JULY 14 TANGLEWOOD 75TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION WILL SHOWCASE PERFORMANCES BY THE BOSTON SYMPHONY, BOSTON POPS, AND TANGLEWOOD MUSIC CENTER ORCHESTRAS AND APPEARANCES BY JOHN WILLIAMS, KEITH LOCKHART, ANDRIS NELSONS, JAMES TAYLOR, YO-YO MA, EMANUEL AX, PETER SERKIN, ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER, AND OTHER SPECIAL GUESTS

AUGUST 18 JOHN WILLIAMS'S 80TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION TO FEATURE LEONARD SLATKIN, YO-YO MA, GABRIEL MONTERO, JESSYE NORMAN, AND BSO SOLOIST, WITH SURPRISE GUESTS

BSO'S ALL-BEETHOVEN OPENER ON JULY 7 AND ALL-WAGNER PROGRAM ON JULY 21 REPLICATE HISTORIC CONCERTS FROM FIRST TANGLEWOOD SEASON IN 1937, AS PART OF A SEASON-LONG FOCUS ON GREAT MUSICAL MOMENTS OF THE LAST 75 YEARS

75TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON TO PRESENT EIGHT WORLD PREMIERES FEATURING NEW WORKS BY COMPOSERS WITH CLOSE TIES TO TANGLEWOOD: MICHAEL GANDOLF, JOHN HARBISON, ANDRÉ PREVIN, AND GUNTHER SCHULLER, AS WELL AS WORKS BY EDGAR MEYER AND THREE EMERGING YOUNG COMPOSERS

MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE INTERNATIONAL RADIO BROADCASTS OF BSO'S ALL-BEETHOVEN OPENER AND 75TH ANNIVERSARY GALA; FREE TANGLEWOOD MUSIC CENTER MASTER CLASS WEB STREAMING INITIATIVE; AND 75 FREE DIGITAL STREAMS FEATURING MANY OF THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS FROM TANGLEWOOD'S EXCLUSIVE ARCHIVE OF RECORDED PERFORMANCES, AVAILABLE ONE PER DAY EACH DAY OF THE SUMMER, JUNE 20-SEPTEMBER 2

JAMES TAYLOR PERFORMS WITH HIS EXTRAORDINARY BAND FOR THREE SHED CONCERTS 7/2,3&4

HIGHLIGHTS ALSO INCLUDE APPEARANCES BY YO-YO MA WITH HIS SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE 6/22&24; MARK MORRIS DANCE GROUP 6/28&29; CHRIS BOTTI AND HIS BAND AUGUST 5; GERHARD OPPITZ IN BRAHMS'S COMPLETE WORKS FOR SOLO PIANO OVER FOUR EVENINGS 6/18,19,25&26;A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION WITH GARRISON KEILLOR 6/30; AND KEITH LOCKHART WITH BOSTON POPS AND SINGING LEGEND BERNADETTE PETERS 7/8

CONCERNING MUSIC AND SOCIETY: A NEW DISCUSSION SERIES WILL FEATURE PRESENTATIONS ON MUSIC AND TECHNOLOGY AND FILM MUSIC

TICKETS TO THE 2012 TANGLEWOOD SEASON, PRICED FROM $9 TO $117 FOR REGULAR SEASON CONCERTS, GO ON PUBLIC SALE SUNDAY, JANUARY 29

TANGLEWOOD OFFERS FREE LAWN TICKETS TO YOUNG PEOPLE AGE 17 AND UNDER AND A 50% DISCOUNT ON LAWN TICKETS TO COLLEGE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS
TANGLEWOOD 75TH ANNIVERSARY DETAILS ALSO AVAILABLE AT TANGLEWOOD.ORG

Tanglewood, one of the world's most beloved music festivals and the famed summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra located in the beautiful Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts, celebrates its 75th anniversary season, June 22-September 2, with a spectacular lineup of musical guests and programs that spotlight Tanglewood's rich tradition of presenting summertime concerts at their best since 1937.

In addition to replicating some of the greatest musical moments of the last 75 years and presenting eight new works in their world premiere performances, Tanglewood's 75th Anniversary celebration will reach out to a worldwide audience by way of international radio broadcasts and first-ever recording and educational programs presented through tanglewood.org, including an extraordinary offer of 75 Free Digital Streams featuring many of the most memorable musical events from the BSO's rich archive of recorded Tanglewood performances since 1937. These digital streams will be available free of charge for 24 hours on the day of the release, after which they will be available as a download for purchase.

Tickets to the 2012 Tanglewood season, priced from $9 to $117 for regular season concerts, go on public sale Sunday, January 29, through tanglewood.org or by calling SymphonyCharge at 888-266-1200. Tanglewood continues to offer free lawn tickets to young people age 17 and under and a 50% discount on lawn tickets to college and graduate students.

TWO STAR-STUDDED GALAS, JULY 14 AND AUGUST 18, FRAME TANGLEWOOD'S 75TH CELEBRATION

Stars from the classical music world and beyond will join in the Tanglewood 75th celebration by taking part in two special gala concerts on July 14 and August 18. The July 14 gala will feature the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, and Tanglewood Music Center orchestras, with performances by Emanuel Ax, Yo-Yo Ma, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Peter Serkin, longtime Tanglewood friend James Taylor, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and other special guests, led by conductors John Williams, Keith Lockhart, and Andris Nelsons. This program will be made available to a worldwide audience through a series of international broadcasts, details of which will be announced at a later date.

Boston Pops Laureate Conductor John Williams, arguably the most well-known composer of his generation with many of the most memorable film scores of the 20th and 21st centuries to his credit, will be feted on the occasion of his 80th birthday year with a Boston Pops concert featuring classical music luminaries Yo-Yo Ma, Gabriela Montero, Jessye Norman, and Leonard Slatkin, along with performances by several Boston Symphony soloists who will be featured in Mr. Williams's concert works.

BSO'S ALL-BEETHOVEN OPENER ON JULY 6 AND ALL-WAGNER CONCERT ON JULY 21 REPLICATE PROGRAMS FROM BSO'S FIRST TANGLEWOOD SEASON IN 1937

The Boston Symphony's opening night concert of the 2012 Tanglewood season will set the tone for the 75th anniversary season with a program, under the direction of Christoph von Dohnányi-himself a Conducting Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center in 1952-that replicates the very first BSO concert that took place on the Tanglewood grounds on August 5, 1937: an all-Beethoven program, opening with the Leonore Overture No. 3, followed by Symphony No. 6, Pastoral, and Symphony No. 5. This program will be made available to a worldwide audience through a series of international broadcasts, details of which will be announced at a later date.

