CLOSING WORDS (September 5): Our Compilation of Relevant Articles
across 278 pages, 146,127 words including 1000-plus comments from more than 75,00 visitors
between March 6th and September 1st, BMInt, has documented the controversy.
Click HERE for a PDF compilation.
FINAL UPDATE (September 1): Thanks to 75,000 readers, 1,000-plus commenters, and dozens of contributors, the Intelligencer has served as a useful forum. This headline banner will be coming down on Labor Day, but we will continue to follow the depressing saga and welcome readers’ comments.
UPDATE THIRTY-FIVE (August 26) A dirty secret:
The new contract apparently cites a Chief Artistic Officer to whom the Music Director would report. The CAO would report to the CEO. Thus Chad Smith will retain control.
We still have not seen the contract, but a player shared this extract.
- Search Committees for Artistic Leadership
- The Corporation will engage a committee of three (3) Players — either from orassigned by the Players Committee (the “Artistic Leadership Search Committee”) —to participate in interviews when Officer, General Manager, of Orchestra Personnel, Director of the Tanglewood Music Center, and Vice President of Education and External Engagement. If similar roles are created after ratification, the ALC will evaluate them for inclusion based on the position’s function and degree of artistic interface with Players.
- The Corporation will seek meaningful input on candidates utilizing the interview process and will consider the Artistic Leadership Search Committee’s input in good faith. The Artistic Leadership Search Committee’s input is advisory, CEO retaining sole and final authority over all hiring decisions for the positions identified in this Paragraph.
- The same process applies to hiring the TFC Conductor, augmented by a similar committee of TFC members.
UPDATE THIRTY-FOUR (August 25): BSO Musicians Ratify New Agreement by a 94% majority.
But BSO Patron Action Network Will Continue to Advocate
Boston Musicians Association President David Rufino:
“This groundbreaking agreement offers unprecedented artistic collaboration through all aspects of the artistic process, which we believe will set a new standard for American Orchestras. The agreement guarantees the musicians a meaningful role engaging collaborators and planning repertoire that ensures artistic excellence. The Players Committee’s tireless efforts, the unwavering support of BSO musicians and patrons, and BSO management’s agreement to try something new, all contributed to this momentous
achievement.”
BSO Players Committee Chair Todd Seeber:
“The Players of the BSO are pleased to announce the ratification of a new 3-year contract. With an economic agreement that keeps us competitive with our peer orchestras, it is also an innovative and transformative path forward for American orchestras, involving players as never before in the process of artistic decision making and planning. In addition, the agreement guarantees the musicians a critically enhanced role in the engagement of titled conductors, including the Music Director. With both musicians and management working in earnest, we look forward to presenting the finest in classical music for our devoted audiences.”
BSO Patron Network Co-Chair George Whiting:
Today, a new contract between the Boston Symphony Orchestra musicians and management has been ratified by the musicians.
While the contract is an important first step, nothing else has been resolved. Andris Nelsons has not been reinstated as Music Director. CEO Chad Smith has still failed to provide any transparency around his future vision for the BSO, while stonewalling the dialogue that is essential to rebuilding trust with musicians, donors, patrons, and subscribers.
As we near 200 days since Chad Smith and Board Chair Barbara W. Hostetter’s disastrous decision to terminate Andris Nelsons’ contract, we continue to stand in steadfast support for the musicians and Andris Nelsons. This past weekend at Tanglewood, we heard the same message from patrons across the lawn and in the Shed, “We stand with the BSO musicians!”
The BSO Patron Action Network is not going away. We will continue to represent the thousands of audience voices that have been ignored by BSO management. We will continue to fight for the music and musicians with the Red Flower Campaign, and stand with Andris Nelsons as he continues to lead this world-class orchestra as Music Director in the fall. The battle for the soul of the BSO has only just begun.
The Boston Globe, which apparently has seen the contract (we have not) reported that:
“The new agreement, effective through Aug. 26, 2029, provides wage hikes and enhanced pension benefits. It also gives musicians a critical role in the upcoming search for a new music director.
