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{{short description|American symphony orchestra in Boston}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox orchestra
| name                = Boston Symphony Orchestra
| type                = Orchestra
| native_name         = 
| native_name_lang    = 
| short_name          = BSO
| image               =BSO Tanglewood 2023.jpg 
| caption             =The BSO at the opening concert of the 2023 [[Tanglewood]] season 
| alt                 = 
| former_name         = 
| founded             = {{Start date and age|1881|p=yes}}
| disbanded           = <!-- {{End date|YYYY}} -->
| later_name          = 
| location            = 301 Massachusetts Avenue, [[Boston]], Massachusetts, U.S.
| concert_hall        = [[Symphony Hall, Boston|Symphony Hall]]<br>[[Tanglewood]]
| principal_conductor = 
| music_director      = [[Andris Nelsons]]
| website             = {{URL|www.bso.org}}
|logo=Boston_Symphony_Orchestra_Logo_2024.png}}

The '''Boston Symphony Orchestra''' ('''BSO''') is an American orchestra based in [[Boston]]. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "[[Big Five (orchestras)|Big Five]]".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,923579,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080131191106/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,923579,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 31, 2008 | title=Which U.S. Orchestras are Best? | author=Michael Walsh | magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date=April 25, 1983 | access-date=March 26, 2008}}</ref> Founded by [[Henry Lee Higginson]] in 1881, the BSO performs most of its concerts at Boston's [[Symphony Hall, Boston|Symphony Hall]] and in the summer performs at [[Tanglewood]].

Since its founding, the orchestra has had 17 music directors, including [[George Henschel]], [[Serge Koussevitzky]], [[Henri Rabaud]], [[Pierre Monteux]], [[Charles Munch (conductor)|Charles Munch]], [[Erich Leinsdorf]], [[William Steinberg]] and [[James Levine]]. [[Andris Nelsons]] is the current music director of the BSO. [[Seiji Ozawa]] had held the title of BSO music director laureate. [[Bernard Haitink]] had held the title of principal guest conductor of the BSO from 1995 to 2004, then conductor emeritus until his death in 2021. The orchestra has made gramophone recordings since 1917 and has occasionally played on soundtrack recordings for films, including ''[[Schindler's List]]''.

==History==

===Early years===
[[File:Henry Lee Higginson by John Singer Sargent 1903.jpeg|thumb|Henry Lee Higginson, founding father of the BSO.]]
The BSO was founded in 1881 by [[Henry Lee Higginson]]. Its first conductor was [[George Henschel]], who was a noted baritone as well as conductor, and a close friend of [[Johannes Brahms]]. For the orchestra, Henschel devised innovative orchestral seating charts and sent them to Brahms, who replied approvingly and commented on the issues raised by horn and viola sections in a letter of mid-November 1881.<ref>{{cite book|last=Avins|first=Styra|title=Johannes Brahms: Life and Letters |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-19-816234-6 |pages=587–588}}</ref> The BSO's first concert took place on October 22, 1881.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2013/10/24/throwback-thursday-boston-symphony-orchestras-first-concert/|title=Throwback Thursday: The Boston Symphony Orchestra's First Concert|magazine=Boston|date=October 24, 2013|first=Eric|last=Randall|access-date=November 14, 2020|archive-date=November 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117022711/https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2013/10/24/throwback-thursday-boston-symphony-orchestras-first-concert/|url-status=live}}</ref> The program consisted of Beethoven's ''[[The Consecration of the House (overture)|The Consecration of the House]]'', as well as music by [[Joseph Haydn]], [[Christoph Willibald Gluck]], [[Franz Schubert]] and [[Carl Maria von Weber]].

[[File:Nathaniel Livermore Stebbins Boston Symphony Orchestra 1891.jpg|thumb|left|The BSO at [[Boston Music Hall]] in 1891.]]
The orchestra's four subsequent music directors were all trained in Austria, including the seminal and highly influential Hungarian-born conductor [[Arthur Nikisch]], in accordance with the tastes of Higginson. [[Wilhelm Gericke]] served twice, from 1884 to 1889 and again from 1898 to 1906. According to [[Joseph Horowitz]]'s review of correspondence, Higginson considered 25 candidates to replace Gericke after receiving notice in 1905. He decided not to offer the position to [[Gustav Mahler]], [[Fritz Steinbach]], and [[Willem Mengelberg]] but did not rule out the young [[Bruno Walter]] if nobody more senior were to accept. He offered the position to [[Hans Richter (conductor)|Hans Richter]] in February 1905, who declined, to [[Felix Mottl]] in November, who was previously engaged, and then to previous director Nikisch, who declined; the post was finally offered to [[Karl Muck]], who accepted and began his duties in October 1906. He was conductor until 1908 and again from 1912 to 1918.<ref>{{cite book|last=Horowitz|first=Joseph|author-link=Joseph Horowitz|title=Classical Music in America: A history of its rise and fall|publisher=W. W. Norton|year=2005|isbn=978-0-393-05717-1|pages=[https://archive.org/details/classicalmusicin00jose/page/77 77–78]|url=https://archive.org/details/classicalmusicin00jose/mode/2up|via=[[Internet Archive]]|url-access=registration}}</ref>

The music director 1908–12 was [[Max Fiedler]]. He conducted the premiere of [[Ignacy Jan Paderewski]]'s [[Symphony in B minor (Paderewski)|Symphony in B minor "Polonia"]] in 1909.

Following [[American entry into World War I]], Muck (born in Germany but a Swiss citizen since childhood), was falsely accused by unscrupulous newspaper editor [[John R. Rathom]] of knowingly refusing a request to play ''[[The Star Spangled Banner]]''. Although Higginson had not told Muck of the request and the BSO always ended future concerts with the American [[national anthem]], Muck was subjected by Rathom to a [[trial by media]] anyway and was arrested by Federal agents shortly before a performance of [[Johann Sebastian Bach]]'s ''[[St Matthew Passion]]'' in March 1918. Along with 29 of the BSO best musicians, Muck was imprisoned in [[Fort Oglethorpe (prisoner-of-war camp)|Fort Oglethorpe]], a [[German-American internment]] camp in the [[State of Georgia]], without trial or appeal until the summer after the Armistice, when he and his wife agreed that be deported to neutral [[Denmark]]. Muck felt deeply insulted by the injustice of these events, vowed never to perform on American soil again, and conducted thereafter only in Europe. 

