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Tanglewood Music Center

The Campus

Tanglewood sits on over 500 acres nestled in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts.

Whether bustling with concertgoers, still and serene when they empty out, or ringing with rehearsals heard from its from its many stages and studios, Tanglewood has an energy that vibrates with its music and its history.

There is plenty to explore.

Standing on the hill by the Visitors Center, one can take in an expansive view of Lake Mahkeenac, set against the blue rise of Monument Mountain in the distance.

1,100 trees from over 80 different species populate the campus, flanking visitors as they move along the pathways, and providing shade on the lawn during Sunday afternoon concerts. 10,000 flowers are planted and maintained each summer.

A formal garden, located in the northwest corner of campus, includes a vine-wrapped trellis, an easily-navigable hedge maze, and the acoustic wonder of a whispering bench. There, visitors can find their way to a bronze bust of composer Aaron Copland, commissioned from artist Penelope Jencks by John Williams to commemorate the very first Head of Faculty at the Tanglewood Music Center (TMC).

And wherever and whenever one is at Tanglewood, TMC Fellows can be found — in practice, rehearsal, performance, or in fleeting moments of relaxation, immersed in the natural beauty that forms such an important part of their Tanglewood experience.

A firepit with flames, surrounded by empty rocking chairs.
Students relaxing on a dock in the middle of the water at the Stockbridge Bowl.
The Linde Center for Music and Learning covered pedestrian walkway leading to the inside of the building
A BSO member teaches on the lawn at Tanglewood
A TMC Fellow practices on the lawn at Tanglewood
Picnic tables on the lawn at Tanglewood
The whispering bench at Tanglewood
A large grassy area with a hedge and a view of the lake and mountains in the distance
The formal gardens at Tanglewood
The Linde Center for Music and Learning exterior
The outside of Ozawa Hall on a sunny day
A view of the Shed at Tanglewood

The Story of Tanglewood

Tanglewood consists of what were at one time two private estates, the original main houses of which still stand on the grounds.

The 210-acre Tappan family estate was gifted to the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1936 by Mrs. Gorham Brooks and Miss Mary Aspinwall Tappan. The Koussevitzky Music Shed was erected there in 1938. The Theatre Concert Hall and the Chamber Music Hall — designed by legendary architect Eliel Saarinen — were finished by 1941.

The 1986 addition of the adjacent Highwood estate expanded Tanglewood's public grounds by 40%. It became the site of Seiji Ozawa Hall, which opened in 1994, and the center of operations for the Tanglewood Music Center, including administrative offices in the Leon Fleisher Carriage House and the Aaron Copland Library. The original Highwood house serves as a venue for pre-concert dining and post-concert receptions.

In 2019, the state-of-the-art Linde Center for Music and Learning opened as the latest addition to the Tanglewood campus.