Tanglewood Online Exhibits

Iconic American Composers at Tanglewood

Tanglewood has played a defining role in the history of American classical music, both a performance venue and a laboratory for new music. From Aaron Copland’s leadership in fostering a distinctly American musical voice to the contributions of Leonard Bernstein, Irving Fine, Gunther Schuller, and John Harbison, generations of composers have found inspiration, mentorship, and community at Tanglewood. New works have reached their first audiences on the Tanglewood lawn, from creators such as Stanley Silverman to John Williams and Carlos Simon.

The founding of the Festival of Contemporary Music in 1964 further cemented Tanglewood’s commitment to living composers, creating a platform for premieres, experimentation, and the exploration of new musical ideas. Together, these artists and initiatives reflect Tanglewood’s enduring dedication to creativity, innovation, and the future of American music.

Aaron Copland and Serge Koussevitzky at Tanglewood

Photograph by Victor Kraft

Partial scan of TMC 1941 Class picture, with Ulysses Kay seated in the front/center. — **Partial scan of the TMC 1941 class picture, with Ulysses Kay seated in the center front row.**
Ulysses Kay attended the second session of the music center, studying with Paul Hindemith. Kay was known for a neo-classical style and wrote five operas.
*Photograph by E.J. Curtis*

Lukas Foss, Irving Fine, and Harold Shapero sit on a bench at Tanglewood, each with chin propped up by their left hand — **A trio of American composers at Tanglewood, ca. 1947**
Left to right: Lukas Foss, Irving Fine, and Harold Shapero.
*Photographer unknown*

Julia Perry at Tanglewood, with Shed in background — **Julia Perry at Tanglewood, ca. 1949**
Black composer Julia Perry would first attend Tanglewood in 1948 and 1949 as part of the vocal programs. In 1951, she returned as a composition student, the same year that Aaron Copland became chairman of the Tanglewood Music Center faculty board in the wake of founder Serge Koussevitzky's death.
*Photograph by Irene Britton Smith, Helen Walker Hill Collection, Center for Black Music History, Columbia College, Chicago*

**Letter from Julia Perry addressed to administrators concerning her 1951 application**
Julia Perry attended the music center in 1948 and 1949 as a vocalist and violinist, returning in 1951 to study composition with Luigi Dallapiccola.

**Composer-soloist Leonard Bernstein shakes conductor Serge Koussevitzky's hand following the BSO performance of Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2 “Age of Anxiety” at Tanglewood, Aug. 12, 1949.**
Commissioned by the Koussevitzky Music Foundation, the BSO premiered the work at Symphony Hall, April 1949, with Koussevitzky as conductor and Bernstein as piano soloist.
*Photograph by Howard S. Babbitt, Jr.*

Leonard Bernstein sits at a piano surrounded by students sitting in folding chairs — **Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood, 1949**
Surrounded by a class of auditors at Tanglewood, Bernstein (at piano), analyses his second symphony “Age of Anxiety” with former New York Philharmonic conductor Artur Rodjinski (hand on chin, wearing classes) looking on.
*Photograph by Howard S. Babbitt, Jr.*

The Origins of the Festival of Contemporary Music in American Music

As early as 1956, Chicago businessman Paul Fromm sponsored consistent contemporary music programming at Tanglewood. In 1964, these concerts coalesced into the Festival of Contemporary Music (FCM). The following year, Gunther Schuller, known for his third-stream genre-blending compositions, was appointed head of Contemporary Music Activities in order to curate the FCM. The first four years of the festival focused exclusively on American composers before broadening to an international reach in 1968.