The BSO's next two titled conductors were French: [[Henri Rabaud]], who took over from Muck for a season, and then [[Pierre Monteux]] from 1919 to 1924. Monteux, because of a musician's strike, was able to replace 30 players, thus changing the orchestra's sound; the orchestra developed a reputation for a "French" sound which some claim persists to some degree to this day.<ref name="monteux-french">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n29DHVKhZggC&pg=PA866 |title=Pierre Monteux |encyclopedia=All Music Guide to Classical Music |page=866 |publisher=[[Hal Leonard Corporation]] |year=2005|isbn=978-0-87930-865-0 }}</ref>

===Koussevitzky and Munch===
[[File:Symphony Hall front view.jpg|thumbnail|right|[[Symphony Hall, Boston]], the main base of the orchestra since 1900]]
The orchestra's reputation increased during the 1924–1949 music directorship of [[Serge Koussevitzky]]. One million radio listeners tuned in when Koussevitzky and the orchestra were the first to perform a live concert for radio broadcast, which they did on NBC in 1926.<ref name="young">{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ffeoiFFET3kC&q=%22the+firestone+hour%22&pg=PA176| last=Young| first=William H. and Nancy K.| title=Music of the Great Depression| publisher=Greenwood Press| location=Westport, CT| year=2005| isbn=978-0-313-33230-2| access-date=October 15, 2020| archive-date=February 9, 2024| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240209140425/https://books.google.com/books?id=ffeoiFFET3kC&q=%22the+firestone+hour%22&pg=PA176| url-status=live}}</ref>

In August 1942, the [[American Federation of Musicians]] kicked off the [[1942–1944 musicians' strike|two-year long musician's strike]], with the goal of musicians receiving more in royalty payments from record companies. Initially, the BSO were the only major performing group in the nation unaffected; the orchestra's musicians hadn't been unionized since the orchestra's founding. By the end of 1942, however, the orchestra joined the AFM, effectively joining the strike, and also kicking off a long series of live radio concerts on CBS with Koussevitzky conducting.<ref>Cooke, James Francis, ed. (February 1943). "The World of Music". The Etude. Theodore Presser. 61 (2): 3.</ref>

Under Koussevitzky, the orchestra gave regular radio broadcasts and established its summer home at [[Tanglewood]], where Koussevitzky founded the [[Berkshire Music Center]], which is now the [[Tanglewood Music Center]]. Those network radio broadcasts ran from 1926 through 1951, and again from 1954 through 1956. The orchestra continues to make regular live radio broadcasts to the present day. The Boston Symphony has been closely involved with Boston's [[WGBH (FM)|WGBH]] Radio as an outlet for its concerts.

Koussevitzky also commissioned many new pieces from prominent composers, including the [[Symphony No. 4 (Prokofiev)|Symphony No. 4]] of [[Sergei Prokofiev]], [[George Gershwin]]'s ''[[Second Rhapsody]]'' and the ''[[Symphony of Psalms]]'' by [[Igor Stravinsky]]. They also gave the premiere of [[Béla Bartók]]'s [[Concerto for Orchestra (Bartók)|Concerto for Orchestra]], which had been commissioned by the Koussevitzky Music Foundation at the instigation of [[Fritz Reiner]] and [[Joseph Szigeti]].

Koussevitzky started a tradition of commissions that the orchestra continued, including new works by [[Heitor Villa-Lobos]] ([[Symphony No. 11 (Villa-Lobos)|Symphony No. 11]]) and [[Henri Dutilleux]] for its 75th anniversary, [[Roger Sessions]], and [[Andrzej Panufnik]], for the 100th, and lately for the 125th works by [[Leon Kirchner]], [[Elliott Carter]], and [[Peter Lieberson]]. Other BSO commissions have included [[John Corigliano]]'s [[Symphony No. 2 (Corigliano)|Symphony No. 2]] for the 100th anniversary of Symphony Hall. [[Hans Werner Henze]] dedicated his [[Symphony No. 8 (Henze)|Eighth Symphony]] to the orchestra.

Although Koussevitsky recommended his protégé [[Leonard Bernstein]] to be his successor after he retired in 1949,<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Alex |last=Ross |title=Fresh Breezes: An impressive début and new works at Tanglewood |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |date=August 27, 2012 |url=http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/musical/2012/08/27/120827crmu_music_ross |access-date=May 20, 2013 |archive-date=June 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605064103/http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/musical/2012/08/27/120827crmu_music_ross |url-status=live }}</ref> the BSO awarded the position to the Alsatian maestro [[Charles Munch (conductor)|Charles Munch]], who would lead until 1962. Munch had made his Boston conducting debut in 1946. He led orchestra on its first overseas tour, and also produced their first stereo recording in February 1954 for [[RCA Red Seal Records|RCA Victor]]. In 1952, Munch appointed the first woman to hold a principal chair in a major U.S. orchestra, flutist [[Doriot Anthony Dwyer]], who remained as BSO principal for 38 years.<ref name="Kean">{{Cite thesis|degree=D.Mus.A.|title=First Flute: The Pioneering Career of Doriot Anthony Dwyer|url=http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-11132007-163128/unrestricted/Kean_dis.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100720005545/http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-11132007-163128/unrestricted/Kean_dis.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 20, 2010|location=Baton Rouge, La.|last=Kean|first=Kristen Elizabeth|year=2007|publisher=Louisiana State University|access-date=May 31, 2010|oclc=209994674}}</ref>

===Leinsdorf, Steinberg, and Ozawa===
[[Erich Leinsdorf]] became music director in 1962 and held the post until 1969. [[William Steinberg]] was then music director from 1969 to 1972. Steinberg was "ill and ailing" according to composer/author [[Jan Swafford]], and "for four years he was indisposed much of the time."<ref name="Swafford">{{cite web| first=Jan| last=Swafford| title=The Elusive Maestro: Why the process of finding a new conductor makes music lovers weep| publisher=Slate.com| date=April 12, 2011| url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/music_box/2011/04/the_elusive_maestro.single.html| access-date=July 18, 2013| archive-date=August 1, 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801190046/http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/music_box/2011/04/the_elusive_maestro.single.html| url-status=live}}</ref> After Steinberg's retirement, according to BSO trustee John Thorndike (who was on the search committee) the symphony's board spoke to [[Colin Davis]] and "investigated very thoroughly" his appointment, but Davis's commitments to his young family did not allow his moving to Boston from England;<ref name="eichler-sep-2011">{{cite news |first=Jeremy |last=Eichler |author-link=Jeremy Eichler |title=Who will pick up the baton? A look inside the BSO search for James Levine's successor |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=September 25, 2011 |url=http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2011/09/25/at_the_boston_symphony_orchestra_a_look_inside_the_search_for_james_levines_successor/ |access-date=May 20, 2013 |archive-date=January 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150111233352/http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2011/09/25/at_the_boston_symphony_orchestra_a_look_inside_the_search_for_james_levines_successor/ |url-status=live }}</ref> instead he accepted the post of BSO principal guest conductor, which he held from 1972 to 1984. As the search continued, [[Leonard Bernstein]] met with four board members and recommended [[Michael Tilson Thomas]], who had been Assistant Conductor and Associate Conductor under Steinberg, for the directorship, but the young conductor "did not have sufficient support among the BSO players," according to journalist [[Jeremy Eichler]].<ref name="eichler-sep-2011" /> The committee eventually chose [[Seiji Ozawa]], who became Music Director in 1973 and held the post until 2002, the longest tenure of any Boston Symphony conductor. In 1979, he led the Boston Symphony Orchestra's visit to the [[China|People's Republic of China]] to celebrate the normalization of [[China–United States relations|US-China diplomatic relations]], making it the second American orchestra to ever visit the country.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Philadelphia Orchestra (1973) and Boston Symphony (1979) Visits to China |url=https://www.ncuscr.org/program/philadelphia-orchestra-and-boston-symphony-visits-china/ |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=NCUSCR |language=en-US |archive-date=December 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204022115/https://www.ncuscr.org/program/philadelphia-orchestra-and-boston-symphony-visits-china/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ozawa's tenure involved significant dissension and controversy. One concern was his handling of the [[Tanglewood Music Center]]. [[Greg Sandow]] wrote in ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' in December 1998 that Ozawa "had taken control of the school with what many people thought was surprising and abrupt brutality. Members of the faculty, themselves world-famous, had angrily resigned."<ref name="Sandow">{{cite news| first=Greg| last=Sandow| title=Conduct(or) Unbecoming the Boston Symphony| work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]| date=December 15, 1998| url=http://www.gregsandow.com/old/ozawa.htm| publisher=gregsandow.com| access-date=July 18, 2013| archive-date=October 21, 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021173938/http://www.gregsandow.com/old/ozawa.htm| url-status=live}}</ref> The first departure was in the fall of 1996, when Ozawa fired Richard Ortner, the Festival's administrator.<ref name="Fleisher-Midgette">{{cite book|first1=Leon|last1=Fleisher|author1-link=Leon Fleisher|first2=Anne|last2=Midgette|author2-link=Anne Midgette|title=My Nine Lives: A Memoir of Many Careers in Music| publisher=Doubleday| date=November 30, 2010| page=288| isbn=978-0-385-52918-1}}</ref> After a tumultuous season, at the end of summer 1997, pianist [[Gilbert Kalish]] resigned from the faculty by sending Ozawa what the pianist/conductor [[Leon Fleisher]] later described as "a blistering letter of resignation, and he made it public"; Fleisher, who was also a long-term member of the Tanglewood faculty, wrote, "Most of the faculty felt he was speaking for them."<ref name="Fleisher-Midgette" /> Ozawa reduced Fleisher's role at the Center, offering him instead a "ceremonial puppet role", and Fleisher resigned, writing to Ozawa that the proposed role was "somewhat akin to having my legs chopped off at the knees, you then gently taking me by the arm and inviting me for a stroll. I must decline the invitation."<ref name="Fleisher-Midgette" /> By contrast, ''[[The Boston Globe|Boston Globe]]'' music critic [[Richard Dyer (music critic)|Richard Dyer]] wrote that:
<blockquote>...not every change was for the better...But there can be no question that Tanglewood is a busier, more adventurous, and more exciting place than it was before Ozawa became music director.<ref name="Page">{{cite news| first=Tim| last=Page| title=Keeping Time at Tanglewood| work=[[Opera News]]| url=http://www.operanews.com/operanews/issue/article.aspx?id=417&issueID=14&archive=true| date=June 2004| volume=68| issue=4| access-date=July 18, 2013| archive-date=May 1, 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501144854/http://www.operanews.com/operanews/issue/article.aspx?id=417&issueID=14&archive=true| url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

A more basic concern involved perceived shortcomings in Ozawa's musical leadership; as Sandow wrote in the 1998 article, "what mattered far more was how badly the BSO plays."<ref name="Sandow" /> He noted that a group of Boston Symphony musicians had privately published a newsletter, ''Counterpoint'', expressing their concerns; in the summer of 1995<ref name="Dezell">{{cite news| first=Maureen| last=Dezell| title=Ozawa's supporters rebut Journal attack| newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]| date=December 16, 1998| url=http://www.gregsandow.com/old/globe.htm| publisher=gregsandow.com| access-date=July 18, 2013| archive-date=October 21, 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021190433/http://www.gregsandow.com/old/globe.htm| url-status=live}}</ref> concertmaster [[Malcolm Lowe]] and principal cellist [[Jules Eskin]] wrote that in rehearsal Ozawa gave no "specific leadership in matters of tempo and rhythm," no "expression of care about sound quality", and no "distinctly-conveyed conception of the character of each piece the BSO plays."<ref name="Sandow" />

The BSO's managing director, Mark Volpe, responded that some board members considered Sandow's article a "hatchet job", and some unnamed BSO "observers" were said in ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' to believe that Sandow "might be sharpening blades for BSO members with axes to grind".<ref name="Dezell" /> Sandow called the suggestion "nonsense", saying, "I found them [players criticizing Ozawa in his article], they didn't find me".<ref name="Dezell" /> [[André Previn]] wrote to ''The Wall Street Journal'' defending Ozawa,<ref name="Dezell2">{{cite news| first=Maureen| last=Dezell| title=Beleaguered BSO Answers Wall Street Journal Attack| newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]| date=December 25, 1998| url=http://www.gregsandow.com/old/globe2.htm| publisher=gregsandow.com| access-date=June 19, 2013| archive-date=October 21, 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021192326/http://www.gregsandow.com/old/globe2.htm| url-status=live}}</ref> and Lowe wrote to the Journal that he was "frustrated and upset to see my name attached to the article since your reporter did not contact me and chose to quote a letter published nearly four years ago in an internal orchestra publication."<ref name="Dezell2" /> Boston Symphony Board of Trustees president Nicholas T. Zervas described Sandow as expressing an "`insulting, reductive, and racist view of [Ozawa] as a [[samurai]] kept in place in order to raise Japanese money"<ref name="Dezell2" /> – a point Sandow rebutted in a letter to the Journal, saying "These are things I didn't say. I'd heard the charge about Japanese money while I was writing my piece, so I asked Mark Volpe, the BSO's General Manager, what he thought of it. Mark refuted it, and I quoted him approvingly."<ref name="Dezell2" /> Critic Lloyd Schwarz defended Sandow in the Boston alternative paper, ''The Boston Phoenix''<ref name="sandow blog">{{cite web| first=Greg| last=Sandow| title=Weighing in on My Side| url=http://www.gregsandow.com/old/myside.htm| date=January 1999| access-date=July 18, 2013| publisher=gregsandow.com| archive-date=October 21, 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021192547/http://www.gregsandow.com/old/myside.htm| url-status=live}}</ref>

Various current music critics described a decline in the orchestra's playing during Ozawa's tenure. [[Jan Swafford]] wrote:

<blockquote>Now and then he gave a standout performance, usually in the full-throated late-Romantic and 20th-century literature, but most of the time what came out was glittering surfaces with nothing substantial beneath: no discernable concept, no vision.<ref name="Swafford" /></blockquote>

In a 2013 survey of recordings of ''[[The Rite of Spring]]'' by [[Igor Stravinsky]], the composer Russell Platt wrote in ''[[The New Yorker]]'':

