The Bard Music Festival returns for its 33rd season in August, with a two-week dive into the work of “Vaughan Williams and His World.” Eleven themed concert programs aim to examine the great but frequently misunderstood English and Welsh composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, one of the 20th century’s preeminent symphonists, who helped to spearhead a new British renaissance in music.
The festival is spread across the two weeks, the first weekend runs August 4-6 and aims to contextualize the composer among his fellow Victorians, Edwardians, and Moderns. The second weekend, which takes place August 10-13, explores Williams’ role in creating what may be considered “A New Elizabethan Age”.
With two special events in nearby Rhinebeck, the concerts take place at Fisher Center for the Performing Arts on Bard College’s Hudson River campus. Six of these shows will also stream live to home audiences worldwide on Upstreaming, the Fisher Center’s virtual stage. The final show is a centerpiece of the 20th Bard SummerScape festival. The Bard Music Festival represents a highlight of the Fisher Center’s landmark 20th anniversary season, “Breaking Ground.”
Since its inception in 1990, the Bard Music Festival has helped to strengthen the standard concert repertory. This is in part because its founder and co-artistic director, Leon Botstein. Botstein serves as music director of both the American Symphony Orchestra (ASO) and The Orchestra Now (TŌN). Both ensembles perform in the festival, along with Festival Chorale, which takes part in all choral works under the direction of James Bagwell. This year’s operatic, chamber, and vocal programs will boast an impressive lineup of guest artists, violinist Bella Hristova, tenor Nicholas Phan, bass-baritone Craig Colclough, pianists Danny Driver and Piers Lane, and the Horszowski Trio among them.
First Weekend (Aug. 4-6)
Program One: “Vaughan Williams: Becoming an English Composer”
Program Two: “Between Two Worlds: London and Berlin”
Program Three: “The Symphony and Composing for the Stage”
Program Four: “Heirs and Rebels: British Art Song”
Program Five: “Entente Cordiale: Britain and France”
Program Six: “London Calling! Fun in Cockaigne!”
Second Weekend (Aug. 10-13)
Program Seven: “The Lark Ascending: British Music for Chamber Orchestra”
Program Eight: “The Islands and the Continent”
Program Nine: “A New Elizabethan Age?”
Program Ten: “Vaughan Williams’s Legacy”
Finale: Vaughan Williams and Shakespeare, “Sir John in Love”
The Chelsea Music Festival in NYC announced the return of its annual June festival, this year titled Songs For The Earth, running from June 24-29.
The Chelsea Music Festival celebrates the creativity of one of New York City’s most dynamic neighborhoods and brings together world-renowned performers to celebrate great music. Since 2010, the festival has become a critically acclaimed, accessible, and interactive gateway to chamber music in non-traditional concert spaces like art galleries, churches, and more. The 2023 festival theme is Songs For The Earth, focusing on honoring and drawing attention to the changing needs of our planet.
Iranian-Canadian composer and pianist Iman Habibi joins the festival as the Composer-in-Residence. Habibi is the co-founder of the piano duo ensemble Piano Pinnacle with his wife and pianist Deborah Grimmet and is a 2022 laureate of the Azrieli Music Prize and a recipient of dozens of international music awards. Tying in with the theme of helping the planet, Habibi’s work and values as an artist are shaped by his care for the natural world. Festival Co-Artistic Director and conductor Ken-David Masur performed Habibi’s work “Jeder Baum spricht” with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, translated as “every tree speaks,” a line by Beethoven.
This year’s festival has events ranging from chamber music, art song, jazz, and daytime outreach will foster ecological awareness and focus on the earth as our shared home. This season, the festival partners with a number of environmentally-focused culinary partners including Growing Uptown, an organization that teaches communities to grow their own food and promote food security.
Chelsea Music Festival 2023 Lineup
June 24- Opening Weekend
11:30 a.m.-4 p.m.- Taking place at the Genesis House is a performance by the Asaran Earth Trio and Festival Talks with Visual Artist-in-Residence MaDora Frey and composer Nicky Sohn alongside Artistic Directors Melinda Lee Masur & Ken-David Masur.
7:30-9:30 p.m.- The performance this night is titled Dear Earth, Dear Friend, featuring music that spans the centuries including composers such as Franz Schubert, Amy Beach, and Edvard Grieg, alongside New York Premiere Performances of works written by Nicky Sohn and David Evans, as well as solo piano works by Olivier Messaien, Louis-Charles Daquin, Edward Macdowell, a trio by Edvard Grieg, and music by Composer-in-Residence Iman Habibi.
Genesis House.
June 25
1:30-3 p.m.- Back at the Genesis House, there are performances by gamin, violinist Tomotaka Seki, and violist Ayako Tahara.
3-4 p.m.- The Verona Quartet, described by The New York Times as an “outstanding ensemble…cohesive yet full of temperament,” appear at the Chelsea Music Festival.
6:30-8:30 p.m.- Performances by cellist Angela Lee, violinists Lisa Lee & Jocelyn Zhu.
Verona Quartet.
June 26
7:30-9:30 p.m.- In Rite of Healing, the Veron Quartet performs Reena Esmail’s breathtaking quartet from their new album SHATTER alongside quartets by Korean-born American composer Texu Kim and Beethoven. The performance takes place at the General Theological Seminary.
