Boston Symphony Orchestra

The Boston Symphony Orchestra gave its inaugural concert in 1881, realizing the dream of its founder, the Civil War veteran/businessman/philanthropist Henry Lee Higginson, who envisioned an exceptional and permanent orchestra in his hometown of Boston. The BSO currently reaches millions of listeners through not only its concert performances at Symphony Hall in Boston and at the Tanglewood Music Center in the Berkshires, but also via the internet, radio, television, educational programs, recordings, and tours. 

The Boston Symphony Orchestra commissions works from today's finest composers and its summer season at Tanglewood is admired around the globe. In addition to helping to develop future audiences through BSO Youth Concerts and educational outreach programs involving the entire Boston community, this world-class orchestra operates the Tanglewood Music Center, a premier training ground for young professional-caliber musicians. The BSO also promotes its love of orchestral music through the Boston Pops Orchestra, which entertains audiences in Boston and far beyond by performing jazz, pop, and big band hits, as well as staging the nationally televised July 4 Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular.