Tanglewood Music Festival, Lenox MA

The number-one summer activity in Lenox MA is, of course, the Tanglewood Music Festival, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO).

Since 1934 the concerts have been held in July and August on the grounds of Tanglewood, a fine estate about a mile from the center of Lenox out in the Berkshire Hills.

The main concert venue is the amusingly-named Koussevitsky Music Shed, a simple but spacious hall capable of holding an entire Mahler-sized symphony orchestra—some "shed!"

Many chamber music and ensemble performances and solo recitals are held in the modern Seiji Ozawa Hall near the Music Shed.

In addition to the seasoned musicians from the BSO, there are performances by the young and extremely promising musicians who attend the Tanglewood Music Center for study and advanced training.

Maestros Seiji Ozawa, former music director of the BSO, and Leonard Bernstein of the New York Philharmonic, were once among this young up-and-coming elite.

For the full schedule, see the BSO website.

End of August/early September brings the Tanglewood Jazz Festival with headline acts such as Dr. John, Wynton Marsalis, Elvis Costello, Dave Brubeck, Ann Hampton Callaway, Irma Thomas, Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band,
The Big Three Palladium Orchestra, The Spanish Harlem Orchestra, and Marian McPartland. More...

Tours
Special excursions to Tanglewood concerts are offered by various tour companies, making it easy to attend even from Boston, even if you don't have a car.

If You Go...
If you drive to Tanglewood for one of the BSO concerts, here are some tips to make things easier.

1. Expect heavy highway traffic on the Mass Pike (Massachusetts turnpike, I-90). Don't expect to be able to go full-speed all the way to the Lee exit.

2. Plan to get to Tanglewood by 6 pm or earlier (concerts usually begin at 8:30 pm).

3. Bring your picnic supper—that's what everyone does, and that's why the parking lots fill up early, and that's why no one minds getting there 3 hours before the concert begins. Spread a blanket on the grass outside the Music Shed and enjoy a beautiful evening.

4. Expect a tremendous jam of traffic after the concert. The flood is ably directed by Tanglewood staff, but the exodus takes time nonetheless. You may just want to wander the grassy grounds for awhile until the roads clear.

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