Tanglewood Learning Institute

The Tanglewood Learning Institute (TLI) is pleased to announce the 2026–27 fall/winter/spring season, the most expansive yet, with over 50 events at the Linde Center for Music and Learning on Tanglewood's campus and in the Berkshires community. Marking the third year of year-round TLI programming, the upcoming season offers a wide-ranging performance lineup of exciting classical, jazz, Broadway, and dance talent as well as the TLI Cinematics film series, new TLI Focal Point photography classes, and community engagement events.  

The season begins in late September with TLI Jazz: Mark G. Meadows & The Movement (Sept. 18) and TLI Presents: Beijing Guitar Duo (Sept. 25). Berkshire-based artists appear throughout the season, including a dedicated weekend of TLI Close to Home performances (Oct. 30–Nov. 1). BSO musicians curate and perform five TLI Chamber Concerts (Oct. 18, Nov. 8, Feb. 28, April 11, and April 25). Last year's inaugural Berkshire Bach Portals series, a collaboration with Berkshire Bach Society, continues with four programs about the impact of Bach's music across artistic disciplines (Nov. 7, Jan. 30, March 20, and May 15). As currently planned, the TLI fall/winter/spring season concludes May 23 with a performance by Grammy-winning vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth. TLI events continue during the 2027 Tanglewood summer season. 

Single tickets and choose-your-own subscriptions for the upcoming TLI season go on sale Wednesday, August 12 at 10 a.m.

Click here for a TLI season press kit with artist photos and bios and photos of the Linde Center. 

Quote from Mark Rulison, Artistic Administrator, Tanglewood Learning Institute: 

“One of the most rewarding parts of planning this season has been having people stop to ask who's coming and when they'll get to see the lineup. It's our most ambitious and varied season yet, and I'm humbled that the community we are building is as excited to hear about what's in store as I am to share it.” 

TLI Presents

A wide-ranging lineup of soloists and ensembles visit the Linde Center for TLI Presents programs, beginning with the Tanglewood debut of the Beijing Guitar Duo (Meng Su and Yameng Wang) in a program that shows the expressive range of classical guitar and includes works by Telemann, Giuliani, and Chinese American composer Tan Dun (Sept. 25, 7 p.m.). Award-winning Moldovan accordionist Radu Ratoi follows with a varied recital that reveals the remarkable expressive range of his instrument with pieces by Rameau, Bach, Philip Glass, Gubaidulina, Tchaikovsky, and others (Oct. 23, 7 p.m.). 

Broadway comes to the Linde Center by way of two-time Tony-nominated singer and actress Christine Andreas (My Fair Lady, Oklahoma!, The Light in the Piazza), who brings classic and contemporary selections from the American songbook in her show S'Wonderful with Grammy-nominated composer and pianist Martin Silvestri. In a new format for TLI, this event will feature cabaret-style table seating with bites and beverages available for purchase (Nov. 13, 7 p.m.). Later that weekend, the Grammy-winning and four-time nominated wind quintet Imani Winds, renowned for blending classical masterworks with newly commissioned works and diverse musical influences,<> performs an adventurous chamber music program (Nov. 15, 3 p.m.). 

Founded by retired Boston Ballet principal dancer John Lam, who led TLI 101: Dance at the Linde Center in July, Lam Dance Works returns to Tanglewood for an intimate evening where dance, live music, and the human voice illuminate memory, identity, and our shared humanity. The program features works by internationally acclaimed choreographers Peggy Baker, Jorma Elo, and Yury Yanowsky, with Artistic Director Lam offering audience insights before each work and a post-performance conversation with the artists. (Nov. 21, 7 p.m.).  

Newly cemented as a Berkshire tradition, BSO Holiday Brass returns to the Linde Center for four presentations, including a morning performance geared towards families (Dec. 18–20).  

Colombian cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia, Silver Medalist and "Audience Favorite" at the 2019 XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition, presents a recital that pairs music by Bach and Crumb with several of his own compositions (Feb. 26, 7 p.m.). Married concert pianists Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung, each in-demand soloists in their own right, offer an afternoon concert featuring repertoire for four hands, including works by Bach, Mendelssohn, Debussy, Poulenc, and Piazzolla (March 7, 3 p.m.).  

