The Boston Symphony Orchestra has announced two major investments in its summer home in the Berkshires, including a new building project and the establishment of the Tanglewood Learning Institute.
Plans call for a new complex of four connected buildings, constructed on the hilltop overlooking Seiji Ozawa Hall, as well as wide-ranging education and enrichment programs for adult learners.
Hear an interview with BSO Managing Director Mark Volpe and Artistic Administrator and Director of Tanglewood Tony Fogg:
The BSO will break ground for the new complex following the 2017 summer season, with an opening scheduled for the spring of 2019. With an existing 100-foot-tall Red Oak at its center, the four buildings will be anchored by a 200-seat performance and rehearsal space (Studio 1) with a full glass wall at the back of the stage offering a view on the surrounding landscape. The bottom segment of the wall opens to the surroundings, recalling the moveable “barn door” at the back of Ozawa Hall.
This space will accommodate an audience of 200 for performances, and with a flexible floor plan will also be available for rehearsals of large ensembles, lectures, dinners, and other events. Studio 1 will also be outfitted with cutting-edge audio-visual technology to facilitate recording and distance learning projects.
Other buildings in the complex include Studios 2 and 3, each of them a smaller rehearsal space, and a Café with a capacity of 150 patrons. The complex will be Tanglewood’s first structure designed with full climate control, opening up possibilities for year-round use.
Upon completion of the buildings in 2019, the Tanglewood Learning Institute (TLI) will launch its first summer of programs. Designed in conjunction with BSO and TMC activities, seminars and panel discussions will illuminate aspects of history and culture relating to the music performed during concerts at the festival. These programs will feature many of the great minds and personalities already present throughout the summer at Tanglewood, connecting thematic threads and ideas to create a substantially more complete cultural experience.
For more information about these new investments and initiatives, visit the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
