Yo Yo Ma at Tanglwood

We the People events are listed chronologically below: 

·         New! Free Parading to Tanglewood events (Aug. 1 & 2): 

·                     A Sunrise Gathering at Bousquet Mountain. We begin the week by welcoming the sun, a reminder that music reconnects us with nature and each other. Participants will hike (or take the chairlift) up the mountain and join a special experience led by Passamaquoddy musician and educator Chris Newell, with Tanglewood musicians, Nipmuc flutist Hawk Henries, and Berkshire-area artists. This event is produced in partnership with Mill Town, Bousquet Mountain, and Berkshire Natural Resources Council. Registration is required, and free tickets are available at bso.org (Sat., Aug. 1, 5:30 a.m., with hike and chair lift operation beginning at 4:45 a.m.). 

·                     A Gathering at Berkshire Busk!, with Tanglewood musicians joining the popular weekly outdoor street performance series in Great Barrington’s Triplex Courtyard. Performers include TMC Fellows, BUTI musicians, and third-generation fiddle player Ida Mae Specker. No registration is required to attend (Sat., Aug. 1, 6:30 p.m.). 

·                     A Gathering at Community Day at the Village, with TMC Fellows marking the 200th anniversary of Hancock Shaker Village’s iconic Round Stone Barn. This free event features music from across Tanglewood and the Berkshires, interspersed with games and crafts for kids, tours of the historic buildings, visits with the farm animals, food trucks, fresh cider donuts, and more. No registration is required to attend (Sun., Aug. 2, 12 p.m.).

·         New! TLI for Families: Listening to the Land: Passamaquoddy educator and musician Chris Newell joins Vermont fiddler and teaching artist Ida Mae Specker for a new interactive children’s concert premiering this summer. Songs, stories, and rhythm games invite families to experience how music connects people to community, culture, and the natural world – and celebrates the role of children in our present and future (Sun., Aug. 2, 10:30 a.m.).

·         Tanglewood on Parade, a full afternoon and evening of music, activities, and celebrations, this year curated by Ma, in a reimagining of the grand tradition of Serge Koussevitzky’s original Tanglewood on Parade (Tues., Aug. 4, gates open at 2 p.m.). Click here for a full schedule of the day. Highlights include: 

o        New! Ma performs Brahms Sextet No. 2 in G, Op. 36 with BSO Concertmaster Nathan Cole, TMC Director and violist Ed Gazouleas, and three TMC Fellows (6 p.m., Shed) 

o        Square dancing on the Tanglewood lawn (7 p.m.) 

o        A grand parade of musicians to the Shed (7:45 p.m.) 

o        The customary evening concert with the BSO, Boston Pops and TMCO opens with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral,” performed without a conductor, and also includes BSO Assistant Conductor Samy Rachid and BSO Principal Flute Lorna McGhee performing works by Allison Loggins-Hull, Copland, and Tchaikovsky. Please note, this concert is ticketed (8 p.m., Shed). 

·         A Talks and Walks interview facilitated by BSO Vice President of Artistic Planning Anthony Fogg featuring Stockbridge-Munsee composer Brent Michael Davids and Passamaquoddy educator and singer Chris Newell  (Thurs., Aug. 6, 1 p.m., Tent Club). 

·         Tanglewood Recital Series: The Cellists of the Boston Symphony Orchestra: A one-of-a-kind program of music for multiple cellos with Ma and the cellists of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Ma has enjoyed a close relationship with the BSO cello section for many years, frequently joining them for encores and special appearances; their chamber music recital models collaboration, democracy, and balance between the individual and the community (Thurs., Aug. 6, 8 p.m., Ozawa Hall). 

·         Yo-Yo Ma and Renaud Capuçon perform Brahms and Fauré: Gratitude and Friendship: BSO Assistant Conductor Samy Rachid leads Ma and acclaimed French violinist Renaud Capuçon in Brahms’ Double Concerto for violin, cello, and orchestra, a musical gift of reconciliation. The program also offers Fauré’s Cantique de Jean Racine with Berkshire Lyric Chorus (Jack Brown, conductor) and Brahms’ String Sextet No. 2 in G, Op. 36 (arranged by Atterberg). The program is an expression of gratitude for the friends that have helped us transcend our darkest moments, and an offering of historical wisdom in this time of fragmentation (Fri., Aug. 7, 8 p.m., Shed). 

·         TLI Spotlight Series: Heather Cox Richardson and Bryan Stevenson: Historian Heather Cox Richardson and founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative Bryan Stevenson discuss our shared past, present, and future in a first-ever public conversation (Sat., Aug. 8, 5 p.m., Ozawa Hall) 

·         An American Journey with Yo-Yo Ma and Friends: Ma, the BSO, and special guests including iconic multi-platinum award-winning singer-songwriter James Taylor (new!), historian Heather Cox Richardson (new!), Equal Justice Initiative Director Bryan Stevenson (new!), Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan (of the bands Crooked Still and I’m With Her), and Emmy-nominated Native American vocalist Jennifer Kreisberg (a founding member of the Native women’s trio ULALI) explore American music and how it reflects the nation’s triumphs, tragedies, and vitality. Teddy Abrams, Music Director of the Louisville Orchestra, and Ken-David Masur, former BSO Associate Conductor, lead the program, which includes Copland’s Fanfare and Finale from Symphony No. 3, Ives’ The Unanswered Question, Herbert’s Cello Concerto No. 2: Finale, and Copland’s Finale from Symphony No. 3 (Sat., Aug. 8, 8 p.m., Shed). 

