Angélique Kidjo performs at Tanglewood during Labor Day Weekend, 2011.

The Tanglewood Jazz Festival line-up is guaranteed to be as impressive as ever, featuring the rising stars of jazz as well as some of the greatest jazz musicians alive. You’ll be able to listen to some of your old favorites, then check out the newest sounds sweeping the genre. For jazz aficionados, this is an event not to be missed.

Highlights include jazz vocalists Dianne Reeves and Angélique Kidjo, Lizz Wright (who singing defies genres), NEA Jazz Masters Jimmy Cobb and Gunther Schuller, Judy Carmichael, Blythe Danner, the Mingus Orchestra, John Santos and the John Santos Sextet, and much, much more. These gifted musicians and vocalists will perform in the intimate Ozawa Hall.

Up-and-coming artists such as drummer Ulysses Owens Jr, pianist Cedric Hanriot, and vocalist Rebecca Martin will perform at the Jazz Café. All shows at the Jazz Café are free for folks who have tickets to the main stage event of the day or an all-day pass.

For the first time ever, the Tanglewood Wine and Food Classic will coincide with the Tanglewood Jazz Festival. Participants will taste premium wines from around the world (more than 75 wineries will be represented), and feast on dishes prepared by renowned chefs from New York, Boston, and the Berkshires. Seminars will reveal secrets about the sinfully good combinations of port and chocolate, and cheese and wine. The 2011 Tanglewood Wine and Food Classic promises to be a gustatory adventure.

Infuse your Labor Day Weekend with wine, good food, and great jazz. When not revelling in food, wine, and music, relax at our luxurious Lenox Bed and Breakfast. What a perfect way to bid farewell to summer.

For additional festival information, please visit Tanglewood.

Charles Dutoit will conduct the BSO for Opening Night at Tanglewood, July 8, 2011.

July 8, 2011, is Opening Night at Tanglewood. Charles Dutoit will conduct as the Boston Symphony Orchestra plays excerpts from Act 1 of Norma (Bellini), the Overture to William Tell (Rossini), the Trio from Act 3 of I Lombardi (Verdi), and Pines of Rome, Symphonic Poem (Respighi). Accompanying the BSO will be Angela Meade – soprano, Kristine Jepson – mezzo-soprano, Roberto De Biasio – tenor, and James Morris – bass.

The BSO is pleased to announce that Charles Dutoit will be conducting; James Levine must regretfully cancel all 2011 Tanglewood performances on the advice of his doctors. Mr. Dutoit is the Chief conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra, artistic director and principal conductor of the Royal Philharmonic, and music director of the Verbier Festival Orchestra. He has conducted or collaborated with the world’s leading orchestras and all the major orchestra’s of the United States. His recordings have earned more than 40 awards and distinctions.

We still have some availability at our Berkshires Lodging for Tanglewood Opening Night, the weekend of July 8, 2001. Our Lenox MA Inn is close to Tanglewood, and we share our secret back route to Tanglewood with all of our guests.

Additional information and tickets are available at Tanglewood.

See Earth, Wind, and Fire at Tanglewood, June 25, 2011.

Since its creation in 1969, Earth, Wind, and Fire has garnered accolades from the music industry, critics, and fans. Eight of their albums went double-platinum. Their work has been nominated for 20 Grammy Awards and has won six Grammys. In 2000, Earth, Wind, and Fire was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2003 they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

Their music has inspired more than one generation of artists and won fans of all ages. It will be sheer pleasure to experience them live at Tanglewood.

Tanglewood offers Meals-To-Go for the Earth, Wind, and Fire performance on June 25, 2011. Choose a Picnic Bag for one, a Boxed Dinner for one, and a Picnic Tote for Two. Or arrive at Tanglewood prior to the performance and dine at the Tanglewood Café and Grill. If you’d rather dine elsewhere, ask us for a recommendation – there are several excellent restaurants near our Berkshires B&B.

Joshua Bell performs at Tanglewood on Sunday, July 10, 2011.

Opening Night (with the Boston Symphony Orchestra) is Friday, July 8, 2011. This year features an all-Italian program, and opening night will be a musical extravaganza lead by James Levine, Music Director of the BSO. Soprano Angela Meade, mezzo Kristine Jepson, and bass-baritone James Morris will perform excerpts from Bellini’s Norma (Act 1). The Tanglewood Festival Chorus will raise their voices in song, and music by Verdi, Gabrieli, and Rossini will be performed. Pines of Rome, by Respighi, will conclude the evening.

Tanglewood Opening Weekend continues with the Berlioz Requiem on Saturday, July 9, featuring tenor Russell Thomas. The weekend concludes on Sunday afternoon, July 10, with a selection of Higdon, Bruch, and Tchaikovsky; Miguel Harth-Bedoya conducts and is joined by violinist Joshua Bell.

A number of performances will be held at Tanglewood prior to the official opening of the 2011 Season. Stay at our Tanglewood Lodging during the last week of June and experience the following varied program:

• Earth, Wind, and Fire – June 25, 2011
• Spring Quartet Marathon – June 28 & 29, 2011 (day)
• Mark Morris Dance Group – June 28 & 29, 2011 (evening)
• James Taylor and Guests – June 30, 2011.

Don’t let these last days of winter get you down – think of summer!

To purchase tickets for any of the above-mentioned performances, please see Tanglewood.

See the world famous Count Basie Orchestra at Tanglewood.

The 2010 Jazz Festival at Tanglewood will open with “Radio Deluxe”, co-hosted by John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey. The show, which will be taped live at 2pm and later played on radio stations throughout the nation, will feature the exquisite vocals of Jane Monheit.