Management, however, maintained control over several key artistic areas, ensuring that ultimate decision-making authority remained with management and the board.
By most modern standards, the resulting contract represents several financial wins for the players. In addition to 4 percent annual raises (4.5 percent in the third year). The guaranteed base salary for musicians will rise to $230,000 by year three; the contract also increases their guaranteed pension to $94,000, the highest in the field.”
UPDATE THIRTY-THREE (August 22) Boston Symphony Musicians Authorize Strike
The musicians of the Boston Symphony Orchestra have unanimously voted to authorize the first* strike in the orchestra’s history.
The contract expires at 11:59 PM on Sunday August 23, 2026.
In spite of the turmoil of the last six months caused by BSO leadership’s decision to terminate the Orchestra’s music director, they have failed to agree to a collective bargaining agreement that would begin to restore the trust that they have destroyed and offer a fair contract to the musicians who are the heart and soul of the BSO.
At present, BSO management has not agreed to the union’s proposal to bring in a professional mediator.
*[ed. note:] This would be the second strike in BSO history if it happens.
“Referred to as ‘the valiant Frenchman,’ Pierre Monteux led the BSO through a time of transition and rebuilding. In 1918, when Rabaud was unable to get to Boston in time for the opening of the season, Monteux, then conductor of French operas at the Metropolitan Opera agreed to lead the opening concerts. He so impressed the Trustees and Boston audiences that he was offered the conductor position in 1919. When the orchestra lost more than 30 of its members as a result of the March 1920 strike, a cool-headed Monteux rose to the occasion, keeping the season going with minimal disruption.”
“Rose to the occasion” by union busting?
UPDATE THIRTY-TWO (August 13): Dinsmore Speaks
The Substack Columnist makes his first radio appearance.
by Steve Landrigan
Thomas Dinsmore, a Substack columnist and BMInt contributor, has published a series of scathing articles since Andris Nelsons was fired documenting the missteps and misstatements by the BSO’s CEO and President, Chad Smith.
His analyses of the finances underpinning the current crisis at the BSO have been circulated internationally and embraced by those angry at BSO management for its lack of transparency on Nelson’s dismissal.
On Tuesday, Dinsmore, brought his fact-based analyses and politely pugnacious style to GBH’s Boston Public Radio. It was his first radio appearance since his columns about the BSO crisis began appearing on April 26th.
When asked by host Jim Braude why he was writing columns on the BSO, Dinsmore replied, “When I first saw the news [about Nelsons], it was dumbfounding because since World War II, no big seven symphony orchestra has ever dismissed a music director. It doesn’t happen. And the reason it doesn’t happen is it takes a long time to find a music director that will work well.
“The Chicago Symphony recently hired a music director, it took them seven years. It’s a long process. And to simply dismiss Andris without any kind of a plan in place, it means that there will be a period of years when the BSO will have no artistic leadership.”
Dinsmore, a financial analyst, trained as a violist but ultimately decided not to pursue a career in music. In the past five months, he has published a dozen highly documented columns showing wide discrepancies between Chad Smith’s statements on BSO finances and the actual facts as they are stated from publicly available tax forms filed by the BSO.
Braude quoted a recently published comment by Smith stating that the BSO has been running deficits for nearly two decades, and during that time has decapitalized its endowment by more than $100 million.
“Well, there’s two parts to that statement,” Dismore replied. “One is we’re running deficits, second, we were depleting the endowment.
“In the past 20 years,” Dinsmore went on to say, “the BSO has run a surplus in 13, they’ve run a deficit in seven. You look at all the other big seven symphony orchestras, you see a similar pattern. So, the first statement is just plain false.”
He stated that “Chad and his CFO have invented a kind of a deficit measure, which they’ve made up, but nobody knows what it is. I’ll also add that everyone knows – and this has always been the case – that no orchestra covers all of its expenses from concert revenue, from tickets.”
