TLI programming echoes, deepens, and complements the BSO’s artistic vision for the 2025–26 season, including the themes Where Words End: Music and the Natural World—inviting us to contemplate our relationship with nature, Faith in Our Time—encouraging us to search for meaning and transcendence, and E Pluribus Unum: From Many, One—celebrating the rich diversity that defines American music and society. 

New this year, TLI Jazz kicks off fall programming with vocalist Lucía (Sept. 12), followed by the Berkshires Jazz 20th Anniversary Concert with Emmet Cohen and Georgia Heers (Oct. 10), drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr. and his band Generation Y (Nov. 7), the Ted Rosenthal Trio (Nov. 28), and vocalist Stella Cole (Dec. 13). For Valentine’s Day, vocalist Tammy McCann gives two performances of With Love from the Legendary Ladies of Jazz honoring Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, and Billie Holiday and featuring cabaret-style table seating and food and beverage service (Feb. 14 & 15).  Rounding out the jazz series are the Sullivan Fortner Trio (March 20), saxophonist Nick Hempton (April 10), and, back by popular demand, trumpeter Jumaane Smith (May 9).  

The annual TLI Presents series this year offers Palaver Strings (Sept. 28), Sandbox Percussion (Oct. 5), classical guitarist Raphaël Feuillâtre (Nov. 1), the Catalyst Quartet (Nov. 14), violinist Joshua Brown (Jan. 30), Irish music quintet Goitse (March 15), and Arcis Saxophone Quartet (March 22) to Studio E to present innovative and intimate solo and chamber recitals. The series also includes two Berkshire Bach Portals, pairing films about Bach with live performances and conversations, presented in collaboration with Berkshire Bach Society (Nov. 8, with film Bach & Friends, and March 21, with film In the Key of Bach). Another highlight is a back-to-back set of programs inspired by Schubert’s Winterreise (“A Winter’s Journey”) with bass Andrew Munn and pianist Elenora Pertz; the first, a traditional performance of the beloved song cycle, and the second, a new work entitled postWinterreise by composer and sound artist Kat Austen (Apr. 24 & 25). The final program of the series, Mirage with Hub New Music and Daniel Wohl, includes a performance of Wohl’s UFO-inspired work as well as specially-made arrangements from his 2019 album, État (May 1). 

Once again, TLI Chamber Concerts bring small ensembles of BSO musicians to perform throughout the year on Sunday afternoons at the Linde Center, with repertoire to be announced at a later date (Oct. 19, Nov. 23, Feb. 1, Feb. 22, and March 8). Each concert highlights a local Berkshires nonprofit through TLI’s In Concert with Community initiative. BSO players also return for four presentations of BSO Holiday Brass, a program of cheerful and uplifting seasonal music complete with festive decorations and a holiday-themed menu, including one morning performance aimed at families with children (December 19– 21). 

In addition to the Holiday Brass family show (Dec. 21), TLI for Families welcomes Baba Israel back to the Linde Center for Music Moves, Stories Groove (Oct. 26) and offers Magic Piano & The Chopin Shorts (Apr. 12). 

TLI Cinematics, a film series in collaboration with Great Barrington’s Triplex Cinema, will offer three screenings on Saturdays, Nov. 15, March 14, and April 11. Additional details will be announced at a later date. 

Quote from Chad Smith, BSO President and CEO: 

“We have been thrilled and humbled to see the Tanglewood Learning Institute (TLI) embraced as a year-round destination for a breadth of exceptional programming, including classical, jazz, and family friendly events. Our 2025–26 fall, winter, and spring season reflects our deepening commitment to engaging the vibrant, year-round Berkshires community and to fully exploring the potential of TLI as a space where BSO programs make thought-provoking connections between music, art, and society. This ongoing work is also a passion project for our musicians, who form deep ties to the area and are eager to remain active in the Berkshires beyond the summer months. TLI Chamber Concerts and a festive TLI Holiday Brass series, curated by BSO players especially for the Linde Center, bring a personal and dynamic touch to our program. We look forward to welcoming new and returning audiences to experience all that TLI offers—all year long.” 