Actor and singer Jarrod Spector, most recently seen on Broadway as King George III in Hamilton, shares his musical journey in Jukebox Life, a cabaret-style evening of Broadway, rock n' roll, and crooner classics that traces his career from winning Star Search at age six to the bright lights of Broadway (April 9, 7 p.m.). 

In a highlight of the season, pianist and composer Conrad Tao and choreographer and dancer Caleb Teicher give two performances of their collaborative and original program Counterpoint. The stylistically diverse music of Counterpoint includes the Aria from Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Art Tatum’s demented stride piano, Arnold Schoenberg’s ironic take on the Viennese waltz, a delicate miniature from Tao and Teicher’s More Forever, and threading it all together, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Tao and Teicher’s earlier work, More Forever, is a Bessie Award-winning, New York Times critic’s pick which was lauded for “constantly extending the sonic aspects of dance" (April 17, 7 p.m., and April 18, 3 p.m.). 

Grammy-nominated violinist, speaker, and founder of Street Symphony Vijay Gupta is joined by violinist Gabriela Díaz, violist Ed Gazouleas, and cellist Francesca McNeeley for a program of music for string quartet by Shostakovich, Osvaldo Golijov, and Schubert (May 8, 7 p.m.).  

For the second year in a row,TLI Presents collaborates with The Birch Festival, a Berkshire-based nonprofit dedicated to connecting world-class musicians with the local community, for a concert centered around a landmark of 20th-century American music: Lou Harrison's Concerto for Violin and Percussion Orchestra. Featuring Birch Festival Artistic Director and violinist Yevgeny Kutik and Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s nationally recognized percussion ensemble, this exhilarating work offers a captivating blend of lyrical beauty, infectious energy, and striking sonic invention (May 14, 7 p.m.). 

Two-time Grammy-winning 11-member vocal band Roomful of Teeth make their Tanglewood debut for the final event of the 2026–27 TLI season. Renowned for their fearless artistry and breathtaking virtuosity, the ensemble has premiered more than 100 new works by today's leading composers and captivated audiences at Carnegie Hall, the Philharmonie de Paris, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and beyond (May 23, 3 p.m.).   

TLI Jazz

Launched last season, the TLI Jazz series continues with exciting vocal and instrumental jazz performances, including seasonal offerings for the winter holidays and Valentine's Day. 

Acclaimed jazz composer, pianist, music director, vocalist, and actor Mark G. Meadows and his band The Movement kick off the 2026–27 TLI season with a joyful program that includes Stevie Wonder hits, jazz standards, and Meadows’ original music (Sept. 18, 7 p.m.). Meadows makes his Tanglewood debut this summer as music director for Cynthia Erivo's performance with the Boston Pops on August 21. 

Three-time Grammy award-winning jazz drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. returns to Tanglewood with his band Generation Y following last season’s electrifying debut. Passionate about musical mentorship, Owens Jr. will work with local music students during his visit to the Berkshires (Oct. 16, 7 p.m.). 

Acclaimed pianist and popular Tanglewood guest Ted Rosenthal and his Quartet (featuring Terell Stafford) play music from Rosenthal's latest album, The Good Old Days, released in May 2026. The final installment of his Trios in 4 Acts series, the album offers Rosenthal's own takes on such standards as "Maple Leaf Rag," "From This Moment On," and "Autumn in New York," as well as vibrant new original works (Nov. 27, 7 p.m.).  

The Linde Center comes alive for the winter holidays with Marissa Mulder—Merry and Bright, a program of jazzy holiday classics celebrating the magic of the season with the three-time MAC Award and Noel Coward/Julie Wilson Award winner (Dec. 12, 7 p.m.). Valentine's Day weekend offers a special date night opportunity with two concerts by powerhouse vocalist, saxophonist, and former Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra member Camille Thurman, with table seating and food and beverage service available (Feb. 12 & 13, 7 p.m.).  

Singer, songwriter, and pianist Jon Regen, a protégé of the legendary pianist Kenny Barron, and his All-Star Quartet perform selections from his highly acclaimed 2026 album Live in London, recorded at the London Jazz Festival (March 5, 7 p.m.). Three-time JUNO award-winning Canadian jazz singer Caity Gyorgy and her outstanding Trio follow with a program of timeless standards and irresistible originals channeling her fresh take on bebop and swing (April 3, 7 p.m.).  

