Boston Symphony Orchestra Launches BSO NOW / November 19, 2020

NOVEMBER PROGRAMMING: THE BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’S ONLINE AND RADIO BROADCAST OFFERINGS

TODAY, BSO LAUNCHES BSO NOW, ITS NEW AND EXPANDED ONLINE VIDEO PROGRAMMING AT NOON AVAILABLE AT WWW.BSO.ORG/NOW

BSO NOW TO FEATURE NEWLY RECORDED HOUR-LONG VIDEO PERFORMANCES BY THE BOSTON SYMPHONY, BOSTON POPS, AND BSO MUSICIANS IN CHAMBER MUSIC, ALONG WITH BEHIND-THE-SCENES STORYTELLING WITH CONDUCTORS, COMPOSERS, AND MUSICIANS, PLUS MUCH MORE

TODAY’S BSO NOW VIDEO STREAMING  KICK OFF TO FEATURE A BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCE UNDER THE BANNER MUSIC IN CHANGING TIMES: DVOŘÁK’S NEW WORLD SYMPHONY AND IVES’ THE UNANSWERED QUESTION, UNDER THE BATON OF KEN-DAVID MASUR, HOSTED BY CALLIE CROSSLEY, AND DIRECTED BY HABIB AZAR

EACH BSO NOW VIDEO TO LAUNCH AT WWW.BSO.ORG/NOW ON SELECT THURSDAYS, AT NOON, ET, NOVEMBER 19 THROUGH APRIL 29; ALL BSO NOWONLINE VIDEOS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING FOR 30 DAYS AFTER EACH INITIAL RELEASE DATE

24-HOUR COMPLIMENTARY ACCESS TO BSO NOW ONLINE CONTENT BEGINS TODAY THROUGH WWW.BSO.ORG/NOW; SEE BELOW FOR INFORMATION ABOUT PRICING FOR BSO AND HOLIDAY POPS ONLINE CONTENT  

Click here to listen to former BSO Associate Conductor Ken-David Masur leading the BSO in Dvořák’s “From the New World” Symphony.

OVERVIEW OF BSO NOW NEWLY RECORDED ONLINE PROGRAMMING FOR RELEASE IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER

BSO NOW OFFERINGS KICK OFF WITH THREE BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCE STREAMS, HOSTED BY CALLIE CROSSLEY: MUSIC IN CHANGING TIMES, NOVEMBER 19, 26, AND DECEMBER 3, AT NOON, AT WWW.BSO.ORG/NOW

Boston Symphony Orchestra: Three Programs Exploring the Theme “American Promise”
• Thursday, November 19, at noon: Ken-David Masur leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, From the New World, and Ives’ The Unanswered Question; BSO musicians to be featured in chamber music performance of Florence Price’s String Quartet in G

Former BSO Associate Conductor Ken-David Masur introduces BSO NOW with an explanation of the first three-week series theme “American Promise”

• Thursday, November 26, at noon: Thomas Wilkins leads the BSO in Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst; William Grant Still’s Out of the Silence, and Duke Ellington’s New World A-Comin’, both featuring piano soloist Aaron Diehl; Ellington’s Come Sunday, with Charlotte Blake Alston as narrator, and the fourth movement from Still’s Symphony No. 4; BSO musicians to be featured in chamber music performance of Osvaldo Golijov’s Lullaby and Doina (for program notes, click here)

• Thursday, December 3, at noon: Marcelo Lehninger leads Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man and Appalachian Spring on a program with Joan Tower’s Fanfare for the Uncommon WomanNo. 1 and Barber’s Adagio for Strings; BSO musicians to be featured in chamber music performance of Leila Adu-Gilmore’s Alyssum

Please note: Each of the BSO’s Music in Changing Times online video programs will include a magazine-style segment with musicians, composers, and conductors shedding light on the musical selections and themes associated with each program.

