BU Tanglewood Institute Announces 2018 Programming
Boston University Tanglewood Institute—One of this Country’s Premiere Training Programs for Aspiring Young Musicians—Announces 2018 Programming, to Take Place at its Summer Home in Lenox, MA, June 17–August 11
Highlights include:
- The Honorable Deval Patrick narrating Copland’s Lincoln Portrait at Seiji Ozawa Hall
- 2018 Visiting Artists conductor Teddy Abrams (BUTI ‘03) and bassist JosephConyers (BUTI ’98)
- Artist-in-Residence composer Nico Muhly (BUTI ’96, ’97)
- Students will perform in John Williams’ Film Night with the Boston Pops
- Community engagement programming in Berkshire County
- Expanded programming for middle school musicians
- An expanded Health & Wellness Program
- Concerts at Tanglewood’s Seiji Ozawa Hall and Koussevitzky Music Shed
Created in 1966 at the invitation of then-BSO music director Erich Leinsdorf, BUTI was developed as an extension of the BSO’s Tanglewood Music Center (TMC), then called the Berkshire Music Center. More than fifty years and thousands of alumni later, BUTI remains a pioneer of musical training, challenging the world’s next generation of artists to perform at the highest level while providing them unparalleled access to the Tanglewood Music Festival.
BUTI Executive Director Hilary Field Respass says, “We’ve learned over the years that BUTI has had an enormous positive impact on the lives of young people from across the country and around the world, and we relish the opportunity to fulfill our mission again with an even bigger group of students this season. BUTI is a unique experience for the young artist community in this country, and we’re excited about our growth in programming and the number of extremely talented students we now serve each year. Our vibrant faculty and student recitals are also one of the highlights of our summer season, nearly all of which are free and open to the public. Please join us!”
Programs and workshops this summer include the full Strings and Orchestra curriculum; Winds & Brass; Percussion; Harp; Voice; Composition; and Piano. An expanded Junior Strings Intensive, launched last summer, will offer middle school violinists, violists, and cellists ages 10–13 the opportunity to advance their technical and musical skills in a small group setting. The Electroacoustic Composition Workshop also returns, and participants will learn cutting-edge electronic composition, mixing, and sound editing techniques.
Over the course of the eight-week program, BUTI students and faculty will offer more than 100 concerts and community events in the Berkshires, including 30 free performances at non-traditional venues such as retirement communities, libraries, and parks.
BUTI’s affiliation with the BSO continues to be an annual highlight of the program. BUTI’s Young Artists Chorus, Young Artists Composition Program, and Young Artists Orchestra will be featured as part of Tanglewood on Parade on August 7 at 4:00 p.m. at the Koussevitzky Music Shed. The Young Artists Chorus will also join the Boston Pops and conductor John Williams for John Williams’ Film Night on August 11 at 8:00 p.m. at the Koussevitzky Music Shed.
Countless renowned musicians have a connection to Tanglewood, but perhaps none more visible than the preeminent composer, conductor, and pianist Leonard Bernstein. Inspired by the depth and breadth of his genius, BUTI will bring his contributions to the forefront in meaningful ways to celebrate the Bernstein Centennial alongside the BSO and TMC throughout the summer. BUTI will perform works written by Bernstein as well as music he was known to bring to Tanglewood’s stages.
BUTI’s Young Artists Chorus, Young Artists Orchestra, and Young Artists Wind Ensemble will perform a series in Seiji Ozawa Hall on the Tanglewood grounds from July 14–August 11. A notable roster of conductors will work with these three ensembles including Paul Haas (BUTI ’87, ’88), Bruce Kiesling, David Martins, Ken-David Masur (BUTI ’96), H. Robert Reynolds, and Katie Woolf (BU ’05).
Continuing the tradition of Visiting Artists, inaugurated during the 50th Anniversary season in summer 2016, this year’s Visiting Artists are conductor Teddy Abrams and bassist Joseph Conyers, Composer Nico Muhly, who has been a Visiting Artist for the past two years, has been named Artist-in-Residence. All of these acclaimed BUTI alumni will be threaded into the daily fabric of the BUTI programs, providing direct instruction to students, including activities like coaching chamber music, teaching private lessons, giving masterclasses, and leading ensemble sectionals. BUTI students will also have the opportunity to engage with these artists through Q&A sessions and other seminars on topics unique to the artist and their personal interests and backgrounds.
Building on the commitment to foster mental and physical health and wellness among the next generations of musicians, BUTI has formally integrated its Health & Wellness Program into the core curriculum, with classes in Injury Prevention, Body Mapping, yoga, Alexander Technique, and The Feldenkrais Method. A seminar in managing performance anxiety will also be offered to students as part of BUTI’s dedication to cultivating healthy mindsets and mental training in this formative stage of young artist development.