As for draining the BSO endowment, Dinsmore insisted, “I think that Chad Smith simply doesn’t understand what endowment law is. He doesn’t understand what it means to say, you know, ‘decapitalizing the endowment,’ because if you go to any financial glossary, you’ll see [what he means is] ‘invasion of principal,’ and that’s never happened in the BSO history.”
Co-host Margery Eagan raised the issue that “Chad Smith talks a lot about the BSO’s deficits, yet the Los Angeles Philharmonic had the two largest deficits in its history under his brief tenure there.” She then asked if Dinsmore has had any response to his columns from the BSO.
“Nothing from the BSO,” he replied. “Barbara Hostetter is a subscriber. I have not heard from her. I’ve not heard from her lawyers.”
When asked by Braude to summarize the BSO’s financial state, Dinsmore replied, “Every symphony orchestra struggles. It’s a hard business.” He then added, “every symphony orchestra is dependent on donations, charitable contributions. Some orchestras are doing better than the BSO in getting contributions. Los Angeles, New York, and Cleveland have raised more money than Boston has in the past five years. Can Boston do better at raising money? That’s a great question for Barbara Hostetter. I mean, what’s the job of the board?”
Braude noted that Barbara Hostetter and Chad Smith have repeatedly been invited to appear on Boston Public Radio, but have declined, when they have responded at all. He then read a statement sent to the program by a BSO staffer, noting, “We ordinarily would not read a statement when someone regularly refuses to say their side in the air, but I’m going to do it to show we’re trying to be as fair as we can.” The statement read:
“BSO is committed to ensuring we have the financial resources to support our mission now and into the future. A substantial endowment does not eliminate the need to address persistent operating deficits and decades of deferred maintenance. We remain committed to sound accounting practices and responsible financial stewardship.”
Braude then shifted the conversation to a recent column Dinsmore published headlined “The Assassin.” In it, Dinsmore wrote about the reporting of New York Times critic David Allen.
Dinsmore offered his opinion that Allen’s relentless negative opinions on Nelsons as a conductor were, “a hit job on Andris, right? A coordinated information operation, right? In other words, there was a deliberate effort to take Andris down in the public eye artistically as a means of influencing the board.” He added, “I don’t think that that particular critic is qualified to write about Andris.”
Earlier in the conversation speaking of Allen he told Braude, “Number one, he’s not a musician himself. And one of the things I know from the experience of being a musician and playing in an orchestra is nobody’s better qualified to judge a conductor or music director than the musicians.
“Now, critics have a role to play, but the history of criticism is that critics often have other agendas. There was a critic in Boston in the 1890s who savaged the BSO for playing Dvorak because they said Dvorak was, you know, he supported African American music.” He further noted, “In the particular column that I was commenting about, he [Allen] passes on innuendo and just plain false statements.”
ENDS
UPDATE THIRTY-ONE (August 11th): Is the vision of C.S. broadening or blurring the BSO focus?
BSO CEO Chad Smith has talked up Yo-Yo Ma’s Tanglewood residency as an example of the forward-thinking programming the orchestra is looking to emphasize.
If Ma’s “We the People” is supposed to represent the “future vision,” someone needs their prescription adjusted.
Read A.Z Madonna’s complete Boston Globe review HERE
UPDATE THIRTY (August 6): On the NYTimes Campaign against Andris Nelsons
David Allen is entitled to his own opinion, but he is not entitled to his own facts.
by Thomas Dinsmore
The Assassin
David Allen has a doctorate in History from Columbia University. He served as a lecturer at Yale’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs and held fellowships at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and the Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College. He published one book that hardly anyone reads. He is not a musician. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and says he attends concerts of the Boston Symphony Orchestra frequently.
In other words, his assessment of Andris Nelsons is worth about as much as any other BSO patron.
Allen is entitled to his own opinion, but he is not entitled to his own facts. Let’s take a look at some of the claims in his recent hit piece on Andris.
DA: Living in the Boston area, I long ago lost count of how many times I have seen Nelsons conduct over his 12 seasons in charge. I found his evolution exasperating, as did fellow local critics.
False. Allen may have felt exasperated, but his “fellow local critics” were not.
