We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing to browse, you agree to saving BSO and third-party cookies on your device. See our privacy policy.

BSO, Pops, Tanglewood, and Symphony Hall Logos

Quarter Notes

Tanglewood Co-Chair Nancy B. Finn Recaps the Summer

Learn about the BSAV Recognition Event, the Volunteer Emeritus program, and more.
Headshot of a smiling woman wearing glasses and a dark blazer
Tanglewood Co-Chair Nancy B. Finn

The summer of 2022 for the BSAV will not be remembered as “lazy days of summer.” Our return to a full schedule of concerts and events, and the overwhelming response of volunteers to do whatever was needed, kept us all very busy. A record number of 61 new volunteers joined our enthusiastic community to total 478 volunteers for the 2022 season. A huge thank you to everyone who worked hard to provide the support needed during the 120 concerts, both popular and classical, held in the Shed this season, and the 43 concerts and events in Ozawa Hall. New and long-time volunteers had a chance to socialize during four Coffee Talks, followed by tours of the grounds. The Coffee Talks were initiated last year to encourage volunteers to network and stay connected, since many of their specific activities had been curtailed due to the pandemic.

Two women with white hair and wearing pastel-colored long-sleeved shirts stand in a room with wood-paneled walls, at at long table covered with small white cards

Volunteers helping to prepare for the Welcome Back Event. Photo credit: Susan Geller

A woman with red hair and wearing a yellow shirt stands at the head of a picnic table where a man and a woman on each side sit, all on an outside patio in front of metal tables

Volunteers enjoying a lovely morning for a Coffee Talk event. Photo credit: Shel Goldberg

Five smiling men dressed in summer attire stand side-by side outside on a patio in front of a picnic table with other tables behind them, a small snack stand and a line of trees in the distance

Volunteers catching up at a Coffee Talk event. Photo credit: Shel Goldberg

A woman wearing a black shirt looks down at a stack of white note cards as a woman wearing a blue polo shirt and a woman wearing a pink sunhat and holding a gray yoga mat stand by, the three in front of a tan-sided house

Judy Borger assisting education staff. Photo credit: Natalie Manzino

Recognition Event

At this year’s Recognition Event, the 2022 Carrie L. Peace Spirit of Volunteering Award was presented to Bobbi Cohn, who has volunteered for more than 50 years. (You can learn more later in this issue.) Also at the Recognition Event, 253 volunteers were presented with pins representing 3,625 total years of service. The highlight of the event was a presentation by Director of Tanglewood Facilities Bobby Lahart, who delighted us with a slide show, “Perspective on Tanglewood Grounds,” which outlined the job of maintaining this amazing property that included fascinating facts such as:

  • Cutting 35 acres of primary lawn to 1.5 inches length three-to-four times a week with a reel mower
  • Cutting 50 acres of secondary and perimeter lawns to 3 inches length two times a week with a 4-foot rotary mower
  • Cutting 150 acres of grass parking lots to 3 inches one time a week with a 15-foot rotary mower
  • 300 tons of recycled trash are collected each summer season
  • 19,000 cubic feet of leaves and pine needles are collected and recycled
  • 10,000 annuals are planted and maintained each summer
  • Close to 2 miles of perimeter and interior hedgerow are trimmed and treated
  • 5 miles of interior roadways are maintained in all seasons
  • More than 50,000 feet (nearly 10 miles!) of irrigation pipe on campus
  • Three are 112 irrigation zones and more than 750 sprinkler heads
  • More than 80 species of trees are inspected, maintained, and treated annually

Bobby also regaled us with comments and photos of the filming of Maestro, partially completed at Tanglewood. The film, written, directed, and starring Bradley Cooper, tells the story of Leonard Bernstein, and incorporates his involvement with Tanglewood over many years, from the time he was a Fellow when Serge Koussevitzky was BSO Music Director and Founder and Director of the Tanglewood Music Center. Bobby talked about the extensive equipment required for the filming and the complexities of achieving the exact shots needed. Maestro is a Netflix original and is expected to be released in 2023.

