Classical Beat: Tanglewood Music Festival Concludes Its Classical Season

Tanglewood Music Festival Concludes Its Classical Season 

This week, Tanglewood concludes its magnificently curated, presented and performed 2024 classical music summer festival season with panache by showcasing several performing soloists and a noted Finnish conductor – all making their Tanglewood debut performances. Orchestral masterworks by Brahms, Beethoven, Elgar and Ravel, as well as stellar concerto performances of works by Mozart and Chopin will take center stage in the Shed. These, in addition to several outstanding Ozawa Hall chamber music programs, leading to the traditional Tanglewood Music Festival season- concluding performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 ('Choral') will enthrall listeners. Read below for the details, including the end-of-season Popular Artists appearances in the Shed and in Studio E, Linde Center for Music and Learning..

Four Tanglewood Classical Highlights This Week 

A brilliant violin/piano recital program in Ozawa Hall will feature pianist Alessio Bax and violinist James Ehnes in their Tanglewood debuts performing Mozart (Violin Sonata No. 21 in E minor, K.304); Brahms (Violin Sonata No. 1 in G, Op. 78) and Beethoven (Violin Sonata No. 9 in A, Op. 47 'Kreutzer') (August 21).

The rising star American conductor Ryan Bancroft makes his BSO debut in the Shed, along with the elegantly expressive pianist Bruce Liu in Chopin's enraptured Piano Concerto No. 1, followed by Elgar's deeply moving Enigma Variations (August 23). 

Conductor Karina Canellakis and the BSO accompany violinist James Ehnes in Chausson's sensitively lyrical "Poème" on a program that features the Tanglewood Festival Chorus in the Shed (Brahms: 'Shicksalslied'); they will also perform works by Beethoven and Ravel (August 24).

Ludovic Marlot will conduct BSOs performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 on Sunday, August 25 at 2:30 pm in the Shed.

Full Tanglewood Schedule of Concerts, Events

Wednesday, August 21

8 p.m., Seiji Ozawa Hall

Tanglewood Recital Series

James Ehnes, violin

Alessio Bax, piano

MOZART Sonata No. 21 in E minor, K.304

BRAHMS Sonata No. 1 in G, Op. 78

BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 9 in A, Op. 47, ('Kreutzer')

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Thursday, August 22

1 p.m., Tent Club

TLI Talks and Walks

Anthony Fogg, moderator, with conductor Karina

Canellakis

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Friday, August 23

6 p.m., Seiji Ozawa Hall

Prelude Concert

Koussevitzky and the Choral Connection: exploring

choral works by composers who were commissioned

by the Koussevitzky Foundation

Tanglewood Festival Chorus

James Burton, conductor

TIPPETT "Dance, Clarion Air"

POULENC Salve Regina

STRAVINSKY Ave Maria

BRITTEN "A Hymn to the Virgin"

Helen GRIME Telling

MESSIAEN O Sacrum Convivium

WALTON "Set me as a seal upon thine heart"

WALKER "Stars"

Augusta Read THOMAS "The Rewaking"

HARVEY "Come, Holy Ghost"

8 p.m., Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Ryan Bancroft, conductor

Bruce Liu, piano

CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 1

ELGAR 'Enigma' Variations

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Saturday, August 24

10:30 a.m. Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Open Rehearsal, Sunday program

8 p.m., Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Karina Canellakis, conductor

James Ehnes, violin

Tanglewood Festival Chorus

James Burton, conductor

Karina Canellakis conducts Beethoven, Brahms,

Chausson, and Ravel

BEETHOVEN "The Creatures of Prometheus" overture

BRAHMS "Schicksalslied"

CHAUSSON "Poème," for violin and orchestra

RAVEL Tzigane

RAVEL "Daphnis et Chloé," Suite No. 2

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Sunday, August 25

2:30 p.m., Shed

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Ludovic Morlot, conductor

Ambur Braid, soprano

Jess Dandy, contralto

Elgan Llr Thomas, tenor

Davóne Tines, bass-baritone

Tanglewood Festival Chorus

James Burton, conductor

BRUCKNER Ecce sacerdos magnus

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9 ('Choral')

THREE TANGLEWOOD POPULAR ARTIST PERFORMANCES

Sunday, August 25

7 p.m., Studio E, Linde Center for Music and Learning

TLI Presents: The Edmar Castaneda Quartet

Edmar Castaneda, harp

Andrea Tierra, vocalist

Shlomi Cohen, sax

Rodrigo Villalon, drums

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Friday, August 30

7 p.m., Shed

Popular Artist Series

Judy Collins, The Indigo Girls, and Rufus Wainwright

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Saturday, August 31

7 p.m., Shed

Popular Artist Series

DISPATCH with the Boston Pops Orchestra

Keith Lockhart, conductor

For tickets to all Tanglewood events, call (888) 266-1200, or go online at tanglewood.org.

Lt. Governor Driscoll Visits Great Barrington Businesses

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:50AM / Wednesday, December 24, 2025

Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Housing Secretary Ed Augustus and state Rep. Leigh Davis are ready to chop wood out back of Pleasant and Main. 

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll did some holiday shopping on Main Street last week after announcing millions of federal Community Development Block Grant funds. 

She was glad to see an array of small-business owners thriving, and the eclectic items that Great Barrington has to offer. 

"We know that the vibrancy of communities can often be defined by what's happening on Main Street," she said. 

"It's great to be here in Great Barrington and see so many independent entrepreneurs who are running really, not only fun, but businesses that are doing well, and we want to try and find ways to uplift and support that work moving forward." 

State Rep. Leigh Davis coordinated a business tour with Pleasant and Main Cafe and General Store, Robbie's Community Market, and Butternut Ski Mountain. While downtown, Driscoll also stopped at Robin's Candy and Rob's Records and Audio. 

Earlier that day, the Healey-Driscoll administration announced $33.5 million in federal CDBG funds at the Housatonic Community Center. Great Barrington, in conjunction with Egremont and Stockbridge, has been allocated $ 1.25 million to rehabilitate approximately 14 housing units.  A new Rural and Small Town Housing Choice Community designation for its Housing Choice Initiative was also launched. 

Davis emphasized the significance of the state announcing these dollars in the small village of Housatonic.  

Craig Bero, founder of Pleasant and Main, prepared desserts and hors d'oeuvres for the group at his cozy cafe across the street from the Housatonic Community Center. Bero opened more than a decade ago after migrating from New York City, and Pleasant and Main offers sustainable, organic meals for an affordable price while enjoying the museum of antiques that is the restaurant.