During his tenure as Globe music critic, Jeremy Eichler consistently praised Nelsons for producing performances of remarkable emotional intensity. Eichler occasionally found some interpretations less persuasive; his criticism generally focused on interpretive choices rather than technical shortcomings.
Also in the Globe, David Weininger characterized Andris Nelsons as an intuitive, high-energy leader whose interpretations featured vivid orchestral colors and grand, cinematic scope.
Most of the recent Andris Nelsons reviews in the Boston Musical Intelligencer are positive, a few neutral, none negative. Reviews in Boston Classical Review are also mostly positive.
Reporting by The Boston Globe has confirmed that Nelsons was not doing core parts of his job properly: arriving unprepared for rehearsals, dismissing new scores as “funny pieces” and refusing to do much of the fundraising and other work expected of serious music directors in the United States.
False. Allen mischaracterizes the Globe story. The Globe did not write that Nelsons was “unprepared” for rehearsals; it simply cited a negative review written by David Allen. Allen uses a Globe summary of his own review of the BSO performance of Barber’s Vanessa to prove his own premise.
There is a vulgar expression that perfectly describes Allen’s circular sourcing, but I would never write such a thing.
Allen’s Vanessa review was an outlier. Out of nine published reviews of the performance, Allen’s was the only negative.
The “funny pieces” comment is a harmless joke. Most members of the orchestra and the audience agree with that characterization of new music. BSO leaders recently paid consultants a fortune to tell them that audiences prefer mainstream symphonic repertoire.
The Globe story does not say that Nelsons refuses to do fundraising. The Globe story claimed, without evidence, that Nelsons “rarely showed up at charity galas or other gatherings where prospective donors could be charmed into writing fat checks”. The Globe’s claim is unsourced and unverifiable; neither the Globe nor David Allen offer evidence that Nelsons ever refused a request from the front office. The BSO’s own biography of Nelsons cites his enthusiasm for community outreach.
As ticket sales fall, donors become more influential … where should power lie? Rather than debate such matters calmly, the richest orchestra in the world has devolved into a morass of anonymous quotations, destructive leaks and social media bile.
True. Allen’s work depends on unsourced quotes and leaks. An honest critic would ask why the BSO is unable to engage in “calm debate.” What characteristics of BSO governance make that impossible?
Before February, Salonen had led (the BSO) once since 1988. Semyon Bychkov last appeared in 2000. Iván Fischer, 2003. Gianandrea Noseda, 2004. Marin Alsop, a Tanglewood alum, has conducted one Boston Symphony program ever; Daniel Harding, likewise. Manfred Honeck has not returned since 2014; Vladimir Jurowski, 2016. Dudamel came for two weeks in 2019, canceled the second, and has not come back. The list goes on, and it makes for a pattern. I’ve heard thrilling Boston concerts from Karina Canellakis, Joana Mallwitz and Antonio Pappano. But subscription weeks that were filled a decade ago by titans like Bernard Haitink and Christoph von Dohnanyi are nowadays handed to assistant conductors.
Omits important context. Allen lists distinguished conductors who have not appeared recently with the BSO, but omits those who have: Alan Gilbert, David Robertson, Fabio Luisi, Giancarlo Guerrero, Herbert Blomstedt, Jakub Hrusa, Michael Tilson Thomas. Mallwitz is scheduled to return; so are Yamada and Hrusa.
Many factors influence the choice of guest conductors. Allen offers no evidence that any of the conductors on his cherry-picked list turned down an engagement with the BSO. Top conductors like Dudamel are extremely busy and schedule appearances years in advance. Jurowski and Fischer stopped accepting opportunities requiring travel to the United States.
It would be great to schedule Bernard Haitink and Christoph von Dohnanyi, but unfortunately they are dead.
In April, Susanna Mälkki visited … to premiere Andrew Norman’s complicated two-piano rewrite of “Split,” a Boston Symphony commission. Mälkki is one of the world’s leading conductors, someone undoubtedly deserving of respect. But musicians told The Globe that this spring, she instead received “outright hostility.” One player reportedly performed his part wrongly — not in rehearsal, but in concert.
