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Ribbon-cutting Ceremony to Open the Linde Center for Music and Learning, Tanglewood, Lenox, Massachusetts, June 28, 2019.
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from The Berkshire Eagle:
Tanglewood's new Linde Center for Music and Learning, home of the Tanglewood Learning Institute, will launch its first summer season of programs later this month.
Celebration to mark opening of Tanglewood's Linde Center
Posted Thursday, June 13, 2019 3:45 pm
By Clarence Fanto, The Berkshire Eagle correspondent
LENOX — A red carpet-style event will be held later this month to roll out Tanglewood's new $33 million Linde Center for Music and Learning and its programming arm, the Tanglewood Learning Institute.
The ambitious addition to the Boston Symphony's 524-acre summer home represents the organization's most wide-ranging and costly venture here since the construction and opening of Ozawa Hall 25 years ago.
It's the centerpiece of a $64 million Tanglewood Forever campaign that includes major enhancements to the look of the campus, including the Ozawa Hall entrance and amenities, and a $10 million set-aside to support programming ventures. So far, $62.7 million has been raised.
The heated and air-conditioned Linde Center buildings are Tanglewood's first year-round facilities. Beginning this fall, the complex will be available for Berkshire-based concert and event rentals, with details to be unveiled at summer's end.
"This is a transformational moment, the culmination of many years of work and a symbolic beginning of a new era for Tanglewood," according to BSO Managing Director Mark Volpe.
Construction began in October 2017, with final touch-ups completed last month. The project was conceived in 2012 by Tony Fogg, artistic administrator and director of Tanglewood; Tanglewood Music Center Director Ellen Highstein; and BSO Trustee Joyce Linde, who chaired the TMC/TLI Initiative Committee.
As TLI Director Sue Elliott has said, the performances, talks, master classes and up-close, interactive experiences with artists offered by the institute — 140 events in all this inaugural season — represent a huge programming expansion. It's the most extensive since Tanglewood opened in 1937 and the Tanglewood Music Center for advanced students and young professionals was founded in 1940, then the Berkshire Music Center, by BSO Music Director Serge Koussevitzky."
As TLI evolves over the coming months and years, we expect to engage existing audiences and a wide variety of curious people who have direct and indirect affinities for what we offer, regardless of their musical knowledge," Elliott said. "We're grateful for the warm welcome our new buildings have received and look forward to the new partnerships that will develop."
The TLI's mission, involving the BSO, the Boston Pops and the Tanglewood Music Center, will reach beyond the Berkshires, with Boston programs beginning this fall and online learning experiences to be added next year.
But first, four days of celebration as the orchestra's eight-week residency approaches.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony open to the public is scheduled for 9 a.m. June 28, with speeches by BSO leaders, Linde Center builders and major donors. A public tour of the facility will follow. The new complex overlooks Ozawa Hall and its lawn, and it is accessed via Hawthorne Road on the Stockbridge side of Tanglewood.
The Linde Center's four buildings, centered around a 100-foot red oak, are connected by a winding, covered walkway. Facilities include Studio E, the largest performance and rehearsal space with seating for up to 270 people; two smaller buildings, the Gordon Family Studio and the Volpe Family Studio, and Cindy's Cafe, with indoor seating for 150 and an outside patio with 50 more seats.
The cafe is designed as a hub for visitors, Tanglewood Music Center Fellows and faculty, BSO players and Tanglewood Learning Institute participants.
Additional free, public opening weekend highlights include:
- June 29, 9 to noon; June 30, 1 to 5 p.m.; and July 1, 2-4:30 p.m.: Open houses with activities showcasing the range of TLI offerings this summer and the fall, winter and spring seasons to follow. Performers include string quartet players form the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, a music and movement class with Lauren Grant of the Mark Morris Dance Group and coaching sessions for Tanglewood Music Center's young musicians led by TMC faculty and BSO members. For young people, an Instrument Playground and a "hands-on" percussion demonstration are offered.
- June 30, 1 p.m.: A live performance of Boston public radio station WBUR's storytelling podcast, "Circle Round," with BSO musicians and actors Amanda Seyfried ["Mamma Mia!," "Les Miserables"], Thomas Sadoski ["The Newsroom," "Life in Pieces"], Campbell Scott ["House of Cards," "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"] and Jane Kaczmarek ["Malcolm in the Middle"] to be recorded for download.
- July 1, 2 to 4:30 p.m. at Cindy's Cafe: Bach Cantatas Coffee House featuring conductors John Harbison and Ken-David Masur, with TMC musicians preparing for that evening's concert at Ozawa Hall.
ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER THESE ADS
Additional TLI Open Houses are planned on July 12 [the BSO's Berkshire Night concert], Aug. 6 and Aug. 25.
Bringing people together
"When I think about the Boston Symphony Orchestra's contribution to the larger world, I think about how well we bring people together for shared experiences that, in their own way, help to create a more civil society," Elliott, the TLI director, said in a statement. "TLI's defining quality is curiosity in our work, and inspiring curiosity in our participants."
The institute aims to offer "a wide-ranging spectrum of dynamic, engaging, thought-provoking cross-cultural programs while also supporting the Tanglewood Music Center," according to BSO leaders. "With a whole new unprecedented layer of activities for patrons curious to get closer to the BSO's world of music and even venture beyond it, TLI programming — which has played a foundational role in the design of the Linde Center — will offer visitors a sense of discovery and participation on a scale never before offered by the Tanglewood festival."
Elliott, who was chosen last summer to lead the learning institute, pointed out that some programs are aimed at attracting participants whose primary focus might not be music. She cited "The Big Idea" speaker series, featuring former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright [July 6] and historian-author Doris Kearns Goodwin [July 27], among others, and the Sunday evening "Cinematics" series of documentary films at Ozawa Hall.
The film series begins June 30 with a screening of the 1991 French film classic, "Tous les matins du monde," portraying the life of Bach's contemporary, the composer Marin Marais. In collaboration with the Berkshire International Film Festival, the weekly Cinematics series is on Sundays at 7 p.m. in Studio E of the Linde Center [single tickets $12].
"Some of our programming is designed specifically to dissolve barriers between audiences and performers, to provide a front row seat to the artistic and creative processes," Elliott said. "Our programs and spaces will be welcoming, experimental, interdisciplinary and eclectic."
TLI summer schedule
The Tanglewood Learning Institute launches its summer schedule on June 22 with the String Quartet MasterPass, eight days of concerts, master classes, talks and dinner with current and former members of the Juilliard String Quartet and Tanglewood Music Center faculty and students.
The TLI's four deep-immersion weekends, tying in to summer concert highlights with talks, panel discussions, films, master classes, rehearsals, musical demonstrations, workshops and off-stage encounters with performers, include:
- O'Keeffe Weekend: Diva soprano Ren e Fleming and operatic baritone Rod Gilfry present the world premiere of composer Kevin Puts' "The Brightness of Light," based on letters between landscape painter/artist Georgia O'Keeffe and photographer/art promoter Alfred Stieglitz [July 19-21].
- Wagner Weekend: Programs focusing on performances of Wagner's "Die Walkure" led by BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons with opera soloists and the TMC Orchestra [July 26-28].
- Festival of Contemporary Music Weekend: Programs directed by composer-conductor Thomas Ades [July 26-28].
- Film Weekend: Focusing on John Williams' annual Film Night [Aug. 23-25].
The Linde Center for Music and Learning is designed by William Rawn Associates Architects, led by William Rawn and Cliff Gayley.
It is named in recognition of leadership gifts made by Joyce and Edward H. Linde and their family.
"The launch of TLI programming and the opening of the Linde Center marks the beginning of a new journey to bring Tanglewood to the world and the world to Tanglewood," Elliott said.
Clarence Fanto can be reached at cfanto@yahoo.com, on Twitter @BE_cfanto or at 413-637-2551.
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Tanglewood opens doors to 'transformative' year-round facility
LENOX — Under azure skies and gentle breezes on a weather-perfect morning, at least 400 enthused Tanglewood patrons, friends, staffers and government leaders cheered the ceremonial opening of
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/tanglewood-opens-doors-to-transformative-year-round-facility,578062
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LENOX — Under azure skies and gentle breezes on a weather-perfect morning, at least 400 enthused Tanglewood patrons, friends, staffers and government leaders cheered the ceremonial opening of the Linde Center for Music and Learning on Friday, inaugurating the $33 million four-building, climate-controlled complex.
Described as landmark event in the 82-year history of the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home, the state-of-the-art performance, rehearsal and event space makes the campus in Stockbridge and Lenox a year-round destination for the first time.
"Today is a milestone occasion for Tanglewood, the Berkshires and the ever-strengthening bonds between this region and the Boston Symphony Orchestra," said Anthony Fogg, the BSO's artistic administrator for the past 25 years and the director of Tanglewood.
"This new and transformative element of the Tanglewood experience opens yet another door to Tanglewood for even more people, not just for the summer, but for the whole year," BSO President and CEO Mark Volpe stressed. "We at the BSO are incredibly enthusiastic about the opportunities that this facility will create for collaboration, and we look forward to making what has been our summer home for so many years into one of our two permanent `year-round addresses' for the future."
