Photos Capture Excitement of BU Tanglewood Institute’s 60th Anniversary Celebration
Highlights included a Young Artists Orchestra Performance and a gala concert featuring acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell
Boston University Tanglewood Institute students performed with Grammy Award–winning violinist Joshua Bell at a private 60th anniversary benefit concert on August 1: Claire Lee (BUTI’26) (from left), Ellie Washecka (BUTI’26), Magdalena Calabria (BUTI’26), Juliette Xiang (BUTI’26), Bell, Lucy Wang (BUTI’26), Antonio Casaranos (BUTI’26), Julia Lee (BUTI’26) and Nathan Lupinetti (BUTI’26). Photo by Tom Tranfaglia
Photos Capture Excitement of BU Tanglewood Institute’s 60th Anniversary Celebration
Highlights included a Young Artists Orchestra Performance and a gala concert featuring acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell
This article was originally published in BU Today on August 5, 2026. By BU Today staff. Photos by Tom Tranfaglia and Carlin Ma
EXCERPT
Each summer for the past six decades, Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) has been drawing talented teenage musicians from around the globe to its home in Lenox, Mass., where they immerse themselves in classical music. The young musicians spend their summers studying, performing, and attending master classes. Many of their teachers and mentors are musicians from the world-renowned Boston Symphony Orchestra, whose summer home is just down the street, and BU College of Fine Arts School of Music.
In August, to celebrate 60 years of artistic excellence and transformative music education, BUTI hosted a four-day series of concerts and a benefit that featured a private performance by Joshua Bell, a Grammy Award–winning violinist and BUTI parent, who was joined by BUTI students.
Photographers Tom Tranfaglia and Carlin Ma were on hand to capture some of the festivities, including a Young Artists Orchestra Performance at the BSO’s Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood and the benefit, the proceeds of which will be used to support student scholarships.
The BUTI Young Artists Orchestra performs inside Seiji Ozawa Hall on August 1. Photo by Carlin Ma
Left image: Aram Demirjian (BUTI’02) conducts the BUTI Young Artists Orchestra at Seiji Ozawa Hall in Lenox, Mass. Right image: The BUTI Young Artists Orchestra and BUTI Young Artists Vocal Program, led by Demirjian, perform at Seiji Ozawa Hall. Soprano Maya Joshi (BUTI’25’26) (left) was among the soloists. Photos by Carlin Ma
Left image: Nicole Wendl, BUTI executive director, greets audience members at the beginning of a performance by the BUTI Young Artists Orchestra at Seiji Ozawa Hall. Photo by Carlin Ma. Right image: Boston University President Melissa Gilliam speaks at the benefit. Photo by Tom Tranfaglia
Joshua Bell performs with Lucy Wang (BUTI’26) at the benefit. Photo by Tom Tranfaglia
Left image: Joseph Conyers (BUTI’98), principal double bass with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Right image: Nico Muhly (BUTI’96,’97), a Grammy-nominated contemporary classical music composer. Photos by Tom Tranfaglia
BU ALUMNI & FRIENDS: TERRIER DISPATCH
At the intersection of creativity and community
As BUTI celebrates its 60th anniversary, alums Beth Morrison (BUTI’89, CFA’94) and Stella FitzGerald (BUTI’18, CFA’24) reflect on how the program has shaped them into the artists they are today