Boston University Tanglewood Institute Announces 2019 Programming

Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI)-one of North America's premier summer training programs for young musicians-announces its 2019 programs and events. The 2019 BUTI season takes place at Tanglewood, on the BUTI campus in Lenox, MA, and in Boston June 17-August 10, 2019. It features concert and recital programming throughout the Berkshires; workshops led by distinguished performers and teachers from Boston University College of Fine Arts, the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), and Visiting Artists; and rich programs of learning and performance for students ages 10-20. Led by Executive Director Hilary Field Respass, BUTI is the only program of its kind associated with one of the world's great symphony orchestras, the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Created in 1966 at the invitation of then-BSO music director Erich Leinsdorf, BUTI was developed as an extension of the BSO's Tanglewood Music Center (TMC), then called the Berkshire Music Center. More than fifty years and thousands of alumni later, BUTI remains a pioneer of musical training, challenging the world's next generation of artists to perform at the highest level while providing them unparalleled access to the Tanglewood Music Festival.

Year after year, BUTI alumni remain engaged and committed to educating new generations of young artists. This summer highlights alumni and artists who are "coming back to Tanglewood" in some way. Composer-flutist Valerie Coleman (BUTI'89, BU'95) and composer Nico Muhly (BUTI'96, '97) come back to mentor and teach the young artists. Works by BUTI alumni Mason Bates (BUTI'94), Paul Haas (BUTI'87, '88), and Missy Mazzoli (BUTI'98) are featured on each Young Artists Orchestra program. Conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya and Ann Hobson Pilot, long-time principal harpist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, return to Tanglewood stages to perform the Ginastera Harp Concerto, Op. 25 with the Young Artists Orchestra. Pianist Thomas Weaver (BUTI'08) solos with the Young Artists Wind Ensemble in Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

Over the course of the eight-week season, BUTI students and faculty will offer more than 100 concerts and community events in the Berkshires, including approximately 30 free performances at non-traditional venues such as retirement communities, libraries, and parks. These performances offer the young musicians a chance to bring music to audiences who might not experience it regularly, while also building their audience engagement skills.

BUTI Executive Director Hilary Field Respass comments, "BUTI's generations of alumni enrich us by returning as teachers, performers, creators and supporters, and their wide-ranging contributions to the program and to the field in general are gifts to all of us. We're thrilled to have played a part in their development and to be showcasing and collaborating with them now. We also especially appreciate talented faculty who return, and extend a special welcome back to maestro Miguel Harth-Bedoya who we're delighted will once again be on the BUTI podium."

Programs and workshops this summer include Strings and Orchestra; Winds & Brass; Percussion; Harp; Voice; Composition; and Piano. The Junior Strings Intensive, now in its third year, offers middle school violinists, violists, and cellists ages 10-14 the opportunity to advance their technical and musical skills in a small group setting. Electroacoustic Composition Workshop participants will learn cutting-edge electronic composition, mixing, and sound editing techniques.

BUTI's Young Artists Chorus, Young Artists Orchestra, and Young Artists Wind Ensemble will perform a series in Seiji Ozawa Hall on the Tanglewood grounds from July 13-August 10, 2019. A notable roster of conductors will work with these three ensembles including Paul Haas (BUTI'87, '88), Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Bruce Kiesling, David Martins, H. Robert Reynolds, and Katie Woolf (BU'05). BUTI's affiliation with the BSO continues to be a highlight, and BUTI's Young Artists Programs will be featured as part of Tanglewood on Parade on July 23 at 4 p.m. at the Koussevitzky Music Shed.

Boston Landmarks Orchestra presents a BUTI Prelude Concert on July 17, 2019 before the opening night concert at the DCR Hatch Memorial Shell on the Charles River Esplanade. The Young Artists Wind Ensemble will perform lively chamber music by composers spanning the wind ensemble repertoire, including by BUTI visiting Artist Valerie Coleman (BUTI'89, BU'95).

Continuing the tradition of Visiting Artists, inaugurated during the 50th Anniversary season in summer 2016, this year's Visiting Artists are composer and flutist Valerie Coleman (BUTI'89, BU'95) and pianist-coach Douglas Sumi. Composer Nico Muhly (BUTI'96, '97) will serve as Artist-in-Residence for the second year. The artist-teachers will be threaded into the daily fabric of the BUTI programs, providing direct instruction to students, including activities like coaching chamber music, teaching private lessons, giving master classes, and leading career discussions.

New BUTI faculty this summer include BSO French horn player Rachel Childers, who will offer private lessons for the Young Artists Orchestra members; Dan Doña as the String Quartet Workshop Assistant Director; the BSO's Toby Oft as a trombone instructor for the Young Artists Orchestra members; Margaret Phillips as Bassoon Workshop Co-Director; Trey Pratt (BU'16) as the Junior Strings Intensive Chorus Conductor; and Sarah Puckett, Regan Siglin, and Xuerong (Kyra) Zhao as coaches for the Young Artists Vocal Program.

Building on the commitment to foster mental and physical health and wellness among the next generations of musicians, BUTI has formally integrated its Health & Wellness Program into the core curriculum, with classes in injury prevention, body mapping, yoga, Alexander Technique, and the Feldenkrais Method. A seminar in managing performance anxiety will also be offered to students as part of BUTI's dedication to cultivating healthy mindsets and mental training in this formative stage of young artist development.

During the academic year, BUTI staff travel across the country to recruit the most talented and diverse group of students possible to join us in Lenox to live, learn and make music together all summer. BUTI is especially pleased to welcome students from organizational partners and programs who are accomplishing great work in training students from underrepresented or underserved communities. These include recruiting partners such as the Boston String Academy (MA), Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (CA), and the Juilliard MAP program (NY), as well as long-time partners such as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's Talent Development Program (GA), Sphinx, and the Center for Visual and Performing Arts at Suitland High School (MD).

In addition to these offerings, BUTI offers a robust master class series featuring some of the world's most esteemed artists, drawn from the roster of the Tanglewood Music Festival and beyond. This summer, the young artists will participate in a series of events and workshops at the new Tanglewood Learning Institute as part of its inaugural year of events.