<blockquote>Seiji Ozawa's downright depressing account, recorded in 1979: the Boston Symphony Orchestra's sonic shine, developed by Ozawa's predecessors Monteux and Charles Munch, is audibly dripping away, its dispirited musicians losing their sense of individual responsibility to the score. It is a record of a professional relationship that went on far too long.<ref>{{cite magazine| first=Russell| last=Platt| title=The Rite Stuff| magazine=[[The New Yorker]]| date=June 17, 2013| url=http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/06/deccas-rite-of-spring-boxed-set.html| access-date=July 18, 2013| archive-date=June 22, 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622034147/http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/06/deccas-rite-of-spring-boxed-set.html| url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

On June 22, 1999, the symphony announced Ozawa's departure as music director, as of 2002, following the sudden announcement of Ozawa's appointment as music director of the [[Vienna State Opera]] – a decision the board had heard about only a day earlier, where Volpe said he was "a little surprised at the timing".<ref name="metcalf">{{cite news| first=Steve| last=Metcalf| title=Ozawa's Decision To Leave Boston Symphony A Surprise| work=[[Hartford Courant]]| date=June 24, 1999| url=https://www.courant.com/1999/06/24/ozawas-decision-to-leave-boston-symphony-a-surprise/| access-date=July 18, 2013| archive-date=January 16, 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116080431/http://articles.courant.com/1999-06-24/news/9906240188_1_bso-management-senior-bso-boston-symphony-orchestra| url-status=live}}</ref> He gave his last concert with the orchestra in July 2002.<ref name="Page" />

During Ozawa's tenure, [[Bernard Haitink]] served as principal guest conductor from 1995 to 2004. Haitink was named conductor emeritus in 2004, and actively served in the post as a returning guest conductor through his retirement in 2019.

===Levine and Nelsons===
In 2004, [[James Levine]] became the first American-born music director of the BSO. Levine received critical praise for revitalizing the quality and repertoire since the beginning of his tenure, including championing contemporary composers.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://bostonphoenix.com/boston/music/other_stories/multi_1/documents/04551268.asp | title=Stretching exercises: The BSO challenges the audience and itself | work=[[The Phoenix (newspaper)|The Boston Phoenix]] | first=Lloyd | last=Schwartz | date=March 2005 | access-date=April 2, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930181511/http://bostonphoenix.com/boston/music/other_stories/multi_1/documents/04551268.asp | archive-date=September 30, 2007 | url-status=dead }}</ref> During Levine's tenure, by February 2009 the BSO had performed 18 world premieres, 12 of them conducted by Levine.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ft.com/content/7aced680-f792-11dd-81f7-000077b07658 |last=Loomis |first=George |title=Boston Symphony Orchestra/Levine, Symphony Hall, Boston |work=[[Financial Times]] |date=February 10, 2009 |access-date=November 5, 2009 |archive-date=February 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240209140348/https://www.ft.com/content/7aced680-f792-11dd-81f7-000077b07658?ftcamp=rss |url-status=live }}</ref> To fund the more challenging and expensive of Levine's musical projects with the orchestra, the orchestra established an "Artistic Initiative Fund" of about $40 million. (As of March 2013, the Boston Symphony also claimed an endowment of $413 million, the largest of any orchestra in the world.)<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.bso.org/brands/bso/press/press-releases/archived-press-releases/031213/pr_andris-nelsons-music-director.aspx|url-status=dead|title=Boston Symphony Orchestra Appoints Andris Nelsons as Its 15th Music Director Since Its Founding in 1881|publisher=Boston Symphony Orchestra|last=Horgan|first=Bernadette| date=May 13, 2013 | access-date=April 8, 2014 | archive-date=June 16, 2013 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130616050900/http://www.bso.org/brands/bso/press/press-releases/archived-press-releases/031213/pr_andris-nelsons-music-director.aspx}}</ref> Levine suffered from recurring injuries and health problems during his BSO tenure,<ref>{{cite news | first=Jeremy | last=Eichler | author-link=Jeremy Eichler | title=The opening movement | url=http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2009/02/22/the_opening_movement/?page=full | work=The Boston Globe | date=February 22, 2009 | access-date=February 24, 2009 | archive-date=June 17, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617091626/http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2009/02/22/the_opening_movement/?page=full | url-status=live }}</ref> which led to his resignation as BSO music director as of September 1, 2011.<ref>{{cite news | first=Geoff | last=Edgers | title=Andris Nelsons named new music director of BSO | url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2013/05/16/andris-nelsons-new-music-director-bso/Y1sFhymMmz2s19a8OoPqIO/story.html | work=The Boston Globe | date=May 16, 2013 | access-date=May 16, 2013 | archive-date=September 4, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904121201/https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2013/05/16/andris-nelsons-new-music-director-bso/Y1sFhymMmz2s19a8OoPqIO/story.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

In the wake of Levine's resignation, [[Andris Nelsons]] made his first guest-conducting appearance with the BSO in March 2011, as an emergency substitute for Levine at Carnegie Hall in Mahler's [[Symphony No. 9 (Mahler)|Symphony No. 9]].<ref name="mahler">{{cite news| last=Oestreich| first=James R.| title=A Fresh Face Confronts a Seasoned Mahler| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/19/arts/music/boston-symphony-orchestra-at-carnegie-hall-review.html| work=The New York Times| date=March 19, 2011| access-date=May 19, 2013| archive-date=August 4, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804051245/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/19/arts/music/boston-symphony-orchestra-at-carnegie-hall-review.html| url-status=live}}</ref> He subsequently guest-conducted the BSO at Tanglewood in July 2012,<ref name="oestreich">{{cite news| last=Oestreich| first=James R.| title=Tanglewood Tries Out a New Face: Andris Nelsons Conducts Boston Symphony at Tanglewood| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/arts/music/andris-nelsons-conducts-boston-symphony-at-tanglewood.html?_r=0| work=The New York Times| date=July 16, 2012| access-date=May 19, 2013| archive-date=December 25, 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225224113/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/arts/music/andris-nelsons-conducts-boston-symphony-at-tanglewood.html?_r=0| url-status=live}}</ref> and made his first appearance with the BSO at Symphony Hall in January 2013. In May 2013, the BSO named Nelsons as its 15th music director, effective with the 2014–2015 season. His initial contract was for 5 years, with 8–10 weeks of scheduled appearances in the first year of the contract, and 12 weeks in subsequent years. Nelsons held the title of Music Director Designate for the 2013–2014 season.<ref>{{cite press release| url=http://www.bso.org/brands/bso/press/press-releases/archived-press-releases/031213/pr_andris-nelsons-music-director.aspx| title=Boston Symphony Orchestra Appoints Andris Nelsons as Its 15th Music Director Since Its Founding in 1881| publisher=Boston Symphony Orchestra| date=May 16, 2013| access-date=May 19, 2013| archive-date=June 16, 2013| archive-url=https://archive.today/20130616050900/http://www.bso.org/brands/bso/press/press-releases/archived-press-releases/031213/pr_andris-nelsons-music-director.aspx| url-status=dead}}</ref> In August 2015, the BSO announced the extension of Nelsons' contract as music director through the 2021–2022 season, with a new contract of 8 years to replace the initial 5-year contract, and which also contains an evergreen clause for automatic renewal.<ref>{{cite press release | url=http://www.bso.org/brands/bso/features/2015-16-bso-season/andris-nelsons-contract-extension.aspx | title=Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons Announce Extension of Mr. Nelsons' Contract as BSO Music Director Through 2022! | publisher=Boston Symphony Orchestra | date=August 3, 2015 | access-date=August 3, 2015 }}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In October 2020, the BSO announced a further extension of Nelsons' contract as music director through August 2025, with an evergreen clause for automatic renewal.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://a5974837ba.site.internapcdn.net/images/press-releases/bso/20-21/20201005.pdf | title=Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons Announce Three-Year Extension of Mr. Nelsons' Contract as BSO Music Director Through August 2025, With an Evergreen Clause in Place Reflecting a Mutual Intent for a Long-Term Commitment Well Beyond the Years of the New Contract Extension | publisher=Boston Symphony Orchestra | date=October 5, 2020 | access-date=October 6, 2020 | archive-date=July 31, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230731095042/https://a5974837ba.site.internapcdn.net/images/press-releases/bso/20-21/20201005.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref> In January 2024, the BSO announced the conversion of Nelsons' contract as its music director to a rolling evergreen contract.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://dgpuo8cwvztoe.cloudfront.net/uploads/Press-Releases/BSO-Announces-Andris-Nelsons-Contract-Extension-Carlos-Simon-as-Composer-Chair-and-Establishment-of-Humanities-Institute_2024-01-25-192409_kaov.pdf | title=BSO Announces Andris Nelsons Contract Extension, Carlos Simon as Composer Chair, and Establishment of Humanities Institute | publisher=Boston Symphony Orchestra | date=25 January 2024 | access-date=2024-01-26 | archive-date=January 26, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126142817/https://dgpuo8cwvztoe.cloudfront.net/uploads/Press-Releases/BSO-Announces-Andris-Nelsons-Contract-Extension-Carlos-Simon-as-Composer-Chair-and-Establishment-of-Humanities-Institute_2024-01-25-192409_kaov.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref>