Former BSO Associate Conductor Ken-David Masur, BSO Youth and Family Concerts Conductor Thomas Wilkins, former BSO Associate Conductor Marcelo Lehninger, narrator Charlotte Blake Alston

DECEMBER PROGRAMMING: HOLIDAY POPS ONLINE OFFERINGS—UNDER THE DIRECTION OF KEITH LOCKHART—FEATURING FAVORITE SEASONAL CLASSICS NEWLY RECORDED FROM TWO ICONIC BOSTON VENUES—FENWAY PARK AND SYMPHONY HALL; TANGLEWOOD FESTIVAL CHORUS AND BOSTON SYMPHONY CHILDREN’S CHOIR TO JOIN THE HOLIDAY POPS ONLINE FESTIVITIES WITH VIRTUAL PERFORMANCES TO PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT, TO BE RELEASED ON DECEMBER 10; CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER DETAILS

CLICK HERE FOR JOINT STATEMENT FROM MARK VOLPE, ANDRIS NELSONS, KEITH LOCKHART, AND THOMAS WILKINS ABOUT BSO NOW LAUNCH

Keith Lockhart, Boston Symphony Children’s Choir, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Red Sox mascot Wally

INFORMATION ON HOW TO ACCESS BSO NOW NEWLY RECORDED ONLINE VIDEO CONTENT TO BE DISTRIBUTED AT WWW.BSO.ORG/NOW, THURSDAYS AT NOON, NOVEMBER 19-APRIL 13

• THE COMPLETE SERIES OF BSO AND HOLIDAY POPS ONLINE PROGRAMMING IS AVAILABLE IN RECOGNITION OF DONATIONS OF $100 OR MORE BY VISITING WWW.BSO.ORG/GIVE; ALL DONATIONS MADE BY DECEMBER 31 WILL BE DOUBLED BY THE GROSS FAMILY CHALLENGE, UP TO $1 MILLION

• HOLIDAY POPS PROGRAM IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE FOR A $30 FEE STARTING MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, AT 10 A.M., BY VISITING WWW.BSO.ORG/NOW OR CALLING 888-266-1200, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, 10 A.M. to 4 P.M.

• FURTHER DETAILS ABOUT THE LAUNCH OF AN ESSENTIAL WORKERS ACCESS PROGRAM AND COMPLIMENTARY ACCESS FOR BSO SUBSCRIBERS, COLLEGE CARD HOLDERS, CORPORATE PARTNERS, AND CURRENT BSO, POPS, AND TANGLEWOOD DONORS OF $100 OR MORE, AS WELL AS INFORMATION ABOUT A COMPLIMENTARY 24-HOUR TRIAL ACCESS PROGRAM FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC, ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH WWW.BSO.ORG/NOW

ENCORE BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONCERT BROADCASTS ON CRB CLASSICAL 99.5 FM AND WWW.CLASSICALWCRB.ORG, TO TAKE PLACE SATURDAYS AT 8 P.M.

PROGRAM FOR SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13: ISABELLE FAUST IS THE SOLOIST IN ALBAN BERG’S VIOLIN CONCERTO, THE TANGLEWOOD FESTIVAL CHORUS SINGS BACH’S KOMM, JESU, KOMM! AND ES IST GENUG, AND THE BSO PERFORMS SHOSTAKOVICH’S FIFTH SYMPHONY, ALL CONDUCTED BY ANDRIS NELSONS

This week, the Boston Symphony Orchestra will launch BSO NOW, expanding its online presence with newly recorded hour-long video performances by the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, and BSO musicians in chamber music, along with behind-the-scenes storytelling with conductors, composers, and musicians, plus much more. All BSO NOWnewly recorded programs will be released on select Thursdays at noon, November 19-April 29, at www.bso.org/now, with each program remaining available for 30 days after its initial posting.

Today at noon, the Boston Symphony Orchestrawill kick off the new BSO NOW online offerings with a program of Dvořák’s From the New World Symphony and Ives’ The Unanswered Question, under the direction of Ken-David Masur—the first of 15 BSO performance streams under the banner title of Music in Changing Times. American broadcast journalist and radio presenter Callie Crossley(left) will serve as host for the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s BSO NOWstreams, each of which will also feature a magazine-style segment with musicians and experts offering ideas and insights into the programming and introducing the guest artists and composers who will be featured, as well as a chamber music performance spotlighting BSO musicians. The November 19 stream will feature a performance of Florence Price’s String Quartet in G, featuring BSO musicians Xin Ding and Catherine French, violins; Daniel Getz, viola; and Mickey Katz, cello. Click here for further details about the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s initial BSO NOW streams on November 19, 26, and December 3.

