Tanglewood Music Center facts for kids
 |
|
| Formation | 1940 |
|---|---|
| Type | Classical music |
| Purpose | Music Festival, Summer academy for pre-professional musicians |
| Location | |
|
Region
|
The Berkshires |
|
Director
|
Edward Gazouleas (designate) |
|
Key people
|
Serge Koussevitsky, founder |
|
Parent organization
|
Boston Symphony Orchestra |
The Tanglewood Music Center (TMC) is a special summer music school in Lenox, Massachusetts, USA. It's a place where talented young musicians go to learn and perform. They take part in concerts, special classes, and workshops. The TMC is part of the larger Tanglewood Music Festival, which is a series of outdoor concerts. It's also the summer home of the famous Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO).
Contents
A Brief History of Tanglewood Music Center
The Tanglewood Music Center started in 1940. It was first called the Berkshire Music Center. It was created by Serge Koussevitzky, who was the music director of the BSO. This happened three years after Tanglewood became the BSO's summer home.
Koussevitzky was the director of the center until 1950. Then, Charles Münch, the new BSO director, took over. He led the TMC from 1951 to 1962. After him, Erich Leinsdorf was the TMC director from 1963 to 1970.
In 1970, Seiji Ozawa started overseeing BSO activities at Tanglewood. Gunther Schuller became the TMC director, and Leonard Bernstein was a general advisor. In 1975, Franco Ferrara began teaching conducting at the TMC. Schuller left in 1984 due to disagreements with Ozawa.
Pianist and conductor Leon Fleisher became the TMC director in 1985. He left in 1997 after a disagreement with Ozawa. Ellen Highstein took his place in 1998. When Ozawa left the BSO in 2001, James Levine became the new BSO director. He also worked with TMC students until 2011.
In 2013, Andris Nelsons was named the BSO's new Music Director. Since 2015, Nelsons has worked with the TMC Orchestra every summer. He also teaches conducting classes to the students. In 2022, Michael Nock became the interim director. In 2023, Edward Gazouleas was announced as the new director.
Where Tanglewood Happens
Tanglewood is a huge place, about 210 acres (85 hectares) of open fields. Most of this land was given to the BSO in 1936 by the Tappan family.
Students at the TMC usually live at Miss Hall's School. This is a boarding school for high school girls in nearby Pittsfield. Until 1999, students who focused on composing music lived in a separate mansion called Seranak. This changed when Ellen Highstein became director.
Who Leads the Tanglewood Music Center?
Here are the people who have been in charge of the Tanglewood Music Center:
- Serge Koussevitzky (1940 - 1950)
- Charles Münch (1950 - 1962)
- Erich Leinsdorf (1963 - 1970)
- Gunther Schuller (1970 - 1984)
- Leon Fleisher (1985 - 1997)
- Ellen Highstein (1998 - 2021)
- Michael Nock, Interim (2022)
- Edward Gazouleas, Designate (2023 - present)
Students and Teachers at TMC
Serge Koussevitzky wanted the TMC to be a place where students could work closely. They would learn from BSO musicians and guest artists. They would also learn from each other. Getting into the TMC is very hard. In 2007, over 1500 people applied, but only 156 were chosen.
Many former TMC students become very successful in classical music. It's thought that 20% of all American symphony orchestra members have attended the program. Also, 30% of all first-chair players (the lead musicians in each section) are TMC alumni.
Some famous former students include:
- Composers: John Adams, Luciano Berio, Leonard Bernstein, William Bolcom, John Harbison, Ned Rorem, and Oliver Knussen.
- Conductors: Leonard Bernstein, Robert Spano, Seiji Ozawa, Lorin Maazel, Claudio Abbado, Michael Tilson Thomas, David Zinman, Zubin Mehta, and Marin Alsop.
- Other famous musicians: Dawn Upshaw (singer), Wynton Marsalis (jazz musician), and Burt Bacharach (songwriter).
Festival of Contemporary Music
The Festival of Contemporary Music is a yearly event at Tanglewood. The Tanglewood Music Center organizes it. It started in 1964. It was a project by Erich Leinsdorf, Gunther Schuller, and music supporter Paul Fromm. Recent festivals have focused on music by composers born in a certain year or by specific composers like Elliott Carter.
