Tanglewood Music Center

Instrumental Fellowships

Instrumental fellows experience dedicated mentorship from Boston Symphony musicians and guest faculty, orchestral performances under the batons of BSO Music Director and Head of Conducting at Tanglewood Andris Nelsons and world-renowned guest conductors, perform chamber music with each other and faculty members, and attend weekly classes with BSO members and guest artists.

Applications for the 2025 Instrumental Program are now open!

Apply Now 2025 Instrumental Faculty

Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra

The season-long presence of the Boston Symphony Orchestra makes Tanglewood unique among summer music programs. The Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra (TMCO) performs each season under BSO Music Director and Head of Conducting at Tanglewood Andris Nelsons as well as distinguished guest conductors. BSO mentors shepherd the entire experience of a fellow, adjudicating auditions, tailoring seatings and assignments to each fellow, coaching in orchestra and small ensembles, and providing ongoing counsel and support. Fellows hear their BSO mentors perform multiple programs each week and have the opportunity to observe rehearsals from the stage. BSO members frequently play in with the TMCO, and the two orchestras play side-by-side each summer in a performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture during Tanglewood on Parade.

"I had been to other festivals, but Tanglewood showed me what it's like to play in a professional level orchestra, because the student orchestra there is a professional level orchestra."

- BSO Principal Bass Edwin Barker, TMC 1975

2025 TMCO programs will include:

Andris Nelsons leading Brahms Symphony No. 2 and Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
Esa-Pekka Salonen leading Stravinsky The Rite of Spring
Dima Slobodeniouk leading Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4
Thomas Wilkins leading the Festival of Contemporary Music

Chamber Music

All instrumental fellows participate in substantial chamber music projects, coached by resident faculty, BSO members, and internationally renowned guests.

Violinists, violists, and cellists begin their summer with the String Quartet Seminar. This intensive workshop of coachings and classes culminates in a marathon concert.

Double bass, woodwind, brass, and percussion players begin their summer with small ensemble playing.

New Music

The TMC places a considerable emphasis on contemporary music, both in recitals throughout the summer and particularly during the Festival of Contemporary Music, a multiday festival of new music curated each year by important voices in the field. In 2025 the Festival of Contemporary Music will be curated by luminary composer Gabriela Ortiz and the TMC will be joined by Mexican contemporary classical percussion group Tambuco for an extended residency during FCM.

Classes

Fellows have weekly classes with BSO members, resident faculty, and visiting artists. Classes focus on solo repertoire, excerpts, technical problems, artistic issues, or consist of reading sessions of standard orchestral repertoire.

Mock auditions offer fellows the chance to experience the pressure of auditioning for panelists from a major symphony orchestra and to receive immediate, direct feedback. Winners of the violin, viola, and cello mock auditions perform with the BSO during the summer, and all double bassists are granted the opportunity to perform with the BSO on one piece for each fellow.

A significant number of fellows go on to win positions with professional symphony orchestras in the year following their attendance at the TMC.