Online Exhibits
At the start of each season, BSO Archives staff select documents, photographs, and artifacts from the Archives’ permanent collection for display in exhibit cases, now located in the Cabot-Cahners Room on the first balcony level of Symphony Hall. Each case is organized around a theme inspired by an anniversary, an artistic or programmatic emphasis, a significant event, the acquisition of a document or artifact by the Archives, or just for the fun of it!
The 2025-2026 season's archival exhibits focus on the 125-year history of Symphony Hall. The first auditorium built according to scientific principles of acoustics, Symphony Hall is still considered one of the top concert venues in the world. Since the first concert on October 15, 1900 to the present, the Hall has seen over 18,000 BSO and Pops concerts as well as provided space for an eclectic mix of outside events.
Please send comments, feedback, and suggestions to archives@bso.org.
Current Exhibits
The Building of Symphony Hall
Symphony Hall opened its doors in 1900 to serve as the permanent home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
A Timeline of Symphony Hall
Learn about the many architectural features that have been added or renovated over the Hall's 125-year history.
Symphony Hall for Everyone: Celebrating 125 Years of Cultural and Civic Uses
In addition to BSO and Pops concerts, Symphony Hall has served the last 125 years as a venue for dance, film, political debates and conventions, graduations and convocations, lectures, religious services, fundraisers, film, trade shows, and even a sporting event.
2024-2025 Exhibits
Keith Lockhart Anniversary (2025)
Celebrating Keith Lockhart's 30 year anniversary with the Boston Pops.
The BSO Salutes Adele Addison in Her 100th Year
On July 24, 2025, soprano Adele Addison will turn 100 years old. Learn about her history with the BSO, from her student days at the Tanglewood Music Center to her many performances with the BSO, including the world premiere of Poulenc's Gloria.
Andris Nelsons and the BSO: Ten Years and Counting!
A look at Andris Nelsons' relationship with the BSO over the past decade and more.
Henry Lee Higginson’s Service Beyond the BSO
Henry Lee Higginson's philanthropy is directly responsible for the founding and maintenance of the Boston Symphony Orchestra during its early years, but his generosity did not stop with music.
Mr. and Mrs. Henschel: The BSO's First Family
A musical power couple: Georg Henschel (1850-1934) and his wife Lillian Bailey Henschel (1860–1901) were both accomplished performers and often collaborated in joint recitals or orchestral concerts.
BSO Concertmasters Since 1920
Richard Burgin’s arrival in 1920 marked the beginning of the second and considerably more stable era in the history of BSO concertmasters, with only four concertmasters appointed over the past 104 years.
Koussevitzky Comes to Boston! The First Season, 1924-1925
In September 1924, Serge Koussevitzky disembarked from the RMS Aquitania in New York City. He was on his way to his new appointment as music director of the BSO, and it was his first time in America.
Shostakovich and the BSO
The BSO and Shostakovich have shared a decades-long relationship that continues well past the composer's death.
Beethoven Festivals at the BSO
Beethoven has a long history of celebration at the BSO.
Koussevitzky and Stravinsky: The Symphony of Psalms and Beyond
Serge Koussevitzky elevated the relationship between the BSO and Stravinsky through his tireless promotion of the fellow Russian-born composer.
Invitation to Dance….in Symphony Hall
From the traditional ballet of Anna Pavlova to the modern trends of Isadora Duncan and Mary Wigman, Symphony Hall served as a frequent venue for touring dance performances.
Casts of Characters at Symphony Hall
The 16 replicas of Greek and Roman statues placed in the niches around the walls of Symphony Hall are related in some way to music, art, or literature.
Metamorphosis in Symphony Hall: The Removable Raked Flooring
When Symphony Hall was built in 1900, the Pops and Symphony seasons were well-established traditions. To accommodate the very different performance forms, the architects designed the auditorium with a configuration featuring banked rows of seating for the winter season of Symphony concerts and a flat floor for the Pops seasons.
Koussevitzky 150
Celebrating the 150th anniversary of Serge Koussevitzky's birth and the 100th anniversary of his appointment as the BSO's first Music Director.
Previous Exhibits
Metamorphosis in Symphony Hall: The Removable Raked Flooring
When Symphony Hall was built in 1900, the Pops and Symphony seasons were well-established traditions. To accommodate the very different performance forms, the architects designed the auditorium with a configuration featuring banked rows of seating for the winter season of Symphony concerts and a flat floor for the Pops seasons. (2024-2025 Season)
A Birthday Salute to Ann Hobson Pilot
The BSO celebrates a pioneering harpist on the occasion of her 80th birthday on November 6, 2023
A Century of Song: Roland Hayes and the Boston Symphony Orchestra
The BSO celebrates the 100th anniversary of Roland Hayes' appearance as the first Black soloist to perform with the BSO on November 15, 1923.
Shostakovich: Under Stalin's Shadow
In this online exhibit, enjoy news clippings, photographs, and other documents of interest pertaining to early BSO performances of six of Dmitri Shostakovich's symphonies, as well as selections from Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.
2023-2024 Exhibits
Explore news clippings, photographs, letters, and audiovisual materials related to Serge Koussevitzky on the 100th anniversary of his appointment as BSO conductor in 1924.
2022-2023 Exhibits
These exhibits from previous seasons traced the changing face of the orchestra, highlighted some extra-orchestral uses of Symphony Hall, spotlighted the history of the horn and trumpet sections of the BSO, displayed selections from a recently donated baton collection, dug into the construction of a Symphony Hall seat, and examined Black voices at the BSO and Pops.