Online Exhibits
Located on the orchestra and first balcony levels of Symphony Hall, this season’s BSO archival exhibits continue the BSO’s 2024 celebration of the 150th anniversary of Serge Koussevitzky’s birth and the 100th anniversary of his appointment as the BSO’s ninth Music Director. Exhibits and artwork in the Cabot-Cahners room on the first balcony look at his commissioning legacy, his first season with the BSO, and selected recordings and written works. The Archives also celebrates the Beethoven and Shostakovich festivals occurring this season with cases documenting festivals and relationships with these two composers. Also on display are cases focused on the legacy of BSO founder Henry Lee Higginson, a 19th century musical power couple (Mr. and Mrs. Henschel), the last 100 years of BSO concertmasters, the history of dance at Symphony Hall, and the raked flooring and sculptures that make Symphony Hall unique architecturally.
Current Exhibits
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.
Keith Lockhart Anniversary (2025)
Celebrating Keith Lockhart's 30 year anniversary with the Boston Pops.
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
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.
At the start of each season, BSO Archives staff select documents, photographs, and artifacts from the Archives’ permanent collection for display in exhibit cases located throughout the orchestra and first balcony levels of Symphony Hall. The Symphony Hall Exhibit Program as it exists today was inaugurated in 2000 when the BSO celebrated Symphony Hall’s Centennial. Because Symphony Hall does not have a gallery or museum space, the decision was made to incorporate the displays into the hallways so that patrons visiting Symphony Hall would be able to discover different aspects of the BSO’s and Symphony Hall’s history as part of the concert-going experience. 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!
Please send comments, feedback, and suggestions to archives@bso.org.