The TLI Jazz series concludes with the all-acoustic ensemble of international virtuosos, Django Festival Allstars, called "the best jazz show in town" by The Wall Street Journal and featuring Samson Schmitt (lead guitar), Ludovic Beier (accordion), Pierre Blanchard (violin), Antonio Licusati (bass), and Francko Mehrstein (rhythm guitar) (May 12, 7 p.m.). 

Berkshire Bach Portals

Berkshire Bach Portals, a collaboration between TLI and Berkshire Bach Society (BBS), is a quarterly series that explores creativity and the impact the music of J.S. Bach has had across artistic disciplines. Each Berkshire Bach Portal concludes with an interactive conversation between the presenters and the audience. 

BBS Artistic Director Eugene Drucker appears throughout the Portals series, beginning with a book reading of his own 2007 historical fiction The Savior, the story of a young violinist in Nazi Germany who is ordered to play for prisoners in a concentration camp. The Savior invokes the music of J.S. Bach, especially the Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004, which Drucker will perform live (Nov. 7, 3 p.m.). 

The second Berkshire Bach Portals event pairs Working Musician—J.S. Bach Plays the Berkshires, a short film about BBS by documentarian Anthony Rossello, with a performance of Bach's sonatas for violin and harpsichord by Drucker and harpsichordist Kenneth Weiss (Jan. 30, 3 p.m.). 

BBS and TLI celebrate Bach's 342nd birthday with master of ceremonies Bruce Adolphe, the original “Piano Puzzle," current resident lecturer and director of family concerts of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and special friend of BBS. Adolphe presents an entertaining and thought-provoking program that enriches the way we hear Bach’s music (March 20, 3 p.m.). 

For the final Berkshire Bach Portal, author Edward Klorman gives a reading of his 2025 book Bach: The Cello Suites, which traces the history of the suites and the dance movements that Bach used, providing excellent scholarship for performers and general readers alike. Distinguished cellist Colin Carr joins to demonstrate some of the performance practice and compositional issues highlighted in the book and to perform two of Bach’s suites live (May 15, 3 p.m.). 

TLI Chamber Concerts

TLI Chamber Concerts offer our year-round audience the opportunity to experience intimate performances with BSO musicians. These concerts feature everything from familiar favorites to new music by contemporary composers, often performed with special guests. This season, programs are planned for Oct. 18, Nov. 8, Feb. 28, April 11, and April 25 with repertoire and players to be announced at a later date.  

Each TLI Chamber Concert also highlights a local mission-driven organization as part of TLI’s service organization initiative, In Concert with Community. Organizations featured this season include Berkshire United Way (Oct. 18), Pediatric Development Center (Nov. 8), Elder Services of Berkshire County, Inc. (Feb. 28), and Gould Farm (April 11). 

TLI Cinematics

In collaboration with The Triplex Cinema and Berkshire International Film Festival, this season's TLI Cinematics series features three films, each featuring a well-known classical music artist or ensemble.  

This season's TLI Cinematics film series begins with YUJA, a portrait of superstar pianist and frequent BSO collaborator Yuja Wang by acclaimed filmmaker Lorna Tucker. The new documentary is an immersive portrait of an artist in flux, weaving together performance, memory, and reconstruction to explore the forces that shape Yuja and the woman she is still becoming (Nov. 14, 7 p.m.). 

The following film, Mahler in New York, is a sweeping, symphonic journey that follows the final, transformative years of one of Europe’s most influential composers who fled Vienna’s rising antisemitism to discover startling artistic rebirth in Manhattan. Lush musical performances, rare archival materials, and insights from conductors, scholars, historians, and descendants—including contributions from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra—illuminate a story of reinvention, belonging, and the ever-resonant power of Mahler’s legacy in this unique film by director Hilan Warshaw, who leads a conversation after the screening (March 13, 7 p.m.).  

The final TLI Cinematics screening, Four Rational People, chronicles The Emerson String Quartet, one of the most beloved chamber music ensembles in classical music history. The 2025 documentary by Tristan Cook covers the quartet as they embark on their final season and recollect their unparalleled fifty-year history performing together. The screening is followed by a talkback with Cook and Emerson String Quartet violinist Eugene Drucker (May 1, 7 p.m.).  