June 27
12-1 p.m.- The Asaran Earth Trio, an all-female multinational group of virtuosic musicians and educators who perform folk songs from around the globe as well as original compositions, return.
5:30-7 p.m.- The Stay Grounded Planting Workshop & Happy Hour features performer Rogério Boccato on percussion with all natural materials and group, as well as artwork displays.
7:30-9:30 p.m.- The concert of the night is Beloved of the Sky, featuring soprano Sonya Headlam and Festival Strings performing works by Dvorak, Holst, Florence Price, and World Premieres by Iman Habibi and Sung Jin Hong with intermission reception.
June 28
5:30-7:30 p.m.- Dinner from 5:30-7:30 and a show immediately after. The Four Elements Concert features the tour de force quartet of the most sought-after percussionists including Rogério Boccato and Keito Ogawa collectively composing live on stage a four-part suite based on nature’s four elements (earth, water, fire, and air). Their music will be interspersed with readings from poems from around the world about each of the elements.
June 29
7:30-9 p.m.- Our Shared Home Festival Finale at St. Peter’s Chelsea, featuring works by Takashi Yoshimatsu, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Patricio Molina, Claude Debussy, and Gerald Finzi with a reception to follow.
9-10:30 p.m.- Jazz Finale with Los Hermanos with Cuban pianist Aldo López Gavilán and violinist Ilmar Gavilan. Pre-concert reception included.
For more information about the Chelsea Music Festival and to purchase tickets, visit here.
Bard SummerScape returns to the Hudson Valley this summer with seven weeks of live music, opera, music-theater, and more, in the Fisher Center and other venues on the Bard College campus. The event runs from June 23-Aug. 13, as both the Fisher Center and the SummerScape festival celebrate their 20th anniversaries this year.
The SummerScape festival opens with the world premiere of Illinois, a new piece of music-theater from Grammy nominee Sufjan Stevens, Tony Award winner Justin Peck, and Pulitzer Prize laureate Jackie Sibblies Drury. The offering is based on Stevens’s beloved 2005 album of the same name.
SummerScape also offers opera performances as part of the festival. This year the choice is Henri VIII , a grand opera by Camille Saint-Saëns, whose long and remarkable career helped shape the course of French music.
Bard plans to take advantage of its authentic Belgian Spiegeltent, which has enchanted guests since its introduction to the festival in 2006. The mirrored tent provides the perfect environment for enjoying cutting-edge live music and dancing on Fridays, Saturdays, and some Sundays throughout the festival.
On July 15, Bard is hosting a day-long 20th anniversary celebration at the Fisher Center for free. Local DJ Ali will bring her family-friendly Kinder Disco to the Spiegeltent. The event will feature interactive tours and a performance from the Latin Grammy-winners of all-female mariachi outfit Flor de Toloache. After hours, over-21s can dance the night away in the Spiegeltent with WKZE radio’s DJ MK ULTRA.
The SummerScape festival concludes with a crossover performance from the “Bard Music Festival”. The event features “Vaughan Williams and Shakespeare: Sir John in Love” a semi-staged opera production by American director Alison Moritz.
Bard Summerscape Festival 2023
June 23–July 2
Music-theater: Illinois by Justin Peck, Sufjan Stevens and Jackie Sibblies Drury
June 23–Aug 12
Spiegeltent: live music and dancing
July 15
20th Anniversary Community Celebration (free)
July 21–30
Opera: Saint-Saëns’s Henri VIII (new production)
Aug 4–6
Bard Music Festival: Vaughan Williams and His World
Weekend One: Victorians, Edwardians, and Moderns
Aug 10–13
Bard Music Festival: Vaughan Williams and His World
The Schenectady Symphony Orchestra in recent years has extended its reach beyond the city where it was founded and as a result has changed its name to Schenectady-Saratoga Symphony Orchestra (SSSO).
The Schenectady Symphony Orchestra, now SSSO, also announced its 2023-2024 season. The decision to change the name “was about shifting energy from focusing on administrative concerns to more strategic needs. The announcement today is about building an audience as it has become apparent there is a real opportunity and need in Saratoga,” said Board President Robert Bour. SSSO has performed several concerts at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs since reopening to great acclaim, signaling they needed to expand beyond Schenectady.
Glen Cortese, artistic director and conductor of the SSSO said “The theme of the 2023-24 SSSO subscription season is ‘Heroes, Legends and Fairy Tales.’ On each program, we’ll explore legendary works, and how composers are inspired by historical and fictional heroes and legends and bring you incredibly talented soloists and guest artists. The repertoire includes traditional works, new works from the classical repertoire, Broadway, and film.”
SSSO 2023-2024 Season
Aug. 5 at 7 p.m.-“Legends of Broadway”
Under the baton of Artistic Director Glen Cortese, the SSSO returns with a selection from beloved Broadway musicals with guest artists Amy Decker and Casey Gray. It is a part of the Music Haven Concert Series at Schenectady’s Central Park.
Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. and Oct. 22 at 3 p.m.-“American Legends”
The SSSO launches their season with two concerts featuring guest trumpeter Robert Sullivan in Barber’s “Essay No. 2,” Cortese’s “Concerto for Trumpet Orchestra (Gabriel’s Signal),” music from John William “Lincoln” and the Suite from Copland’s “Billy the Kid.” The first concert is in Zankel Hall at Skidmore College, and the second is MainStage at Proctors.
Dec. 2 at 7 p.m.-Special Concert: “Poinsettia Pops”
Join the SSSO in the Great Hall at Universal Preservation Hall to kick off the holiday season as “Poinsettia Pops” returns for the fourth year, with special guests.
Jan. 21, 2024, at 3 p.m.-“Legends from Around the World”
The season continues on the MainStage at Proctors with Bethlehem Central High School senior William Lauricella, who won first place in the 2022 Capital District Council for Young Musicians’ Annual Chopin Piano Competition and SSSO’s Parillo Piano Competition. This concert includes Bartok’s “Dance Suite,” Ravel’s “Mother Goose Suite” and the great Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto #2 in C Minor.”
Feb. 24, 2024 at 8 p.m.-Special Concert: Animaniacs In Concert!
The Animaniacs perform with the SSSO, playing the world-famous songs from the beloved cartoon series backed by the orchestra.
March 17, 2024, at 3 p.m.-“A Legend of the Opera”
Join the SSSO at Zankel Hall for another collaboration with Skidmore College for Johann Straus’ English concert version of “Die Fledermaus.” Guest soloists are to be announced!
April 27, 2024, at 7 p.m. and 28 at 3 p.m.-“Vestiges, Heroes and Legends”
The SSSO makes an appearance at both Universal Preservation Hall and Proctors for the last concert of the season. Join them for Bernstein’s “Halil,” Mizzoli’s “Opheus Undone” (Proctors), Mozart’s “Ave Verum Corpus” (UPH), and the famous “Requiem.” Featuring special guest flutist Linda Chesis, Saratoga Voices, and the Albany Chamber Choir.
Subscriptions are on sale now. Single tickets go on sale Aug. 7., and students (18 and under) are free when accompanied by a ticketed adult. For more information, visit here.
They’ve practiced, practiced, practiced, and Empire State Youth Orchestra’s (ESYO) Symphony Orchestra, a prominent youth ensemble, made it to Carnegie Hall. The concert marks the first time ESYO has performed at Carnegie Hall since the beginning of the pandemic, returning for the first time since 2017. The symphony orchestra will perform a joint concert with Norwalk Youth Symphony at Carnegie Hall on June 4, 2023, at 2:00 p.m.
ESYO aims to inspire young musicians to excel in a progressive learning environment, offering high-level performance opportunities. Over 500 youth from New York’s Capital Region and western New England are selected by audition each year.
ESYO will conclude their 2022-2023 season at Carnegie Hall with Tchaikovsky’s extraordinary fifth Symphony and Verdi’s Nabucco Overture. Music Director Etienne Abelin described the upcoming performance as “emotional, powerful music,” resonating deeply with the young musicians. The young ensemble eagerly anticipates the incredible opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall. Principal double bass Orin Carlson-Lee described the momentus occasion as “not just a concert but a celebration of hard work, dedication, and the magic of music.”
While The Carnegie Hall concert will close ESYO’s 2022-2023 season, there are no shortage of ESYO events this summer. Encore Stage will celebrate graduating ESYO students on June 17. The event aims to showcase the senior class, their talent, and accomplishments. Senior-led groups will perform throughout the afternnoon, scholarships will be awarded, and an alumni speaker will offer words of wisdom to graduating members. Alum and founer of Bassworks, Colin O’Bryan, will offer the keynote address.
Additionally, starting on July 31, ESYO’s Summer Sessions begin. The sessions include myriad activities, from week-long intensives to workshops to concert picnic outings. Some events are open to the public, and encourage everyone to come together to make music. More information and registration are available here.
Another summer highlight involves talented CHIME musicians, selected to participate in National Seminario Ravina. These students will travel to Chicago in July for rehearsals and coachings with renowned conductors and musicians
Those interested in attending the Cargenie Hall concert or signing up for a summer opportunity can find more information here. Additionally, students interested in applying for the 2023-2024 ESYO season can find more information here.
The iconic Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli announced his return to Madison Square Garden for his 2023 US Holiday Tour. Originally playing one date, he announced he will perform two dates on Dec. 13 and 14.
Andrea Bocelli, photo from Luca Rossetti.
Andrea Bocelli’s tour will feature performances from his extensive repertoire, including music in honor of the Holiday Season, selections from his recent #1 album A Family Christmas, his uplifting solo album Believe, as well as a selection of his beloved crossover hits, and famed love songs. Bocelli has one of the most recognizable voices in the industry, entertaining audiences for over 20 years, selling nearly 90 million records sold worldwide.
In addition to his sold-out arena-sized concerts and record-breaking live streams, Bocelli has shared his talents at many major events including the Olympic Games, the World Cup, and Global Citizen. He has earned a Golden Globe, seven Classical BRITs, and seven World Music Awards, plus a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The announcement arrives on the heels of a spectacular spring tour in the US, which included two sold-out nights at the famed Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on May 9 and May 10. Bocelli was invited to perform at the Coronation of King Charles III and Camilla in London on May 7. In April, his new documentary THE JOURNEY: A Music Special from Andrea Bocelli debuted in select theaters around the world. Recently he did a surprise performance at Times Square to celebrate the premiere of the film.
