LENOX, MA: The 2010 Festival of Contemporary Music, August 12-16, will be the culmination of a season-long celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Tanglewood Music Center, the BSO’s renowned summer music academy for young professional musicians, with performances of works by the TMC’s distinguished composition faculty over the course of its history. This year’s FCM has been curated by Gunther Schuller (TMC faculty member 63-65; Head of School 66-84, 92), Oliver Knussen (TMC faculty member 80 and 81; Composition Program Director 86-91 and 93, 94-96, 01; Fellow 70, 71, and 73), and John Harbison (TMC faculty member 80, 84, 90, 92, 94, 01, 05; Composition Program Director 06-10)—three of Aaron Copland’s successors as directors of composition activities at Tanglewood. In addition, the theme of the 2010 Festival of Contemporary Music—presenting works of prominent Tanglewood Music Center faculty members past and present—will extend throughout the summer in TMC chamber, vocal, and orchestra programs.

Since the founding of the music center in 1940, Tanglewood has witnessed the creation and first performances of a great number of masterpieces, including Schuller’s Tre invenzioni, Maderna’s Giardino religioso, and Berio’s circles, as well Aaron Copland’s Symphony No. 3, which was partly written at Tanglewood. These compositions, along with other important works that were first premiered at Tanglewood, will be featured in the 2010 Festival of Contemporary Music.

OVERVIEW OF 2010 FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC, AUGUST 12-16
In addition to featuring works by the three directors, the 2010 Festival of Contemporary Music includes works by many of the most respected figures of the 20th and early 21st centuries – Aaron Copland, Paul Hindemith, Luciano Berio, Jacob Druckman, Lukas Foss, Olivier Messiaen, George Perle, Roger Sessions, Milton Babbitt, Michael Gandolfi, Osvaldo Golijov, Bright Sheng, and Charles Wuorinen, among many others. The younger generation is represented by Helen Grime and Andrew McPherson, recent alumni of the composition program.

A highlight of FCM 2010 is the annual Fromm Concert at Tanglewood, with concert performances of John Harbison’s opera A Full Moon in March and Oliver Knussen’s Where the Wild Things Are, both conducted by Stefan Asbury on August 15. The Festival will conclude with a program featuring the U.S. premiere of Colin Matthews’s Turning Point, Jacob Druckman’s Aureole, and Aaron Copland’s Symphony No. on August 16, with Robert Spano conducting the TMC Orchestra. The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s contributions to this year’s festival include FCM co-director Gunther Schuller’s Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee, under the direction of Robert Spano, on Sunday, August 15, in the Shed, and Osvaldo Golijov’s Mariel for cello and orchestra, with Alisa Weilerstein as soloist, under the direction of Miguel Harth-Bedoya, on August 13. All Festival programs, with the exception of the Boston Symphony concerts on August 13 and August 15, will feature the fellows of the Tanglewood Music Center.

Founded in 1940 as the Berkshire Music Center, by legendary BSO music director Serge Koussevitzky (1924-1949), the Tanglewood Music Center was created by the Boston Symphony Orchestra to provide young musicians with a premier academy for advanced music study using the vast resources of the orchestra and visiting guest artists during its summer season at Tanglewood.

“The central role that TMC founder Serge Koussevitzky envisioned for composers and new music at the Tanglewood Music Center is reflected in his appointment of Aaron Copland as the school’s first director, a role he held for 25 years,” said Ellen Highstein, Director of the TMC. “The eminent composers who served on the faculty over the Center’s 70-year history have left us an extraordinary body of work – many of which received their world premieres at Tanglewood, and many that are now considered masterpieces of the 20th century. This summer’s retrospective of legendary composers associated with the TMC gives us a wonderful opportunity to expose our students to works they might not otherwise have the opportunity to study and perform.”

OVERVIEW OF ADDITIONAL TANGLEWOOD MUSIC CENTER PROGRAMS TO FEATURE PROMINENT TMC COMPOSERS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT
The theme of the 2010 Festival of Contemporary Music extends throughout the Tanglewood Music Center’s entire summer season. Tanglewood Music Center, vocal, chamber music, and orchestral programs throughout the season will include works by such distinguished former TMC faculty members as Henri Dutilleux, Toru Takemitsu, Samuel Barber, Bernard Rands, Luigi Dallapiccola, Leon Kirchner, David Del Tredici, George Benjamin, Peter Lieberson, Gyorgy Ligeti, Luciano Berio, Augusta Read Thomas, Ralph Shapey, Donald Martino and Mario Davidovsky. A highlight will be the U.S. premiere of Elliott Carter’s What Are Years, for soprano and large ensemble, on July 12, with the composer expected to be present. Performance information about these works, including details about concert dates, times, and locations, appears at the end of the press release.

Of the composers being featured throughout the Festival of Contemporary Music and the Tanglewood Music Center season, many have been former TMC Fellows, including William Bolcom (1966), Jacob Druckman (1949, ‘50), Lukas Foss (1940, ’41, ‘42), Michael Gandolfi (1986), Osvaldo Golijov (1990), Helen Grime (2008), John Harbison (1959), Oliver Knussen (1970 ‘71, ’73), Steven Mackey (1984), Andrew McPherson (2007), Bright Sheng (1985), and Augusta Read Thomas (1989).

