Boston Symphony Orchestra Offers $20 Tickets to Those Under 40
Special Appeal for a Younger Audience
By: Charles Giuliano - Nov 19, 2008
This is a busy week for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. On Friday, November 21, the BSO will release the schedule for the Tanglewood Music Festival 's 2009 season in Lenox, Mass. Prior to this in the press release below it announces tickets at $20 each for those under the age of 40 at Boston's Symphony Hall. This is a bold step to develop younger audiences for classical music.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra will offer $20 concert tickets to patrons under the age of 40 to BSO concerts for the remainder of the 2008-2009 Symphony Hall season, thanks to a generous contribution by an anonymous underwriter who will pay (subsidize) the difference between the full and discounted ticket prices. Four thousand $20 tickets, normally priced from $29 to $115, will be made available to more than 45 Boston Symphony concerts throughout the remainder of the season. The first program with tickets available for $20 is on November 20, 21, 22 and 25, with Gennady Rozhdestvensky conducting works by Brahms, Elgar and Tchaikovsky, with cellist Lynn Harrell. The generous underwriter of this special gift, a BSO concert goer for many years, hopes to ensure that the next generation of music enthusiasts can attend BSO concerts as often as they like and enjoy the thrill of a live concert at a relatively low cost.
This new offer complements the BSO's ongoing effort to bring the live concert experience to young music enthusiasts by making it more accessible and affordable. The BSO is devoted to reaching out to young audiences, from extensive education programs targeting children and young adults; to the college card and repartee programs focused on college and post-graduate aged patrons; to Symphony +, a series of pre- and post-concert events designed to enhance the overall concert experience by offering social and educational opportunities to concertgoers.
Patrons who take advantage of this special offer can purchase $20 tickets to 13 different BSO programs including two programs under the direction of James Levine--Verdi's Simon Boccanegra on January 29 and 31 and February 3 and the world premiere performance of Gunther Schuller's Where the Word Ends on February 5, 6 and 7; Kurt Masur leading and all-Mendelssohn program on January 22, 24, and 27; Alan Gilbert leading a program of the music of Sibelius, Rachmaninoff, and Ives on March 5,6,7 and 10; Hans Graf conducting Brahms and Bruckner in a program featuring violinist Janine Jansen and cellist Alisa Weilerstein on March 19, 20, 21 and 24; Charles Dutoit leading a program of music by Ravel, Prokofiev, and Stravinsky on March 26, 27 , and 28; and Sir Colin Davis leading Berlioz's Te Deum on April 30, May 1 and 2. A full listing of available dates appears below. Dates not included in this special offer include November 28 and 29, December 4, 5, 6 and 9, January 23, and April 10 and 16, among others. All ticket offers are subject to availability.
Tickets may be purchased by phone through SymphonyCharge (617-266-1200 or 888-266-1200), in person at the Symphony Hall Box Office ( 301 Massachusetts Avenue , Boston ), or online through the BSO's website (www.bso.org). Eligible patrons may purchase up to two tickets per show and must provide proof of age in order to receive the discount. All programs and artists are subject to change.
For current program information, dial 617-CONCERT (266-2378). For further information, call the Boston Symphony Orchestra at 617-266-1492. The Boston Symphony Orchestra is online at http://www.bso.org
Schedule for Symphony Hall Boston.
Thursday, November 20, 8 p.m.
Friday, November 21, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 22, 8 p.m.
Tuesday, November 25, 8 p.m.
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
GENNADY ROZHDESTVENSKY, conductor
LYNN HARRELL, cello
BRAHMS (orch. RUBBRA) Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel
ELGAR Cello Concerto
TCHAIKOVSKY Manfred Symphony
_________________________
Thursday, January 15, 8 p.m.
Friday, January 16, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 17, 8 p.m.
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
BERNARD LABADIE, conductor *
PIETER WISPELWEY, cello
MOZART Chaconne from Idomeneo
HAYDN Cello Concerto No. 2 in D
HANDEL Water Music
Thursday, January 22, 8 p.m.
Saturday, January 24, 8 p.m.
Tuesday, January 27, 8 p.m.
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
KURT MASUR, conductor
ALL-MENDELSSOHN PROGRAM
Hebrides (Fingal's Cave ) Overture
Symphony No. 3, Scottish
Symphony No. 4, Italian
Thursday, January 29, 8 p.m.
Saturday, January 31, 8 p.m.
Tuesday, February 3, 8 p.m.