Opening the new TLI Jazz series is 23-year-old Mexican vocalist Lucía, whose singular artistic vision bridges the gaps between Jazz, Latin, and Pop music. Her soulful, multicultural rendition of “What a Difference a Day Makes,” is now the opening cut of her self-titled debut album that showcases the luminous qualities of her voice, and her superb technique and versatility (Sept. 12). 

Founded in 2005, the local jazz performance and education nonprofit Berkshires Jazz presents a 20th Anniversary Celebration with Emmet Cohen and his trio and special guest vocalist Georgia Heers (Oct. 10). A pre-concert reception includes tapas, beverages, a video retrospective, and other tributes celebrating Berkshire Jazz’s two decades of performances, education, and advocacy. 

Three-time Grammy award-winner Ulysses Owens Jr. is known for being a drummer who “take[s] a back seat to no one,” and “a musician who balances excitement gracefully and shines with innovation” (New York Times). His eighth and most recent album release, A New Beat, features his new band Generation Y, who will join for his Tanglewood debut (Nov. 7).  

Celebrating the release of his new CD Classics Reimagined, acclaimed pianist Ted Rosenthal, his Trio, and special guests Sara Caswell and Anat Cohen will perform themes of Chopin, Rachmaninov, Brahms, and more (Nov. 28). Stella Cole, known for bringing classic American songs to new platforms, brings her vocal stylings to Studio E for a holiday program (Dec. 13).  

For Valentine’s Day, powerhouse vocalist Tammy McCann presents two performances of With Love from the Legendary Ladies of Jazz. Paying homage to Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, and Billie Holiday, the romantic event features cabaret-style table seating and food and beverage options available for pre-order and purchase (Feb. 14 & 15). 

Pianist, composer, and band leader Sullivan Fortner and his Trio (with Tyrone Allen and Kayvon Gordon) make their Tanglewood debut on March 20. The series concludes with saxophonist Nick Hempton and his all-star rhythm team presenting A Night of Soul Jazz from NYC (April 10) and the return of trumpeter Jumanne Smith and his band for a program entitled Sweet Baby!, combining blues, funk, jazz, shuffles, boogaloo, and New Orleans style street beats (May 9). 

A variety of exciting guest performers and ensembles visit the Linde Center for TLI Presents programs, beginning with the return of the Grammy-nominated ensemble Palaver Strings for Port Strings, a survey of tango music. The program features bandoneon visionary Heyni Solera as soloist and composer as well as dancers Sheila Solis-Arroyo and Luna Beller-Tadiar (Sept. 28). Recent Avery Fisher Career Grant recipients Sandbox Percussion, known for championing contemporary chamber music, bring their innovative sound to Tanglewood the following week (Oct. 5). Hailed as the new face of classical guitar worldwide, Raphaël Feuillâtre presents a solo recital (Nov. 1). 

On November 8, TLI presents the first of two film collaborations with Berkshire Bach Society (BBS) entitled Berkshire Bach Portals, with this program spotlighting the film Bach & Friends. Pianist Simone Dinnerstein and BBS Artistic Director and violinist Eugene Drucker introduce the film with a live performance and share thoughts about their own journeys with Bach’s music in a conversation after the screening. 

TLI Presents programs continue with the Grammy award-winning Catalyst Quartet performing “Cinematic Refuge,” which features composers who wrote music for motion pictures and is centered around the ideals of freedom from oppression (Nov. 14). After four presentations of BSO Holiday Brass (Dec. 19–21), 2025 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient Joshua Brown gives a violin recital with pianist Dina Vainshtein (Jan. 30). 

Shortly before St. Patrick’s Day, the popular and multi-award-winning quintet Goitse brings traditional Irish tunes, interspersed with their own compositions, to the Linde Center (March 15). Later that month is the second installation of Berkshire Bach Portals with the film In the Key of Bach, accompanied by a conversation between Eugene Druckner and filmmaker Hilan Warshaw (March 21). The spectacular Arcis Saxophone Quartet returns to perform works by Bach, Shostakovich, Nikolai Kapustin, Brad Mehldau, and others in their kaleidoscopic program JSB:48 (March 22).  

