The world famous Boston Symphony Orchestra normally performs at Symphony Hall in Boston, Massachusetts. But its summer home is the Tanglewood Music Center in western Massachusetts.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra also has a summer program at Tanglewood.
This summer, the Tanglewood Music Center has been celebrating its 75th anniversary.
Serge Koussevitzky led the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1940. At the time, Europe was at war. The United States did not enter World War II until the end of 1941. Mr. Koussevitzky persuaded people in the music industry to open a music school at Tanglewood, the BSO’s summer home. He wanted young, gifted musicians to attend the school for free.
But within two years, the program almost came to an end. Jeremy Eichler is a music critic for The Boston Globe newspaper.
“The BSO trustees wanted to close the school because of the war and Koussevitzky was outraged, and wrote a letter calling it an “act of artistic vandalism.” And said, “now is the time when the world needs to be hearing this music.”
Since it opened, Tanglewood’s young musicians, singers and conductors have performed many new compositions. They include the first American performance of Benjamin Britten’s opera “Peter Grimes.” This year, for its 75th anniversary, the center asked composers to write 34 new pieces of music.