During the academic year, BUTI staff travel across the country to recruit the most talented and diverse group of students possible to join us in Lenox to live, learn and make music together all summer. BUTI is especially pleased to welcome students from organizational partners and programs who are accomplishing great work in training students from underrepresented or underserved communities. These include new recruiting partners such as the Boston String Academy (MA), Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (CA), and the Juilliard MAP program (NY) as well as long-time partners such as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Talent Development Program (GA), Sphinx, and the Center for Visual and Performing Arts at Suitland High School (MD).
In addition to these offerings, BUTI offers a robust master class series featuring some of the world’s most esteemed artists, drawn from the roster of the Tanglewood Music Festival and beyond. Recent master classes and question and answer sessions have been given by Lauren Ambrose (BUTI ’94, ’95), Jamie Barton, Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn, Thomas Hampson, Håkan Hardenberger, François Leleux, Yo-Yo Ma, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Morris Robinson (BU ‘01), Dawn Upshaw, Pinchas Zuckerman, and Christian Tetzlaff. Additionally, numerous BSO members and BU School of Music faculty teach master classes each summer.
Summer Concert Series Highlights
June 18–July 31, 2018 | Trinity Church, Lenox
Faculty Recital Series | Free concert series featuring BUTI’s faculty
Saturday, July 14
Young Artists Orchestra with Bruce Kiesling, Conductor | Seiji Ozawa Hall, 2:30 p.m.
BERNSTEIN Symphony No. 2, The Age of Anxiety with Thomas Weaver (BUTI ’08), piano
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 2
Sunday, July 15
Young Artists Wind Ensemble with David Martins, Conductor | Seiji Ozawa Hall, 2:30 p.m.
BERNSTEIN Slava!
WALLACE The Vacant Shore
WOOLFENDEN French Impressions
TOWER Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 3 with Triton Brass
MASLANKA A Child’s Garden of Dreams
Saturday, July 28
Young Artists Orchestra with Paul Haas, Conductor | Seiji Ozawa Hall, 2:30 p.m.
RACHMANINOV Isle of the Dead
STRAVINSKY Le Sacre du printemps
Sunday, July 29
Young Artists Wind Ensemble with H. Robert Reynolds, Conductor | Seiji Ozawa Hall, 2:30 p.m.
BERNSTEIN Overture to Candide
COPLAND Emblems
BERNSTEIN Suite from MASS with Triton Brass
BERNSTEIN Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
COPLAND Lincoln Portrait narrated by The Honorable Governor Deval Patrick
Saturday, August 4
Young Artists Chorus with Katie Woolf, Conductor | Seiji Ozawa Hall, 2:30 p.m.
Including works by BERNSTEIN, BOULANGER, COPLAND, RACHMANINOV, ROSSINI, THOMPSON, VAUGHAN WILLIAMS, and WILLIAMS
Tuesday, August 7
Tanglewood on Parade, Young Artists Programs | Koussevitzky Music Shed, 4:00 p.m.
Featuring students in BUTI’s Young Artists Composition Program, Young Artists Chorus, and Young Artists Orchestra
Friday, August 10 at 6:30pm and Saturday, August 11 at 2:30pm
Opera Scenes, Young Artists Vocal Program | West Street Theatre
Saturday, August 11
Young Artists Orchestra with Ken-David Masur, Conductor | Seiji Ozawa Hall, 2:30 p.m.
MENDELSSOHN Overture to Athalia
DEBUSSY La mer
PROKOFIEV Selections from Romeo and Juliet, Suite Nos. 1 and 2
Saturday, August 11
Members of the Young Artists Chorus join the Boston Pops for John Williams’ Film Night | Koussevitzky Music Shed, 8:00 p.m.
A celebration of the music of Hollywood and beyond, featuring the Boston Pops and BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons
Venues
Chamber Music Hall | 297 West Street, Lenox
Church on the Hill | 169 Main Street, Lenox
Koussevitzky Music Shed | 297 West Street, Lenox
Seiji Ozawa Hall | 297 West Street, Lenox
Trinity Church | 88 Walker Street, Lenox
West Street Theatre | 45 West Street, Lenox
Venues throughout the local Berkshire community
Tickets
Seiji Ozawa Hall Young Artists Orchestra Concerts: $13
Tickets available at bso.org or day-of pickup at the gate.
Tanglewood on Parade and BSO events: Varies
Tickets available at bso.org or day-of pickup at the box office.
All Other Performances: Free Admission
No ticket required.
Performances and repertoire are subject to change. Please visit bu.edu/tanglewood for updated schedules.
BUTI’s 2018 Summer Concert Series is generously sponsored by M&T Bank.