Live Concerts Returning To Tanglewood This Summer

LENOX (CBS/AP) -- Live concerts will return to Tanglewood this summer.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra will have a six-week season starting July 9. There will be capacity limits and shows will be 80 minutes at most, with no intermission.

Tickets go on sale May 17.

Concerts at Tanglewood, where fans spread blankets on the manicured lawns, sip wine and picnic beneath the stars, have been a rite of summer in New England since 1937.

But the pandemic forced organizers to scrap the 2020 festival, switching to online performances and muting a tradition that annually draws nearly 350,000 visitors from around the world and funnels $100 million into the region's economy. Until last year, the live music had flowed virtually uninterrupted, canceled outright only in 1943 at the height of WWII.

"I am sure we will all experience music's incredible power on a whole new level," Andris Nelsons, the BSO's music director, said in a statement.

The orchestra said contactless ticketing, stringent cleaning protocols, mask-wearing and social distancing will be in place for the festival, which is being shortened from its usual 12-week run to about half that.

This summer's festival will mark the orchestra's return to live performances for the first time since the pandemic forced what will be a 16-month hiatus.

BSO President and CEO Mark Volpe acknowledged it's taken a toll on musicians and fans alike, describing them as "a community of like-minded souls yearning for the power of music in their lives again."

Over the decades, Tanglewood has produced memorable performances by classical music giants including the late Leonard Bernstein, so it's a fitting backdrop for a comeback from COVID-19, Nelsons said.

"My hope lies with music's ability to heal and inspire us, helping to move and sustain us through the challenging times of our lives," he said.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)