Driving the news: On January 25, the Boston Symphony Orchestra BSO announced that music director Andris Nelsons’ contract will be renewed. Rather than giving his new contract an expiration date, the new agreement will be evergreen. His new contract also includes a new role as Head of Conducting at the Tanglewood Institute, the BSO’s summer home.
Catch up: Andris Nelsons, 45, has led the BSO since the 2014/15 season. He also heads the Gewandhausorchester in Leipzig. Since his appointment to lead both orchestras, he has led numerous collaborations between the two institutions. These have included joint concerts, Deutsche Grammophon releases, and international tours.
Yes, but…: It’s not only Nelsons who was given a new role in Boston last week. The BSO also announced that the Atlanta-born composer Carlos Simon will be their inaugural Deborah and Philip Edmundson Composer Chair. The BSO hopes that Nelsons and Simon will work together to create new concerts and programming to better reflect and serve the Boston and Berkshires communities. Let’s see what kind of stew these two cook up in Beantown!