Tickets for the shows at Madison Square Garden are on sale now. For more information about Andrea Bocelli and the upcoming tour, visit here.
Andrea Bocelli November and December 2023 U.S. Tour
NOVEMBER 29, 2023 / San Antonio, TX / AT&T Center
NOVEMBER 30, 2023 / Dallas, TX / AAC
DECEMBER 2, 2023 / Louisville, KY / KFC Yum Arena *With the Louisville Orchestra
DECEMBER 6, 2023 / Boston, MA / TD Garden
DECEMBER 7, 2023 / Philadelphia, PA / Wells Fargo Center
DECEMBER 9, 2023 / Hartford, CT / XL Center * First time in Hartford in 25 years
DECEMBER 10, 2023 / Baltimore, MD / CFG Bank Arena *With the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
DECEMBER 13, 2023 / New York, NY / Madison Square Garden
DECEMBER 14, 2023 / New York, NY / Madison Square Garden
DECEMBER 16, 2023 / Hollywood, FL / Hard Rock Live
DECEMBER 17, 2023 / Hollywood, FL / Hard Rock Live
Ithaca’s Cayuga Chamber Orchestra’s2022-2023 Season Chamber Series concludes on May 28 at First Unitarian Church, with Iberian Enchantment and a program featuring musicians from the orchestra and friends.
The season’s final program will feature the Turnia Piano Trio No. 1, The Saraste Navarra and the Louise Farrenc Nonet. Ten talented musicians will perform the pieces, combining winds, strings, and piano. They will play a sparkling Turina, a quick Saraste, and the riveting Farrenc, transporting the audience with their combined musical talent.
Organizers will unveil an exciting 2023-24 season in June, as the 2022-23 season draws to a close. Furthermore, the orchestra will present its four finalists for the next Music Director and its lineup of soloists.
The CCO, officially known as “Ithaca’s Orchestra,” founded in 1976 The CCO’s annual program comprises an Orchestral Series, Chamber Music Series, a Holiday concert, free Family Concerts, and the William Daestch Youth Outreach Program, recipient of the 2015 Yale Distinguished Music Educator award. Additionally, in 2017, the CCO added a program for advanced students, the Youth Orchestra Program. In 2019, the CCO launched a Diversity Career Fellowship program for college students from underrepresented communities in classical music.
Tickets can be purchased online, by phone, or at the door. Tickets cost $38.50 for adults and $12 for students with ID.
For more information about the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra and tickets, visit their website here, or contact the CCO at (607)-273-8981 or info@CCOithaca.org.
Tanglewood, a music venue in the towns of Lenox and Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills in Western Massachusetts, has announced the lineup for their 2023 summer series, celebrating 85 years as an operating venue.
Tanglewood exterior, photo by Aram Boghosian.
Tanglewood has been the famed summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1937, as well as the Tanglewood Music Center, and the Boston Pops. The venue welcomes more than 350,000 visitors to performances, recitals, and seminars across 500 acres. This summer, the venue is hosting a variety of events, including the Boston Pops and Film Night, Tanglewood on Parade, popular artists like Train, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, and the Steve Miller Band, along with Boston Symphony Orchestra guest conductors and performances, and more. Tanglewood welcomes all to its iconic grounds surrounded by the beautiful Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts.
Popular Artists Series
The Popular Artists Series at Tanglewood was founded in 1968 when the venue decided to expand its musical offerings with the creation of “Contemporary Trends” concerts. The purpose of the series was to present performances by popular groups representing important trends in contemporary music outside the sphere of Western “classical” music. The first few years included performances by The Association, Ravi Shankar, Chicago, and more. Over the years, the Koussevitzky Music Shed has welcomed artists such as The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, and more. “Tanglewood has long been renowned as a classical music venue; but since the 1960s, the Popular Artists Series has added to the breadth of musical offerings and the diversity of audiences visiting the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer home base in the Berkshires,” says Anthony Fogg, William I. Bernell Vice President, Artistic Planning. All concerts will take place in the Koussevitzky Music Shed this summer.
Thursday, June 22 at 8 p.m.- Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!
NPR’s oddly informative news quiz program returns to Tanglewood, now in its 25th year. The Peabody Award-winning series offers a fast-paced, irreverent look at the week’s news, hosted by Peter Sagal and Official Judge and Scorekeeper Bill Kurtis.
The Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1966, led by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals releasing a string of mid-to-late-1970s hit singles that are staples of classic rock, including “Fly Like An Eagle,” “The Joker,” and more. Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers support.
Robert Plant is best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 until 1980. He collaborated with bluegrass-country singer and fiddler Alison Krauss on Raising Sand in 2007 and promptly won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Their album Raise The Roof (2021) is available everywhere you can stream music. The support is JD McPherson known for his retro sound rooted in the rock and roll, rockabilly, and rhythm and blues music of the 1950s.
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, photo by David McClister.
Monday and Tuesday, July 3 and 4 at 8 p.m.- James Taylor
James Taylor is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 100 million records worldwide. He is a six-time Grammy award winner and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. James Taylor and his All-Star Band will celebrate the start of the Tanglewood season with two intimate and memorable performances, both sold out.