The multi-use complex, designed by William Rawn Associates architects, is the home of the new Tanglewood Learning Institute — with more than 140 scheduled activities this summer — and community events during the off-season.
It's the largest, most costly and significant expansion and investment at the BSO's 524-acre campus since the opening of the neighboring Seiji Ozawa Hall 25 years ago, also designed by Rawn and his firm.
The new facility was funded by the "Tanglewood Forever" campaign that has raised just over $62 million toward its $64 million goal.
It is named for lead donor Joyce Linde, her late husband Edward and their family. As the guiding force for the project, Linde chaired the committee that envisioned and developed the concept starting seven years ago, and organized the fundraising along with the BSO trustees and other donors.
"This beautiful new complex is a spectacular addition to the Tanglewood campus, providing much-needed space for the Tanglewood Music Center and the summer offerings of the Tanglewood Learning Institute," said Susan Paine, chairwoman of the BSO board of trustees, which supported the project from its inception. "It is the embodiment of the BSO's deepening of its connections to the Berkshires, expanding and adding to an already thriving relationship."
Citing "this watershed moment in the orchestra's history," Linde saluted and thanked "the wise counsel and dedication" of the TMC-TLI Committee, working with BSO officials, the design and construction teams, community partners, government agencies and neighbors. "It was truly a collaborative effort," she noted.
"We hope to offer new programs and experiences that will inspire and deepen people's understanding of classical music, the arts and the human spirit," Linde said, quoting TLI Director Sue Elliott, hired last summer to oversee the institute and its programming.
"Whether it's through the Tanglewood Music Center, Tanglewood Learning Institute, Boston Symphony Orchestra events or those offered by others," Linde said, "it is our hope that the Linde Center becomes a community resource to unite people through shared experiences, and that it amplifies a core value of the Tanglewood experience, that Tanglewood is for everyone."
Rawn, the architect, told the crowd that he hopes the center is "in the right scale, sense of quality and sense of place that is all a part of Tanglewood, and may that last forever. Today we hand this building over to Joyce and the BSO; it's a poignant moment for an architect when that happens, but it is your building." He singled out for special recognition his partner, architect Clifford Gayley, as well as colleagues Kevin Bergeron and Liz Bondyark.
Rawn also singled out Volpe, the orchestra's president, "for embracing us starting in 2015 in an amazing way, we got 24/7 from him on several occasions. He had a vision for this place and dedicated four years of his life to making this happen." And Rawn cited Tanglewood Music Center Director Ellen Highstein for "welcoming us with open arms every time we were on campus." The complex's three performance studios include rehearsal space for the BSO's summer music academy that opened in 1940.
Volpe, pointing out that "this is truly a special moment for Tanglewood," stated that "to those who have spent any time here, one thing about this place is abundantly clear, and that is that Tanglewood means so much to so many people."
He said that "there are myriad reasons to love this place — of course, starting with music, nature, camaraderie, community, learning, enjoyment, family, and friends. The wonder about Tanglewood is that, no matter your reason or reasons to love this place, it has something all of us can enjoy, and it is open and welcoming to all."
Edwin Barker, the BSO's principal double bass since 1977 who attended the TMC as a student in 1975, described the Linde Center as "an exciting natural extension" of Tanglewood Music Center founder Serge Koussevitzky's dream, vision and cultural mission.
"I think of it as not just a place populated with those of the here and now, but a cultural center embodying the ghosts of past great artists, musicians, and ideas still roaming this lush landscape," Barker said. "The traditions established here carry over from one generation to the next."
He predicted that "the cross-pollination of the disciplines embodied in the mission of this new facility — music, art, philosophy, and the influential cultural ideas of our time — will continue to cultivate the ongoing tradition and influence of Tanglewood. And so, very happily, the mission and tradition go on."
And, just ahead of the ceremonial ribbon-cutting, Volpe emphasized that the Linde Center "is the focal point for even deeper engagement between the BSO and our neighbors here in the Berkshires. It is a tangible symbol and center for the BSO's dedication not just to being in the Berkshire community, but more important, being of the Berkshire community."
Reed Hilderbrand served as the landscape architect for the project. Consigli was the general contractor that built the new complex, and Skanska was the project manager. Kirkegaard Associates, led by Joseph Myers, served as the project's acousticians. They were also the acousticians for Ozawa Hall, which was also designed by the William Rawn firm.
Clarence Fanto can be reached at cfanto@yahoo.com , on Twitter @BE_cfanto or at 413-637-2551.
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