In September 2015, the orchestra announced a new artistic collaboration with the [[Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra]], of which Nelsons was appointed as its next Gewandhauskapellmeister, effective with the 2017–2018 season.<ref>{{cite news | author=Michael Cooper | title=Andris Nelsons Named Music Director of Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/10/arts/music/andris-nelsons-named-music-director-of-leipzig-gewandhaus-orchestra.html | work=The New York Times | date=September 9, 2015 | access-date=September 10, 2015 | archive-date=December 28, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228110928/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/10/arts/music/andris-nelsons-named-music-director-of-leipzig-gewandhaus-orchestra.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.gewandhausorchester.de/fileadmin/user_upload/05_medien/Pressemitteilungen/en/Alliance.pdf | title=Under the leadership of Andris Nelsons, the Gewandhausorchester and the Boston Symphony Orchestra enter into a new alliance | publisher=Gewandhausorchester Leipzig | date=September 9, 2015 | access-date=July 31, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801004628/https://www.gewandhausorchester.de/fileadmin/user_upload/05_medien/Pressemitteilungen/en/Alliance.pdf | archive-date=August 1, 2017 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Unequal-pay lawsuit====
On July 2, 2018, BSO principal flautist [[Elizabeth Rowe (flutist)|Elizabeth Rowe]] filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of [[Suffolk County, Massachusetts]], claiming pay discrimination on the basis of gender. Rowe said she was paid much less than principal [[oboist]] John Ferrillo since 2004 and was seeking more than $200,000 in unpaid compensation from the orchestra.<ref>{{cite news |last=Eichler |first=Jeremy |author-link=Jeremy Eichler |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2018/07/05/bso-principal-flutist-sues-for-equal-pay/Mx9KncUJ0P2wXqOUaTJUlJ/story.html |title=The BSO's principal flutist says she is paid far less than the man who is the principal oboist |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=July 6, 2018 |access-date=July 6, 2018 |archive-date=July 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707011113/https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2018/07/05/bso-principal-flutist-sues-for-equal-pay/Mx9KncUJ0P2wXqOUaTJUlJ/story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The BSO tried to discredit Rowe's claim that she was being discriminated against because of the unequal pay compared to Ferrillo by saying in a court filing that the two wind instruments were not comparable.<ref>Ryan, Greg. [https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2018/10/03/boston-symphony-sounds-off-on-female-flutist-s.html "Boston Symphony sounds off on female flutist's unequal-pay claim"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129044814/https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2018/10/03/boston-symphony-sounds-off-on-female-flutist-s.html |date=January 29, 2023 }}, ''[[Boston Business Journal]]'', October 3, 2018. Retrieved on October 4, 2018.</ref> After mediation,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wbur.org/artery/2018/12/12/equal-pay-case-bso-flutist |title=Making the Case for Equal Pay, a Flutist Enters Mediation with the BSO |work=[[WBUR]] |date=December 12, 2018 |access-date=November 17, 2019 |first=Amelia |last=Mason |archive-date=November 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116204053/https://www.wbur.org/artery/2018/12/12/equal-pay-case-bso-flutist |url-status=live }}</ref> the case was settled out of court in February 2019 for an undisclosed amount.<ref>{{cite news|title=Star Flutist Settles Pay Equity Suit Against Boston Symphony|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=February 21, 2019|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/21/arts/music/boston-symphony-elizabeth-rowe-settlement.html|access-date=November 17, 2019|first=Jennifer|last=Schuessler|archive-date=November 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107232418/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/21/arts/music/boston-symphony-elizabeth-rowe-settlement.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2019/02/14/bso-flutist-settles-equal-pay-lawsuit-with-orchestra/0iRyJCdjtu1BLWCAoqfQDL/story.html |title=BSO Flutist Settles Equal Pay Lawsuit with Orchestra |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=February 14, 2019 |access-date=November 17, 2019 |first=Malcolm |last=Gay |archive-date=November 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116203123/https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2019/02/14/bso-flutist-settles-equal-pay-lawsuit-with-orchestra/0iRyJCdjtu1BLWCAoqfQDL/story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Recent history===
In January 2020, the BSO cancelled its planned tour of Asia, the first American orchestra to cancel overseas travel in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.<ref>{{cite press release | url=http://bso.http.internapcdn.net/bso/images/press-releases/bso/19-20/20200130.pdf | title=Boston Symphony Orchestra Tour to East Asia under the direction of Andris Nelsons, February 6–16, is canceled due to widely documented concerns over the spread of the new Coronavirus | publisher=Boston Symphony Orchestra | date=January 30, 2020 | access-date=October 6, 2020 | archive-date=May 3, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200503205842/http://bso.http.internapcdn.net/bso/images/press-releases/bso/19-20/20200130.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref> Subsequent events related to the COVID-19 pandemic included the following:
* Cancellation of the 2020 Tanglewood summer festival season<ref>{{cite press release | url=http://bso.http.internapcdn.net/bso/images/press-releases/tanglewood/2020/20200515.pdf | title=2020 Tanglewood Live Performance and Education Programs, Scheduled to Take Place June 19 – August 27, Are Canceled Due to Concerns Over Spread of COVID-19 | publisher=Boston Symphony Orchestra | date=May 15, 2020 | access-date=October 2, 2020 | archive-date=November 30, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130204803/http://bso.http.internapcdn.net/bso/images/press-releases/tanglewood/2020/20200515.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref>
* Cancellation of its scheduled subscription concerts through November 2020, the first-ever full cancellation of the orchestra's autumn subscription concerts in its history<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://a5974837ba.site.internapcdn.net/images/press-releases/bso/20-21/20200730.pdf | title=Boston Symphony Orchestra Cancels Fall Period of 2020–21 Season at Symphony Hall, September 16 – November 28 (37 Concerts, 14 Programs), due to Continuing Concerns About Spread of COVID-19 | publisher=Boston Symphony Orchestra | date=July 30, 2020 | access-date=August 8, 2020 | archive-date=November 25, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125164347/https://a5974837ba.site.internapcdn.net/images/press-releases/bso/20-21/20200730.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Staff redundancies effective September 1, 2020<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://a5974837ba.site.internapcdn.net/images/press-releases/bso/20-21/20200821.pdf | title=Boston Symphony Orchestra Announces Workforce Reduction as a Result of Financial Impact of COVID-19 | publisher=Boston Symphony Orchestra | date=August 21, 2020 | access-date=October 6, 2020 | archive-date=December 15, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211215184520/https://a5974837ba.site.internapcdn.net/images/press-releases/bso/20-21/20200821.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Reduction in orchestra musician compensation in its latest labour agreement, from August 24, 2020, through August 27, 2023<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://a5974837ba.site.internapcdn.net/images/press-releases/bso/20-21/20200911.pdf | title=Boston Symphony Orchestra Ratifies New Labor Agreement Through August 2023 | publisher=Boston Symphony Orchestra | date=September 11, 2020 | access-date=October 6, 2020 | archive-date=March 31, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331131456/https://a5974837ba.site.internapcdn.net/images/press-releases/bso/20-21/20200911.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref>

