur (August 29).  In addition, the Women of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus will join the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra conducted by James Levine for Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 (July 17).  Originally formed in 1970 by founding conductor John Oliver for performances at Tanglewood, and made up of members who donate their services, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus is now the official chorus of the Boston Symphony Orchestra year-round, performing in Boston, New York, and at Tanglewood. The chorus has performed with the BSO in Europe under James Levine and Bernard Haitink and in the Far East under Seiji Ozawa. It is featured on Boston Symphony recordings led by Levine, Haitink, and Ozawa, and on Boston Pops CDs led by Keith Lockhart and John Williams.

Full season details, downloadable photos and video, and artist biographies are available at www.tanglewood.org/presskit.

2010 TANGLEWOOD SEASON DETAILS WEEK BY WEEK

PRE-SEASON OFFERINGS
Kicking off Tanglewood’s variety of pre-season events June 26 is A Prairie Home Companion at Tanglewood. This live broadcast with the inimitable Garrison Keillor and a colorful cast of friends from the shores of Lake Wobegon has become a favorite Tanglewood tradition. Mark Morris Dance Group makes its annual appearance in two highly anticipated concerts June 27 and 28, collaborating with the Tanglewood Music Center Fellows. The program is planned to include Morris’s Grand Duo, set to music by Lou Harrison, and a new work choreographed to Beethoven arrangements of traditional folk songs. Also on June 27 and 28, the Tanglewood Music Center Instrumental Fellows offer their annual String Quartet Marathon. On July 5, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos and TMC Conducting Fellows lead the TMC Orchestra in a program of Falla, Albéniz, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Debussy. On July 12, James Levine and TMC Conducting Fellows lead the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in a program of works for chamber orchestra.

The Boston Pops, celebrating its landmark 125th anniversary, makes the first of four appearances July 2, with conductor Keith Lockhart. Two very special evenings are reserved for the reunion of two of America’s most beloved singer/songwriters, James Taylor and Carole King (July 3 and July 4). They return to Tanglewood as part of their 2010 World Tour, bringing along a band of legendary musicians. The Fourth of July concert will be followed by a spectacular fireworks display.

To conclude the Ozawa Hall pre-season offerings the Emerson String Quartet, with guest clarinetist David Shifrin, present a chamber concert of music by Bach and Mozart, including Mozart’s sublime Clarinet Quintet in A (July 6).

WEEK 1 (JULY 9-14) – LEVINE’S MAHLER’S 2, FRUHBECK DE BURGOS/OPPITZ & ZUKERMAN
BSO Music Director James Levine and the orchestra officially open the Tanglewood season July 9 with a gala concert featuring Mahler’s powerful Symphony No. 2, Resurrection, featuring soprano Layla Claire*, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe*, and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver, conductor. Spanish conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos leads the BSO in two weekend programs. The first, an all-Beethoven concert July 10, features the iconic Symphony No. 5, along with the rarely performed King Stephen Overture and the Piano Concerto No. 3, with guest pianist Gerhard Oppitz. On July 11, violinist Pinchas Zukerman joins Mr. Frühbeck de Burgos and the orchestra for Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5, on a program with Strauss’s epic Ein Heldenleben.

WEEK 2 (JULY 15-21) – LEVINE’S STRAVINSKY/MOZART, MAHLER 3, LOCKHART/POPS, AUDRA MCDONALD, AND KALICHSTEIN-LAREDO-ROBINSON TRIO, BAGBY’S BEOWOLF
On July 16, James Levine, the BSO, and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus reprise one of the highlights of last fall’s Symphony Hall subscription series, the pairing of Mozart’s beloved Requiem with Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, written to celebrate the BSO’s 50th anniversary. Soloists for the evening include soprano Soile Isokoski, mezzo-soprano Kristine Jepson, tenor Russell Thomas, and bass Jordan Bisch. Maestro Levine also leads the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in this season’s Leonard Bernstein Memorial Concert July 17, a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 featuring the women of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill, and the American Boychoir.

On July 15, the celebrated Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio grace Ozawa Hall for an evening of piano trios by Haydn, Shostakovich, and Mendelssohn.

Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops, joined by folk music legend Arlo Guthrie, present an afternoon concert July 18, which is followed by an evening performance in Ozawa Hall of  “A New American Songbook” by Broadway/television songstress Audra McDonald (“Private Practice”), who performs with equal acclaim as opera singer, television actress, recording artist, and Broadway superstar. 