A pair of programs shortly after Earth Day this April examine Franz Schubert’s song cycle Winterreise. Based on poems by Wilhelm Müller (1794–1827)—whose texts Schubert had set for his great 1823 cycle Die schöne Müllerin—Winterreise was one of Schubert’s final works, and like his late chamber music, solo piano works, and symphonies, is an innovative and powerful example of Romanticism. Bass Andrew Munn and pianist Elenora Pertz perform the cycle on April 24; the following day, they reappear for postWinterreise, a composition by Kat Austen for voice, piano, electronics, and projections, inspired by both the soundscape of the original composition and contemporary climate issues. 

In the final TLI Presents program, Hub New Music performs Daniel Wohl‘s UFO-inspired piece, Mirage. Noted as one of his generation’s most “imaginative, skillful creators” (New York Times), Wohl asks in Mirage, “Are UFOs just products of our imagination, projections of our hopes, or something truly alien?” One movement specifically recalls the famous 1969 Berkshire UFO Incident, an encounter that lives on in public memory. Wohl will also join Hub New Music on piano and electronics for the premiere performance of specially-made arrangements from his 2019 album, État (May 1). 

TLI Chamber Concerts offer our year-round audience the opportunity to experience intimate performances with BSO musicians. These concerts feature everything from familiar favorites to classic mainstays and new music by contemporary composers, often performed with special guests. This season, programs are planned for Oct. 19, Nov. 23, Feb. 1, Feb. 22, and March 8, with repertoire and players to be announced at a later date. 

Each TLI Chamber Concert highlights a local mission-driven organization as part of TLI’s service organization initiative, In Concert with Community. Organizations featured this season include Thanksgiving Angels (Oct. 19), Construct (Feb. 1), Berkshire Community Diaper Project (Feb. 22), and Literacy Network (March 8). 

TLI for Families welcomes young people to the Linde Center for Music Moves, Stories Groove with hip-hop and theater artist Baba Israel, who returns to Tanglewood after a sold-out event for families in July (Oct. 26). Multi-instrumentalist Sean Nowell, contemporary dancer Audrey Thao Berger, and hip-hop dancer B-Boy Spidey join to bring music, poetry, and stories to life through interactive dance. 

New this winter, TLI offers a shorter, family-friendly morning performance of the BSO Holiday Brass program, complete with festive decorations and seasonal treats (Dec. 21, 10:30 a.m.).  

Combining enchanting visuals with live piano accompaniment, the final TLI for Families pairs two short films (Magic Piano and The Chopin Shorts) with some of Polish composer Frédéric Chopin’s most famous works for solo piano (Apr. 12). 

TLI Cinematics, a film series in collaboration with Great Barrington’s Triplex cinema, will offer three screenings on Saturdays November 15, March 14, and April 11. Additional details will be announced at a later date. 

Tickets to year-round TLI events go on sale Tuesday, August 12 at 10 a.m. and may be purchased online at bso.org or by calling the BSO Box Office at 888-266-1200. Tickets may also be purchased at the Tanglewood box office through the end of the summer season on August 31. 

Please note that TLI Cinematics programs will go on sale at a later date.

The four-building Linde Center for Music and Learning opened in the summer of 2019 and serves as the home for the Tanglewood Learning Institute (TLI)—a wide-ranging enrichment and education initiative offering a variety of activities for exploration and discovery alongside Tanglewood’s traditional concert schedule. The Linde Center is Tanglewood’s first new performance facility since the highly acclaimed Seiji Ozawa Hall opened in 1994, and its climate-controlled studios with webcasting and broadcast capabilities provide additional concert and rehearsal space for the Tanglewood Music Center—the BSO’s acclaimed summer music academy for young professional musicians—and also play an essential role in establishing Tanglewood as a multi-season facility. The Tanglewood Learning Institute has presented over 300 programs since 2019.