A Boston Symphony all-Wagner program on July 21, featuring some of the best-known orchestral excerpts from Tristan und Isolde, Siegfried, Die Walküre, Parsifal, and Tannhäuser, under the direction of Wagner specialist Asher Fisch, will harken back to one of the most storied concerts from the orchestra's first Tanglewood season in 1937, when a torrential downpour caused the August 12, 1937 all-Wagner concert to be interrupted three times, necessitating a shortening of the program due to leaks in the tent where the orchestra performed its first season. This seemingly disastrous event triggered a happy outcome when funds raised immediately on the spot and soon thereafter were pledged toward building a permanent performance structure for the BSO-the historic Tanglewood Music Shed, which opened in the summer of 1938, and was rechristened the Koussevitzky Music Shed on the occasion of its 50th anniversary in 1988.

These programs are just two examples of what will be a season-long focus on many of the great musical moments of Tanglewood's first 75 years.

TANGLEWOOD'S 75TH REACHES OUT TO A WORLDWIDE AUDIENCE WITH INTERNATIONAL RADIO BROADCASTS AND 75 FREE DOWNLOADS THROUGH BSO.ORG

With an audience of visitors from the northeastern U.S., as well as around the country and across the globe, the Boston Symphony Orchestra will bring Tanglewood's 75th-anniversary celebration to music fans worldwide through international radio broadcasts of the BSO's all-Beethoven opener on July 6 and the 75th Anniversary Gala on July 14; 75 Free Digital Streams offered throughout the summer at bso.org; and free streaming at bso.org of master classes and concerts by the Fellows of the Tanglewood Music Center (TMC), the BSO's renowned summer music academy for the advanced training of young professional-caliber musicians.

75 Free Digital Streams throughout the summer at bso.org

In an extraordinary, first-time-ever offer, Tanglewood will mark its 75th anniversary by offering 75 Free Digital Streams, one each day of the summer, June 20-September 2. These free streams will feature memorable musical events and guest artist appearances from the 75-year history of the festival, including outstanding performances by the BSO, Boston Pops, and Fellows of the Tanglewood Music Center, many of whom went on to have major careers and perform in the world's most prestigious concert halls and opera houses. These digital streams will be available free of charge for 24 hours on the day of the release, after which they will be available as a download for purchase.

The repertoire for the 75 Free Digital Streams will be chosen from a vast array of programs and artists and will feature some of the legendary performances in the history of the festival, including concerts with many of the greatest conductors, composers, and performing artists of the 20th and 21st centuries; world and American premieres that introduced important new works that have lived on through repeat performances the world over; extraordinary instrumental and vocal artists in recital and chamber music concerts; highlights of Boston Pops concerts under Arthur Fiedler, John Williams, and Keith Lockhart; and some of Tanglewood's most iconic performances by artists from the worlds of popular culture and Jazz.

BSO.ORG TO STREAM TANGLEWOOD MUSIC CENTER MASTER CLASSES AND CONCERTS

A series of Tanglewood Music Center master classes aimed toward inspiring the next generation of aspiring musicians will be made available to a worldwide audience by way of a free digital stream at tanglewood.org.

These tanglewood.org streams will capture BSO concertmaster Malcolm Lowe working with the gifted young violinists of the TMC in a session devoted to the art and skill set of being a concertmaster and leader of a violin section; world-renowned mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe coaching some of today's finest young singers, many of whom are already engaged in or on the cusp of careers in the world's opera houses and concert halls; BSO principal trumpet Thomas Rolfs and BSO second trumpet Benjamin Wright teaching the skills and dynamics involved in building a trumpet section that works together toward a unified goal of performance standards; and a conductor master class, details of which will be announced at a later date.

The Tanglewood Music Center was founded in 1940 by Serge Koussevitzky as a training ground for the next generation of classical musicians, who, during their stay at Tanglewood, would have the benefit of training from BSO musicians, an impressive roster of faculty, and many of the prestigious artists who perform at Tanglewood each summer. It is considered to be one of the leading schools of its kind in the world.

BSO BRINGS ALL-BEETHOVEN OPENER AND ANNIVERSARY GALA TO WORLDWIDE AUDIENCE THROUGH SERIES OF INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTS AND LIVE STREAM AT TANGLEWOOD.ORG

The BSO's all-Beethoven concert, under the direction of Christoph von Dohnányi, replicating the first-ever BSO concert on the Tanglewood grounds in 1937, and the 75TH Anniversary Gala Concert with the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, and Tanglewood Music Center orchestras, and performances by Emanuel Ax, Yo-Yo Ma, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Peter Serkin, longtime Tanglewood friend James Taylor, and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, led by conductors John Williams, Keith Lockhart, and Andris Nelsons, will be made available to a worldwide audience through an international series of radio broadcasts, details of which will be announced at a later date.

EIGHT TANGLEWOOD 75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMISSIONS TO RECEIVE THEIR WORLD PREMIERES IN 2012

Continuing the BSO's rich tradition of marking special anniversaries with the commissioning of new music, the Tanglewood 75TH Anniversary Season will showcase the world premieres of eight new works, many by composers who have a strong connection with Tanglewood and the BSO, including:

*Michael Gandolfi was a Tanglewood Music Center (TMC) fellow in 1986 and has been on the TMC faculty since 1997, most recently serving as Composition Program Coordinator. The BSO was involved in the commissioning of his Impressions from 'The Garden of Cosmic Speculation' and the Boston Symphony Chamber Players premiered his Plain Song, Fantastic Dances in 2005. He is currently composing a work for organ and orchestra-a BSO commission to be premiered in 2015.

* John Harbison has long been a BSO collaborator, with many of his works commissioned and/or premiered by the orchestra. The relationship is highlighted by the BSO's two-year cycle of his symphonies, which culminates in the world premiere of his Symphony No. 6 in January 2012. The composer also has close ties with the Tanglewood Music Center, holding several different titles over the years, including Director of the Festival of Contemporary Music Festival. Mr. Harbison most recently served as TMC Composition Program Chairman.

*André Previn first appeared as a BSO guest conductor in 1977 and the orchestra has premiered three of his works since. Previn's Owls (a BSO commission) was unveiled in 2008. The composer's Double Concerto for Violin and Double Bass was premiered by Anne-Sophie Mutter and Roman Patkoló in 2007, and his Violin Concerto "Written for Anne-Sophie Mutter" received its world premiere in 2002. The Boston Symphony Chamber Players premiered André Previn's Octet for Eleven in 2010.