On July 21 in Ozawa Hall, medievalist Benjamin Bagby performs as harpist and vocalist in a special speech/song portrayal of Beowulf: The Epic in Performance. Sung in Old English, with modern English supertitles, this distinctive production brings to vivid life the oldest extant complete poem in the English language.

WEEK 3 (JULY 22-27) – LEVINE’S SERAGLIO & ALL-STRAUSS, OZAWA/SERKIN ALL-BRAHMS, WISPELWAY
James Levine leads the BSO in a concert performance of Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio (July 23), featuring Tanglewood Music Center Vocal Fellows and a professional cast that includes sopranos Lisette Oropesa and Ashley Emerson and bass Morris Robinson. Maestro Levine and the orchestra also reprise their Symphony Hall showcase of marches, waltzes, and polkas in the great Viennese tradition by the Strauss family – Johann I, Johann II, and Joseph (July 25). The program is anchored by a performance of Don Quixote by Richard Strauss, featuring cellist Lynn Harrell and BSO principal violist Steven Ansell as soloists.

Seiji Ozawa* makes a highly anticipated return to the Tanglewood podium, leading an all-Brahms program (July 24) that features the composer’s Symphony No. 2 and the Piano Concerto No. 1, with soloist Peter Serkin. Maestro Ozawa* returns the following evening to conduct the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in a program anchored by Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2.
On July 22, renowned cellist Pieter Wispelwey offers Tanglewood audiences a rare opportunity to hear J. S. Bach’s Complete Suite for solo cello in a special extended concert, performed on Baroque cello and violoncello piccolo.

WEEK 4 (JULY 29-AUGUST 3) LEVINE’S ARIADNE, DUTOIT/GERSTEIN & YO-YO MA, TANGLEWOOD ON PARADE
In his final week at Tanglewood this season, James Levine conducts two major programs in addition to Tanglewood on Parade. On July 31, he and the orchestra are joined by a soprano to be announced to perform Strauss’s Four Last Songs, on a program with Berg’s Three Pieces for Orchestra and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4. On August 1 and 3, he conducts the Tanglewood Music Center Vocal Fellows and Orchestra in a fully-staged production of Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos. (A third performance on August 2 will be led by a Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellow.) These performances reflect Maestro Levine’s ongoing commitment to preparing and performing full-length operatic productions with the talented young musicians of the TMC.
 
Conductor Charles Dutoit* makes a welcome return to Tanglewood leading two diverse programs over the weekend. His first program, the Serge and Olga Koussevitzky Memorial Concert on July 30, features a suite from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, with the young Russian pianist Kirill Gerstein, chosen Carnegie Hall’s “Rising Star” in 2005-06. Mr. Dutoit* also leads the August 1 program, highlighted by the Elgar Cello Concerto, featuring the Yo-Yo Ma, and Mussorgsky’s colorful Pictures at an Exhibition.

The week also includes an Ozawa Hall recital on July 29 by acclaimed baritone Matthias Goerne, who sings songs by Brahms and Schumann, with pianist Andreas Haefliger.
One of the festival’s most beloved traditions, Tanglewood on Parade (August 3) salutes John Williams on the occasion of his 30th Tanglewood summer. Mr. Williams, James Levine, and Keith Lockhart are among the conductors sharing the podium for a program that will include some of Mr. Williams’s most popular concert and film scores, as well as the traditional TOP finale, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. This lively evening features performances by the BSO, the TMCO, and the Boston Pops, culminating in a dazzling fireworks display.

WEEK 5 (AUG. 5-10) – DOHNÁNYI/GOODE, SUNG/HAHN, YO-YO MA/SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE, BERNARDA FINK, CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF EUROPE/AIMARD
Christoph von Dohnányi* conducts the BSO in two concerts this week. The August 6 concert features Tchaikovsky’s sweeping Symphony No. 6, Pathétique, and one of the BSO’s favorite guests, pianist Richard Goode, performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 14.  On August 8, Mr. Dohnányi* and the orchestra present a concert featuring the Beethoven Violin Concerto, the master’s only work in the genre, along with Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8. On August 7, BSO assistant conductor Shi-Yeon Sung shows her depth and range in a diverse program highlighted by the Sibelius Violin Concerto, with the young American violinist Hilary Hahn, Gramophone’s 2008 “Artist of the Year.” The program also includes Copland’s Quiet City, Prelude to Act III of Wagner’s Lohengrin, and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite (1919).

