Tanglewood OPERA GALA PROGRAM Begins 8/26

On Saturday, August 26, at 8 p.m. soprano Kristine Opolais and bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel join BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus for an evening of opera and song,including Act II of Puccini's Tosca. In addition to Ms. Opolais in the title role and Sir Bryn as Scarpia, the Tanglewood Festival performance of Tosca will feature tenor Russell Thomas as Cavaradossi, bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel as Scarpia, tenor Matthew DiBattista as Spoletta, and baritone Douglas Williams as Sciarrone (in his BSO debut). Ms. Opolais and Sir Bryn recently performed Tosca in concert together at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod on July 4, 2017, under conductor Gareth Jones.

The second half of the Opera Gala program will feature works by Wagner, Dvo?ák, and Gershwin. Opening the program after intermission, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus will perform "Entrance of the Guests" from Act II of Wagner's Tannhäuser, followed by the composer's "Wie duftet doch der Flieder" (Hans Sachs's "Flieder Monologue") from Act II of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, featuring Sir Bryn Terfel. Kristine Opolais will then return to the stage for Dvo?ák's "Song to the Moon" from Act I of Rusalka, followed by a BSO performance of Polonaise from Act II. Closing the program will be a selection of songs from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, including the Introduction and Jasbo Brown Blues; "Summertime," featuring Kristine Opolais and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus; "I got plenty o' nuttin'," featuring Sir Bryn Terfel; and "Bess, you is my woman now," featuring both Ms. Opolais and Sir Bryn.

The Saturday, August 26 opera gala performance is part of the Boston Symphony Orchestra's final weekend of the 2017 Tanglewood season, which concludes on Sunday, August 27, with the traditional season-ending performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. For the second year in a row, Andris Nelsons leads the orchestra in the performance, featuring soprano Katie Van Kooten in her BSO and Tanglewood debuts; mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford; tenor Russell Thomas; and bass-baritone

John Relyea, along with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. Maestro Nelsons and the BSO open the program with Charles Ives's tribute to Western Massachusetts, "The Housatonic at Stockbridge" from Three Places in New England. The weekend opens on Friday, August 25, with a live performance of John Williams' score to E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial-a best picture Oscar nominee and one of the most popular films of all time-performed by Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops in tandemwith Steven Spielberg's movie. E.T. with Orchestra brings the magic of the silver screen to life with this live performance by the Boston Pops of the Academy Award-winning score. The final week of Tanglewood's 2017 season includes performances by Sting, with by special guests Joe Sumner and The Last Bandoleros (8/29, 8 p.m.); iconic singer Diana Ross (8/30, 7 p.m.); American folk-rock band The Avett Brothers (9/1, 7 p.m.); Classic Quadrophenia with Pete Townshend, Billy Idol, and Alfie Boe (9/2, 8 p.m.); and Melissa Etheridge, who joins Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops to close out the 2017 Tanglewood season (9/3, 2:30 p.m.).

TICKET INFORMATION AND BRIEF OVERVIEW OF TANGLEWOOD
Tickets for the 2017 Tanglewood, season, $12-$124, are available through Tanglewood's website, www.tanglewood.org, through SymphonyCharge at 888-266-1200, and at the Symphony Hall Box Office at 301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston MA. Tickets will also be available for purchase in person at the Tanglewood Box Office at Tanglewood's Main Gate on West Street in Lenox, MA, in June 2017. American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club, Discover, and cash are all accepted. For further information and box office hours, please call the Boston Symphony Orchestra at 617-266-1492 or visit www.tanglewood.org. $20 tickets for attendees under 40, one of the BSO's most popular discount ticket offers, will be available for select BSO and Boston Pops performances in the Shed. In addition, Tanglewood continues to offer free lawn tickets to young people age 17 and under, as well as a variety of special programs for children, including Kids' Corner, Watch and Play, and the annual Family Concert, this year to take place July 22. Additional ticket information appears near the end of this press release.The 2017 Tanglewood season, June 16-Labor Day Weekend, offers visitors an exceptional lineup of performances and musical activities for music lovers of every age, highlighted by 10 programs led by Boston Symphony Orchestra Music Director Andris Nelsons and major new initiatives, including Summer Sundays designed to give patrons a wide spectrum of musical, entertainment, and educational activities to enjoy before and after Sunday-afternoon BSO concerts (2:30 p.m.), starting when the gates open at noon. In his most significant commitment yet to Tanglewood, Mr. Nelsons will lead both the opening and closing BSO concerts, Mahler's Symphony No. 2, Resurrection, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9; an opera gala with Kristine Opolais and Sir Bryn Terfel performing Act II of Puccini's Tosca and other vocal selections, and the first-ever BSO and festival concert performance of Wagner's complete Das Rheingold, a tour de force milestone in the history of Tanglewood. Mr. Nelsons will also conduct the Boston Pops Orchestra for the first time, sharing the podium for Film Night with John Williams.