In succession to Mark Volpe, Gail Samuel became the BSO's president and chief executive officer in June 2021, the first woman to be named to the posts in the history of the orchestra.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://a5974837ba.site.internapcdn.net/images/press-releases/bso/20-21/ceo-announcement.pdf | title=Boston Symphony Orchestra Appoints Accomplished Classical Music Executive Gail Samuel as President and CEO | publisher=Boston Symphony Orchestra | date=February 18, 2021 | access-date=February 22, 2021 | archive-date=February 18, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218143045/https://a5974837ba.site.internapcdn.net/images/press-releases/bso/20-21/ceo-announcement.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref> In December 2022, the BSO announced simultaneously the resignation of Samuel as its president and CEO, effective January 3, 2023,<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://dgpuo8cwvztoe.cloudfront.net/uploads/Press-Releases/BSO-Announces-Change-in-Executive-Leadership.pdf | title=Gail Samuel Resigns as BSO President and CEO | publisher=Boston Symphony Orchestra | date=December 16, 2022 | access-date=December 18, 2022 | archive-date=December 18, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221218080841/https://dgpuo8cwvztoe.cloudfront.net/uploads/Press-Releases/BSO-Announces-Change-in-Executive-Leadership.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref> and the appointment of Jeffrey D. Dunn as its interim president and CEO, effective January 4, 2023.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://dgpuo8cwvztoe.cloudfront.net/uploads/Press-Releases/Jeffrey-Dunn-Announcement.pdf | title=BSO Appoints Veteran Business Executive Jeffrey D. Dunn Interim President and CEO | publisher=Boston Symphony Orchestra | date=December 16, 2022 | access-date=December 18, 2022 | archive-date=December 18, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221218080842/https://dgpuo8cwvztoe.cloudfront.net/uploads/Press-Releases/Jeffrey-Dunn-Announcement.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref> In May 2023, the BSO announced the appointment of Chad Smith as its next president and chief executive officer, effective in the autumn of 2023.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://dgpuo8cwvztoe.cloudfront.net/uploads/Press-Releases/BSO_Press-Release_Chad_Smith_CEO.pdf | title=Chad Smith to Lead Boston Symphony Orchestra as Next President and CEO | publisher=Boston Symphony Orchestra | date=May 15, 2023 | access-date=May 28, 2023 | archive-date=May 28, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528144611/https://dgpuo8cwvztoe.cloudfront.net/uploads/Press-Releases/BSO_Press-Release_Chad_Smith_CEO.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Boston Symphony Picks New Leader From Los Angeles Philharmonic | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/15/arts/music/boston-symphony-chad-smith-los-angeles-philharmonic.html | work=The New York Times | author=Javier C. Hernández | date=May 15, 2023 | access-date=May 28, 2023 | archive-date=May 28, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528025347/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/15/arts/music/boston-symphony-chad-smith-los-angeles-philharmonic.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

==Related ensembles==
The [[Boston Pops]], the Boston Symphony Orchestra minus its principal players, was founded in 1885, and plays lighter, more popular classics, and [[Musical theatre|show tunes]]. [[Arthur Fiedler]] was the conductor who did the most to increase the fame of the Boston Pops over his tenure from 1930 to 1979. Film composer [[John Williams]] succeeded Fiedler as the conductor of the Pops from 1980 to 1993. Since 1995, conductor [[Keith Lockhart]] has led the Boston Pops.

The Boston Symphony Chamber Players were launched in 1964. Today they are the only chamber ensemble composed of principal players from an American symphony orchestra. In addition to regular performances in Boston and Tanglewood, they have performed throughout the United States and Europe. They have also recorded for RCA Victor, Deutsche Grammophon, Philips, and Nonesuch.