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
JAMES LEVINE, conductor
BARBARA FRITTOLI, soprano (Amelia Grimaldi)
MARCELLO GIORDANI, tenor (Gabriele Adorno)
JOSÉ VAN DAM, baritone (Simon Boccanegra)
JAMES MORRIS, bass (Jacopo Fiesco)
TANGLEWOOD FESTIVAL CHORUS,
JOHN OLIVER, conductor
VERDI Simon Boccanegra
Concert performances, sung in Italian with supertitles
Thursday, February 5, 8 p.m.
Friday, February 6, 8 p.m.
Saturday, February 7, 8 p.m.
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
JAMES LEVINE, conductor
BARBARA FRITTOLI, soprano
MOZART "Bella mia fiamma addio,"
Concert aria, K.528
MOZART "Oh smania! oh furie!...D'Oreste, d'Aiace," from Idomeneo, Act III
SCHULLER Where the Word Ends (world premiere; BSO 125th anniversary commission)
BRAHMS Symphony No. 2
Thursday, February 12, 8 p.m.
Friday, February 13, 8 p.m.
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
JAMES LEVINE, conductor
MOZART Symphonies Nos. 1, 13, 14, and 18
Symphony in G, Lambach
Saturday, February 14, 8 p.m.
Tuesday, February 17, 8 p.m.
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
JAMES LEVINE, conductor
MOZART Symphonies Nos. 19, 20, 21, and
Thursday, February 19, 10:30 a.m. (Open Rehearsal)
Thursday February 19, 8 p.m.
Friday, February 20, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 21, 8 p.m.
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
JAMES LEVINE, conductor
ALL-MOZART PROGRAM
Symphony No. 39
Symphony No. 40
Symphony No. 41, Jupiter
Wednesday, February 25, 7:30 p.m. (Open Rehearsal)
Thursday, February 26, 8 p.m.
Friday, February 27, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 28, 8 p.m.
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUIN, conductor *
JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET, piano
RAVEL Valses nobles et sentimentales
LISZT Piano Concerto No. 2
DVO?ÃK Symphony No. 6
Thursday, March 5, 8 p.m.
Friday, March 6, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 7, 8 p.m.
Tuesday, March 10, 8 p.m.
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
ALAN GILBERT, conductor
STEPHEN HOUGH, piano
TANGLEWOOD FESTIVAL CHORUS,
JOHN OLIVER, conductor
SIBELIUS Night Ride and Sunrise
RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
IVES Symphony No. 4
Thursday, March 12, 8 p.m.
Friday, March 13, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 14, 8 p.m.
Tuesday, March 17, 8 p.m.
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
HERBERT BLOMSTEDT, conductor
RICHARD GOODE, piano
NIELSEN Helios Overture
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 18 in B-flat, K.456
BRAHMS Symphony No. 4
Thursday, March 19, 8 p.m.
Friday, March 20, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 21, 8 p.m.
Tuesday, March 24, 8 p.m.
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
HANS GRAF, conductor
JANINE JANSEN, violin **
ALISA WEILERSTEIN, cello *
BRAHMS Double Concerto for violin and cello
BRUCKNER Symphony No. 7
Thursday, March 26, 10:30 a.m. (Open Rehearsal)
Thursday, March 26, 8 p.m.
Friday, March 27, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 28, 8 p.m.
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
CHARLES DUTOIT, conductor
LISA BATIASHVILI, violin **
RAVEL Mother Goose Suite
PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto No. 2
STRAVINSKY Petrushka (1911 version)
Thursday, April 9, 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 11, 8 p.m.
Tuesday, April 14, 8 p.m.
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
SHI-YEON SUNG, conductor **
NELSON FREIRE, piano
SIBELIUS The Bard
GRIEG Piano Concerto
COPLAND Suite from Appalachian Spring
BARTÓK Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin
Friday, April 17, 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 18, 8 p.m.
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
YURI TEMIRKANOV, conductor
JULIA FISCHER, violin
JULIANE BANSE, soprano *
BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto
MAHLER Symphony No. 4
Thursday, April 23, 8 p.m.
Friday, April 24, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 25, 8 p.m.
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
YURI TEMIRKANOV, conductor
RAVEL Le Tombeau de Couperin
STRAVINSKY Pulcinella Suite
DEBUSSY Petite Suite
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 9
Wednesday, April 29, 7:30 p.m. (Open Rehearsal)
Thursday, April 30, 8 p.m.
Friday, May 1, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 2, 8 p.m.
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
SIR COLIN DAVIS, conductor
IMOGEN COOPER, piano
MATTHEW POLENZANI, tenor
TANGLEWOOD FESTIVAL CHORUS,
JOHN OLIVER, conductor
PALS CHILDREN'S CHORUS,
ALYSOUN KEGEL, artistic director
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 25 in C, K.503
BERLIOZ Te Deum