Patti LaBelle Performs At Tanglewood This Summer

Tanglewood is announcing a new event to take place during the 2020 season.

On Saturday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m., living legend and "Godmother of Soul" Patti LaBelle performs for the first time at Tanglewood. In a career that has spanned five decades, LaBelle has sold more than 50 million records worldwide and has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, Hollywood Walk of Fame, and Apollo Theater Walk of Fame. The lead vocalist for Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles and later Labelle, Ms. LaBelle launched her solo career in the late 1970s and has since won two Grammy awards, for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her 1991 album, Burnin', followed by a second Grammy win for the live album, Live! One Night Only. Also an accomplished actress, author, and entrepreneur, LaBelle remains an advocate for adoption, diabetes, cancer, HIV/AIDS, and many other humanitarian causes and nonprofit initiatives. For a recent bio, click here.

Sharing the stage with Ms. LaBelle is the illustrious Darlene Love. In her early career, as lead singer for The Blossoms, she sang background vocals for The Righteous Brothers, Dionne Warwick, Marvin Gaye, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley (to name but a few entertainers), before emerging as a star in her own right. Her Billboard hits include "He's A Rebel," "The Boy I'm Gonna Marry," "Wait 'Til My Bobby Gets Home," "He's Sure the Boy I Love," and the holiday classic "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)." In 2011, Love was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. For a recent bio, click here.

Tickets for the Patti LaBelle concert with special guest Darlene Love, priced at $27-$119, go on sale Monday, March 9, at 10 a.m.

Tickets for the John Legend concert, priced at $39-$173, go on sale Monday, February 24, at 10 a.m.

Tickets for all other Tanglewood 2020 season concerts, including all other popular artist concerts, are currently available through www.tanglewood.org or by calling 888-266-1200.

The 2020 Tanglewood season, June 19-August 30, offers visitors an exceptional lineup of performances and musical activities for music lovers of every age, highlighted by 12 programs led by Boston Symphony Orchestra Music Director Andris Nelsons. They include Act III of Wagner's Tannhäuser (7/11) and three programs showcasing Paul Lewis in all five Beethoven piano concertos (7/17-19). Mr. Nelsons will also share the podium for a weekend-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Isaac Stern's birth, which features performances by violinists Augustin Hadelich, Midori, Pamela Frank, and Joshua Bell (7/24-26). In addition to Tanglewood's classical music offerings, the 2020 Tanglewood season includes Keith Lockhart leading the Boston Pops Orchestra in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (8/21) and the annual John Williams' Film Night, hosted by Mr. Williams (8/15). Ringo Starr opens the Tanglewood season on June 19, followed by performances by guitarist and singer-songwriter Trey Anastasio with the Boston Pops on June 20 and the legendary Judy Collins and Arlo Guthrie on June 21. And on August 27, the popular NPR program Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! with host Peter Sagal returns to the Shed.

Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band open the Tanglewood season on June 19. The Tanglewood concert is part of Starr's 2020 North American tour following the recent release of his new album, What's My Name. The next night, June 20, at 7:30 p.m., composer/guitarist/vocalist Trey Anastasio, a founding member of the rock band Phish, joins Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops in concert in the Shed. American music icons Judy Collins and Arlo Guthrie finish out the opening weekend with an afternoon performance in the Shed (6/21).

The following weekend on June 26 at 7 p.m. sees the Tanglewood debut of three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile (By the Way, I Forgive You). On Sunday, June 28, at 2:30 p.m., The Mavericks reprise their unique mix of country, Tex-Mex, and Latino sounds at the Shed. The Mavericks who are celebrating their 30th anniversary will share the stage with the rock band Los Lobos ("La Bamba," "Volver, Volver," "Let's Say Goodnight").

James Taylor returns to Tanglewood with his All-Star Band for a performance on Saturday, July 4, at 8 p.m., in the Koussevitzky Music Shed. The Shed concert will be followed by a fireworks display over the Stockbridge Bowl in celebration of the Independence Day holiday. Proceeds from this concert will be donated by Kim and James Taylor to Tanglewood Building and Grounds Projects.

Later in the summer, Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!, NPR's oddly informative news quiz show, returns to Tanglewood on Thursday, August 27, at 8 p.m.

The Peabody Award-winning show offers a fast-paced, irreverent look at the week's news, hosted by Peter Sagal with judge and scorekeeper Bill Kurtis. On August 28, at 7 p.m., Grammy, Tony, Emmy, and Academy Award-Winning singer-songwriter John Legend (Jesus Christ Superstar, Selma) performs for the first time at Tanglewood. Opening the concert is special guest, Nashville-based Americana duo The War and Treaty, husband and wife Michael Trotter, Jr. and Tanya Blount-Trotter, which performed at the 2020 Grammy Awards.

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.