Performing with the BSO and Boston Pops for major choral works is the [[Tanglewood Festival Chorus]]. Organized in 1970 by its founding director, [[John Oliver (conductor)|John Oliver]], the Chorus comprises over 300 volunteer singers. Before the creation of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and for some time after, the BSO frequently employed the New England Conservatory Chorus conducted by Lorna Cooke DeVaron, [[Chorus pro Musica]], [[Harvard Glee Club]] and [[Radcliffe Choral Society]]. In February 2017, the BSO announced the appointment of [[James Burton (conductor)|James Burton]] as the new conductor of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and as the newly created BSO Choral Director, both with immediate effect.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.bso.org/brands/bso/press/press-releases/archived-press-releases/122716/february-2-2017-james-burton.aspx | title=Boston Symphony and Andris Nelsons Announce Major Appointment in Music Leadership: James Burton Is Appointed Conductor of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and also Takes on Newly Established Role of BSO Choral Director | date=February 2, 2017 | access-date=February 7, 2017 | archive-date=March 15, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315155954/https://www.bso.org/brands/bso/press/press-releases/archived-press-releases/122716/february-2-2017-james-burton.aspx | url-status=dead }}</ref> Burton founded the Boston Symphony Children's Choir in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bso.org/brands/bso/about-us/musicians/boston-symphony-childrens-choir.aspx|title=The Boston Symphony Children's Choir (BSCC) Boston Symphony Orchestra {{!}} bso.org|website=www.bso.org|access-date=March 31, 2020|archive-date=April 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200401175916/https://www.bso.org/brands/bso/about-us/musicians/boston-symphony-childrens-choir.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Recordings==
{{More citations needed section|date=December 2023}}
The Boston Symphony made its first acoustical recordings in 1917 in [[Camden, New Jersey]], for the [[Victor Talking Machine Company]] conducted by [[Karl Muck]]. Among the first discs recorded was the finale to [[Tchaikovsky]]'s fourth symphony. Under Serge Koussevitzky, the orchestra made its first electrical recordings, also for Victor, in the late 1920s. These electrical recordings included [[Ravel]]'s ''[[Boléro]]''. Recording sessions took place in Symphony Hall. Koussevitzky's final recording with the Boston Symphony was a high fidelity version of [[Sibelius]]' Symphony No. 2, recorded in 1950 and released on LP.

In February 1954, RCA Victor began recording the orchestra in stereo, under the direction of Charles Munch. RCA Victor continued to record Munch and the orchestra through 1962, his final year as music director in Boston (see the [[Charles Munch discography]] for a complete list of commercial recordings with the BSO under Charles Munch). During Munch's tenure, Pierre Monteux made a series of records with the BSO for RCA Victor (see [[Pierre Monteux]] for a complete list of commercial recordings with the BSO).

Erich Leinsdorf, who had already made numerous recordings for RCA Victor, continued his association with the company during his seven years in Boston. These included a critically acclaimed performance of Brahms' [[A German Requiem (Brahms)|''German Requiem'']] (see [[Erich Leinsdorf]] for a complete list).

Then, the orchestra switched to [[Deutsche Grammophon]] (DG) under William Steinberg. RCA Victor recorded several LPs with Steinberg and [[Berlioz]]'s ''[[Symphonie Fantastique]]'' with [[Georges Prêtre]] during the transition to DG (see [[William Steinberg]] for a complete list of commercial recordings). [[Michael Tilson Thomas]], who was the assistant conductor and associate conductor under Steinberg, also made several recordings for DG; some of these have been reissued on CD.

Due to Steinberg's illness, DG recorded the BSO with [[Rafael Kubelík]] in Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 (part of his cycle of Beethoven symphonies with nine different orchestras), ''[[Ma Vlast]]'' by [[Bedřich Smetana]] and in [[Béla Bartók]]'s Concerto for Orchestra as well as with [[Eugen Jochum]] conducting Symphony No. 41 by [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]] and [[Franz Schubert]]'s Symphony No. 8.

As a guest conductor in the 1960s, Ozawa made several recordings with the BSO for RCA Victor. He continued the BSO relationship with DG while making several other releases for New World Records.<ref name="New World Records 2019 n366">{{cite web | title=Press | website=New World Records | date=30 December 2019 | url=https://www.newworldrecords.org/pages/press-1 | access-date=9 February 2024 | archive-date=February 8, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240208135139/https://www.newworldrecords.org/pages/press-1 | url-status=live }}</ref> Over the course of Ozawa's tenure, the BSO diversified its relationships, making recordings under Ozawa with CBS, EMI, [[Philips Records]], RCA, and [[TELARC]].

The BSO also recorded for Philips under Colin Davis. [[Leonard Bernstein]] made records for both Columbia and DG with the BSO, including selections from his last concert ever as a conductor on August 19, 1990, at Tanglewood. The BSO has also appeared on Decca with [[Vladimir Ashkenazy]], with [[Charles Dutoit]] and [[André Previn]] for DG, and on Phillips and Sony Classical with Bernard Haitink.

The BSO has also done recordings for film scores on occasion. Films such as ''[[Schindler's List]]'' and ''[[Saving Private Ryan]]'' (both composed and conducted by [[John Williams]]) were recorded by the orchestra at Symphony Hall.

In the James Levine era, the BSO had no standing recording contract with a major label;<ref name="npr-recording">{{cite web |work=[[Weekend Edition]] |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4634528 |publisher=[[National Public Radio]] |title=Philly Orchestra Composes Innovative Contract |date=May 7, 2005 |access-date=February 20, 2009 |format=audio |archive-date=January 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100122161857/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4634528 |url-status=live }}</ref> the Grammy Award-winning recording of Levine conducting the BSO with [[Lorraine Hunt Lieberson]] in [[Peter Lieberson]]'s ''Neruda Songs'', released on [[Nonesuch Records]], was the only major label recording during Levine's tenure. On February 19, 2009, the BSO announced the launch of a new series of recordings on their own label, BSO Classics. Some of the recordings are available only as digital downloads. The initial recordings included live concert performances of [[William Bolcom]]'s 8th Symphony and ''Lyric Concerto,'' the latter with flutist James Galway, [[Gustav Mahler|Mahler]]'s [[Symphony No. 6 (Mahler)|Sixth Symphony]], the Brahms ''Ein deutsches Requiem'', and [[Ravel]]'s complete ''[[Daphnis et Chloé]]'',<ref name="bostonglobe-bsoclassics">{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2009/02/20/listening_to_levine_two_cds_a_season_of_firsts/ |last=Eichler |first=Jeremy |author-link=Jeremy Eichler |title=Listening to Levine: two CDs, a season of firsts |work=The Boston Globe |date=February 20, 2009 |access-date=February 20, 2009 |archive-date=October 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022174703/http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2009/02/20/listening_to_levine_two_cds_a_season_of_firsts/ |url-status=live }}</ref> which won the [[Grammy Awards of 2010|2010]] [[Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance]].<ref name="nyt-grammy">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/01/arts/music/01grammylist.html?sq=grammy%20awards&st=cse&scp=2&pagewanted=all |title=Grammy Awards: List of Winners |work=The New York Times |date=January 31, 2010 |access-date=February 6, 2017 |archive-date=August 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802094753/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/01/arts/music/01grammylist.html?sq=grammy%20awards&st=cse&scp=2&pagewanted=all |url-status=live }}</ref>

In April 2015, the BSO announced a new recording partnership with [[Deutsche Grammophon]] that focuses on the music of [[Dmitri Shostakovich]], with Nelsons as conductor.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2015/04/03/nelsons-bso-embark-shostakovich-cycle/HSNmCHqkPuP9L7aUVPkUYN/story.html | title=Nelsons, BSO embark on Shostakovich cycle | work=The Boston Globe | author=[[Jeremy Eichler]] | date=April 4, 2015 | access-date=August 3, 2015 | archive-date=July 31, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150731000514/https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2015/04/03/nelsons-bso-embark-shostakovich-cycle/HSNmCHqkPuP9L7aUVPkUYN/story.html | url-status=live }}</ref> The first recording in the series, of the [[Symphony No. 10 (Shostakovich)|Tenth Symphony]] recorded in concert in April 2015, was released on CD in August 2015, and subsequently won the year's Grammy award for Best Orchestral Performance. The most recent recording in the series, released in October 2023, concluded the cycle of Shostakovich symphonies, featuring performances of the 2nd, 3rd, 12th, and 13th symphonies.

