Quarter Notes

Hello, fellow BSO Volunteers,

As I write this, we are well into the Symphony Season after the conclusion of a very successful Tanglewood season, and soon, we will begin preparing the hall for Holiday Pops. That’s a very busy time for our Boston BSAV members. With that said, I wanted to recap the closing of the Tanglewood season and you will read about the start of the Boston season later in the newsletter.

On August 16, we hosted our Recognition Event for Tanglewood volunteers. It was a busy event: Erin interviewed James Burton, BSO Choral Director and Conductor of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and Tanglewood Music Center conductor faculty Stefan Asbury; we acknowledged many volunteers’ years of service and 100-hour achievements; we celebrated the Carrie L. Peace Award recipient Susan Price; and, we held our “moving up” ceremony for the 59 first-year volunteers. A complete list of years of service awards is in our Office Notes, but to highlight a few of our remarkable year of service awards – Herb Blum celebrated 40 years of service, Marvin Smith 58 years, Terri Geer 60 years, and Judy Stotlzberg 67 years of service! Several volunteers won raffle prizes, ranging from a bottle of wine to a spa day. Quite significantly, the weather cooperated – it was a warm, sunny day!

One of the many wonderful things that occur during the summer is the appearance of the Tanglewood Music Center students, an array of orchestra players, singers, composers, conductors, technicians, and staff. You may recall that the BSAV sponsors a Fellow. This summer, Frank John, a tuba player originally from San Antonio, TX, was our Fellow. He performed in numerous recitals and orchestra concerts throughout the summer. In recognition of the BSAV’s sponsorship, he wrote to me, “The opportunity to be surrounded by so many incredible musicians, many of whom will probably become lifelong friends, plus the unparalleled instruction from the Boston Symphony, to say that I am grateful to be here would be an understatement.”

The Tanglewood season concluded for volunteers on Sunday, September 2, with artist John Legend’s concert. Thank you to the nearly 500 Tanglewood volunteers who assist the BSO in so many ways and make such a difference for the hundreds of thousands of patrons who join us during the summer, as well as the nearly 150 volunteers who assist the BSO in the rest of the year. I look forward to seeing many of you at the BSAV Named Concert on February 18, 2024 at Symphony Hall.

Bob Braun
Chair, BSAV