FILE – In this July 7, 2006 file photo, Michael Van Parks (left) pouring wine with friends, Bill Beeman (center) and Don Usher (right), throughout West Hartford, Connecticut, while having a picnic on the Tanglewood lawn makes in Lenox, Mass. before the start of the opening night of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The Boston Symphony Orchestra announced Friday, March 19, 2021 that its 2021 outdoor season at Tanglewood, the summer home of the prestigious Symphony in the Berkshires, western Massachusetts, will see a return to personal live from July 9 to August 16 Will include concerts. The event was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
FILE – In this file photo dated July 9, 2004, Kurt Masur conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra on the season’s opening night at Tanglewood, Lenox, Massachusetts. The Boston Symphony Orchestra announced on Friday, March 19, 2021 that its 2021 outdoor season will be held in Tanglewood, U.S. The acclaimed Symphony’s summer home in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts is offering a return to personal from July 9 through August 16 Live concerts. The event was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you’re a classical music fan, this is music to your ears: one of the country’s premier summer festivals is returning after the coronavirus pandemic silenced it for the first time since World War II.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra announced Friday that its 2021 outdoor season at Tanglewood, the summer home of the prestigious Symphony in the Berkshires, western Massachusetts, will include a return to in-person live concerts from July 9 to August 16.
Concerts in Tanglewood, where fans spread blankets on manicured lawns, sip wine and picnic under the stars, have been a summer rite in New England since 1937.
But the pandemic forced organizers to cancel the 2020 festival, switch to online appearances, and mute a tradition that draws nearly 350,000 visitors annually from around the world and adds $ 100 million to the region’s economy. Until last year, the live music had flowed practically uninterrupted and was not finally canceled until 1943 at the height of the Second World War.
“I’m sure we will all experience the incredible power of music on a whole new level,” said Andris Nelsons, the BSO’s music director, in a statement.
“I hope that at this moment we will discover an even deeper meaning and purpose for the music in our lives together – as it is sure to fill our hearts and renew our spirits,” he said.
The orchestra said contactless ticketing, strict cleaning protocols, mask wear and social distancing will be in place for the festival, which will cut its usual 12-week run to roughly half. All performances will be shortened to 80 minutes or less without interruption, and the concert details would be announced next month.
