OPEN DAILY FOR DINE-IN & TAKEOUT ensuring we are giving the greatest access to classical music and music to the broadest possible audiences, particularly young people. You’ ll hear much more on that in the next 12 to 18 months.
What makes a great Tanglewood season? How do you judge the season’ s success at the end of the summer? The first way to judge whether we’ ve had a successful season is to take a sample of 20 people who came to Tanglewood and ask what their favorite concert was. If I get 20 different answers, that’ s a great season! When the answers are different, it means we were programming in a way that allowed for so many different people to have that singular experience. If everyone picks the same concert, less so. We have to be presenting a diversity of artists who tell different stories across various musical forms. I want people to NOT agree on what their favorite concert was. That’ s success.
A second marker of success is revenues, of course, but it is the stories that we tell coming out of the season that matter more. Are people excited for next year? Do they plan their year around coming to Tanglewood? It moves beyond the transaction.
Lastly, but perhaps most important: If I am inspiring our musicians and inspiring our staff to create a space which centers on hospitality— and we model hospitality at the very highest level— then I’ m doing a good job because that is the reason people come back to Tanglewood. It’ s not transactional, it’ s experiential. We want people to be valued as individuals, valued as creatives, valued as lovers of music and of a beautiful campus. That’ s a big indicator of our success.
Last but not least: what’ s on your playlist? That’ s a great question. I listen to music all the time. I live in the Back Bay and I’ m able to walk to work— and that’ s when I don’ t listen to music. That’ s when I do a lot of really good thinking. The cold wind keeps my brain firing. But when I do listen, I have an in-home studio where I go— it’ s my library— and I have scores, and I try to spend a lot of time on Saturday listening to refresh myself for the repertoire that the orchestra is going to be playing. But I go down rabbit holes, too.
I’ m a huge reader and a historian. So, right now, I’ m really interested in Renaissance painting, particularly from Siena. But I will simultaneously listen to Renaissance music. On the pop side, I listen to a lot. I am a huge pop music fan. One of my joys in Los Angeles was running the Hollywood Bowl. So, I could hear Gustavo do an amazing Beethoven Nine on a Thursday night, Dolly Parton on a Friday night, and contemporary electronic on Sunday night. My taste is eclectic. That’ s part of the thing I love about Tanglewood: A wide range of artists that are filling out a musical tapestry. And that is the Tanglewood season every summer! n— D r. J o s h u a S h e r m a n
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Spring 2026 BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE // 11