Thursday, August 24 at 7 p.m.- Train with Very Special Guest Parmalee
Since their formation in 1994, multi-GRAMMY Award-winning, diamond-selling band Train has had 14 songs on Billboard’s Hot 100, 12 albums on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and has sold more than ten million albums and 30 million tracks worldwide. Support is Parmalee, an American country music band consisting of brothers Matt Thomas and Scott Thomas, along with their cousin Barry Knox and best friend Josh McSwain.
Jackson Browne has written and performed some of the most literate and moving songs in popular music. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 2007. Throughout his career, he has released fourteen studio albums, four collections of live performances, two “best of” compilations, two DVDs, and several single recordings. Browne’s newest studio album Downhill From Everywhere was released in July 2021 and received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Americana Album. Tickets for this show go on sale on June 1 here.
Jackson Browne.
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra, led by Andris Nelsons since 2014, will be doing its annual residency at Tanglewood this summer, at various places within the venue, including the Shed, Ozawa Hall, and the Linde Center. BSO gave its inaugural concert in 1881, and now reaches millions of listeners through performances in Boston and at Tanglewood, and also via streaming on BSO NOW, educational and community programs, radio, television, recordings, and tours.
Boston Symphony Orchestra in the Shed, including guest conductors
Friday, July 7 at 8 p.m.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s opening concert of the season begins with Wynton Marsalis’s Herald, Holler, and Hallelujah, followed by Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3, with soloist Daniil Trifonov, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, led by Andris Nelsons.
Sunday, July 9 at 2:30 p.m.
A world premiere of Iman Habibi’s Zhiân and Jessie Montgomery’s Freedom Songs, featuring vocalist Julia Bullock, make up the first half of this program. Hilary Hahn joins the BSO and Andris Nelsons for Brahms’s Violin Concerto to finish the night off.
Andris Nelsons, photo by Marco Borggreve.
Saturday, July 15 at 8 p.m.
A Nelsons-led BSO concert performance of Mozart’s opera Così fan tutte, with Nicole Cabell and Kate Lindsey in the lead female roles, with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, James Burton conductor. Will be sung in Italian with English supertitles.
Sunday, July 16 at 2:30 p.m.
The BSO and Andris Nelsons, joined by the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and children’s choir, perform Orff’s Carmina burana. The program opens with Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3.
Guest Conductors
Friday, July 21 at 8 p.m.
In her BSO debut, Xian Zhang leads the BSO and performers of Nimbus Dance in Copland’s Appalachian Spring with Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, From the New World.
Xian Zhang, photo by Benjamin Ealovega.
Saturday, July 22 at 10:30 a.m.
Thomas Wilkins leads members of the BSO in a Family Program entitled May I Have Your Attention Please.
Saturday, July 22 at 8 p.m.
David Afkham conducts an all-Mozart program featuring pianist Martin Helmchen.
Sunday, July 23 at 2:30 p.m.
Thomas Wilkins returns the next day to lead a Boston Symphony Orchestra concert, with mandolin soloist Jeff Midkiff in his own concerto entitled From the Blue Ridge, along with the music of Coleridge-Taylor and Ellington.
Friday, July 28 at 8 p.m.
Giancarlo Guerrero leads the BSO and Lorelei Ensemble in Julia Wolfe’s Her Story (BSO co-commission). Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 finishes off the night.
Thomas Wilkins, photo courtesy of Omaha Symphony Orchestra.
Saturday, July 29 at 8 p.m.
Dima Slobodeniouk leads the BSO in a program that opens with Messiaen’s Les Offrandes oubliées and includes Agata Zubel’s In the Shade of an Unshed Tear and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2.
Sunday, July 30, 2:30 p.m.
BSO Assistant Conductor Anna Rakitina leads the BSO and Joshua Bell in Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1, with Ellen Reid’s When the World as You’ve Known It Doesn’t Exist (featuring vocalists Eliza Bagg, Martha Cluver, and Sonja DuToit Tengblad) and a suite from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet.
Friday, August 4 at 8 p.m.
Emanuel Ax performs Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 with Dima Slobodeniouk and the BSO. The program opens with John Adams’ Shaker Loops.
Sunday, August 6 at 2:30 p.m.
Kazuki Yamada, in his BSO debut, is joined by Lucas and Arthur Jussen for Mendelssohn’s Concerto in E for two pianos and orchestra. The program also includes Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique.
Friday, August 11 at 8 p.m.- Guest
Anne-Sophie Mutter joins the BSO and Nelsons for John Williams’ Violin Concerto No. 2, on a program with works by Strauss and Ravel.
Saturday, August 12 at 8 p.m.
Susanna Mälkki leads the BSO and Seong-Jin Cho in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat on a program with Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra.
Susanna Mälkki, photo by Marica Rosengard.
Sunday, August 13 at 2:30 p.m.
Julia Adolphe’s Makeshift Castle opens the program, followed by Yo-Yo Ma performing Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1. The program closes with Stravinsky’s Petrushka (1947 version).
Friday, August 18 at 8 p.m.
Andris Nelsons leads the BSO in Carlos Simon’s Four Black American Dances and Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 5, Egyptian, and Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F, both with Jean-Yves Thibaudet as soloist.