Mostly False. Mälkki is an accomplished guest conductor who specializes in contemporary music. She is hardly “one of the world’s leading conductors.” Respect is a two-way street. Autocratic guest conductors with limited skills don’t fare well guesting a world-class symphony orchestra; Fritz Reiner could dictate tempi, but Mälkki is not Fritz Reiner.
The concert cited in the Globe story included Ravel’s Ma Mère l’Oye Suite, a work the BSO has performed 122 times since 1913. One of the BSO’s distinguished principal chair musicians played a prominent solo at a tempo Mälkki did not like. Supposedly, she scowled. Neither the Globe nor Allen attended the concert; neither offers evidence that the BSO principal player intentionally disrupted the performance, or that anyone in the audience noticed the disconnect.
The BSO musician has performed that solo numerous times. Conductors generally allow soloists some slack; great conductors expect a principal player to lead. Maurice Ravel himself, if he returned from the dead and stood on the podium, would expect nothing less.
(Lee Eiseman of Boston Musical Intelligencer contributed to this post.)
UPDATE TWENTY-NINE (July 27): Is the BSO Board Condemning itself to Repeat History?
Non-profit boards exist to do more than acquiesce to management and raise money.
BSO Board members should embolden their service with respectful skepticism and cancel NDAs.
Should the current BSO board members take the word of the CEO or do some independent research into the reasons for the firing of Andris Nelsons? Might conflicting egos have led to the current turmoil?
Consider a comparable: Did the summary firing of Benjamin Zander from New England Conservatory in 2012 improve that institution? Did the cited cause, his hiring a videographer (a paroled sex offender who had served his time) constitute justifiable grounds? Or as now, did a rivalry between two egos cause the rupture? Should Tony Woodcock, the NEC president, who hired the same videographer (without having done a CORI check according to my conversation with the videographer) have fired himself? Three years later the NEC Board did just that after learning more about Woodcock’s management style according to NEC Board members who talked with me at the time. Zander subsequently founded a very successful youth orchestra.
Shouldn’t the BSO Board hear directly from all interested parties? I propose that the Board vote to release Andris Nelsons from his NDA so that he can defend himself against his accusers. And while they are at it, why not similarly unleash Artistic Adviser Tony Fogg and former CEO Mark Volpe? It wasn’t so long ago that strong public voices were urging Trump to release his former employees from NDAs. In California and MA, MDAs must be written quite narrowly to be enforceable. They:
Must clearly point to true trade secrets or private data rather than general job knowledge or skills.
Must exist for a sensible time frame (such as 1 to 5 years except for trade secrets).
Must protect genuine business assets without acting as an illegal block on future employment.
And further to the issue of transparency, as a taxpayer-subsidized nonprofit, the BSO should also publish its audited financials as many similar entities as of course. Thomas Dinsmore tells us that MA State law does not compel the BSO to share its audited financial statements directly with the public, but, according to his substack, many Boston non-profits, including the WGBH Foundation the Barr Foundation, the Boston Ballet, the Boston Children’s Museum, the Boston Lyric Opera, Boston University, The Boston Foundation, the Handel and Haydn Society, Harvard University, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and the New England Conservatory do so voluntarily.
End the wagon circling now.
UPDATE TWENTY-EIGHT (July 22) Draining, Defined: What the BSO Endowment Debate Gets Wrong
Former CFO of the Curtis Institute reads both the score and the balance sheet,
calling on the BSO to release audited financials.
by Larry Bomback
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is having a very public argument with itself about money. On one side, leadership tells the Boston Globe that the endowment is “being drained at an alarming rate,” with an additional $100 million drawn over the past 20 years. On the other, analyst Thomas W. Dinsmore counters with charts showing the endowment at $603 million, the highest level in its history, alongside a fiscal 2025 surplus of $27 million and record revenue of $155 million. Both sides are marshaling real numbers. Both sides can be right at the same time. Both sides are also asking the wrong question.