*Gunther Schuller has led the BSO on numerous occasions, first appearing as a guest conductor in 1964. The orchestra premiered his symphony-like Where the Word Ends, a BSO 125th Anniversary Commission, in 2009 and his DEAI, a BSO commission, was premiered in Japan by the BSO in 1978. Mr. Schuller followed Aaron Copland as head of the TMC Composition Faculty in 1964, and from 1966-1984 he was Director of the Composition Department, during which time he also directed the Festival of Contemporary Music. In 1970 he also took on the title of Co-Director of the TMC.

The 75th anniversary premieres will also include a new work by Edgar Meyer, as well as composers new to the BSO and its audiences. These include new works by Tanglewood Music Center alums South Korean Ju Ri Seo, (TMC class of 2011); American Adam Roberts, (TMC class of 2011); and Israeli Matti Kovler (TMC class of 2008). Additional 75th anniversary commissions will be presented in subsequent Tanglewood seasons.

JAMES TAYLOR AT TANGLEWOOD JULY 2, 3 AND 4

James Taylor and his extraordinary band of musicians will make their greatly anticipated Independence Day weekend appearances, with concerts on July 2, 3, and 4, with fireworks following the July 4 performance. Always a highlight of any Tanglewood summer, James Taylor has performed at the festival during 20 seasons since his first Tanglewood concert 38 years ago on July 30, 1974. Proceeds from this summer's July 4 concert will benefit Tanglewood.

75 TREES, A TANGLEWOOD 75 POSTER AND COMMEMORATIVE STAMP, AND A NEW DISCUSSION SERIES: CONCERNING MUSIC AND SOCIETY

A new discussion series, Concerning Music and Society, will feature a critics' forum as well as a discussion on music and one on technology and film music. Further details will be announced at a later date.

75 new trees will be planted throughout the Tanglewood grounds enhancing what is already considered one of the most beautiful festival grounds anywhere in the world.                               

MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTS OF TANGLEWOOD 75TH

Highlights include Anne-Sophie Mutter as soloist/conductor for an all-Mozart program (July 13) and Pinchas Zukerman as soloist/conductor for an all-Bach program (August 10). Yo-Yo Ma presents his Silk Road Ensemble (June 22 and 24) and is also soloist with the BSO (August 11). Returning guests also include Joshua Bell (July 7), Yefim Bronfman (August 4), Christoph von Dohnányi (July 6 & August 4, 7, & 12), Charles Dutoit (July 28 & 29), Nelson Freire (July 27), Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos (August 19, 25, & 26), Lorin Maazel (August 3&5), Gil Shaham (August 19), and Jean-Yves Thibaudet (August 5). In Ozawa Hall, Gerhard Oppitz performs Brahms's complete solo piano music; the Mark Morris Dance Group returns for its annual collaboration with Tanglewood Music Center musicians (June 28 and 29); and Chris Botti and his band will be featured (August 5). Bernadette Peters makes a rare Tanglewood appearance with the Boston Pops in a Shed program led by Keith Lockhart (July 8).

TICKET INFORMATION IN BRIEF AND SEASON DATES (UPDATE FOR 2012)

Tanglewood, celebrating its 75th anniversary as the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2012, opens on Friday, June 22, with the return of Yo-Yo Ma and his Silk Road Ensemble, and closes September 2, with tickets going on sale to the general public on Sunday, January 29, 2012. For detailed information about the 2012 Tanglewood season, including how to purchase tickets, priced from $9 to $117 for regular season concerts (non benefactor tickets to the July 14 Gala Anniversary Concert are priced from $30 to $250), visit www.tanglewood.org . As of January 29, tickets are available through Tanglewood's website, www.tanglewood.org , and through SymphonyCharge at 888-266-1200. Tanglewood continues to offer free lawn tickets to young people age 17 and under and a50% discount on lawn tickets to college and graduate students. Additional ticket information appears near the end of this press release. A complete season listing appears at the end of the release.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF TANGLEWOOD, THE BSO'S SUMMER HOME SINCE 1937

One of the most popular and acclaimed music festivals in the world, Tanglewood-the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1937-is located in the beautiful Berkshire Hills between Lenox and Stockbridge, MA. With an average annual attendance of more than 300,000 visitors each season, and has a $60 million impact on the Berkshire economy each summer. Tanglewood presents orchestra concerts by the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, and visiting ensembles, featuring many of the greatest classical musicians of our time; recital and chamber music concerts in the intimate setting of Ozawa Hall; programs highlighting the young musicians of the Tanglewood Music Center; performances by some of today's leading popular artists; and a season-ending Labor Day Weekend festival. Tanglewood is family-friendly, with free lawn tickets available for children and young people age 17 and under, a 50% discount on Friday-evening lawn tickets for college and graduate students, and a variety of special programs for children, including Kids Corner, Watch and Play, and the annual Family Concert, this year to take place Saturday, August 25. Tanglewood is also the home of the Tanglewood Music Center, the BSO's preeminent summer music academy for the advance training of young professional musicians, and Days in the Arts, a multi-cultural arts-immersion program that gives 400 fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-graders from communities across Massachusetts the opportunity to explore the arts throughout each week-long session of the summer. These are just two of the BSO's many educational and outreach activities, for which more information is available at www.bso.org-the largest and most visited orchestral website in the country, receiving about 7.5 million visitors annually and generating over $70 million in revenue since its launch in 1996. The Boston Symphony Orchestra is online at www.bso.org. Music lovers can follow the BSO on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bostonsymphony or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bostonsymphony .

PRE-SEASON OFFERINGS, JUNE 22-JULY 5

YO-YO MA BRINGS HIS SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE BACK TO TANGLEWOOD JUNE 22 AND 24; DIANA KRALL RETURNS TO TANGLEWOOD JUNE 23; MARK MORRIS DANCE GROUP PERFORMS JUNE 28 & 29; GARRISON KEILLOR'S PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION RETURNS ON JUNE 30; AND JAMES TAYLOR MAKES THREE TANGLEWOOD SPECIAL APPEARANCES ON JULY 2, 3&4

Globally acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma-a beloved Tanglewood fixture who has performed at the festival in all but one summer since 1983-opens the 2012 Tanglewood season with two performances featuring his Silk Road Ensemble in Ozawa Hall Friday, June 22, and Sunday, June 24. With musicians from around the globe, the Ensemble will perform a special program that reflects a diversity of styles and nationalities, combining Western and non-Western instruments from the old and new worlds in ways that transcend cultural boundaries.

