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BSO, Pops, Tanglewood, and Symphony Hall Logos
Symphony Hall hallways with archives exhibit in display case
The History of Symphony Hall

Symphony Hall Exhibits 2022-2023

Located on the orchestra and first balcony levels of Symphony Hall, this season’s BSO archival exhibits trace the changing face of the orchestra (focusing on immigration and several important “first” players), highlight some extra-orchestral uses of Symphony Hall (from silent film screenings to early 20th century band performances to folk and jazz popular artist concerts in the 1960s-70s), spotlight the history of the horn and trumpet sections of the BSO, display selections from a recently donated baton collection, dig into the construction of a Symphony Hall seat, and examine Black voices at the BSO and Pops.

Explore the Exhibits

Pie chart illustrating the birthplace by region of BSO musicians from 1881 to the present

An Ensemble of Immigrants
A collage of two orchestra portraits: on top is a black and white print of the orchestra in 1914 and below is a color image of the orchestra in 2019

The Changing Face of the Orchestra

Important First Players in the Orchestra
Portrait of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor seated in a chair, with musical fragments inscribed on the border

Black Voices at the BSO and Pops
An empty reel using for storing 16mm film

Entertainment at Symphony Hall

Beyond the Orchestra
Photographic collage cropped to detail of four men seated near the back of the orchestra with French horns

Heroes of the Horn

French Horn Players of the BSO
Image of a silver piccolo trumpet on its side

Embouchure of Excellence

Trumpet Players at the BSO
Black and white photograph of a man with beard and mustache holding up four long ivory batons with metal tips

An Upbeat Avocation

Batons from the Gene Young Collection
A strip of leather with tack holes, brass tacks, a brass plate with the letter "C" and another plate with the number "26" are scattered on a red background

Anatomy of a Symphony Hall Chair

BSO and Boston Pops audiences can learn more about the orchestras by searching HENRY, a database of more than 32,000 BSO, Pops, and Tanglewood performances from 1881 to the present.