2010 FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC CONCERT PROGRAMMING, FEATURING FELLOWS OF THE TANGLEWOOD MUSIC CENTER, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

Program I, Thursday, August 12, 8 p.m., Ozawa Hall
The first program of the 2010 Festival of Contemporary of Music will feature performances by large ensembles of Tanglewood Music Center Fellows under the direction of Oliver Knussen (TMC faculty member 80, 81; Program Director 86-91 and 93, 94-96, 01; Fellow 70, 71, and 73) and Fellows of the TMC conducting program. The program will include George Perle’s (TMC faculty member 67, 80, 85-88, 90, 92-97) Concertino, Theodore Antoniou’s (TMC faculty member 74-77, 79-85; Fellow 69) Concertino for Contrabass and Orchestra, with BSO principal bass Ed Barker as soloist, Gunther Schuller’s (TMC faculty member 63-65; Head of School from 66-84, 92) Tre Invenzioni, and Bruno Maderna’s (TMC faculty member 71; Program Director in 72) Giardino religioso. The program will close with Paul Hindemith’s (Head of Composition Program 40-41) Kammermusik No. 2 for piano and ensemble.

Program 2, Friday, August 13, 2:30 p.m., Ozawa Hall
The Festival’s first chamber music concert includes Lukas Foss’ (TMC faculty member 52, 54, 56, 58, 59, 62-64, 71, 89, 90, 94; Fellow in 40-42) Echoi, performed by the New Fromm Players, Milton Babbitt’s (TMC faculty 57, 58, 76, 06, 07) Vision and Prayer, Charles Wuorinen’s (TMC faculty member 70, 71, 01) Fifty Fifty, Roger Sessions’ (Program Director 55, 66, 67, 77) Five Pieces for Piano, and Hans Werner Henze’s (TMC faculty member 83, 88) Being Beauteous for voice, harp, and four cellos.

At 8:30 p.m. in the Koussevitzky Music Shed, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Miguel Harth-Bedoya, will perform Osvaldo Golijov’s (TMC faculty member 1997-2004; Fellow in 1990) Mariel for cello and orchestra, featuring Alisa Weilerstein in the solo cello part. The program, entitled Caminos del Inka: A Musical Journey focuses on the Inca empire with specially created videography by the renowned Peruvian photographer Gabriela Fit.

Program 3, Saturday, August 14, 2:30 p.m., Ozawa Hall
John Harbison (TMC faculty member 80, 84, 90, 92, 94, 01, 05, Program Director 06-10) and TMC conducting fellows will lead TMC Fellows in a program including selections from Andrew McPherson’s (Fellow in 07) Secrets of Antikythera for piano, Steven Mackey’s (TMC faculty member 92, 98, 02, 04-06; Fellow in 84) Gaggle and Flock, Betsy Jolas’s (TMC faculty member 76, 77, 06) Quatuor VI “avec clarinette”, Bright Sheng’s (TMC faculty member 97, 01, 02, 04, 05; Fellow 85) Fantasies for Violin and Piano, and Yehudi Wyner’s (TMC composition faculty member 79, 80, 82-85, 95) Passage.

Program 4, Sunday, August 15, 10 a.m., Ozawa Hall
Irving Fine’s (TMC faculty member 48-51, 53, 56, 57) Fantasia for String Trio, Luciano Berio’s (TMC faculty member 60, 69; Program Director 82; Fellow 52) circles, Michael Gandolfi’s (TMC faculty member 90, 97-01; Program Coordinator 02-10; Fellow 86) Design School, Helen Grime’s (TMC Fellow 08) Ten Miniatures for solo piano, Olivier Messiaen’s (TMC faculty member 49, 75) Pièce pour piano et quatuor à cordes, and Alexander Goehr’s (TMC faculty member 69, 87, 93) Since Brass, nor Stone.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Robert Spano will perform Gunther Schuller’s Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee as part of the 2010 Festival of Contemporary Music. The program will also feature Gershwin’s An American in Paris and Piano Concerto (the latter with Jean-Yves Thibaudet as soloist), and Bernstein’s Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs for clarinet and jazz ensemble, featuring BSO clarinetist Thomas Martin.

Program 5, Monday, August 15, 8 p.m., Ozawa Hall, Fromm Concert
Led by conductor Stefan Asbury, this year’s Fromm Concert presents concert performances of two short operas: John Harbison’s Full Moon in March and Oliver Knussen’s Where the Wild Things Are.

Program 6, Tuesday, August 16, 8 p.m., Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra
Robert Spano will lead Aaron Copland’s (Head of school 40-61 and 63-65) Symphony No. 3, on a program with Jacob Druckman’s (TMC faculty member 72, 74, 77, 78, 91, 92; Fellow 49 and 50) Aureole and Colin Matthews’s (TMC faculty member 91, 96, 07, 09) Turning Point, a U.S. premiere.

Tickets for the 2010 Festival of Contemporary Music are priced at $11, with exception to the August 16, TMC orchestra concert, which is priced $33-51. Tickets for the August 13 and 15 Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts are priced $9-89. Tickets may be purchased online through www.tanglewood.org or by calling SymphonyCharge at 888-266-1200. There is a service charge for each ticket purchased online or by phone. Tickets are also available in person through the Symphony Hall box office, at 301 Massachusetts Avenue, in Boston, MA. The Tanglewood Box Office at Tanglewood’s Main Gate on West Street in Lenox, Mass., will open to the public on June 18 at 10 a.m.

Tanglewood is on the internet at www.tanglewood.org.  For further information, call the Boston Symphony Orchestra at 617-266-1492. All programs and artists are subject to change.