Saturday, August 19 at 8 p.m.
Leonidas Kavakos performs Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto on a program with Prokofiev‘s Symphony No. 5.
Special Event
Friday, August 25 at 8 p.m.
Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos, and Yo-Yo Ma perform an all-Beethoven program in the Shed, with the Archduke Trio and a transcription by Shai Wosner of the Fourth Symphony.
Leonidas Kavakos, photo by Marco Borggreve.
Ozawa Hall: Chamber Music, Recitals, Operas, Dance, Jazz, and More
Wednesday June 28 at 8 p.m.
In its final appearance at Tanglewood, the Emerson String Quartet, joined by Emanuel Ax, performs a new work by Sarah Kirkland Snider and works by Purcell, Shostakovich, and Dvořák.
Thursday, June 29 at 8 p.m.
The Knights, with conductor Eric Jacobsen, perform a new work for voice and orchestra by Chris Thile, who will also be featured as vocal soloist, and Jessie Montgomery’s Source Code for strings, with works of Bartók and Enesco.
Thursday, July 13 at 8 p.m.
Vocalist Julia Bullock in recital.
Thursday, July 20 at 8 p.m.
Philharmonia Baroque, led by Richard Egarr, performs Handel’s Acis and Galatea with singers Nicholas Mulroy, Hera Hyesang Park, Dashon Burton, and Isaiah Bell.
Wednesday, July 26 at 8 p.m.
The Boston Symphony Chamber Players perform works of Yehudi Wyner, Sofia Gubaidulina, Shulamit Ran, and Schumann.
Wednesday, August 2 at 8 p.m.
The Danish String Quartet performs the works of Schubert and Bent Sørensen.
Danish String Quartet, photo credit by Caroline Bittencourt.
Sunday, August 6 at 8 p.m.
The Aaron Diehl Trio, consisting of pianist Aaron Diehl, drummer Aaron Kimmel, and bassist David Wong, presents a jazz program that includes Sir Roland Hanna’s 24 Preludes.
Wednesday, August 9 at 8 p.m.
Cellist Alisa Weilerstein presents FRAGMENTS 2, an immersive, multi-sensory audience experience combining music by contemporary composers with unaccompanied Bach.
Wednesday, August 16 at 8 p.m.
Pianist Bruce Liu presents a recital of works by Barber, Chopin, Kapustin, and Rameau.
Sunday, August 20 at 8 p.m.
TLI Presents the Gerald Clayton Trio.
Tuesday, August 22 at 8 p.m.
Vocalist Kelli O’Hara, joined by pianist Dan Lipton, performs Broadway favorites.
Kelli O’Hara.
Boston Pops and Film Night
The Boston Pops Orchestra, led by Keith Lockhart, performs the best music of the past and present with a broad spectrum of styles, from jazz to pop, indie rock to big band, film music to the great American songbook, and more. They appeal to the widest possible audience due to their variety and are perfect for people who may not even like orchestras. This summer, all shows will be performed at the Shed.
Saturday, July 8 at 8 p.m.
The Boston Pops, Keith Lockhart, and a cast of acclaimed Broadway singers perform a new symphonic arrangement of Ragtime: The Symphonic Concert, prepared by the original creators Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens, and Stephen Flaherty
Friday, July 14 at 8 p.m.
The Boston Pops and Keith Lockhart present an All-Gershwin program with artist Michael Feinstein and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet joining forces for a celebration of the music of this iconic American composer.
Keith Lockhart, photo by Hilary Scott.
Saturday, August 5 at 8 p.m.
John Williams’ Film Night, with conductors John Williams and David Newman, features classic film clips and favorite film score themes from the silver screen.
Saturday, August 26 at 8 p.m.
Keith Lockhart leads Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™ in Concert, with John Williams’ score performed by the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra while the film is presented on high-definition screens.
Sunday, August 27 at 2:30 p.m
Star Wars: The Story in Music features Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops performing the most memorable music from the sprawling saga of all nine Star Wars movies composed by John Williams.
Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra Concerts
The Tanglewood Music Center (TMC) offers an intensive schedule of study and performance for emerging professional instrumentalists, singers, conductors, librarians, and composers. Applications are now open to be a part of the TMC, for more information, visit here. Chamber music and recital programs presented by the young Fellows of the TMC are free of charge and take place throughout the summer
Xian Zhang conducts Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 6 on a program with works by Strauss and Gabriela Lena Frank led by TMC Conducting Fellows.
Monday, August 7 at 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Dima Slobodeniouk conducts Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 on a program with works by Rachmaninoff and Ravel led by TMC Conducting Fellows.
Monday, August 14 at 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Dame Jane Glover, in her Tanglewood debut, conducts Brahms’ Symphony No. 2 on a program with Britten and Dvořák led by TMC Conducting Fellows.
Sunday, August 20 at 2:30 p.m. Shed
Susanna Mälkki returns to the podium for the final orchestra program of the summer, leading the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and soloists Amanda Majeski, J’Nai Bridges, Stephen Costello, and Ryan Speedo Green in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and spirituals from Tippett’s A Child of Our Time.
Tanglewood Lawn with an audience, photo by Hilary Scott.