On Saturday, June 23, the Koussevitzky Music Shed welcomes back Diana Krall, who last appeared at the festival in 2009. The double platinum-selling recording artist is known for her distinctive jazz stylings across a range of repertoire, especially tunes from the American songbook.

The Mark Morris Dance Group makes its annual appearance in two highly anticipated concerts Thursday, June 28, and Friday, June 29, collaborating as usual with Fellows of the Tanglewood Music Center. The program includes three Morris works: Something Lies Beyond the Scene, set to William Walton's Façade: An Entertainment and featuring soprano and longtime TMC faculty member Phyllis Curtin in the role of narrator; Rock of Ages, set to the second movement of Schubert's Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat, D.897; and Festival Dance, set to Johann Hummel's Piano Trio No. 5 in E, Op. 83.

A Prairie Home Companion, with the inimitable Garrison Keillor and a colorful cast of friends from the shores of Lake Wobegon, has become a favorite Tanglewood tradition and once again broadcasts live from the Shed Saturday, June 30. James Taylor, another beloved and annual guest, appears in three concerts Monday, July 2-Wednesday, July 4, in a program called James Taylor at Tanglewood, reflecting the style and the songs that have made him an icon. Tanglewood's annual Independence Day fireworks display follow the July 4 concert.

The pre-season concludes Thursday, July 5, with the always outstanding Emerson String Quartet. In an Ozawa Hall program juxtaposing the classic and the new, the group performs Mozart's String Quartet No. 21 in D, K.575, internationally acclaimed British composer Thomas Adès's Four Quarters, and Beethoven's String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat, Op. 130, with the composer's original Große Fuge finale.

WEEK 1, JULY 6-12

BSO AND CHRISTOPH VON DOHNÁNYI OPEN SEASON ON JULY 6 WITH AN ALL-BEETHOVEN PROGRAM REPLICATING THE ORCHESTRA'S FIRST PROGRAM ON THE TANGLEWOOD GROUNDS IN 1937; JOSHUA BELL AND EDGAR MEYER PRESENT WORLD PREMIERE OF MEYER'S DOUBLE CONCERTO FOR VIOLIN, DOUBLE BASS, AND ORCHESTRA JULY 7; KEITH LOCKHART LEADS THE POPS WITH BERNADETTE PETERS ON JULY 8; AND ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER AND ANDRÉ PREVIN APPEAR TOGETHER IN RECITAL ON JULY 11

In the winter of 1936, Mrs. Gorham Brooks and Miss Mary Aspinwall Tappan offered Tanglewood, the Tappan family estate, with its buildings and 210 acres of lawns and meadows, as a gift to Music Director Serge Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The offer was gratefully accepted, and on August 5, 1937, what was then the Berkshire Symphonic Festival's largest crowd assembled under a tent for the first Tanglewood concert, an all-Beethoven program including the Leonore Overture No. 3 and the Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6. To open the 75th Tanglewood season, revered conductor and Tanglewood Music Center Fellow in 1952 Christoph von Dohnányi and the BSO reprise that program on Friday,
July 6.

The following night, Kansas City Symphony Music Director Michael Stern makes his BSO and Tanglewood debuts in a concert featuring popular violinist Joshua Bell-a Tanglewood guest every year since 1989-and bassist-composer Edgar Meyer, who last appeared at Tanglewood in 2000. The program will include the world premiere of Mr. Meyer's Double Concerto for violin, double bass, and orchestra-a nod to Tanglewood's founder and BSO Music Director 1925-1949, Serge Koussevitzky, himself a virtuoso bass player-as well as Barber's Overture to The School for Scandal and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4, a work performed on the second-ever Tanglewood concert, August 7, 1937. On Sunday, July 8, the Boston Pops Orchestra gives its first Tanglewood 2012 performance in a concert led by conductor Keith Lockhart and featuring Broadway superstar Bernadette Peters, who has dazzled audiences with performances on stage and screen and will present selections such as Let Me Entertain You, Fever, and Some Enchanted Evening.

On Wednesday, July 11, violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and pianist-composer André Previn-whose Tanglewood history dates back to 1977-give the US premiere of Mr. Previn's Sonata No. 2 for violin and piano, as well as perform his Tango Song, and Dance, and works by Mozart and Franck. Ozawa Hall then welcomes Sequentia, directed by Benjamin Bagby-one of the world's most respected and innovative ensembles for medieval music-who conjure a different time on Thursday, July 12, with The Rheingold Curse: A Germanic Saga of Greed and Vengeance, which draws its inspiration from the medieval Icelandic saga, the Edda.

WEEK 2, JULY 13-19

75TH GALA ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION FEATURES BOSTON SYMPHONY, BOSTON POPS, AND TANGLEWOOD MUSIC CENTER ORCHESTRAS WITH SPECIAL GUESTS JOHN WILLIAMS, KEITH LOCKHART, ANDRIS NELSONS, ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER, YO-YO MA, PETER SERKIN, AND JAMES TAYLOR ON JULY 14; ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER IS FEATURED AS SOLOIST AND CONDUCTOR IN THREE MOZART VIOLIN CONCERTOS ON JULY 13; GERHARD OPPITZ BEGINS A FOUR CONCERT SERIES OF THE COMPLETE SOLO PIANO WORKS OF BRAHMS, JULY 18

Eminent violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, who opened the BSO's 2011-12 season in the dual role of soloist and conductor in the five Mozart violin concertos, rejoins the orchestra on Friday, July 13, for the composer's Second, Third, and Fifth concertos.

In a star-studded event featuring some of Tanglewood's most distinguished and longtime guests Saturday, July 14, the BSO, Boston Pops, Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, and Tanglewood Festival Chorus join forces with conductors John Williams, Keith Lockhart, and Andris Nelsons, guest artists including violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianists Emanuel Ax and Peter Serkin, Tanglewood's longtime friend James Taylor, and vocal soloists for Tanglewood's spectacular 75th Anniversary Celebration. The festive program will include Beethoven's Choral Fantasy, music from Bernstein's On the Town, Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, and much more.

Latvian conductor and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Music Director Andris Nelsons, who previously conducted the BSO at Carnegie Hall and makes his subscription series debut in January 2012, makes his Tanglewood debut Sunday, July 15. Mr. Nelsons and the orchestra are joined by the Tanglewood Festival Chorus for Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms, on a program with Brahms's exhilarating Symphony No. 2.

