The Boston Symphony Orchestra has announced their 2026 Tanglewood schedule
American Music Takes Center Stage all Summer in E Pluribus Unum: From Many One Programs Showcasing the Many Voices of our Collective Experience
Music Director and Head of Conducting at Tanglewood Andris Nelsons Leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Programs (July 10–Aug. 2) with Returning Star Soloists Including Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Seong-Jin Cho, Renée Fleming, Augustin Hadelich, Thomas Hampson, and Daniil Trifonov, and the Debut of Exciting Young Violinist Himari.
Nelsons Also Leads an Opening Night All-Tchaikovsky Program Featuring Principal Dancers from Boston Ballet (July 10) and a Concert Opera Performance of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro with Baritone Michael Sumuel Making his BSO Debut in the Title Role Opposite Sopranos Ying Fang (Susanna) and Hanna-Elisabeth Müller (Countess), and Mezzo Susan Graham (Marcellina) (Aug. 1)
Celebrated Guest Artists in Other BSO Programs (through Aug. 23) Include Yefim Bronfman, Renaud Capuçon, Yo-Yo Ma, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet
Yo-Yo Ma Curates a Weeklong Residency (We the People: Our Shared Past, Present, and Future) and Performs in Five Programs (Aug. 4–9)
Esa-Pekka Salonen Directs the Tanglewood Music Center’s Annual Festival of Contemporary Music (July 23–27), and Conducts the BSO (July 31) and the TMCO (Aug. 3)
Other 2026 Season Highlights (in Date Order):
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Returns with Wynton Marsalis for the First Time since 2015 (June 26)
Ozawa Hall Recitals Include Boston Symphony Chamber Players (July 8), Augustin Hadelich and Seong-Jin Cho Together (July 9), and Yuja Wang Solo (Aug. 19)
Eric Lu, the 2025 International Chopin Piano Competition Winner, Makes His Festival Debut with the BSO and Conductor Fabio Luisi (July 12)
Acclaimed Ensembles Les Arts Florissants, The Boston Camerata, and the Danish String Quartet Perform in Ozawa Hall (July 15, 16, & 30)
Legendary Film Composer Joe Hisaishi (Spirited Away, The Boy and The Heron, Ponyo) Makes his BSO Conducting Debut (July 18)
Laurie Anderson Makes Her Tanglewood Debut in Programs that Include Sexmob and the Lou Reed Drone Sonic Installation (Aug. 13–16)
Crossing Open Ground, an Outdoor Work for 40 Musicians by Pulitzer Prize-Winning Composer John Luther Adams (Aug. 13 & 14)
Martha Graham Dance Company Performs Bernstein-inspired For Martha and Copland’s Appalachian Spring with the BSO in a Debut Collaboration with Jacob’s Pillow (Aug. 14)
Marin Alsop Conducts the Tanglewood Debut of Violin Virtuoso Ray Chen (Aug. 16)
Silkroad Ensemble Returns with Rhiannon Giddens for a 25th Anniversary Performance (Aug. 20)
Berkshires Visitor resources
Public transportation into and within our beautiful 950 square miles is a challenge for anybody without a car. The much ballyhooed Berkshire Flyer that pretends to be a train route from NYC to the Berkshires, is an iffy proposition. Sometimes there is a connection at the Rensselaer Amtrak station for a train to Pittsfield on summertime Fridays (return Sunday), sometimes there’s a bus, but never is there adequate intra-Berkshires public transportation Friday evenings and all day Sunday. Nor does Pittsfield boast much in the way of private taxi and car services.
These pages, then will help you plan your next visits to the Berkshires.