Festival of Contemporary Music Performances
The Festival of Contemporary Music (FCM) is one of the world’s premier showcases for works from the current musical landscape and landmark pieces from the new music vanguard of the 20th century. Recitals and many concerts are free of charge. FCM opens with “In Conversation: Curators of the Festival of Contemporary Music and Michael Gandolfi” on Thursday, July 27, at 1 p.m. in the Linde Center.
Thursday, July 27 at 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
The music of FCM Co-curator Gabriela Lena Frank (Milagros, Sonata Serrana No. 1, and Las Sombras de los Apus) is included in FCM’s first musical program, which also includes Bartók’s Contrasts.
Friday, July 28 at 2:30 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Works by FCM Co-curator Anna Thorvaldsdottir (Spectra, Reminiscence I, II, III, IV, V, VI, and VII, Hrim, Aequilibria, and Ró) highlight this program. Kurtág’s 12 Microludes and Six Moments Musicaux also are performed.
Saturday, July 29 at 4 p.m. Linde Center
TLI Presents: A Curated Concert by Reena Esmail (FCM Co-curator), featuring Indian classical vocalist Saili Oak, in an all-Esmail program.
Saturday, July 29 at 6 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Prelude Concert with the Tanglewood Music Center
Ozawa Hall & Lawn, photo by Stu Rosner.
Sunday, July 30 at 10 a.m. Ozawa Hall
Interspersed with music by FCM Co-curator Tebogo Monnakgotla (It is the Lark that Sings, Five Pieces for String Trio, Le dormeur du val, Toys [or The Wonderful World of Clara], and Companion) are works by Malin Bång (Arching), Andile Khumalo (Schaufe[r]nster II), and Bent Sørensen (The Lady of Shalott).
Sunday, July 30 at 8 p.m. Linde Center
Experience a silent film screening of a score written by TMC Composition Fellows and performed live by TMC Fellows
Monday, July 31 at 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
Works by all four curators are featured in the closing concert, with Stefan Asbury and TMC Conducting Fellows leading the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in Esmail’s RE / Member, Thorvaldsdottir’s METACOSMOS, Monnakgotla’s Un Clin d’oeil, and Frank’s Walkabout: Concerto for Orchestra.
For more information about the Tanglewood 2023 season and to purchase tickets, visit here.
Multi-platinum, R&B icon John Legend will be bringing his talents to New York’s historic Beacon Theatre for a pair of live, mid-week performances dubbed, “An Evening With John Legend.” Scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday on November 7 and 8, this special solo performance will feature intimate reimagining’s of Legend’s greatest hits.
Since the release of his debut in 2004, John Legend has delivered some of music’s most soul-touching records and moments. His 2013 single “All of Me,” hit number 1 on the Billboard charts and the accompanying music video — featuring his wife Chrissy Teigen — has over 2 Billion views on Youtube. Other crowd pleasers will include his Grammy-nominated records “Ordinary People,” from his debut album Get Lifted, and “Tonight.” The latter which featured as the lead single from the soundtrack to the 2012 romantic-comedy film Think Like a Man.
Together with the medley of chart-topping hits, An Evening With John Legend will also include selections from his latest album Legend recently released via Republic Records. Not to mention, unexpected stories from the legendary musician’s life and career.
Ticket sales will begin with an artist presale on Wednesday, May 17 at 10 a.m. until Thursday, May 18 at 10 p.m. before the general on-sale on Friday, May 19 at 10 a.m. at LiveNation.com.
The American Classical Orchestra (ACO), New York City’s leading period instrument orchestra, announced its 2023-24 season of four orchestral concerts led by Founder and Artistic Director Thomas Crawford. The season opens November 16, 2023 and will conclude May 8, 2024. Additionally, there will be an exclusive preseason performance for its subscribers only.
Three out of the four performances will take place at Alice Tully Hall and one will be held at the Corpus Christi Church.
Featured soloists include award-winning violinist Augusta McKay Lodge; soprano Nola Richardson; Grammy-nominated Reginald Mobley; active Bach interpreter tenor; First Prize winner in the Oratorio Society of New York’s Lyndon Woodside Oratorio-Solo Competition, bass Steven Eddy; oboist, noted historical instrument expert, ASCAP Award-winner, and Juilliard faculty member Gonzalo Ruiz; and early music artist Adam Cockerham, a specialist in theorbo, lute and Baroque guitar.
“This season, the ACO programs three pillars of classical repertoire: Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, Mozart’s Jupiter, and the Bach B Minor Mass featuring our acclaimed ACO Chorus,” said Founder and Artistic Director Thomas Crawford. “Hearing 18th-century masterpieces played with passion, live in New York and on period instruments, is our greatest joy.”
Pre-season performance:La musica notturna di Madrid
Thursday, September 28, 2023, 7 pm at the Salmagundi Club, 47 Fifth Avenue
Adam Cockerham, Baroque guitar
Luigi Boccherini: Guitar Quintet in C Major, Op. 30, No. 6, G. 324, “La musica notturna delle strade di Madrid”
Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto for Strings in G Major, RV 151
Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto for Strings in G Minor, RV 157
This special pre-season chamber music performance for subscribers only presents an ACO string ensemble at the Salmagundi Club, a historic arts center on the National Register of Historic Places. The musicians are joined by Baroque guitar virtuoso Adam Cockerham,Associate Music Director of the Academy of SacredDrama. The program opens with Boccherini’s Guitar Quintet, initially written for strings, a work quite popular in Spain during the composer’s lifetime.