On August 8, the celebrated Silk Road Ensemble and the incomparable Yo-Yo Ma return to Tanglewood in an extraordinary presentation marking their 10th anniversary. Featuring virtuoso musicians from around the globe, the Ensemble will perform a special program combining styles and genres (Persian, Asian, Azerbaijani, and more) with Western and non-Western instruments to create a unique musical experience.

Two intriguing concerts grace Ozawa Hall this week. On August 5, Argentine mezzo-soprano Bernarda Fink makes her Tanglewood debut in a program featuring songs by Schumann, Granados, and Rodrigo, with pianist Anthony Spiri. On August 10, French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard returns to Tanglewood with members of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe in a wide-ranging program that features music from Bach to Carter.

WEEK 6 (Aug. 13-18) CAMINOS DEL INKA, FILM NIGHT, SPANO/THIBAUDET, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA/ISSERLIS, FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
Week 6 of Tanglewood 2010 opens August 13 with a special musical journey through the ancient Inca empire led by the outstanding Peruvian conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya*. In this multi-media program, called Caminos del Inka: A Musical Journey, the BSO, with guest soloists Elizabeth Rowe* (BSO principal flutist) and Alisa Weilerstein (cello), plays works by Golijov*, Robles, Frank and others, complemented by specially-created videography by renowned Peruvian photographer Gabriela Fit. Former assistant conductor Robert Spano makes a welcome return to the Tanglewood podium August 15 with a jazz-inflected program highlighted by Gershwin’s An American in Paris and his Piano Concerto, performed by French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. The concert also includes Gunther Schuller’s Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee and Leonard Bernstein’s* Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs, for clarinet and jazz ensemble, featuring BSO principal clarinetist Thomas Martin*.

Boston Pops Laureate Conductor John Williams presents the Boston Pops and special guests in the popular annual celebration of music from the movies, Film Night at Tanglewood (August 14). In his 30th summer at Tanglewood, Mr. Williams introduces a memorable evening that recalls some of the great musical moments in Hollywood history.

In Ozawa Hall, cellist Steven Isserlis joins the Australian Chamber Orchestra under violinist/leader Richard Tognetti for Schumann’s Cello Concerto (August 18). The program also includes Peter Vasks’ new Vox amoris, for violin and strings, Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro for strings, and Mozart’s sublime Jupiter Symphony.

A highlight of the 2010 Festival of Contemporary Music, August 12-16, is the annual Fromm Concert at Tanglewood, this year to include concert performances of John Harbison’s* A Full Moon in March and Oliver Knussen’s* Where the Wild Things Are, both conducted by Stefan Asbury* (August 15).  The Festival of Contemporary Music will close with a performance of Copland’s Symphony No. 3, led by Robert Spano (August 16).  Further details on the 2010 Festival of Contemporary Music will be announced at a later date.   

WEEK 7 (Aug. 19-24) MORLOT/UPSHAW, MÄLKKI/BELL, GUERRERO/SHAHAM/ANTHONY, ÉBÈNE STRING QUARTET, BOSTON SYMPHONY CHAMBER PLAYERS
Celebrated American soprano Dawn Upshaw* joins former BSO assistant conductor Ludovic Morlot* and the orchestra for a program August 20 featuring two intriguing works, Osvaldo Golijov’s* Three Songs for Soprano and Orchestra and selections from Joseph Canteloube’s Songs of the Auvergne. The program also includes Mozart’s Symphony No. 31, Paris, and Ravel’s Mother Goose (complete). The young Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki makes her Tanglewood debut August 21 with a Mendelssohn/Beethoven program featuring violinist Joshua Bell in Beethoven’s Romance No. 2 in F, for violin and orchestra and Mendelssohn’s Double Concerto in D minor for violin, piano, and strings, with pianist Jeremy Denk. The program also includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4, and Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream overture. Costa Rican conductor Giancarlo Guerrero, the new music director of the Nashville Symphony, makes his BSO debut August 22 in a program anchored by music for the violin, with violinists Gil Shaham and Adele Anthony. The program includes J.S. Bach’s Concerto in D minor for two violins and strings and two works for violin and orchestra by Spanish composer Pablo de Sarasate, as well as Bizet’s Carmen Suite and award-winning American composer Jennifer Hidgon’s blue cathedral.

