First Look at the BSO's Tanglewood Learning Institute in the Berkshires

The Tanglewood Learning Institute is the new performance facility at the Boston Symphony Orchestra's (BSO) summer home, the 81-year-old Tanglewood live music venue in the Berkshires region of western Massachusetts.

The Linde Center for Music and Learning will be the new home for the $64 million Tanglewood Learning Institute's (TLI) education based programmatic offerings appealing to travelers who are passionate about music.

The expansion comprises a four-building addition to the BSO's Tanglewood Campus, marking the first programmatic initiative for Tanglewood in a quarter of a century.

Fall and winter programming will include a variety of events designed to encourage visitors' understanding of music and art. The idea for TLI stems from the notion of bringing together multiple disciplines to create a cultural offering with music at the center.

The TLI schedule includes family-friendly performances (most events are free for those age 17 and under), full immersion weekends, BSO rehearsals, master classes, visual arts experiences and interactive talks from prominent figures such as Madeleine Albright and Daniel Shapiro, among others.

"One can't deny the power of the communal aspect of being in a hall with other people experiencing the same thing," said BSO CEO, Mark Volpe. "Bringing different insights and different knowledge to the shared collective experience, along with a powerful sense of curiosity and discovery, will be a large part of the takeaway of the TLI."