Each of the BSO’s Music in Changing Times online video programs will include at least one magazine-style segment with content that sheds light on the musical selections and themes associated with each program. Between three and five minutes in length, these segments—a BSO first—weave historical context with striking imagery and storytelling. For instance, the first BSO online program, streaming Thursday, November 19, under the direction of Ken-David Masur, focuses on the idea of American promise and juxtaposes a chronology of the Boston Symphony with American history from 1881 through the present. This program also contextualizes the music of African American composer Florence Price with the world of Dvořák and late 19th-century American composers. Other segments explore the Harlem Renaissance (BSO and Thomas Wilkins, streaming November 26) and the working relationship between composer Aaron Copland and choreographer Martha Graham with an interview with a current member of the Martha Graham Dance Company (BSO and Marcelo Lehninger, streaming December 3).

The director for the concert portions of the BSO NOW series is Habib Azar. Click here for a recent biography.

Click here to view the magazine segment “Florence Price’s Historical Moment” that is part of the first episode of BSO NOW

BSO NOW Stream Featuring Holiday Pops Program, Under the Direction of Keith Lockhart, Available Starting on Thursday, December 10, at Noon, at www.bso.org/now
One of New England’s most popular Christmastime traditions continues in 2020 with a BSO NOWvirtual Holiday Pops program that will feature the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Keith Lockhart in favorites of the season. Drawing from performances recorded both at Symphony Hall during the second week of November and Fenway Park in October, as well as some special archival performances, this program embodies the Holiday Pops’ classic formula of combining beloved seasonal classics such as “Sleigh Ride” and “The Twelve Days of Christmas” with newer content and inspirational readings of Christmastime favorites. Since no Holiday Pops program is complete without performances of the great choral works of the season, 156 members of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus will join the festivities virtually for “Home for the Holidays,” and 58 young singers of the Boston Symphony Children’s Choir join virtually as well for a performance of “Christmas Time is Here.” The TFC and BSCC are under the direction of James Burton. For further programming information, as well as details about sensory friendly supports, a Holiday Pops virtual program for Boston Children’s Hospital, Spaulding Rehabilitation Center, and other hospitals throughout the Greater Boston area, and the 37th annual A Company Christmas at Pops fundraiser, online in 2020, click here.

BSO NOW Streams Continue January-April 2021
Continuing into the new year, BSO NOW offerings will feature newly recorded performances by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Andris Nelsons and guest conductors, Boston Pops Orchestra, under the direction of Keith Lockhart, and BSO musicians in chamber music works, as well as a BSO Youth and Family Concert, under the direction of Thomas Wilkins, and special projects featuring the orchestra’s educational and community partnerships. The BSO, Pops, and youth-focused video performances will be recorded from the stage of Symphony Hall—widely considered one of the top three acoustic concert halls in the world—which will also be featured for all its beautiful detail and historic significance.

BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons will return to Boston in the new year to record future episodes of Music in Changing Times that will focus on Beethoven symphonies. The three-program theme for Mr. Nelsons’ programs will be Sounds of Revolution: Beethoven and Musical Revolutionaries. Mr. Nelsons had been scheduled to conduct all nine Beethoven seasons during the first portion of the 2020-21 BSO season before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additional BSO NOW programming details, January-April, will be announced on a rolling basis in order for the BSO to respond effectively to any changes in restrictions that might be implemented around official COVID-19 protocols. Click here for a joint statement about BSO NOWfrom Mark Volpe, Andris Nelsons, Keith Lockhart, and Thomas Wilkins. For more information, click here.