In Ozawa Hall, the adventurous young Paris-based Ébène String Quartet makes its Tanglewood debut August 19 with a wide-ranging program of Mozart, Bartók, and Beethoven. Pianist Garrick Ohlsson, the first American ever to win the top prize in the Chopin International Piano Competition, offers two intimate all-Chopin programs August 24 and 26.

WEEK 8 (Aug. 27-29) ZINMAN/AX, MASUR/BEETHOVEN 9
Esteemed American conductor David Zinman* leads the BSO in two concerts during week 8, beginning with the August 27 program featuring Holst’s “The Planets” and Poulenc’s Gloria, with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. The following evening, Mr. Zinman* is joined by pianist Emanuel Ax for the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2, on a program with Dvořák’s New World Symphony. Kurt Masur leads the BSO’s final program of  Tanglewood 2010,  the annual season-ending performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, soprano Nicole Cabell and mezzo-soprano Marietta Simpson, tenor Marcus Haddock*, and bass-baritone John Relyea (August 29). The program begins with J.S. Bach’s moving Jesu meine Freude, for chorus.

TANGLEWOOD’S ANNUAL LABOR DAY JAZZ FESTIVAL SEPT. 4-5
The season finale, the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, takes place over Labor Day Weekend, September 4 and 5. All performances are held in Seiji Ozawa Hall and featured performers include the Laurence Hobgood Trio, the Kurt Elling Quartet and a special live broadcast of Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey (September 4). Performers scheduled for September 5 include the clarinetist Eddie Daniels, keyboardist Bob James, the Julian Lage Group, the Donal Fox Quartet, The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra. Tanglewood Jazz Festival 2010 is sponsored by JazzCorner.com.

* Indicates Former TMC Fellow, at Tanglewood to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Tanglewood Music Center.

PATRON AMENITIES, FAMILY ACTIVITIES, AND FREE TICKETS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

FREE TICKETS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AGE 17 AND UNDER
Tanglewood is pleased to offer free lawn tickets for children and young people age 17 and younger. Up to four free children’s tickets are available per parent/legal guardian per concert at the Tanglewood Box Office on the day of the concert. Young people admitted without charge must sit with their parent/legal guardian on the lawn, and those under age five must sit on the rear half of the lawn. Children under five are not permitted in the Koussevitzky Music Shed or Seiji Ozawa Hall during concerts. All patrons, regardless of age, must have a ticket. Please note that the free lawn ticket policy does not apply to organized groups.  For July 3 & 4 and other Popular Artists concerts, free lawn tickets are only available for children under age 2.

PRELUDE CONCERTS, THIS WEEK AT TANGLEWOOD, TOURS, AND TALKS AND WALKS
The Boston Symphony Orchestra will again offer free Prelude Concerts in Ozawa Hall before each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Shed concert. Friday Prelude Concerts will feature members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra performing various chamber works. Fellows of the Tanglewood Music Center will present free chamber music concerts each Saturday preceding orchestra concerts in the Shed. Each Prelude Concert is free and open to all ticket holders for Friday and Saturday Shed concerts. In addition, Fellows of the Tanglewood Music Center will present chamber music concerts at 10 a.m. each Sunday. Tickets for Sunday-morning chamber music concerts are $11.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra is also proud to offer, for the second year, its successful “This Week at Tanglewood” series to concertgoers. This free panel discussion series is moderated by Martin Bookspan at 7:15 p.m. prior to each Friday-evening’s BSO performance. Featuring special guests in informal and engaging discussions, each 30-minute session offers an overview of the coming week’s schedule, including everything from BSO performances to Tanglewood Music Center concerts to children’s programming. Admittance to “This Week at Tanglewood” is free to patrons with tickets to Friday-evening BSO concerts. In addition, free hour-long walking tours of Tanglewood’s grounds and performance spaces are available several times a week. For more information on walking tours, contact the Tanglewood Volunteer Office at (413) 637-5393.

