<p>Just got back from a weekend visit. Official opening concert for Tanglewood is this weekend, on July 6th. Tchaik 4, a personal favorite! I see in the brochure that tickets are like $1600 for opening night! Our kids get in free! Yeah! There have been scattered concerts here and there, Emerson String quartet yesterday, Prairie home companion on Saturday and lots of faculty concerts and recitals.</p>
<p>It was VERY COOL (and windy) this weekend! Kids say the weather has been great this year. So far, it has been fairly dry.</p>
<p>Well, it looks like those box seats for opening night are something special, since you have to be formally invited to them! Otherwise, tickets seem to go up to $99, which is still a hefty ticket. I thought Music Academy's $40 tickets were bad. But I confess I still tend to think that's a lot to hear "kids playing" - and at this level, that's not a fair generalization!</p>
<p>DS texted me this weekend (that's right folks!) and said he was sad becasue all of his friends were leaving.....those that were in the 2 week workshop. Now new kids have filled the cabin. He is having a great time. He apparently got "busted" for playing hoops with about a dozen other guys last week after curfew. There was an official reprimand. I called him today and pseudo-chastised him for being a delinquent. Secretly I was smiling and happy he has some new friends to hang out with.</p>
<p>The year my daughter went, she and most of the rest of the BUTI double bass section got reprimanded for hiking out to Koussevitsky's house, a good couple of miles from the dorms. They knocked at the door and called out to see if anyone was home so that they might have a quick look around. Apparently they disturbed a napping guest soloist who was being put up there and he was annoyed enough to report them.</p>
<p>I envy all of you going to visit kids at Tanglewood. That was my absolute favorite of all my son's music destinations. We enjoyed Tanglewood on Parade with an all day party on the lawn - lots of wine and snacking, amazing music, and interesting people-watching. Had lots of time to explore quaint villages, a few days sightseeing in Boston, and return to Tanglewood for BUTI concerts on the weekend. Even my daughter enjoyed the trip. She said the guys there were better-looking than any other music camp, the shopping in Boston was fabulous, and she was even somewhat impressed by the BSO. Have fun everyone!</p>
<p>We live about an hour from Lenox so we were able to go to all of the concerts the two years DS spent at BUTI. Even with that...we didn't get to spend too much time with him. We did take him out to dinner (oh...a "real bargain"). At Tanglewood on Parade, he sat with us after his ensemble played (that year, all of the ensembles played in the concert). The weekdays are pretty full except for meal time. If your kid is willing to get up early, you can see him in the morning:)</p>
<p>Ditto,
We would get to visit on Saturday for a few hours between YAO concert and evening concert and for a few hours on Sunday morning. </p>
<p>Think about making dinner reservations for Saturday night. You can always not use them, but one time we wandered around Lenox with my daughter and 5 of her friends late on a Saturday afternoon...no restaurant could take us! I mean absolutley none!</p>
<p>We also like the Heritage Tavern, no reservation needed, but the service is slow.</p>
<p>If you want an AMAZING breakfast/brunch- once each summer we bring our BUTI kids over to the Cranwell. Their brunch is HUGE and wonderful, albeit pricey. ..It also begins at 7am. It is a great break form BUTI food.</p>
<p>I also recall not having much time to visit with our son at Tanglewood. He had lots of rehearsals scheduled during the time we were there, but we enjoyed listening to the rehearsals and wandering around Lenox while he was busy. Food was his high priority for our visit! He and some friends joined our lawn party for dinner during the BSO/Boston Pops/TMF concert, and we took them out to eat several times. In addition to the other recommendations, Great Barrington is neat little town about 10 miles away with a nice selection of restaurants that are not as crowded or pricey as Lenox.</p>
<p>S just called....he is in heaven...Previn conducted the R & J's and he also just heard a wonderful Pictures (which his conductor just scheduled for him to play as inducement for him not to jump to the youth symphony up north). He also just asked for more clothes, another metronome and laundry advice:) Care package is coming. I miss him. With him in Lenox and my younger one at SBI for percussion, my husband are starting to get a snapshot of empty nest....</p>
<p>Hi, Mompotent! My husband is going out for the concert because he has meetings in Boston (lucky!) I'll be staying here for my younger son's concerts.
I wish I lived near Lenox...(although I'm quite sure my son is glad we don't:)</p>
<p>Symphonymom,
Sorry to hear you won't be able to make it east this weekend. I too, am sad to be missing an entire summer of performances by my D, but... fortunate to be at BUTI this weekend to enjoy the boys (including yours, my own and momnipotents) performances. I will make a particular effort to listen to and appreciate the trumpets!</p>
<p>Entrance to Seiji Ozawa Hall is not free EXCEPT to families of participants. Last time I attended one of my kid's concerts there, they had a table outside with a list of participants. If you check in with them, they gave you free tickets. As I recall, the lawn tickets to these concerts are always free. Those of us with younger children in tow have spent time on that lawn watching one kid perform while playing board games with another. However, my now much older 8-yr old will be attending inside this year, although probably sleeping through most of it!</p>
<p>For those not in attendance-
CD's are available at the end of the summer with the concert and chamber ensemble recordings.</p>
<p>DS is in the YAO. I will not get to hear a concert until the final, Aug 11.<br>
My mom (in 70's) will come with me. We will fly in, rent a car, drive an hour and a half to Twood to hear the indoor concert, move stuff out of the dorm, We want to hear Itzhak Perlman that evening, then drive an hour and a half back to the hotel to fly out the next day. I just realized that might be a lot to do. My mom has MS, although you would never know it. She's in great shape. I've never been to Twood. I assume eating somewhere will be a consideration. Anything helpful that I might need to know?</p>
<p>thenosam- Welcome. It's been a few years since I've been there but you may want to consider the venue of that specific performance. If your Mom has trouble walking long distances (and you don't have a handicapped sticker)
distance from parking to actual performance site might be a bit much.</p>
<p>I'd suggest checking the site or actually calling beforehand if you think there may be an issue. I honestly don't remember what special arrangements they have in place for the less ambulatory audience members.</p>
<p>I do know that restaurants can be at a premium. (see thumpers and team_mom's posts 6 or so prior to your post). I think there's a listing of restaurant options off the Tangrwood site. Again, not having been in a number of years, I can't make any suggestions.</p>
<p>thenosam- WELCOME!
Just got home from the YAO concert. What does your son play? I hope I can remember him. The performance was remarkable. (See post in summer reports).</p>
<p>I think that Lenox is the most visitor friendly place that I have ever visited. There were policemen on foot who directed traffic almost the entire time that I was there. Though the town was bustling with folks, we did not have too much trouble parking. My brochure from the concert lists a phone number for you to call with any accessiblilty issues (617-266-1492). We drove to Great Barrington( 10 minutes) for dinner and were seated directly after the 2:30 concert. </p>
<p>I volunteer my son and 2 of his friends to help your son move out. Just let me know of his dorm. DS is in Copley. Congrats on your DSs accomplishments.</p>