This season, Tanglewood audiences will have a rare opportunity to hear Brahms's complete works for solo piano in four Ozawa Hall recitals by outstanding German pianist Gerhard Oppitz. Mr. Oppitz plays the first two installments of the series on Wednesday, July 18 (highlighted by the Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5, and the Four Piano Pieces, Op. 119) and Thursday, July 19 (including the Four Ballades, Op. 10, & the Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op.9).

WEEK 3, JULY 20-26

TWO BSO PROGRAMS HARKEN BACK TO HISTORIC MOMENTS IN TANGLEWOOD HISTORY: JULY 21 ALL-WAGNER PROGRAM REPLICATES RAINED OUT PROGRAM FROM FIRST SEASON IN 1937 AND JULY 25 ALL-MOZART PROGRAM-A POPULAR MODEL IN THE EARLY YEARS OF THE FESTIVAL

The BSO plays music by one of Tanglewood's most important alumni on Friday, July 20, when National Symphony Orchestra Music Director Christoph Eschenbach-whose Tanglewood history dates back to a 1969 appearance as piano soloist-and young violinist Dan Zhu join the orchestra for Leonard Bernstein's Serenade (after Plato's "Symposium") for violin and orchestra, a seldom-heard work representing some of the legendary conductor-composer's most intriguing music. This performance of Bernstein's Serenade recalls Midori's historic 1986 performance of the same work, when at age 14 she shocked and inspired audience, orchestra, and conductor as she continued playing with great poise after breaking not one, but two strings during her performance, each time having to trade violins with a member of the BSO's violin section and having to make immediate adjustments going from a three quarter size instrument to full-size instrument with each trade. As on that 1986 concert, concluding the program is Tchaikovsky's cherished Symphony No. 6, Pathétique.

The following night marks the season's second recreation of a seminal concert in Tanglewood's history. At the all-Wagner concert that opened the 1937 festival's second weekend, rain and thunder twice interrupted the Rienzi Overture and necessitated the omission altogether of the Forest Murmurs from Siegfried, music too delicate to be heard through the downpour. At the intermission, Miss Gertrude Robinson Smith, one of the festival's founders, made an appeal to raise funds for a permanent structure, and soon thereafter, plans were underway for a "music pavilion." On Saturday, July 21, conductor and Wagner specialist Asher Fisch makes his BSO and Tanglewood debuts conducting the BSO in the very same all-Wagner program-which also includes the Prelude and Love-death from Tristan und Isolde, the Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walküre, and the Prelude to Parsifal-this time sheltered by the iconic Koussevitzky Music Shed.

In another nod to history on Sunday, July 22, the BSO presents an all-Mozart program-a popular model in the early years of the festival-led by Kurt Masur (a Tanglewood guest more than 25 times) and featuring pianist Gerhard Oppitz in the Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K.491. Also on the program are the Symphony No. 36, Linz, and one of Mozart's most enduringly popular works, Eine kleine Nachtmusik.

Mr. Oppitz completes his remarkable four-recital transversal of Brahms's complete works for solo piano in Ozawa Hall on Wednesday, July 25, and Thursday, July 26. The highlights of the July 25 performance include the Six Piano Pieces, Op. 118, and the Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Op. 35, Books 1 and 2. The July 26 recital features the Sonata No. 2 in F-sharp minor, Op. 2, the Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24, and more.

WEEK 4, JULY 27-AUGUST 2

MARCELO LEHNINGER LEADS PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION ON JULY 27 AND CHARLES DUTOIT LEADS BERLIOZ'S DAMNATION OF FAUST ON JULY 28-TWO WORKS WITH A LONG TANGLEWOOD HISTORY AS AUDIENCE FAVORITES

On Friday, July 27, BSO Assistant Conductor Marcelo Lehninger joins the orchestra along with his fellow Brazilian Nelson Freire, who performs as soloist in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K.466, and Momoprecoce for piano and orchestra by Villa-Lobos, whose music featured regularly during the early years of the festival. The concert will also include Mussorgsky's atmospherically evocative Pictures at an Exhibition, which was a specialty of Koussevitzky and has a long Tanglewood history. The following evening's performance also provides historical Tanglewood significance alongside spectacle as the Shed is illuminated by the otherworldly light of Berlioz's Le Damnation de Faust, a work that had its memorable Tanglewood premiere in 1954 with Charles Munch and was last performed at the festival in 2007. The July 28 performance is led by eminent Swiss conductor Charles Dutoit and features mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, tenor Paul Groves, baritone Sir Willard White, bass-baritone Christopher Feigum, the PALS Children's Chorus, and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. Mr. Dutoit returns to lead the BSO Sunday, July 29, in a program of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 and Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 with soloist Emanuel Ax, who has performed at Tanglewood more than 30 times and every season since 1985.

Thursday, August 2, brings the long-awaited Tanglewood debut of distinguished baritone Gerald Finley-best known for creating the role of J. Robert Oppenheimer in John Adams's 2005 opera Doctor Atomic-in an Ozawa hall recital featuring songs by Loewe, Schumann, and Britten.

WEEK 5, AUGUST 3-9

THREE FREQUENT AND POPULAR ARTISTS-CHRISTOPH VON DOHNÁNYI, YEFIM BRONFMAN, AND JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET RETURN TO THE STAGE; LORIN MAAZEL LEADS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF NEW WORK BY MICHAEL GANDOLFI ON AUGUST 5; CHRIS BOTTI AND HIS BAND PERFORM AUGUST 5; TANGLEWOOD ON PARADE TAKES PLACE AUGUST 7

Baritone Gerald Finley moves from Ozawa Hall to the Shed Friday, August 3, to join revered maestro Lorin Maazel, a TMC fellow in 1951 and 52, and the BSO for Ravel's Don Quichotte à Dulcinée and arias from Così fan tutte, The Marriage of Figaro, and Don Giovanni by Mozart, a composer in whose music Mr. Finley is especially respected. The program also includes Ravel's colorful Alborada del gracioso and Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2-a BSO specialty and a work that was performed in the first Tanglewood season in 1937-as well as Mozart's Symphony No. 38, Prague. Mr. Maazel once again takes the podium Sunday, August 5, to lead the BSO in a program featuring the world premiere of a new BSO-commissioned work by Michael Gandolfi, who was a TMC Fellow in 1986 and has been a member of the TMC Faculty since 1997. The elegant and engaging French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet also participates in this program, as soloist in Saint-Saëns's Piano Concerto No. 5, Egyptian. The concert concludes in thrilling fashion with Berlioz's Symphonie fastastique, another work at the heart of the BSO repertoire and which the orchestra first performed in 1885.