==Music directors==
[[File:Bogo.PNG|right|180px]]
{|
|valign="top"|
* [[George Henschel]] (1881–1884)
* [[Wilhelm Gericke]] (1884–1889)
* [[Arthur Nikisch]] (1889–1893)
* [[Emil Paur]] (1893–1898)
* [[Wilhelm Gericke]] (1898–1906)
* [[Karl Muck]] (1906–1908)
* [[Max Fiedler]] (1908–1912)
* [[Karl Muck]] (1912–1918)
* [[Henri Rabaud]] (1918–1919)
|valign="top"|
* [[Pierre Monteux]] (1919–1924)
* [[Serge Koussevitzky]] (1924–1949)
* [[Charles Munch (conductor)|Charles Munch]] (1949–1962)
* [[Erich Leinsdorf]] (1962–1969)
* [[William Steinberg]] (1969–1972)
* [[Seiji Ozawa]] (1973–2002)
* [[James Levine]] (2004–2011)
* [[Andris Nelsons]] (2014–present)
|}

==Composer Chair==
* 1980–1993 [[John Williams]]
* 2024–2027 [[Carlos Simon (composer)|Carlos Simon]]

==In popular culture==
In the 1974–1975 American television situation comedy ''[[Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers]]'', several cast members played fictional personnel of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The show{{'}}s star, [[Paul Sand]], portrayed Robert Dreyfuss, who played double bass, while [[Steve Landesberg]] played violinist Fred Meyerbach. [[Craig Richard Nelson]] was the orchestra{{'}}s conductor, Mason Woodruff, and [[Dick Wesson (actor)|Dick Wesson]] was its manager, Jack Riordan. In one episode, Robert{{'}}s father Ben, played by [[Jack Gilford]], had a job in the orchestra{{'}}s ticket office. Guest stars who appeared as musicians playing in or with the orchestra during the show{{'}}s 15-episode run included [[Henry Winkler]] as a cellist, [[Leon Askin]] as a violinist, and [[Susan Neher]] as a flutist.<ref name="Brooks and Marsh">{{cite book |last1=Brooks |first1=Tim |first2=Earle |last2=Marsh |title=The Complete Directory to Prime-Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present, Sixth Edition |location=New York |publisher=Ballantine Books |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-345-39736-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/completedirector0006broo/page/804 804] |url=https://archive.org/details/completedirector0006broo/page/804 }}</ref><ref name="mcneil">{{cite book |last=McNeil |first=Alex |title=Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming From 1948 to the Present |location=New York |publisher=Penguin Books |year=1996 |pages=305–306}}</ref><ref name="leszczak">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UvE6snvtSesC&q=Paul+Sand+in+Friends+and+Lovers+episodes&pg=PA153 |last=Leszczak |first=Bob |title=Single Season Sitcoms, 1948–1979 |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=McFarland and Publishers, Inc. |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-7864-6812-6 |access-date=October 15, 2020 |archive-date=February 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240209140424/https://books.google.com/books?id=UvE6snvtSesC&q=Paul+Sand+in+Friends+and+Lovers+episodes&pg=PA153#v=snippet&q=Paul%20Sand%20in%20Friends%20and%20Lovers%20episodes&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="obscurities">{{cite web |url=http://www.tvobscurities.com/articles/fall74_2/ |publisher=tvobscurities.com |title=Fall 1974:CBS |date=January 26, 2013 |access-date=July 18, 2013 |archive-date=June 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130624083614/http://www.tvobscurities.com/articles/fall74_2/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="tvcom">{{cite web |url=http://www.tv.com/shows/paul-sand-in-friends-and-lovers/ |publisher=[[TV.com]] |title=Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers |access-date=June 12, 2013 |archive-date=June 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621220127/http://www.tv.com/shows/paul-sand-in-friends-and-lovers/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
* {{clc|Category:Music commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra}}
* [[Richard Burgin]], concertmaster of the BSO from 1920 to 1962
* [[Joseph Silverstein]], concertmaster of the BSO from 1962 to 1984
* [[Malcolm Lowe]], concertmaster of the BSO from 1984 to 2019

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
*{{cite book | last=Dunning | first=John | title=On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio | location=Oxford | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=1998 | isbn=978-0-19-507678-3 | url=https://archive.org/details/onairencyclop00dunn|ref=none}}
*{{cite news|first=Neil|last=Swidey|author-link=Neil Swidey|title=The Muck Affair|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|date= November 5, 2017|ref=none}}
*Boston Symphony Orchestra. Season programmes. 22nd season, 1902–1903 [https://books.google.com/books?id=Er6wAAAAIAAJ Google books]; 29th season, 1909–1910 [https://archive.org/details/programmevolume00orchgoog Internet Archive]; 36th season, 1916–1917 [https://books.google.com/books?id=IlgFAAAAMAAJ Google books]

==External links==
{{Commons category|Boston Symphony Orchestra}}
* {{official|http://www.bso.org}}
*[http://www.bso.org/brands/bso/about-us/historyarchives/the-history-of-the-bso.aspx Official BSO page on orchestra history]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070306234317/http://www.sonybmgmasterworks.com/artists/bostonsymphonyorchestra/ Discography at SonyBMG Masterworks]
*Edgers, Geoff. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090617214748/http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2005/09/04/6_minutes_to_shine/?page=full "6 minutes to shine"]. ''[[The Boston Globe]]'', September 4, 2005.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090618093535/http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/messiaen/music/turangalila_boston.html ''The Turangalîla-Symphonie''], film about the BSO premiere of Messiaen's ''[[Turangalîla-Symphonie]]''
*[https://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/4046904914/ "Programme Symphony Hall, March 25, 1938 – Serge {{not a typo|Prokofieff}} conducting"], U.S. premiere of Prokofiev's ''[[Peter and the Wolf]]'', [[Boston Public Library]] on Flickr
* {{IMDb name|nm2639693}}

{{Big Five (orchestras)}}
{{BSO music directors}}
{{Massachusetts orchestras}}
{{Portal bar|Classical music}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Boston Symphony Orchestra| ]]
[[Category:Orchestras from Boston]]
[[Category:Wikipedia requested audio of orchestras]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1881]]
[[Category:Arts organizations established in 1881]]
[[Category:1881 establishments in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Deutsche Grammophon artists]]
[[Category:RCA Records artists]]
[[Category:Cedille Records artists]]
[[Category:Victor Records artists]]
[[Category:American symphony orchestras]]