I’m beyond thrilled to be one of just two 2025 Conducting Fellows at the Tanglewood Music Center (TMC) this summer! Hosted by the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and led by their Music Director Andris Nelsons – who is also Head of Conducting at Tanglewood – TMC is widely considered one of the world’s most prestigious summer programs.
Each year, a select group of early-career artists from across the globe gather in the Berkshires for over two months of intensive music-making. We form the TMC Orchestra (TMCO), and prepare dozens of performances with mentorship from BSO musicians and an extraordinary lineup of guest faculty. This summer’s highlights include luminaries like Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, and Gabriela Ortiz, just to name a few.
The environment is famously intense and exhilarating. The TMCO performs at least one major symphonic program each week, alongside regular chamber music concerts, premieres of new works by TMC Composition Fellows, and projects with the Vocal Fellows, led by the iconic Dawn Upshaw. With daily rehearsals, coachings, and concerts (not to mention weekly performances by both the BSO and Boston Pops), the pace is more like a full season squeezed into one magical summer.
As a Conducting Fellow, I’m assigned at least one piece in every TMCO program. Some personal highlights include Smetana’s Vyšehrad from Má Vlast (which I’m honored to also conduct with the BSO in 2026), Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1, Adams’ The Chairman Dances, and special projects including Bach’s Lutheran Mass BWV 236 and Ravel’s dazzling opera L’Enfant et les Sortilèges. I'm also really excited to bring new music to life with the Composition Fellows; creating a world premiere together is always one of my favourite experiences.
Throughout the summer I’ll be guided by an incredible roster of conducting mentors, including Andris Nelsons, James Ross (Curtis Institute), Andrés Orozco-Estrada, and Thomas Wilkins. I’ll also serve as Assistant Conductor for a number of guest artists, such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, and participate in specially curated conducting masterclasses with Andris. It’s a rare and invaluable opportunity to sharpen my skills across more than 20 programs in just eight weeks.
Tanglewood is also steeped in history. It’s the place where Leonard Bernstein, an original Conducting Fellow in 1940, returned to teach for nearly five decades. It’s especially meaningful to me to walk in the footsteps of both Bernstein and my own teacher, Marin Alsop.
Beyond the music, Tanglewood is like a classical musician’s Disneyland; set against the stunning backdrop of the Berkshires, nestled in nature along the Appalachian Trail, with music drifting through the trees from every direction, the energy is equal parts intensely focused, supremely joyful, and absolutely electric. Add in the constant inspiration from over a hundred brilliant peers, and once-in-a-lifetime mentors, and it’s hard to imagine a more transformative learning environment.
I'm excited to soak up every moment once I arrive later this week, and to bring all of that inspiration back to the MSO and to our audiences in Australia. Let the adventure begin!
Leonard Weiss' position as Assistant Conductor is supported by Cybec Foundation