On Saturday, August 4, the BSO welcomes two of the most popular Tanglewood guests of the past two decades: conductor Christoph von Dohnányi and dynamic pianist Yefim Bronfman. Mr. Bronfman takes center stage in Brahms's sweeping Piano Concerto No. 2, and the orchestra shows its muscle in Schumann's Symphony No. 4.

Three-time Billboard chart-topper and five-time Grammy Award nominated trumpeter Chris Botti-who last performed at Tanglewood in 2009 with the Boston Pops-brings his crack ensemble and trademark populist style of jazz to Ozawa Hall Sunday, August 5.

One of the festival's most beloved traditions, Tanglewood on Parade (Tuesday, August 7), is a chance to see all of the festival's orchestras perform in a single extended concert. Mr. Maazel, Mr. Dohnányi, Stéphane Denève in his Tanglewood debut, Keith Lockhart, and John Williams share the podium for a program that will include Beethoven's Overture to Egmont, Ravel's Mother Goose Suite, and recent film scores by Mr. Williams, as well as the traditional TOP finale, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. This lively evening features performances by the BSO, the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, and the Boston Pops, culminating in a dazzling fireworks display.

WEEK 6, AUGUST 10-16

PINCHAS ZUKERMAN WHO FIRST PERFORMED AT TANGLEWOOD IN 1969 RETURNS ON AUGUST 10 AS BOTH CONDUCTOR AND SOLOIST; YO-YO MA PERFORMS ELGAR'S CELLO CONCERTO WITH CONDUCTOR STEPHANE DENEVE ON AUGUST 11

On Friday, August 10, Pinchas Zukerman-who first performed at Tanglewood in 1969-acts as both conductor and solo violinist in an all-Bach program-a popular concert format throughout the history of the festival-that highlights some of the exceptional talent within the ranks of the BSO. In addition to Mr. Zukerman and guest harpsichordist John Gibbons, BSO principal flutist Elizabeth Rowe, principal oboist John Ferrillo, and concertmaster Malcolm Lowe take solo turns in an all-Bach program featuring the Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 3 and 5, the Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, BWV 1041, the Concerto in D minor for two violins and strings, BWV 1043, and the Concerto in C minor for violin, oboe, and strings, BWV 1060. Yo-Yo Ma returns to the Shed stage Saturday, August 11, as soloist in Elgar's cathartic Cello Concerto, with conductor Stéphane Denève, who also leads the orchestra in the world premiere of a BSO-commissioned new work by André Previn and Shostakovich's riveting Symphony No. 5. Christoph von Dohnányi takes the podium once again Sunday, August 12, for a program spanning almost 200 years of the Germanic music tradition. Widely acclaimed pianist Paul Lewis makes his BSO and Tanglewood debuts as soloist in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 in A, K.488, bracketed by Beethoven's Symphony No. 4 and Strauss's Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks.

The young and adventurous Ébène String Quartet, which has rocketed to stardom in recent years, brings its fresh approach to string quartet performance to Ozawa Hall on Thursday, August 16. As is typical in Ébène performances, the quartet juxtaposes the classic with the new, first delving into Mozart's Quartet No. 15 in D minor, K.421, and Tchaikovsky's Quartet No. 1 in D, Op. 11, then changing gears with jazz selections arranged by the ensemble members and filled with improvisation.

WEEK 7, AUGUST 17-23

TANGLEWOOD CELEBRATES JOHN WILLIAMS' 80TH BIRTHDAY ON AUGUST 18 WITH GALA CONCERT FEATURING YO-YO MA AND JESSYE NORMAN; RAFAEL FRÜHBECK DE BURGOS LEADS THE TANGLEWOOD MUSIC CENTER ORCHESTRA AND SOLOIST GIL SHAHAM IN THE LEONARD BERNSTEIN MEMORIAL CONCERT ON AUGUST 19

English conductor Bramwell Tovey, who made a memorable Tanglewood debut in 2011 leading an acclaimed concert performance of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, returns to the Berkshires Friday, August 17, to conduct Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 and two favorites by American composers. Augustin Hadelich takes the lead in Barber's tuneful Violin Concerto, and the concert opens with Copland's iconic Suite from Appalachian Spring. On Saturday, August 18, Tanglewood celebrates a truly significant occasion as the Boston Pops and a host of renowned guests celebrate John Williams' 80th birthday. Among the artists who will make an appearance are Yo-Yo Ma, Jessye Norman, Anthony McGill, and Gabriela Montero.

For The Leonard Bernstein Memorial Concert on Sunday, August 19, one of the BSO's and the festival's most familiar and respected conductors leads the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in two of the repertoire's most familiar and respected works when Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos once again takes the podium, leading Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra and collaborating with soloist Gil Shaham-whose Tanglewood history dates back almost two decades-in Beethoven's immortal Violin Concerto.

The collective virtuosity of the BSO's principal players is once again on display Wednesday, August 22, as the Boston Symphony Chamber Players -one of the world's most distinguished chamber ensembles sponsored by a major symphony orchestra-take the Ozawa Hall stage for a wide-ranging program including music of Lukas Foss, J.S. Bach, Hindemith, and Mozart. As a tribute to Serge Koussevitszky, BSO principal double bass player, Edwin Barker, performs Bruch's Kol nidrei in a transcription for bass and piano-just as Koussevitzky himself played in recital in the late 1930s.

WEEK 8, AUGUST 24-26

FINAL BSO WEEKEND OPENS ON AUGUST 24 WITH BOSTON POPS CONCERT LED BY KEITH LOCKHART AND CLOSES AUGUST 26 WITH TRADITIONAL PERFORMANCE OF BEETHOVEN'S NINTH SYMPHONY UNDER THE DIRECTION OF RAFAEL FRÜHBECK DE BURGOS, WHO ALSO LEADS WORLD PREMIERE PERFORMANCE OF A NEW WORK BY JOHN HARBISON

The final weekend of Tanglewood 2012 kicks off Friday, August 24 with the Boston Pops and Keith Lockhart performing music in celebration of George Gershwin and the Great American Songbook. This Gershwin and Friends program will feature Broadway favorites Maureen McGovern and Brian Stokes Mitchell, as well as pianist Ilya Yakushev, who will perform Rhapsody in Blue.

Tanglewood's annual Family Concert, featuring Classical Tangent, a group made up in part of BSO players who perform many different styles of folk music for classical audiences, will take place at 2:30 p.m. on August 25.

