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Live Music Venue Review: Tanglewood

tanglewood
(credit: Tanglewood Jazz Festival on Facebook)

297 West Street (Route 183)
Lenox, MA   02140
413-637-1600
www.bso.org 

All ages venue
Capacity: 5,100 in Music Shed; 15,000 including lawn; Ozawa Hall 1,200  

In the Berkshires is a live music venue that defies the common perception of what a venue is.  Tanglewood, named from author Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Tanglewood Tales" is a complex, a farm and an institution. 

The Tanglewood music complex is 210 acres comprised of the Tanglewood Music Shed and lawn, Ozawa Hall and the expansive grounds that are perfect for picnicking. It is perhaps best known as the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Within the complex are the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Tanglewood Music Center for professional musicians, and world-renowned music programs specializing in classical, jazz and popular music. 

Some of the most respected musicians and conductors in the world have passed through the Tanglewood Music Center programs.  Common favorites that regularly play here are Carole King, James Taylor, The Boston Symphony Orchestra and, previously, Grace Kelly. 

The venues are rustic and natural in setting, nestled amidst trees and vast lawns.  The inside of Ozawa Hall is a formal concert venue seating 1,200 and has been ranked one of the best music halls in the country by industry experts.  The Tanglewood ( Koussevizky) Music Shed is an open air venue seating 5,100 and is built for optimal acoustics. Seating capacity is 15,000 including lawn seats. Tickets can be purchased through Tanglewood by phone, online, in person or mail. 

If you are looking for the premier multi-use music venue in the region, Tanglewood is your only destination. 

Shawn Sixx is a producer for CBS Radio Boston's WZLX. He is also a contributing writer for AMP Magazine and Ryan's Smashing Life.
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