A woman wearing a black shirt presents a plaque to a man wearing a brown suitcoat on a stage with green scaffolding, a man and a woman both wearing green polo shirts sitting in the background

Susan Price presenting Howie Arkans with the Carrie L. Peace Award. Photo credit: Natalie Manzino

A woman wearing a blue shirt looks at a man wearing a red shirt and a hat who is sitting beside her at a table, as he holds a camera to his face, other people seen in the distance behind them

Myra Ross and David Ross at the Recognition Event. Photo credit: Natalie Manzino

Two women wearing blue shirts and red lanyards smile together as they stand under a white tent, tables with other people seen behind them against a background of green trees

Longest serving volunteer Judy Stoltzberg left with fellow BSAV member Faith Newmark. Photo credit: Natalie Manzino

A man and three women sit at a table covered in a white tablecloth and silverware as a man and a woman stand behind them, the six posing and smiling together under a white tent with trees seen in the background

Group of friends catching up at the Welcome Back. Photo credit: Natalie Manzino

A blonde woman wearing a black blouse stands at a podium and speaks into a microphone as a woman wearing a white shirt holding a microphone and a woman wearing a black and white shirt stands beside her, the three standing against a background of grass and trees

Erin Asbury, Susan Price, and Nancy Finn reading out Years of Service recipients. Photo credit: Natalie Manzino

A man with a beard and wearing a gray shirt sits at a table with a festive floral arrangement in the center beside a woman with brown hair and wearing a floral print shirt, other white tables seen behind them against a background of trees

Clark Nelson and Emilie Schmidt at the Recognition Event. Photo credit: Natalie Manzino

A woman wearing a tan shirt sits at a white table beside a woman wearing a white sweater, with a woman wearing a teal short sleeved shirt standing between the two, the three smiling with other tables with people seen in the background against trees

BSAV Members catching up at the Recognition Event. Photo credit: Natalie Manzino

A man wearing a dark polo shirt and tan pants stands at a podium speaking into a microphone under a white tent, with trees and grass seen in the opening right behind him

BSAV Chair Bob Braun addressing Tanglewood BSAV members at the Recognition Event

Volunteer Emeritus Program

As we approach the end of one year and the beginning of the next, we want to urge all volunteers who qualify to consider becoming a Volunteer Emeritus (VE). The BSAV Volunteer Emeritus program began in 2014 and currently includes 107 volunteer emeriti. The program is open to any individual from Boston or Tanglewood who has given more than 10 years and/or 250 hours of service to the organization. All Volunteer Emeriti are encouraged to attend all BSAV social events including our Welcome Back and Recognition events, as well as the BSAV Named Concerts on each campus. All volunteer emeriti are able to purchase lawn passes for Tanglewood at the Berkshire resident rate, and also take advantage of complimentary ticket offers both in Boston and at Tanglewood.

The Volunteer Emeritus program makes it possible for people who are no longer able to assume a full load of volunteering to stay connected and remain a part of the BSO volunteer community. For more information, contact Erin at 617-638-9394 or easbury@bso.org, or visit bso.org.

Scenes from the Summer

A woman wearing a blue polo shirt and a cross-body bag stands at a shelf of folded shirts and smiles, other shelves of items in a gift shop behind her

Volunteers assisting in the Gift Shop. Photo credit: Shel Goldberg

Two women, one wearing a green polo shirt and one wearing a blue polo shirt, both wearing sunglasses and sunhats, smile in front of green trees with grass behind them

Ellen Masters and Natalie Manzino. Photo credit: Shel Goldberg

A large group of people sit on colorful mats on a green lawn with trees framing it, in the middle of a yoga class, with an expansive blue sky with white clouds overlooking it

Yoga on the lawn. Photo credit: Natalie Manzino

A man wearing a green polo stands in front of a group of people wearing blue polo shirts and white pants inside an open-air auditorium

A group of ushers at a pre-concert meeting with Jason Lyon. Photo credit: Natalie Manzino