Strike Up the Band for Boston University Tanglewood Institute’s 60th Anniversary
The gala weekend features a Young Artists Orchestra Performance at BSO’s Seiji Ozawa Hall, a benefit dinner with a performance by renowned Grammy Award–winning violinist and BUTI parent Joshua Bell, and a parade with alums and current students
Strike Up the Band for Boston University Tanglewood Institute’s 60th Anniversary
Celebration this weekend will include concerts and a gala
This article was originally published in BU Today on July 27, 2026. By Joel Brown. Photos by Janice Checchio. Video by Gabe Davis
EXCERPT
If it were a piece of music, the upcoming gala weekend celebrating Boston University Tanglewood Institute’s (BUTI) 60th anniversary would be called a fanfare or jubilee. Nicole Wendl would like it to be an overture. As BUTI’s executive director, Wendl hopes the concerts and other events scheduled for August 1–4 in Lenox, Mass., kick off a bright future for the institution, which draws talented teens from all over the world each summer to immerse themselves in classical music on the BUTI campus and at the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s (BSO) world-famous summer home down the street.
Under the banner Celebrating 60 Years, Supporting the Next Generation, the gala weekend will feature a Young Artists Orchestra Performance at the BSO’s Seiji Ozawa Hall, a benefit dinner with a private performance by renowned Grammy Award–winning violinist and BUTI parent Joshua Bell, and a BUTI Tanglewood on Parade Program with BUTI alumni and current students performing side by side at the BSO’s Koussevitzky Music Shed.
“It’s a big four days, and hopefully it’s really exciting and inspirational,” says Wendl. “I want people to come together and create something beautiful across generations.”
There will also be a Young Artists Wind Ensemble concert in honor of H. Robert Reynolds, BUTI’s longtime conductor, who passed away in January. Tickets to public events are available through the event page on the College of Fine Arts website.
“For 60 years, Boston University Tanglewood Institute has been fundamental to Boston University’s commitment to the arts and education,” says University President Melissa Gilliam. “It is an honor to be the home of this transformative place that helps talented young people to grow musically and personally.
Wendl hopes the celebratory weekend provides a launching pad for the institute’s next 60 years.
First up: necessary infrastructure improvements to Groton Place, the striking 1903 mansion that is the main building on campus—“air-conditioning” is frequently mentioned as a needed improvement.
“These really are the best players in the country, and I want our campus to reflect that incredible artistry,” Wendl says. “We have some upgrades that we need to make.” Also on Wendl’s list: more scholarship support, so that coming to Lenox can be an easier decision for students of different economic backgrounds. “You don’t want a student to have to choose between a really incredible top-level educational experience here and a program that’s free,” she says.
Every summer, BUTI students give more than 60 free performances in the Lenox area, providing them an opportunity to enhance their musicianship and gain valuable exposure to performing in front of live audiences.
“BUTI complements the arts and culture of the Berkshires not only by adding high-level musicianship but also youthful energy,” says Harvey Young, BU’s inaugural and interim vice president for the arts, who recently stepped down as dean of the College of Fine Arts. “When you’re with BUTI students, you’re seeing the next generation of music makers. You’re getting a glimpse at, and hearing, the future.”
Training some of the world’s most accomplished musicians
“The number of professional musicians whose start began at Boston University Tanglewood Institute is staggering,” says Young, who is also a professor in the College of Arts & Sciences. “Whether it’s the LA Phil, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony, or dozens of other orchestras around the globe, you will find many BUTI alumni as principal musicians and in senior leadership.”
Renowned BUTI alums include acclaimed artists such as Grammy-nominated composers Nico Muhly (BUTI’96,’97), Missy Mazzoli (BUTI’98, CFA’02), and Joseph Conyers (BUTI’98), principal bass at the Philadelphia Orchestra. Muhly and Conyers are returning to work with BUTI students this summer.
“The opportunities that you get when you’re at a program like BUTI are so special,” says Deborah Grausman (BUTI’98), a successful singer and voice actress, whose résumé includes acting with Topol and Harvey Fierstein in a touring production of Fiddler on the Roof and a recurring role as Smartie, a friend of Oscar the Grouch, on Sesame Street.
“It’s not just the program through BUTI, right? We had master classes. You can go to the Tanglewood Music Center concerts. You can go to the BSO concerts,” she says. “And so it was this whole campus experience that was very magical. I mean, everyone talks about how Tanglewood is a magical place, but it really is. To be so young and to have those opportunities!”
The opportunities that you get when you’re at a program like BUTI are so special. It’s not just the program through BUTI, right? We had master classes. You can go to the Tanglewood Music Center concerts. You can go to the BSO concerts. And so it was this whole campus experience that was very magical. I mean, everyone talks about how Tanglewood is a magical place, but it really is. To be so young and to have those opportunities!
read more about training the next generation of musicians
