'Tanglewood in the City' Returns to Pittsfield

On Friday, August 28, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, in partnership with Pittsfield-based Mill Town Capital, the City of Pittsfield, and local organizations, will present a free community event on the Pittsfield Common, “Tanglewood in the City: Pittsfield.” It consists of a video presentation of the BSO’s August 25, 2019 Tanglewood concert of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and aims to bring Tanglewood into the Pittsfield community and share one of the festival’s major performances with a wider group of Berkshire residents.

The performance, which will be transmitted onto a 11.5’ x 6.5’ LED screen on the Pittsfield Common, will begin with a welcome video, featuring conductor Giancarlo Guerrero (introducing the concert in both English and Spanish), cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and a performance by the young Berkshire musicians from Kids 4 Harmony, to be followed by Maestro Guerrero conducting the BSO, Tanglewood Festival Chorus (TFC), soprano Nicole Cabell, mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, tenor Nicholas Phan, and bass Morris Robinson in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (Ode to Joy).

Due to state regulations and public health concerns surrounding the novel coronavirus, this year’s “Tanglewood in the City: Pittsfield” preserves much of the communal Tanglewood experience, while still upholding physical distancing and CDC protocols. Four video screenings will occur during the day, at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., and 8 p.m. on Friday, August 28 (rain date of Sunday, August 30) and are limited to 50 persons per viewing, in accordance with Massachusetts state guidelines restricting gathering numbers.

Admission, which is free, will require advance email registration at events@milltowncapital.com. Audience members are requested that they also include their first and second desired screening times and the number of people included in their party at the time of email registration. Face masks will also be required, and attendees will be asked to follow specific instructions while entering and exiting the Common. Within the designated event space in the Common, attendees will sit within 10-foot-diameter chalk circles that can accommodate a family unit of up to six people.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

In addition to the public screenings on the Common, 1,000 free online tickets will be distributed to members of the Berkshire community through a generous sponsorship from Mill Town Capital. For coupons, which will allow viewing through August 30, please email events@milltowncapital.com.

Whether you’re hosting your own watch party or at the Common, the public is eligible to enter a contest by posting photos on social media using #twdinthecity and tagging @tanglewoodmusicfestival on Facebook and Instagram and @TanglewoodMA on Twitter. All participants will be entered into a drawing to win a 2021 Berkshires Resident Season Lawn Pass (valid for all concerts and events except for Popular Artists and Tanglewood Learning Institute); 10 passes will be awarded.

The Pittsfield event is inspired by the popular Boston edition of “Tanglewood in the City,” which last year celebrated its fourth anniversary. In July 2019, the BSO began a new tradition with the first-ever “Tanglewood in the City” on the Pittsfield Common. It attracted over 1,000 attendees with pre-concert activities and an evening of live music-making under the stars.

WHAT: “Tanglewood in the City: Pittsfield” featuring the Boston Symphony Orchestra performing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony

WHO: Conductor Giancarlo Guerrero; the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, soprano Nicole Cabell, mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, tenor Nicholas Phan, and bass Morris Robinson join for the Beethoven Ninth’s final “Ode to Joy” movement (recorded at Tanglewood on August 25, 2019)

WHEN: Friday, August 28, at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., and 8 p.m. (Rain date of Sunday, August 30.)

WHERE: Pittsfield Common