On Saturday, August 25, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos presides over a program of music from his native Spain. The concert begins with Maestro Frühbeck's own arrangement of Albéniz's Suite española, but the main event is a complete concert performance of Manuel de Falla's La vida breve (Life is Short), an opera about the doomed love of a gypsy woman for an upper-class man, complete with Flamenco dancing and a Spanish folk singer-a program which was very popularly received when it was first performed under Maestro Frühbeck in 2003. The two lead roles are sung by mezzo-soprano Nancy Fabiola Herrera and tenor Vicente Ombuena.

On Sunday, August 26, the Tanglewood season comes to a close with its traditional performance of Beethoven's transcendent Symphony No. 9. This year, however, the final concert also offers a significant new-music event as Maestro Frühbeck and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus open the program with the world premiere of a BSO-commissioned new work by John Harbison. The traditional season-ender then completes the program, as the orchestra and chorus-joined by soprano Leah Crocetto, mezzo-soprano Meredith Arwady, tenor Frank Lopardo, and bass-baritone John Relyea-bid Tanglewood 2012 goodbye.

Details of the Labor Day Weekend festivities will be announced at a later date.

TANGLEWOOD MUSIC CENTER HIGHLIGHTS, JUNE 28-AUGUST 19

The Tanglewood Music Center (TMC), the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer academy for advanced musical study, is considered one of the world's foremost training grounds for young professional musicians. TMC Fellows work closely with members of the BS0 and renowned guest artists, performing some 40 concerts each season, including chamber music concerts and full-scale orchestral productions.

The Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra will perform five concerts during the 2012 season, concluding with the annual Leonard Bernstein Memorial Concert in the Shed on August 19 with conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos in a program including Beethoven's Violin Concerto with violinist Gil Shaham and Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra. Other guest conductors to lead the TMCO this season include Peruvian conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya, July 8; young Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons, July 16; Stefan Asbury with Emanuel Ax in Schonberg's Piano Concerto, July 23; eminent Swiss Charles Dutoit in a program including Messiaen's Oiseaux Exotiques and Stravinsky's Les Noces, July 30. Fellows from the TMC Conducting Program will also conduct works on these programs.

Another highlight of the Tanglewood Music Center's 2012 season includes the TMC's annual collaboration with the exuberant Mark Morris Dance Group on June 28 and 29, performing three of Mark Morris's works: Something Lies Beyond the Scene, set to Walton's Façade: An Entertainment; Rock of Ages set to the second movement of Schubert's Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat; and Festival Dance, set to Hummel's Piano Trio No. 5 in E. The TMCO will also perform during the Tanglewood 75th Anniversary Celebration on July 14 and on Tanglewood on Parade on August 7.

The 2012 Festival of Contemporary Music, to take place August 9-13 over the course of six programs, will be co-directed by composers John Harbison and Oliver Knussen. The FCM program will be announced at a later date.

One Day University at Tanglewood, August 26, 2012

One Day University, the acclaimed adult education series, is returning to Tanglewood on Sunday, August 26, presenting three lectures by professors from Columbia, Brown, and Vanderbilt. Topics to be discussed include "FDR and the Path to WWII: What We Know Now That We Didn't Know Then" with Columbia University's Richard M. Pious; "Where Are My Keys? Understanding How Memory Works" with Brown University's John J. Stein; and "The Beatles and Beethoven: Hearing the Connection" with Vanderbilt University's Michael Alec Rose. The cost for One Day University at Tanglewood is $149, and includes VIP parking and lawn admission for the 2:30 p.m. BSO season-finale performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, led by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos. Advance purchase is required. For more information or to register for One Day University at Tanglewood, call Symphony Charge at 888-266-1200 or visit www.tanglewood.org/onedayu .

2012 TANGLEWOOD SEASON: HOW TO PURCHASE TICKETS, HOW TO ORDER A BROCHURE, FAMILY-FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES, PATRON PERKS AND AMENITIES, THE BSO MEDIA CENTER, AND SPONSORSHIP

HOW TO PURCHASE TICKETS, HOW TO ORDER A BROCHURE, AND FREE AND DISCOUNTED LAWN TICKETS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Tickets for the 2012 Tanglewood season go on sale to the general public on Sunday, January 29, 2012. Tickets are available through Tanglewood's website, www.tanglewood.org, and through SymphonyCharge at 888-266-1200. Regular season ticket prices range from $9-$117; non benefactor tickets to the July 14 Gala Anniversary Concert are priced from $30 to $250. Tickets for Saturday Morning Rehearsals range from $10-30. All ticket prices include a $1 Tanglewood grounds maintenance fee.

Tickets are also available for purchase in person at the Tanglewood Box Office at Tanglewood's Main Gate on West Street in Lenox, MA, as of June 21. American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club, Discover, and cash are all accepted at the Tanglewood Box Office. For further information and box office hours, please call the Boston Symphony Orchestra at 617-266-1492 or visit www.tanglewood.org. Tanglewood is pleased to offer free lawn tickets for children and young people age 17 and younger and a 50% discount on Friday-evening lawn tickets to college and graduate students. Up to four free children's lawn tickets are available per parent/legal guardian per concert at the Tanglewood Box Office on the day of the concert, as all patrons, regardless of age, must have a ticket. Please note that the free lawn ticket policy does not apply to organized groups. For Popular Artists concerts, free lawn tickets are only available for children under age 2.

Tanglewood brochures with complete programs and information on how to order tickets will be available in early February by calling 617-638-9467. For further information, please call the Boston Symphony Orchestra at 617-266-1492 or visit www.tanglewood.org. For Berkshire tourist information and reservations, contact the Berkshire Visitors Bureau at 800-237-5747 or www.berkshires.org.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES

Tanglewood provides special programs for kids, such as the popular Kids' Corner, a musical and craft-related project supervised and supported by BSO staff on weekends, and the Watch and Play program, a series of lively discussions about instruments, concert themes, and/or musical concepts on Sundays. In addition, through its Tanglewood for Kids program, Tanglewood offers free lawn tickets, up to four per family, to all children and young adults age 17 and under. Tanglewood will present its annual Family Concert on August 25. Tickets for the Family Concert are free to youth age 18 and under and $10 for each adult.

