Tanglewood

A celebrity filled audience packed the Koussevitzky Shed for the opening night of the official Tanglewood season. Guest conductor Charles Dutoit presided over a program of music by Bellini, Rossini, Verdi and Respighi. On a rainy night it was a washout on the lawn. But, no worries, during a prequel, three sold out Shed concerts and one in Ozawa Hall by James Taylor, has financially front loaded the season.

With a blaze of fireworks to celebrate the Fourth of July, yesterday James Taylor before a capacity 18,000 ended a slam dunk weekend of three concerts in the Shed at Tanglewood. He shared Friday night with John Williams and Pops. Then took a rest on Saturday yielding the stage to Garrison Keillor before a flat our appearances on Sunday and Monday. He also snuck in an "intimate" evening with Friends last Thursday at Ozawa Hall. Having all those folks at Tangelewood provided a fast launch to another fabulous Berkshire season.

Last night James Taylor joined the Pops conducted by John Williams in the shed at Tanglewood. It was the second of four performances, before a sold out crowd of 18,000, representing an abundance of riches from the Berkshire base troubadour regarded as a national treasure. Tonight, Saturday, he takes a breather yielding the Shed to another Tanglewood franchise, Garrison Keillor.

Last night in Ozawa Hall, the Mark Morris Dance Group, presented a delightful and intriguing program with two works set to Igor Stravinsky and two to music by Johann Sebastian Bach. The annual visit to Tanglewood included a world premiere set to Stravinsky’s Renard.

There was risk taking and expensive infrastructure development, last year, when Joe Thompson, director of Mass MoCA, launched Wilco's Solid Sound Festival. Much of the start up costs will be absorbed with a commitment for the the rock band to return over the next few years. We spoke with Thompson about the impact of the event on the museum and Northern Berkshire County.

This weekend the Wilco Solid Sound Festival will bring upwards of 6,000 rock fans to Mass MoCA. In addition to music this young audience will enjoy a massive exposure to contemporary art. It is just the kind of demographic that promises synergy and future audiences for other North Adams/ Williamstown arts organizations including the Clark Art Institute, Williams College Museum of Art and Williamstown Theatre Festival. It takes strategy, marketing and PR to promote visiting Northern Berkshire County as more than just a day trip.

In 1950, as a little shaver, Mom took me to the original Broadway production of the then five time Tony winning musical Guys and Dolls. Now, decades later, be still dear heart, the production at Barrington Stage evokes a thrilling rush of childhood memories. I was enchanted then and just as ecstatic now. This is the smash hit and sure sell out that launches a fabulous new Berkshire season.

During the 2011 season, June 25-September 4, Tanglewood is offering a number of ticket programs designed to give visitors and Berkshire residents a wide variety of options when planning their visit to the BSO’s summer home. Ticket deals and programs include free tickets to children and young adults 17 and under and discounted tickets for students 18 and over.

In the conclusion of the dialogue with Ron DellaChiesa he discusses the North Shore jazz clubs Lennie's on the Turnpike, run by Lennie Sogaloff and Sandy's Jazz Revival in Beverly the club of Sandy Berman. For the past couple of years he has been working on the soon to be released book Radio My Way.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra has announced a new conductor lineup for five of the BSO’s 21 concerts to take place during the 2011 Tanglewood season. These represents concerts originally scheduled for James Levine. For reasons of health he has withdrawn from joining the orchestra this summer.

WGBH DJ, Ron DellaChiesa spun the platters for his show Music America by day and hung out with the jazz greats at Boston's jazz clubs. Recalling the great artists who performed at Lulu White's in the South End, The Merry Go Round room in the Copley Plaza Hotel, Lennie's on the Turnpike, Sandy's Jazz Revival in Beverly and Fenton Hollander's Jazz Cruises in Boston Harbor.

“Ludwig Live!” is an irreverent song-filled cabaret about composer Ludwig von Beethoven. Produced by Holson Productions, the show stars Charles Lindberg as Beethoven, Katherine Pecevich, and Robin Gerson Wong. It will run June 30 through August 30.

For the past twenty years, WGBH announcer, Ron DellaChiesa has been the Voice of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In his Music America program he combined many musical forms including jazz, cabaret and film scores. In the early years he started with Arnie Woo Woo Ginsberg at WBOS and with the FM pioneer T. Mitchell Hastings at WBCN. He was with BCN when it made the transition from classical to rock.

The ongoing saga involving the health of BSO and Met Opera artistic director, James Levine, has taken another turn for the worse. After months of speculation he will not appear at Tanglewood this summer. He will not join the Met during its upcoming tour of Japan. He is penciled in to conduct Don Giovanni at the Met on October 13 but let's wait and see.

The Opening Night concert of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s 2011-12 season will give music fans an extraordinary opportunity to hear Anne-Sophie Mutter in a program of Mozart Violin Concertos Nos. 3 and 5, when she returns to the Symphony Hall stage on Friday, September 30, to make her first BSO appearances in the dual role of conductor and soloist.

When Louis and Elaine Lorillard visited Storyville they approached George Wein about doing something in Newport that summer. Inspired by Tanglewood he came up with the notion of a Jazz Festival. The Lorillards, who later divorced, supported the first seasons from the founding of the Festival in 1954 until the Beer Riot of 1962. Two years later Wein returned until a riot wrecked the festival in 1971.

The Mount, the historic estate of Edith Wharton, has announced its 2011 summer season. The official opening day is Saturday, May 7. The Mount will be open daily from 10 am to 5 pm through October 31, 2011.

After nine years of working for the Serta Mattress Company a career in show biz started somewhat by accident. In 1952 Fred Taylor made a reel to reel tape of Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond at Storyville. After that as Taylor says "One thing led to another." For the past 21 years he has been booking jazz for the renowned Boston club Scullers.

For the past 21 years Fred Taylor has been booking the renowned jazz club Scullers. Before that he ran the legendary Jazz Workshop and Paul's Mall. With razor sharp memory Taylor discussed highlights of a career in music that started almost by accident in 1952. With amateur equipment he recorded Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond at Storyville for Fantasy Records. He has been at it ever since.

Not only were the Maestro's great interpretative powers on display, but also a hopeful sense that he is now coping with whatever disability he has and will continue to conduct into the indefinite future. Evgeny Kissin, the brilliant Russian-born pianist, was backed up by the Levine in a great afternoon of music.

Ella Baff, the artistic director of Jacob's Pillow, described meeting the President and First Lady during an award ceremony at the White House as a "peak experience." She discussed travel to Cuba where she covered 30 companies in five days. This summer Mark Morris and his company will open the season for Tanglewood and close it for The Pillow.

Director Peter Sellars speaks passionately about the state of our world and the need for compassionate reconciliation. As his Hercules unfolds, the wrenching drama reminds us of the problems we need to tend while the beautiful music moves us.

Our Boston correspondent Barbara Brilliant provides a dense schedule of arts events in Boston. The listings provide capsule and links for box office connections. Events range from Hair and Educating Rita to a complete breakdown of the Boston Pops.

After a stunning performance at the New York Philharmonic a month ago, when he tackled Shostakovich to shattering effect, Andris Nelsons shot to the top of the list of every orchestra manager around the world. On March 17, he debuts with the Boston Symphony at Carnegie Hall.

The Colonial Theatre's live music additions include the underground hip-hop icon Talib Kweli on July 22, Jersey Shore rock legends Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes on August 25, the unique Celtic sounds of the Tartan Terrors on October 21 and the return of the popular community production Romance, Soul & Rock N’ Roll on October 28 and 29. The family programming will begin with the Chinese Golden Dragon Acrobats on June 11 and The Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical on December 4.