Season Opening: Premier coup d’archet
Thursday, November 16, 2023, 7:30 pm at Alice Tully Hall
Thomas Crawford, conductor
Augusta McKay Lodge, violin
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 31 in D Major, K. 297/300a “Paris”
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 “Pastorale”
Ludwig van Beethoven: Romance for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 in G Major, Op. 40
The title of this program, premier coup d’archet (first stroke of the bow), refers to a device whereby all the instruments play together at the start of a symphony—a practice popular at the time and one that Mozart used to great success in his Symphony No. 31. The work, written while the 22-year-old composer was looking for work in Paris, received hearty applause at its 1778 premiere. Beethoven’s elegant Romance in G Major for Violin and Orchestra features young virtuoso Augusta McKay Lodge. The evening concludes with Beethoven’sPastoral Symphony, loved for its portrayals of sounds of nature, including birds, a brook, and a thunderstorm. The ACO offers an authentic look at Beethoven’s vision by the use of natural hunting horns, leather timpani, and 18th century Austrian woodwind instruments.
Gesù Nato
Thursday, December 14, 2023, 7 pm at Corpus Christi Church, W. 121 St. between Broadway & Amsterdam
Thomas Crawford, conductor
Antonio Bencini: Gesù Nato
Antonio Gianettini: Magnificat
Antonio Bencini’s Gesù Nato marks what is likely the modern premiere of the full work ofthis lost 1742 Christmas oratorio manuscript by the little-known composer who premiered it in Bologna before it was shelved at the Vatican Library for three centuries. The work features vocal soloists, a choir, and an orchestra of trumpets, oboes, and strings. Antonio Gianettini’s version of the Magnificat, also known as the Canticle of Mary, is a prayer of praise to God found in the Gospel of Luke. It has been used in the daily prayers of the Catholic Church, and set to music by many composers. Gianettini—an Italian organist, concertmaster and composer—was considered to be one of the most talented composers of his era.
This performance is a co-production of the ACO and The Academy of Sacred Drama, founded in 2013 by ACO violinist and scholar Jeremy Rhizor. The Organization is dedicated to Baroque oratorio that draws its stories from biblical tales and the lives of saints.
American Classical Orchestra 2023-24 season
B Minor Mass
Thursday, March 7, 2024, 7:30 pm at Alice Tully Hall
Thomas Crawford, conductor
Nola Richardson, soprano
Reginald Mobley, countertenor
Steven Soph, tenor
Steven Eddy, bass
ACO Chorus
Johann Sebastian Bach: Mass in B Minor, BWV 232
Bach’s Mass in B Minor was one of the composer’s last achievements, completed a year before his death in 1749. A musical setting of the complete Latin Mass, this monumental work presents nine arias and duets, 14 ensemble sections for vocal groups of various sizes, and a range of instrumental solos in numerous styles. Based largely on Bach’s earlier pieces, this mass is one of his best-loved vocal works. The orchestra is joined by the renowned ACO Chorus, comprised of professional vocalists from the New York metro area. Featured soloists will be soprano Nola Richardson, countertenor Reginald Mobley, tenor Steven Soph, and bass Steven Eddy.
Astronomical
Wednesday, May 8, 2024, 7:30 pm at Alice Tully Hall
Thomas Crawford, conductor
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551 “Jupiter”
William Herschel: Oboe Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major
Johan Daniel Berlin: Concerto á 5 in A Major
C.P.E. Bach: Symphony in B Minor, H661 Wq182/5
Gonzalo Ruiz, oboe
The “astronomical” theme of this program is inspired by Mozart’s ”Jupiter” Symphony, Herschel’s telescopes, and Berlin’s meteorological observations/alias composer roles. The concert begins with Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony, his longest and final symphony. Widely considered to be his strongest work and perhaps his most popular symphony, it is notable for its deft weaving of Classical and Baroque musical forms. Before the 18th century composer William Herschel played oboe and violin, he was an accomplished astronomer who built his own telescope and discovered the planet Uranus in 1781.
His 1780 three-movement Oboe Concerto No. 1, written in the style of Corelli or Handel concerti grossi, features soloist Gonzalo Ruiz, a Juilliard faculty member and expert in historical reedmaking techniques, of which more than two dozen are on permanent display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Carl Philipp Emanuel (C.P.E.) Bach’s Symphony in B Minor follows next. Johann Sebastian Bach’s 5th child and one of the foremost clavier players in Europe, C.P.E. wrote the work during the German literature period of Sturm und Drang, when he created short pieces inspired by individualism.
Finally, the evening closes with German-born Rococo composer Johan Daniel Berlin’s Concerto á 5 in A Major. In 1737 Berlin became the town musician of Trondheim, Norway. In addition, he was a fire brigade captain, land surveyor, founding member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters, and made a series of meteorological and astronomical observations. Today he is regarded as one of Norway’s first known composers, although few of his works remain.
For details and tickets for American Classical Orchestra 2023-24 season, click here.
