Tanglewood

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 For reasons of health he has withdrawn from joining the orchestra this summer.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.

While general manager Peter Gelb tries to keep his artists and staff calm, Maestro Levine's health, and what he will and will not be able to do, is creating daily issues at the Metropolitan Opera. But the artistic concerns extend beyond just the status of Levine.

No one wants to see the Maestro go, but in fairness to the Boston Symphony, artists, and the audience, the time had come for a change.

Because of a number of health related issues, absences, recoveries and setbacks the tenure of James Levine as Music Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra will end on September 1. He assumed the position in 2004. Levine serves in a similar role at the Metropolitan Opera where no statement on his status has been released. Having cancelled the remainder of the BSO season it remains to be seen whether he will be able to resume his duties at Tanglewood for the coming season.

Blogs and the social networks routinely scoop print media on news, previews and reviews. By the time newspapers cover arts stories they may be days old. Arts organizations continue to rely primarily on print reviews to sell tickets but that has changed dramatically in the past few years. Through blogs and tweets Broadway shows with long previews may be dead in the water by opening night. Through internet coverage audiences make up their minds on ticket sales before reviews appear in print.

During its initial seasons the 100-year-old former vaudeville house, the Colonial Theatre, renovated at a cost of some $23 million, seemed more like a white elephant than a tangible asset. Coming into its first season in a merger with the Berkshire Theatre Festival is proving to be a game changer for theatre and the performing arts in the Berkshires. Artistic director, Kate Maguire, is leading with an ace by headlining Randy Harrison in the rock musical Tommy. See me, feel me, touch me.

This year’s lineup includes three world premiere theatre performances produced by BTF, three separate BTF musical productions on the Colonial stage, a rare appearance by noted columnist Frank Rich and live performances of some of the leading artists in the worlds of theatre, jazz and comedy. Among the organizations that will be co-promoting events will be Lift Ev’ry Voice, the Pittsfield 250th anniversary committee, Pittsfield CityJazz Festival, Word x Word Festival, and ZipStohr Comedy.

Hopefully this union of the Met and Juilliard will result in more early productions of future Met stagings. The Bartered Bride, a favorite of Maestro Levine's, proved a wonderful jumping off point for the alliance. Levine had his young orchestra sounding wonderfully close to the Met Orchestra. The staging by Stephen Wadsworth bodes well for the future Met production.

Jenny Gersten worked under Michael Ritchie as associate producer of the Williamstown Theatre Festival from 1996 to 2004. We discussed plans and ambitions for her first season as artistic director. As a producer she does not direct. She describes administration, budgets and marketing as her "comfort zone" while conveying concerns about the artistic challenges. We discussed welcoming the Gersten era of one of America's great theatre companies.

Interviews provide access to the primary source. There is much to be learned through dialogues with actors and directors. But it also entails a conflict of interest and concerns when we have to write about their work. Does that entail softening the blow when we don't respond to a production? This installment of an extensive dialogue explores the tricky business of honestly informing the reader. It is the reason why some critics refuse to conduct interviews.