·         Yo-Yo Ma, Arooj Aftab, Karen Ouzounian, Kayhan Kalhor, and Christine Lee perform Tavener, Kalhor, and Golijov: Our Future Together: Rachid shares the podium with his fellow BSO Assistant Conductor Anna Handler, both of whom conclude their terms with the BSO at the end of the Tanglewood season. The program looks to the future with three modern compositions that feature cellists: Ma joins in Tavener’s Mahámátar, for cello, voice, chorus, and orchestra with Grammy-winning vocalist Arooj Aftab and the BUTI Chorus. Cellist Karen Ouzounian, a member of the Silkroad Ensemble, joins Iranian-American composer and kamancheh player Kayhan Kalhor in his Venus in the Mirror, for kamancheh, cello, and orchestra. BSO cellist Christine Lee is the soloist in Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov’s Azul, for cello and orchestra, a BSO commission from 2006. A testament to the extraordinary power of human creativity, the program celebrates the diversity that has always been central to the American experience (Sun., Aug. 9, 2:30 p.m., Shed with a ticketed Open Rehearsal on Sat., Aug. 8 at 10:30 a.m.). 

Statement from Yo-Yo Ma: 

“I am grateful to the BSO for this opportunity to share some of what has helped me to understand how I fit into this American experiment. I hope that this week of music by the people, for the people, and of the people will inspire us to imagine our country’s next 250 years and more.” 

Statement from Chad Smith, BSO President and CEO: 

"The We the People concerts, conversations, and events that Yo-Yo Ma has curated this August at Tanglewood represent the most exciting series of programs we have offered in recent memory. Guided by his inimitable curiosity and inclusive spirit, Yo-Yo has approached the role of curator with enormous thought and care, assembling an eclectic roster of guests from near and far and across genres to share their diverse perspectives on the American story. We are so grateful to Yo-Yo for collaborating with our musicians, conductors, and many members of the BSO staff to co-create a model for the future of artist-led programming at Tanglewood. Together, this remarkable week of programs inspires us to reflect on the essential role of artists and the arts in our society and their power to build community."

New! Other Program Updates

·         Berkshire Day, offering free BSO tickets to Berkshires residents, planned for Sunday, July 19 

·         Four free Community Concerts by local performers at Tanglewood on Sundays July 12, July 26, August 9, and August 16 

·         Guests confirmed for weekly TLI Talks & Walks programs on Thursday afternoons July 2–August 20 

·         New Tanglewood Teens initiative welcomes Berkshire County high school students on Friday nights July 17–August 14 

·         Second TLI for Families Peter and the Wolf performance added on July 26 at 1 p.m. 

On Sunday, July 19, Tanglewood hosts the annual Berkshire Day, offering free Shed tickets to the 2:30 p.m. concert to residents and property owners of Berkshire County. BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons leads the extraordinary pianist Daniil Trifonov and BSO Principal Trumpet Thomas Rolfs in Shostakovich’s witty Piano Concerto No. 1. The program also offers Haydn’s contemplative Symphony No. 22, The Philosopher, with its striking horn chorale, and Beethoven’s exuberant Symphony No. 2 Preceding the BSO concert, artists from Barrington Stage Company, Berkshire Busk!, Berkshire Brazil, Clara Guatta, Eagles Band, and Kids 4 Harmony give a free performance on the Tanglewood grounds beginning at 12 p.m. 

Berkshire Day tickets may be picked up starting on Monday, July 13 in person at the Main Gate Box Office. Residents must show identification to establish Berkshire County residency or property ownership. 

In addition to the free performance on Berkshire Day, Tanglewood offers free Community Concerts featuring local musicians and ensembles on four Sundays at 1 p.m. at the Chamber Music Hall. Performers for each date are listed below: 

·         7/12: Barington Stage Company 

·         7/26: Clara Guatta 

·         8/9: Berkshire Concert Choir 

·         8/16: Berkshire Hills Chorus 

Guests are now confirmed for the TLI Talks & Walks programs, moderated each Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. in the Tent Club by BSO Vice-President of Artistic Planning Anthony Fogg.  

·         7/2: Emanuel Ax, pianist 

·         7/9: Erin Morley, soprano  

·         7/16: Carlos Simon, BSO Composer Chair  

·         7/23: Lesley Rosenthal, Chief Operating Officer, The Juilliard School 

·         7/30: Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano 

·         8/6: Chris Newell, educator and singer, and Brent Michael Davids, composer 

·         8/13: Marin Alsop, conductor 

·         8/20: Thomas Wilkins, BSO Artistic Partner and Youth & Family Concerts conductor 

A new Tanglewood Teens initiative welcomes Berkshire County high school students on Friday nights at 5:30 p.m. from July 17 to August 14. There will be a Tanglewood Teen VIP area on the lawn, games, and an opportunity for students to mingle and make connections. All participants will be eligible for free tickets to the 8 p.m. BSO concert that night. Select high school ambassadors will represent Tanglewood Teens, ushering fellow students to the VIP area and facilitating social engagement. 

Tanglewood Learning Institute adds a second performance of TLI for Families: Peter and the Wolf on Sunday, July 26 at 1 p.m. The 10:30 a.m. performance the same day is sold out.

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How to Obtain Tickets

Tanglewood.org is the official site for all Tanglewood tickets. All events mentioned in this release are currently on sale through the website. 

Tickets also may be purchased by calling 888-266-1200 on Monday–Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 12:30–4:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at the Symphony Hall Box Office during regular Box Office hours. 

See above for instructions for Berkshire residents on obtaining free Berkshire Day tickets. The Berkshire Busk and Hancock Shaker Village Parading to Tanglewood events and the four free Community Concerts do not require tickets. Tickets are required for the August 1 Parading to Tanglewood event at Bousquet Mountain and may be reserved for free at tanglewood.org.