An anchor of the season is the Martha Graham Dance Company engagement, featuring defining works including Night Journey( 1947), Frontier( 1935), and Immediate Tragedy( 1937), alongside En Masse, co-commissioned by Jacob’ s Pillow and the BSO. The company also appears at Tanglewood on August 14, presenting For Martha— choreographed by Hope Boykin to a score by Christopher Rountree incorporating a recently recovered 49-second composition by Leonard Bernstein— alongside Appalachian Spring. The biennial Jacob’ s Pillow Men Dancers Award will be presented to Pitts, founder and artistic director of TRIBE.
A summer-long exhibition in Blake’ s Barn explores Graham’ s artistic and political voice during the 1930s. Additional performances animate the Henry J. Leir Stage throughout the festival, featuring artists from the Berkshires and beyond alongside appearances by student ensembles from The School at Jacob’ s Pillow.
Member pre-sale begins March 9, with tickets available to the general public on April 9. Tickets for spring performances and registration for online courses are available now at jacobspillow. org.
Tanglewood Lenox | bso. org / tanglewood
A robust spring program at the Linde Center leads into an ambitious 2026 Tanglewood summer season that celebrates the nation’ s 250th anniversary. The Linde Center hosts a series of intimate concerts, talks, and interdisciplinary events presented through the Tanglewood Learning Institute( TLI).
TLI Jazz offerings in March and April include the Sullivan Fortner Trio( March 20) and saxophonist Nick Hempton( April 10), while the TLI Presents series brings Irish quintet Goitse( March 15) and the Arcis Saxophone Quartet( March 22) to Studio E for chamber recitals that emphasize closeness and experimentation. Two standout spring programs draw on classical tradition through fresh lenses: Berkshire Bach Portal: In the Key of Bach( March 21), pairing film and live performance; and a two-night exploration of Schubert’ s Winterreise( April 24 – 25), featuring bass Andrew Munn and pianist
Elenora Pertz alongside postWinterreise, a contemporary response by composer and sound artist Kat Austen.
Spring also features Magic Piano & The Chopin Shorts( April 12), part of TLI’ s ongoing family programming; TLI Cinematics screenings in collaboration with the Triplex Cinema and BIFF( March 14 and April 11); a TLI Presents program featuring Hub New Music and Daniel Wohl( May 1); and a TLI Jazz concert featuring Jumaane Smith( May 8).
The summer season opens at the Koussevitzky Music Shed with Yacht Rock Revue( June 21), followed by Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis( June 26). Legendary singer-songwriter Paul Simon brings his“ A Quiet Celebration Tour” for two nights( June 27 & 28). James Taylor and his All-Star Band returns on July 3 and 4. The BSO anchors July and August with a selection of symphonic and operatic highlights, including Tchaikovsky’ s Piano Concerto No. 1 with pianist Seong- Jin Cho( July 10), where the Boston Ballet will perform excerpts from Swan Lake, Mozart’ s Piano Concerto No. 25 with Emanuel Ax( July 11), and Bruch’ s Scottish Fantasy with Joshua Bell( August 2). The Tanglewood Recital Series at Ozawa Hall features violinists Augustin Hadelich and Cho( July 9); the early music ensemble Les Arts Florissants( July 15); the Danish String Quartet( July 30); pianist Yuja Wang( August 19); and Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens( August 20), celebrating Silkroad’ s 25th anniversary.
On July 17, Renee Fleming and Thomas Hampson joins the BSO to perform excerpts of Nixon in China by John Adams. An equally promising operatic performance follows on August 1, when the BSO presents Mozart’ s The Marriage of Figaro, featuring a starry cast of Michael Sumuel, Ying Fang, Hanna- Elisabeth Müller, and Susan Graham, among others. A series of high-profile recitals and performances curated by Yo-Yo Ma runs from August 4 – 9. Ma curates Tanglewood on Parade( August 4), featuring the BSO, the Boston Pops, the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. Additional Ma residency highlights include multi-cello programs, collaborations with vocalists and crossgenre explorations that reflect Ma’ s lifelong commitment to cultural dialogue. After
Keith Lockhart begins his 31st season as conductor of the Boston Pops with a performance on August 4, he leads the Pops in the ever-popular John Williams Film Night on August 15. Cynthia Erivo makes her Tanglewood debut with the Pops on August 21.
On August 14, the Martha Graham Dance Company appears alongside the BSO in a program including Copland’ s Appalachian Spring, co-commissioned with Jacob’ s Pillow. The Popular Artist Series continues by celebrating the revolutionary spirit of Bastille Day with multi-Grammy ®-winning artists Ziggy Marley and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue in an evening of high-energy reggae, funk, blues, and jazz( July 14). Also scheduled are“ Weird Al” Yankovic( July 21), Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit with special guest Patty Griffin( July 28), Carrie Underwood( August 29), and Tedeschi Trucks Band( September 2). More pop artists concerts are bound to be announced.
Tickets go on sale on March 5 at tanglewood. org and at the box office. Tickets for James Taylor, Cynthia Erivo, and other previously announced dates already are on sale.
Berkshire Theatre Group Pittsfield & Stockbridge berkshiretheatregroup. org
Across its two historic stages, Berkshire Theatre Group’ s( BTG’ s) 2026 season emphasizes connection, civic engagement, and the enduring power of theater to bring people together. Under the leadership of Artistic Director and CEO Kate Maguire, the season favors empathy, dialogue, and shared experience.“ Maybe the most important thing we can do right now is remind people of what’ s human and what connects us,” says Maguire. That philosophy runs through the season’ s mix of youthdriven productions; crowd-pleasing musical events; and intimate, idea-rich plays.
At The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, the season unfolds with a balance of accessibility and ambition. It begins with James and the Giant Peach JR.( April 24 – 26), a youth-centered musical that underscores BTG’ s longstanding commitment to arts
14 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE Spring 2026