Tanglewood also offers “Talks and Walks,” a series of informal conversations presented by guest artists and members of the BSO family, in the Tent Club on Thursday afternoons beginning with a talk at 1 p.m. and continuing with a guided tour of the grounds at 1:45 p.m. Individual tickets are sold at the Tent Club on the day of the Talk for $10 for Friends of Tanglewood and $15 for all others. For more information, call the Boston Symphony Association of Volunteers at 413-637-5393.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES
Tanglewood provides special programs for kids, such as the popular Kids’ Corner, a musical and craft-related project supervised and supported by BSO staff on weekends, and the Watch and Play program, a series of lively discussions about instruments, concert themes, and/or musical concepts on Sundays. In addition, through its Tanglewood for Kids program, Tanglewood offers free lawn tickets, up to four per family, to all children and young adults age 17 and under.  Tanglewood will present its annual Family Concert on August 21. Tickets for the Family Concert are free to youth age 17 and under and $10 for each adult. The annual Berkshire Night concert will be announced at a later date.

FOOD AND TRANSPORTATION
For patrons who may not have a convenient way to get to and from Tanglewood, the BSO offers round trip coach service from Boston. Additionally, Tanglewood offers lawn chairs for rental, and pre-ordered meals are available in the Tanglewood Grille and the Tanglewood Café. Tanglewood also offers large video screens for the pleasure of lawn patrons on Friday and Saturday nights. For the convenience of patrons, a Bank of America ATM is located just outside the main gate.

TICKETS AND SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION
HOW TO PURCHASE TICKETS
Tickets for the 2010 Tanglewood season go on sale to the general public on Sunday, February 14. Tickets are available through Tanglewood’s website, www.tanglewood.org, and through SymphonyCharge at 888-266-1200. Regular season ticket prices range from $9-$115. Tickets for Open Rehearsals are $17. All ticket prices include a $1 Tanglewood grounds maintenance fee.
Tickets are also available for purchase in person at the Tanglewood Box Office at Tanglewood’s Main Gate on West Street in Lenox, MA, as of June 18. American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club, Discover, personal checks, and cash are all accepted at the Tanglewood Box Office. For further information and box office hours, please call the Boston Symphony Orchestra at 617-266-1492 or visit www.bso.org.

BROCHURES AND FURTHER INFORMATION
Tanglewood brochures with complete programs and information on how to order tickets will be available in mid-February by calling 617-638-9467. For further information, please call the Boston Symphony Orchestra at 617-266-1492 or visit www.tanglewood.org. For Berkshire tourist information and reservations, contact the Berkshire Visitors Bureau at 800-237-5747 or www.berkshires.org. 

SPONSORSHIP
As a leading supporter of arts and culture in the United States, Bank of America is proud to serve as the exclusive season sponsor of Tanglewood.  Through a wide variety of programs, Bank of America works to strengthen artistic institutions and provide greater access to treasured works of art for both its customers and those who might not otherwise experience them.  Each year the company provides millions of dollars in grants to a wide range of arts organizations, supporting education and access programs and enabling institutions to expand their scope, and underwrites national and local performances, arts programs, and exhibitions.  Through the Bank of America Traveling Exhibition and Loan Programs, the bank lends its art collection to museums so they may expand their offerings for the benefit of their communities.

Opening Night at Tanglewood is sponsored by Arbella Insurance Group Charitable Foundation. Commonwealth Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation enters its eighth year as the official chauffeured transportation of the BSO.  The August 15 Shed concert is sponsored by EMC Corporation. 

PODCASTS AND “CLASSICAL COMPANION” AVAILABLE AT BSO.ORG
The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s extensive website, www.bso.org, is the largest and most-visited orchestral website in the country, receiving more than 7.1 million visitors annually and generating more than $50 million in revenue since its launch in 1996. The BSO’s website offers fans information and music beyond the concert hall, providing interactive new media that include “Classical Companion,” an interactive supplement to special BSO concerts, as well as specially produced podcasts about each week’s program.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE TANGLEWOOD MUSIC FESTIVAL

*Indicates Former TMC Fellow, at Tanglewood to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Tanglewood Music Center.

PRESS CONTACTS:
Bernadette Horgan, Director of Public Relations (bhorgan@bso.org) 617-638-9280 (September – late June) or 413-637-5280 (late June-Labor Day Weekend)
Kathleen Drohan, Associate Director of Public Relations (kdrohan@bso.org) 617-638-9280 (September – late June) or 413-637-5280 (late June-Labor Day Weekend)

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Tanglewood Press Release, November 20, 2009