Tanglewood

There was a near capacity turn out of 18,000 delighted patrons for the annual Film Night conducted by John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra. His special guests included narrator, Morgan Freeman, and violinist, Gil Shamam. Tanglewood was popping.

A great case for opera during the summer is made by the Santa Fe Opera in New Mexico. Tried and true and up and coming talent come from all over the world to participate here. What a marvelous venue.

In the relatively brief time since earning a BFA degree in 1993 Stephanie Blythe has emerged as a star of the Metropolitan Opera and one of the great mezzo-sopranos of her generation. Early on she was a Tanglewood Fellow for two years and has returned ever since in a mentoring role. Last night she paid tribute to that unique relationship in a program of American song.

There were flashes of Beatlemania last night as soccer moms and teenipboppers bounded on stage at the invitation of lead singer Patrick Monahan of Train. Not since Wilco have we seen such raw energy rock the Shed. It was great fun. The band informed the audience that they would like to be an annual event like James Taylor. What a great idea.

Tony Award-winning actress Blythe Danner will be the featured guest on Judy Carmichael’s “Jazz Inspired” on Saturday, September 3, at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival. Danner will perform with pianist Mike Renzi and bassist Neal Miner. Judy Carmichael’s “Jazz Inspired” will be taped before a live audience at Seiji Ozawa Hall on Saturday, September 3, at 2 pm, and broadcast at a later date on 170 stations in the United States and worldwide.

Glorious summer weather resulted in a near capacity turnout in the Shed and on the lawn for one of the most popular programs of the season. The gates opened at 2 PM as families flocked to the Lenox estate for the annual Tanglewood on Parade. The evening program featuring four guest conductors and an accessible program culminated with blasting canons and bursting fireworks climaxing a massive rendering of Tchaikovsky's anthem The 1812 Overture. It was an occasion to rethink our damaged and endangered notions of patriotism and sacrifice.

Kate Maguire is now half way through her first summer season as the Artistic Director and CEO of Berkshire Theatre Group. Since last November she presided over the merger of her Berkshire Theatre Festival with the Colonial Theatre. There was risk taking when Maguire mounted a brief run of Tommy starring Randy Harrison at the Colonial. We asked what she learned from the experience and how that impacts future planning for making the two theatres and three stages function as a combined entity. Her answers may surprise you.

On a mid week work night Steel Dan brought their pulsing strap on jazz rock to a near capacity audience at Tanglwood. The cerebral music and sardonic lyrics were just what the doctor ordered for cash strapped Tanglewood which is loosening up to allow the vulgarians into the tample of the hallowed grounds of the BSO in Lenox. Awesome. A good time was had by all and nothing was trashed.

Shakespeare & Company Artistic Director Tony Simotes proudly announces the benefit performance of Broadway in the Berkshires Monday, August 15th at 6:00pm, Founders’ Theatre, 70 Kemble Street , Lenox , MA . Proceeds will go to Shakespeare & Company’s internationally-acclaimed Education and Training Programs.

When Rocco Landesman, the head of the NEA, suggested that there are too many arts organizations with supply outweighing demand there was a response of outrage in the arts community. Here in the Berkshires it begs the question of sufficient audience and patrons to support four major theatre companies. It also begs the question of the role of critics? Are we just providers of consumer information for ticket buyers?

Tommy sold out at the Colonial for the VIP opening on Saturday night. The reviews are staggering in, partly because some critics opted for an offer of better seats on Monday night. That doesn't give much time to promote an expensive show with a short run that ends on Saturday. We asked artistic director, Kate Maguire, about that during the opening night party.

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.