Laurence Hobgood and his trio will perform familiar and original compositions on Saturday evening at 8pm at Ozawa Hall. If you have never heard the man Dave Brubeck calls “one of the most incredible pianist I’ve ever heard”, don’t miss this opportunity. The trio will be followed by Kurt Elling – recipient of the 2010 Grammy for Best Vocal Jazz Album of the Year.

Experience “Broadway Boogie”, the newest Chamber Jazz by Eddie Daniels, Bob James, Peter Erskine and James Genus. They’ll be followed by the Count Basie Orchestra, and then the Julian Lage Group. Pianist and composer Donal Fox will close the festival Sunday evening; he’ll present a new program – “Piazzolla to Bach Project” – along with classical cellist Maya Beiser.

It’s exciting how Tanglewood has grown over the years. The Jazz Festival is just one example of how Tanglewood embraces a wide variety of musical traditions. We look forward to welcoming jazz aficionados at our Lenox bed and breakfast, and to the exciting line-up of the 2010 Tanglewood Jazz Festival.

Herbie Hancock has said, “Music transcends the barriers between people. It utilizes the universal language of music to express its central themes of peace and global responsibility” (http://www.herbiehancock.com/). Music fans will be delighted by the talented and diverse line-up of international musicians involved in The Imagine Project.

Don't miss Herbie Hancock and The Imagine Project at Tanglewood.

Once you are comfortably installed in your room at our bed and breakfast Lenox, take some time to explore our wonderful corner of the Berkshires. After an emotionally stirring evening of music by Herbie Hancock and a host of other musicians, spend a quiet day in the woods. Stroll through our gardens, or allow us to recommend a nearby day hike. It’s the perfect way to round out a trip to Tanglewood.

Simon and Garfunkel at Tanglewood, July 27, 2010.

They reunite Tuesday, July 27, 2010, at 8pm at the Koussevitzky Music Shed. 20,000 people are expected to attend, so book a room at our Tanglewood lodging soon.

Simon and Garfunkel have played together only a handful of times since 1970, each time drawing enormous crowds. Though their success stems from a relatively short period together (1965-1970), their music is timeless and their fans are dedicated. Their upcoming performance at Tanglewood is part of a month long tour throughout North America.

We still have openings at our Lenox bed and breakfast on July 27, 2010. Plan to stay a few days and explore the Berkshires during the week. Play a round of golf across the street at Greenock Country Club. Go for a day hike in the Bershires. Wander through the charming New England towns of Lee and Lenox. Or simply lounge by the pool and stroll through our gardens.

Garrison Keillor at Tanglewood on June 26, 2010

Opening Night at Tanglewood is July 9, 2010, yet there are events almost every night starting June 26, when Garrison Keillor and A Prairie Home Companion take the stage. This live broadcast is sure to be full of beautiful music, poignant tales, and silliness.

11am Sunday, June 27, marks the start of the String Quartet Marathon at Tanglewood. Fourteen string quartets will perform music by Mozart and Schumann among others. Later that night, the Mark Morris Dance Group takes the stage to perform a Grand Duo, and a new piece set to Beethoven arrangements of traditional folksongs. The Mark Morris Dance Group are currently Tanglewood Music Center Fellows.

Now is the time to peruse the Tanglewood 2010 Schedule and make your picks. Once you do that, you are ready to plan your stay at our Tanglewood Bed and Breakfast, minutes from Lenox, Massachusetts. We’ll make you comfortable, feed you well, and share our shortcut to Tanglewood. It’s time to listen to the music.

James Taylor is returning to Tanlgewood

James Taylor at Tanglewood—
Originally uploaded by Paul Keleher

There are still tickets available for James Taylor’s August 27th performances at Tanglewood, and we still have one room available at our Berkshires bed and breakfast. Be spontaneous!

The season at Tanglewood continues into September. On the fourth is the 2009 Tanglewood Jazz Festival: An evening with Paquito d’Rivera. There is a full night on the fifth with the Regina Carter Quartet “Reverse Thread” and “Dreaming the Duke” with Nnenna Freelon, Harolyn Blackwell and Mike Garson.

Tanglewood

We tend to be busy here at our Lenox MA bed and breakfast when Tanglewood is in full swing. People travel from all over the country, and indeed from around the globe, to experience Tanglewood and the Berkshires. It gives us great pleasure to host our guests during this time, when the arts flourish more than ever in Massachusetts.

“Tanglewood on Parade” is a favorite tradition at the Tanglewood Festival. July 28, 2009, will be a full day of music, family events and fun. The grounds open at 2PM with the first event, Music and Astronomy Under the Stars: Dr. Donald Lubowich from Hofstra University will train his telescope on the heavens while participants celebrate the 400th anniversary of Galileo using a telescope for astronomy with music and a variety of fun activities.

From 3PM to 7:30PM, the Visitors Center offers free Tanglewood tours. Throughout the day, Ozawa Hall will be open: TMC Piano Repetoire at 2:30, TMC Instrumental Fellows at 4:30, and TMC Instrumental and Vocal Fellows at 5:30.

The day culminates at 8:30PM in the Kousseitzky Music Shed, with performances by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the TMC, and the Boston Pops. Five conductors will share the podium: James Levine, Keith Lockhart, John Williams, Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos and Leonard Slatkin. Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture will fill the air, fireworks will fill the sky, and you will be thrilled to be there.

We look forward to seeing you at our Tanglewood lodging in the Berkshires this summer.