TLI Close to Home

Reflecting TLI's commitment to supporting and collaborating with local artists, this fall's schedule includes a three-day weekend of concerts by ensembles from the Berkshires and/or closely associated with the BSO (TLI Close to Home).  

Friday evening's program features Berkshire-based bassist, composer, and bandleader Andy Wrba and his Trio (pianist Benny Kohn and drummer Conor Meehan) plus special guests Wanda Houston and Ed Moran on vocals, Kris Allen on alto saxophone, and Peter McEachern on trombone. This remarkable group of artists perform original compositions by Wrba and other members of the ensemble, a collaborative endeavor rooted in jazz and drawing from soul, classical, and folk. (Oct. 30, 7 p.m.)

On Saturday, Close to Home takes on special meaning in this intimate chamber music performance featuring artists who call the tri-state region home while sharing deep ties to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Retired BSO musicians Edwin Barker, Ronny Feldman, and Ed Gazouleas are joined by Tanglewood Music Center alumnus, Boston Pops soloist, and Boston Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition First Prize winner Yevgeny Kutik, along with former Boston Symphony Orchestra and Tanglewood Festival Chorus staff pianist, and current director of the Bard College Conservatory of Music, Frank Corliss. Together, these musicians celebrate the enduring artistic bonds and shared musical legacy forged through their connection to the Boston Symphony Orchestra.  (Oct. 31, 3 p.m.).  

As part of TLI's ongoing efforts to partner with other local nonprofit organizations, Sunday's Close to Home program hosts dancers from the Housatonic dance school Berkshire Pulse for their first performance at the Linde Center (Nov. 1, 7 p.m.).  

In the days before the TLI Close to Home weekend, Ed Gazouleas and three TMC Fellows will give pop-up chamber music performances ("Art Attacks") in surprise locations throughout Berkshire County. 

TLI Focal Point

TLI Focal Point photography classes, a popular summer offering at Tanglewood, continue this fall with outdoor photography sessions focused on golden hour photography (Sept. 18 & 25, 4:30 p.m.) and fall foliage (Oct. 16 & 18, 1 p.m.). Sheffield-based professional photographer and educator Thaddeus B. Kubis leads the classes. 

Community Events

This season, TLI hosts several events specifically designed to engage with new audiences, build community, and foster a spirit of service. 

For the third consecutive year, TLI and the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires co-sponsor a Community Yom HaShoah Commemoration for Holocaust Remembrance Day (May 2, 2 p.m.). 

Following the success of last April's Changing States — An Arts and Ecology Symposium, TLI presents In Service to Others — A Community Action Symposium, uniting changemakers from throughout the Berkshires and beyond for a day of collaboration and learning (May 8). Presented in collaboration with the Berkshire Grit Alliance, the event will feature various speakers, breakout sessions, and book talks, with more details announced at a later date.  

In addition to these special events, TLI invests in the Berkshires commmunity throughout the season by inviting local performers to the Linde Center stage, organizing school visits for visiting artists, and highlighting local service organizations at TLI Chamber Concerts through the In Concert with Community initiative. During November and the first half of December, TLI concerts will also serve as a drop-off location for this year’s U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program in coordination with the Massachusetts State Police.  

How to Obtain Tickets

Tickets to year-round TLI events go on sale Wednesday, August 12 at 10 a.m. and may be purchased online at bso.org or by calling the BSO Box Office at 888-266-1200. Tickets may also be purchased at the Tanglewood box office through the end of the summer season on September 6. Discounted student tickets are available to many TLI performances. 

About the Linde Center for Music and Learning and the Tanglewood Learning Institute

The four-building Linde Center for Music and Learning opened in the summer of 2019 and serves as the home for the Tanglewood Learning Institute (TLI)—a wide-ranging enrichment and education initiative offering a variety of activities for exploration and discovery alongside Tanglewood’s traditional concert schedule. The Linde Center is Tanglewood’s first new performance facility since the highly acclaimed Seiji Ozawa Hall opened in 1994, and its climate-controlled studios with webcasting and broadcast capabilities provide additional concert and rehearsal space for the Tanglewood Music Center—the BSO’s acclaimed summer music academy for young professional musicians—and also play an essential role in establishing Tanglewood as a multi-season facility. The Tanglewood Learning Institute has presented over 400 programs since 2019.