BSO’s Smith, Nelsons give glimpse into new era for the orchestra
Just a few months into their partnership leading the Boston Symphony Orchestra, music director Andris Nelsons and president Chad Smith are offering a glimpse of where they hope to lead the orchestra in the coming years.
During a joint interview in Smith’s sparsely decorated office, Nelsons said he is doubling down on Boston and has signed an evergreen, “rolling” contract that will extend his tenure with the symphony indefinitely. He will also expand his responsibilities at Tanglewood, where he has been named head of conducting.
The BSO has also named composer Carlos Simon as the symphony’s inaugural Deborah and Philip Edmundson composer chair, a newly created position that will enable Simon to work across all sectors of the organization while producing several new commissioned works during the three-season term.
Meanwhile, Smith, who arrived from the Los Angeles Philharmonic last fall, said the BSO is establishing the Boston Symwhere phony Orchestra Humanities Institute, a programmatic arm that will collaborate with organizations and thought leaders across disciplines to present lectures, film series, concerts, and other events that shed light on the BSO’s musical repertoire.
“One of the great strengths of classical music, and one of the challenges, is that it is ephemeral; it is abstract; it exists in a moment, and it’s gone,” said Smith, who was tapped as the orchestra’s chief executive following the abrupt departure of Gail Samuel last January after an 18month tenure. “Part of our role in launching a humanities program is to help understand why these canonical works remain so meaningful, and how the context of the world that we live in changes our interpretations of those works.”
Smith, who launched a similar program at the LA Phil, added that there are currently no plans to build a dedicated home for the institute. Rather, he said the institute will present its offerings at Symphony Hall and other venues across the city.
“This is for us to engage with the widest possible audience as we can,” said Smith, who added the Boston institute will build on the work of the Tanglewood Learning Institute at the symphony’s summer home in the Berkshires. “I suspect that many of these humanities events will be opportunities for us to communicate and to engage with audiences who perhaps have never been to the symphony.”
Nelsons, who’s now in his 10th season as music director at the BSO, last signed a contract in 2020. That contract, which had its own evergreen clause, extends through the 2024-25 season. He described his new rolling arrangement with the orchestra as “long term,” adding that he intends to stay “as long as we enjoy making music together and the audience isn’t [saying] it’s enough.”
“We are looking forward to a long, long relationship,” said Nelsons, whose new agreement will take effect in the 2025-26
‘We are looking forward to a long, long relationship.’ ANDRIS NELSONS, on signing a contract that will extend his tenure as BSO music director indefinitely
season. He added that he’s particularly excited for his expanded duties at Tanglewood, calling teaching “part of my existence and understanding of what music is for.”
Smith said the rolling contract will enable the BSO to remove “arbitrary endings and think long term.”
“As long as this keeps going and Andris stays happy with Boston, then we’re going to keep this train on the tracks,” said Smith. “What it means, fundamentally, is that the next time we talk about his contract is going to be that unfortunate day when Andris decides that he’s been here for X amount of time.”
As the symphony’s inaugural composer chair, Simon is expected to work closely with the symphony’s three main branches, including the BSO, the Boston Pops, and various aspects of Tanglewood. Working with Smith, Nelsons, and other leaders within the organization, Simon will have a hand in BSO programming, educational initiatives, artist-curated programs, and humanities events. He will also curate Tanglewood’s Festival of Contemporary Music, he will serve as the Merwin Geffen, M.D. and Norman Solomon, M.D. Festival of Contemporary Music Director.
Simon, a Grammy-nominated artist, is currently composer-in-residence at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., and an associate professor at Georgetown University. The BSO first performed one of Simon’s compositions in 2021, a string quartet titled “Warmth from Other Suns,” and it commissioned and premiered his “Four Black American Dances” in 2022.
“The BSO has a long history of music making and being the inaugural Composer Chair in its 140-year history is certainly a privilege,” Simon, who will start the role in 2024-2025 season, said in a statement. “It’s an honor that I don’t take lightly, and I would like to use the opportunity to build on that history both through my music as well as through mentorship and education.”
Smith, who said he expected the composer will produce six new works for the symphony during his three-year stint, said Simon’s impact will be felt across the organization.
“He is an extraordinary composer; he is an educator; he is a curator, a social impact activist,” said Smith. “Those are the skills that we as an institution want to lean into.”
He added that Simon will work closely with the new humanities institute, which will be jointly administered by a to-benamed director, the TLI, and a to-be-appointed humanities chair. In addition, the institute will offer a pair of two-year fellowships, drawing on people from various disciplines and cultural backgrounds.
“Boston is the world capital of the knowledge industry,” Smith said. “How do we engage with that knowledge industry? How do we make the Boston symphony the orchestra of ideas?”