COMPLIMENTARY ONLINE ACCESS FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS AND A NEWLY-REVISED ONLINE COLLEGE CARD

In appreciation for the support of essential workers in our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, in partnership with Bank of America, is pleased to offer complimentary access to select online concerts and other programs. For additional information about the Essential Workers Program, visit www.bso.org/essential. The BSO also is proud to continue offering access to college students via the newly revised online College Card program, in partnership with the Arbella Insurance Foundation. For additional information, click here.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT ONLINE PROGRAMMING CREATED IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 CONCERT CANCELLATIONS

BSO NOW—the BSO’s expanded digital content series to be recorded at Symphony Hall and made available through bso.org/now beginning on November 19—is part of the BSO’s continuing series of online offerings created in response to the live performance hiatus imposed by regulations around the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing health crisis. In response to this hiatus from live performances, the BSO launched its expanded digital offerings on March 26 with BSO at Home and BSO HomeSchool, followed by Boston Pops at Home (all available at www.bso.org), the Tanglewood 2020 Online Festival (www.tanglewood.org), and Encore BSO Recitals (www.bso.org), available through November 19. The success of these programs, which have generated millions of interactions—both directly with the actual online content and indirectly through posts on the orchestra’s social media channels about that content—has been an inspiration for the orchestra to continue to explore new ways of reaching its music community and beyond with new, innovative, and compelling programming during the COVID-19 pandemic. As of March 13, 2020, and continuing on through April 2021 and possibly beyond, the orchestra has been forced to cancel the remainder of its 2019-20 BSO Youth Concert Series and 2019-20 BSO season and the entire 2020 Boston Pops, 2020 Tanglewood, 2020 Holiday Pops, and 2020-21 BSO seasons. The series of announcements detailing the full slate of cancellations by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, beginning on March 13, can be found here.

THE BSO’S REOPENING STRATEGY FOR ITS BSO NOW ONLINE RECORDING SCHEDULE AT SYMPHONY HALL

Working with 9 Foundations, Inc., the BSO’s reopening strategy for its BSO NOW online recording schedule at Symphony Hall will include a robust testing schedule, two layers of daily screening, social distancing, universal masking, engineering controls, and enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols. (Click here for additional details.) In addition, BSO musicians will sit on a 35.5 foot stage extension—more than doubling the size of the stage—especially built to accommodate official social distancing requirements between orchestra members.

With the health and safety of everyone involved the highest priority, the BSO will continually monitor updates from the Centers for Disease Control, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the City of Boston, as well as its own team of experts, to determine when it can gradually start inviting audiences bad to Symphony Hall and its other venues. The timing of this process will not be known for at least several months. All official Boston Symphony Orchestra updates will be announced through press releases and postings on www.bso.org.

SPONSORSHIPS

BSO SEASON SPONSORS:
Bank of America is the Lead BSO Season Sponsor for the 2020-21 season, supporting the Music in Changing Times programming and other BSO digital offerings, including the launch of the essential workers program. Arbella Insurance Foundation, a longtime sponsor, is continuing its major sponsorship for the 15th season as the “Music for All” sponsor, supporting our education and outreach programs so that everyone has access to great classical music in our community. Fairmont Copley Plaza, Official Hotel of the BSO, and Commonwealth Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation, the Official Chauffeured Transportation of the BSO, will support our artists and recording crew’s travel needs for the newly recorded online video content.

HOLIDAY POPS SEASON SPONSORS:
The 2020 Holiday Pops Season is sponsored by Fidelity Investments. For over fifty years, Fidelity Investments and the Boston Pops have proudly worked together to bring wonderful performances to local audiences. This year is no exception, with the Holiday Pops virtual program expanding audiences to around the world, ensuring that we can continue to bring holiday cheer to people near and far, from safety of their home. The Arbella Insurance Foundation is proud to be the Music For All Sponsor supporting the virtual Holiday Pops Family concert which will bring the Boston Pops to families around the world. Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. continues their support of the BSO as supporting sponsor of the Holiday Pops season, and for education and community engagement initiatives throughout the year. Fairmont Copley Plaza, Official Hotel of the Boston Pops, and Commonwealth Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation, the Official Chauffeured Transportation of the Boston Pops, will support our artists and recording crew’s travel need for the newly recorded online video content.