TANGLEWOOD PATRON AMENITIES AND PERKS

Tanglewood offers a free pre-concert panel discussion series called "This Week at Tanglewood" on Fridays at 7:15 p.m. in the Koussevitzky Music Shed, and free hour-long walking tours of Tanglewood's grounds and performance spaces daily (email bsav@bso.org or call 617-638-9391 for dates and times). Friday-evening Prelude Concerts, at 6:30 p.m. in Ozawa Hall, feature BSO musicians in small ensemble and chamber music settings. Saturday-evening Prelude Concerts, July 9-August 13, at 6:30 p.m. in Ozawa Hall, feature Tanglewood Music Center Fellows in performance. Admission to Prelude Concerts is free to all BSO concert ticket holders.

"Talks and Walks," a series of informal conversations presented by guest artists and members of the BSO family in the Tent Club on Thursday afternoons, begins with a talk at 1 p.m. and a guided tour of the grounds at 1:45 p.m. To purchase tickets, available at $17 each or $102 for a full series, call 617-638-9391.

A new discussion series, Concerning Music and Society, will feature a critics' forum as well as a discussion on music and technology and one on film music. This series will take place on three Saturdays: July 7, 21, and August 18 at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are free. Further details will be announced at a later date.

Tanglewood offers Lawn Chair Rentals, for a fee of $4, available at the Grille at the Main Gate for Shed concerts, and at the Bernstein Gate for Ozawa Hall performances. Pre-ordered meals are available in the Tanglewood Grille and the Tanglewood Café. Meals may be ordered online at www.tanglewood.org or by calling 413-637-5152. Tanglewood also offers large video screens for the pleasure of lawn patrons on Friday and Saturday nights, and, for the convenience of patrons, a Bank of America ATM is located outside the main gate.

Bus Service to the Lenox area is offered by Peter Pan and Greyhound Bus Lines. For fare and scheduling information, call 800-343-9999 or 800-231-2222. Special excursions are offered by the Berkshire Tour Company, 781-438-8620; Greylock Discovery Tours, 413-637-4442; Animactions Unlimited, 413-448-2115; and Gateway Travel Service, 781-729-6900. Limited bus service is offered by AAA Connecticut/Connecticut Motor Club, 203-928-6556 and K&L Tours, 617-267-1905. Information about lodging, dining, and other Berkshire-area activities is available by contacting the Berkshire Visitors Bureau at 413-743-4500.

BSO.org, the largest and most-visited orchestral website in the United States, attracting close to 7.5 million unique visitors annually and generating over $70 million in revenue since its launch in 1996, has been completely rebuilt and redesigned and will be launched in its new iteration in November. Although bso.org has undergone several updates since its initial launch in 1996 to keep current with users' evolving expectations, the new changes will be the most sweeping in the site's history. BSO patron feedback and a comprehensive analysis of how users have navigated the site over the past decade played a major role in the new bso.org design concept. In addition to improvements in ticket buying, merchandising, and donation functionality, as well as site navigation, the new bso.org will also introduce new components including BSOKids, an interactive media platform for young music fans. The bso.org Media Center, which offers both free and paid content, has been completely rebuilt and will now have the capacity to stream audio and video content, with select BSO audio content to be made available free of charge starting in March 2012.

Responding to the rapid increase in the use of smart phones, the Boston Symphony's revamped website will be available-though at a later date than the initial launch of the site in November-across all smart mobile devices capable of web browsing at mobile.bso.org. Users will have on-the-go access to virtually all of the BSO's online content including media offerings such as podcasts, audio clips, and even live streams of BSO performances. Mobile users will also be able to access performance calendars, program notes, and artist bios, as well as purchase tickets, meals, and parking, and make donations via hand-held devices such as iPhones, iPads, Android phones and Tablets, and select Blackberry devices.

Free offerings at bso.org include audio concert previews, Emmy Award-winning audio and video interviews with guest artists and BSO musicians, up to 3-minute music excerpts highlighting upcoming programs as well as all self-produced albums by the BSO, Boston Pops, Boston Symphony Chamber Players, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and Tanglewood Music Center Fellows, and complete program notes for all performances which can be downloaded and printed or saved offline to an e-reading device such as a Kindle or Nook. Paid content includes digital music downloads of all self-produced and self-published content by the BSO, Boston Pops, Boston Symphony Chamber Players, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and Tanglewood Music Center Fellows. Albums available include the BSO's and James Levine's most recent recordings of Mozart's symphonies 14, 18, 20, 39, and 41; the BSO's Grammy-winning recording of Ravel's complete Daphnis and Chloé, Brahms's A German Requiem; the Boston Pops' The Dream Lives On: A Portrait of the Kennedy Brothers featuring Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, and Ed Harris, and The Red Sox Album; as well as the Tanglewood Festival Chorus's 40th Anniversary CD. Digital music is available in standard definition MP3, and select content is also available in high definition (HD) stereo and surround formats. The Media Center can be visited by clicking on Media Center at bso.org.

RADIO BROADCASTS AND STREAMING

Concerts from the Shed are broadcast each Friday and Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon on WGBH's Classical New England service, including 99.5 FM in Boston and 88.7 in Providence; in Albany on WAMC 90.3 FM and its network of translators; and in Connecticut on WMNR 88.1 FM. In addition, Sunday-afternoon concerts are broadcast on WFCR 88.5 in Amherst. Streaming, and now on-demand audio of the broadcasts can also be accessed via the stations' websites at WGBH's www.classicalnewengland.org;  www.wamc.org; www.wmnr.org; and www.wfcr.org.

SPONSORSHIP

The Bank of America Charitable Foundation is proud to support Tanglewood and its education initiatives for Massachusetts. As one of the world's largest financial institutions and a major supporter of arts and culture, Bank of America has a vested interest and plays a meaningful role in the international dialogue on cultural understanding. As a global company, Bank of America demonstrates its commitment to the arts by supporting such efforts as after-school arts programs, grants to help expand libraries, programs to conserve artistic heritage as well as a campaign to encourage museum attendance. Bank of America's unique program offers customers free access to more than 150 of the nation's finest cultural institutions through its acclaimed Museums on Us® program, while Art in our Communities® shares exhibits from the company's corporate collection with communities across the country through local museum partners. The Bank of America Charitable Foundation also provides philanthropic support to museums, theaters and other arts-related nonprofits to expand their services and offerings to schools and communities. Bank of America partners with more than 6,000 arts institutions worldwide.

Commonwealth Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation is proud to be in its ninth year as the official chauffeured transportation provider of the BSO. Steinway & Sons Pianos selected exclusively for Tanglewood. This Week at Tanglewood is sponsored by Harvard University Extension School.

For further information, call the Boston Symphony Orchestra at 617-266-1492. The Boston Symphony Orchestra is online at www.bso.org. All programs and artists are subject to change.