In addition to Tanglewood's classical music offerings, the 2017 Tanglewood season also includes performances by "Four Voices"-featuring Joan Baez, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Amy Ray and Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls (6/17); jazz piano prodigy Joey Alexander (6/23); Chris Botti with the Boston Pops and conductor Lawrence Loh (6/24); Boz Scaggs and Michael McDonald (6/30); John Mellencamp with Emmylou Harris and Carlene Carter (7/1); singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant (7/2); James Taylor and his All-Star Band (7/3 & 4); David Sedaris (8/20); Sting (8/29); iconic singer Diana Ross (8/30); American folk-rock band The Avett Brothers (9/1); Classic Quadrophenia with Pete Townshend, Billy Idol, and Alfie Boe (9/2); and Melissa Etheridge, who joins Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops to close out the 2017 Tanglewood season (9/3).

One of the most popular and acclaimed music festivals in the world, Tanglewood-the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1937-is located between Lenox and Stockbridge, MA. With an average annual attendance of more than 300,000 visitors, Tanglewood has a $103 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; and performances by some of today's leading popular artists. Introduced in 2013, $20 tickets for attendees under 40 will be available for select BSO and Boston Pops performances in the Shed. Tanglewood is family-friendly, with free lawn tickets available for children and young people age 17 and under, and a variety of special programs for children, including Kids' Corner, Watch and Play, and the annual Family Concert, this year to take place on Saturday, July 22. Tanglewood is also the home of the Tanglewood Music Center, the BSO's preeminent summer music academy for the advanced 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 in week-long sessions throughout the summer. These are just two of the BSO's many educational and outreach activities, for which more information is available online at the Boston Symphony Orchestra's website, www.bso.org-receiving approximately 17 million visitors annually and generating over $118 million in revenue since its launch in 1996. Music lovers can follow Tanglewood via its new social media accounts on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TanglewoodMusicFestival/, on Twitter @TanglewoodMA, and on Instagram @TanglewoodMusicFestival. The Boston Symphony is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bostonsymphony, on Twitter @bostonsymphony, and on Instagram @bostonsymphony. The Boston Pops is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thebostonpops, on Twitter @thebostonpops, and on Instagram @thebostonpops.

In addition to summertime concerts at Tanglewood and its many other world-class cultural and entertainment offerings, the Berkshire region is also well known for its all-season outdoor activities, a bountiful food culture boasting both four-star restaurants and family eateries, and a wide array of lodging to accommodate all tastes and budgets. Amidst a backdrop of picturesque towns and villages, surrounded by the beautiful Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts, these many and varied activities play a significant role in setting the region apart and making it a singular destination in the summer and throughout the year. For more information visit berkshires.org.

RADIO BROADCASTS AND STREAMING
Concerts from the Shed are broadcast across New England throughout the Tanglewood season in Boston on WCRB 99.5FM, a service of WGBH, and WJMF 88.7FM in Providence; in Albany on WAMC 90.3FM and its network of translators; and in Connecticut on WMNR 88.1FM. In addition, Sunday afternoon concerts are broadcast on WFCR 88.5FM in Amherst; in New Hampshire on WCNH 91.5FM and WEVO 89.1-HD2; and on a delayed basis on the classical music stations of Vermont Public Radio and of the Maine Public Broadcasting Network. Live streaming of these broadcasts and schedule details are available at www.classicalwcrb.org ; www.wamc.org; www.wmnr.org; www.nepr.net; www.vpr.net; and www.mainepublic.org. On-demand audio of concerts is available at www.bso.org and www.classicalwcrb.org.

SPONSORSHIP
Commonwealth Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation is proud to be celebrating its fourteenth year as the Official Chauffeured Transportation Provider of the BSO. The Sunday, August 6 afternoon Shed concert is sponsored by Dell EMC.

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.

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