Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, drew sold-out crowds last year, a milestone in its recovery from the pandemic.
This summer, the orchestra hopes to build on that success with a program that blends familiar works with more contemporary offerings, the ensemble announced on Wednesday.
The lineup includes works by 28 living composers, including the world premiere, in July, of a piece by Iman Habibi, led by the orchestra’s music director, Andris Nelsons. There are also more traditional works, including a concert performance of Mozart’s “Così Fan Tutte,” also led by Nelsons in July, and appearances by festival regulars including the pianist Emanuel Ax and the cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
“This year’s programs both inspire a sense of discovery and celebrate returning guest artists whose appearances move us so deeply year after year,” Nelsons said in a statement.
The new season, which starts in late June and runs through late August, comes as the Boston Symphony grapples with leadership turnover. In December, Gail Samuel, the ensemble’s first female president and chief executive, said she would resign her post, just 18 months into her tenure. Soon after, another senior leader, Asadour Santourian, a vice president of the orchestra who oversaw Tanglewood and the orchestra’s education efforts, abruptly resigned.
The Boston Symphony has declined to comment in depth on the departures. Samuel has been replaced on an interim basis by Jeffrey D. Dunn, a member of the orchestra’s advisory board. Ed Gazouleas, a former violist in the orchestra and a longtime faculty member at the Tanglewood Music Center, is overseeing the summer season as the orchestra searches for a permanent replacement for Santourian.
After canceling its season in 2020 because of the pandemic and hosting a shortened season in 2021, Tanglewood returned almost to full force last year. The festival drew around 290,000 patrons, compared with 312,000 in 2019, though there were fewer events in 2021.
This summer, a variety of contemporary works will be featured. “Makeshift Castle” by Julia Adolphe, which premiered at Tanglewood last year, will be performed again in August, paired with Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1, featuring Ma as soloist.
Later that month, the orchestra will perform “Four Black American Dances” by Carlos Simon, alongside Saint-Saens’ Piano Concerto No. 5 and Gershwin’s Concerto in F, both featuring the pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.
Keith Lockhart will lead five programs by the Boston Pops, including a new symphonic version of the musical “Ragtime.”
