Boston Symphony Orchestra

On October 22, 1881, the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) gave its inaugural concert, realizing the dream of its founder, the Civil War veteran, philanthropist, and businessman Henry Lee Higginson, who envisioned his hometown having its own major orchestra. Today, the BSO reaches audiences in the millions through its concerts at Boston Symphony Hall, which opened in 1900, its annual summer residency at Tanglewood, worldwide tours, and the streaming platform BSO NOW, as well as through the Internet, television, radio, and recordings. The Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons has served as Music Director since 2014. His predecessors included such illustrious Principal Conductors as Arthur Nikisch, Pierre Monteux, Serge Koussevitzky, Charles Münch, Seiji Ozawa, and James Levine. Among the major joint projects Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra are working on is a multi-award-winning Shostakovich cycle, which will continue in the 2023-24 season with the opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. Other season highlights include Messiaen’s Turangalîla Symphony, the complete Beethoven piano concertos with Paul Lewis, and 14 works by contemporary composers, including a world premiere by Tania León. The orchestra develops the audiences of the future through the BSO Youth and Family Concerts and with the Tanglewood Music Center operates one of the premier training grounds for young professionals. Members of the orchestra comprise the Boston Symphony Chamber Music Players and the Boston Pops Orchestra, which offer programs devoted to chamber music and lighter music, respectively.

Lucerne Festival (IMF) debut on 27 August 1979 with works by Bartók, Respighi, and Ravel conducted by Seiji Ozawa.

July 2023