The right question is not whether the endowment grew. It did. It is not even whether the draw exceeded some conventional threshold. It did. The right question is what the excess draw was buying. Get that question right and the BSO’s situation comes into much sharper focus. So does the path forward.
Before going further, a disclosure on method. The BSO does not publish a simple annual statement of endowment investment performance in any source I could readily access. What follows is built from public Form 990 filings, Dinsmore’s published charts, and reporting in the Globe and elsewhere. Where I estimate, I say so, and I explain the assumption driving the estimate. Anyone with access to the Schedule D endowment disclosures in the full 990s, or the audited financial statements on the BSO’s own website, can sharpen these numbers considerably. I would welcome that.
What the draws actually look like
Start with what the two Dinsmore charts show. From fiscal 2009 through fiscal 2025, the BSO endowment grew from just over $300 million to just over $600 million. Over the same period, annual endowment spending ran between $20 million and $30 million in most years, with a spike to roughly $45 million around 2018 that corresponds to the design and construction of the Linde Center at Tanglewood. Reading across the full period, the average annual draw lands somewhere in the mid-20s, call it $25 to $27 million a year. These are values read off charts, not audited figures, so treat them as directionally reliable rather than precise.
The independently reported data points line up with that read. The Boston Musical Intelligencer put the fiscal 2024 draw at about $27 million against a $536 million endowment, or right around 5 percent. Simple math on the full period tells a similar story: a $26 million average draw on an average balance of roughly $450 million works out to about 5.8 percent a year. Whether the true figure is 5 percent or 6 percent depends on measurement choices, but it is comfortably above the 4 to 5 percent policy range most endowed institutions consider sustainable.
Is that automatically a problem? No. And this is where I part ways with both camps.
What the endowment probably earned
To judge a draw, you need to know the return. Here is where estimation is unavoidable, so let me show the work.
If the endowment had received zero new gifts between 2009 and 2025, growing from $300 million to $603 million while paying out $26 million a year would imply a gross investment return of about 11.2 percent annually. Nobody should believe that number. It is an upper bound, and an implausible one for a diversified institutional portfolio over this period. The BSO ran serious fundraising campaigns during these years, and new endowment gifts did a meaningful share of the lifting.
Assume instead that gifts to endowment averaged $10 million a year, and the implied gross return drops to roughly 8.5 percent. At $15 million a year in gifts, it drops to about 7.2 percent. I do not know the actual gift figure, and I want to be clear that everything downstream of this paragraph is sensitive to it. But a return in the range of 7 to 8.5 percent is consistent with how diversified endowment portfolios generally performed over this window, and it squares with the one hard data point we have: the endowment lost $74 million in fiscal 2022, roughly an 11 percent decline, in a year when institutional portfolios broadly posted losses of that magnitude.
So a fair working estimate is a nominal return somewhere in the 7 to 8.5 percent range. If the BSO’s investment office beat that handily, the analysis below softens. If it trailed that range, the analysis gets worse. The audited statements would settle it.
The inflation problem
Now the part that both the “draining” camp and the “record high” camp tend to skip. An endowment’s job is not to maintain its dollar value. Its job is to maintain its purchasing power, forever. That means the sustainable draw is not the nominal return. It is the nominal return minus inflation.
Inflation from 2009 to 2025 averaged about 2.6 percent a year, roughly 50 percent cumulatively. Against a 7 to 8.5 percent nominal return, that leaves a sustainable draw of approximately 4.5 to 5.5 percent. The BSO’s actual draw, at roughly 5 to 6 percent depending on the year and the measurement, has been sitting at or above the top of that range for most of two decades.
Here is what that does over time. The $300 million endowment of 2009 needs to be worth about $450 million today just to buy what it bought then. The endowment is worth $603 million, so on the surface the institution cleared that bar with room to spare. But that $603 million includes 16 years of new gifts. Strip out the estimated gift flows and trace only the original 2009 corpus forward, and under my mid-range assumptions that corpus, net of draws, would be worth something in the neighborhood of $286 million in nominal dollars today. Against the $450 million needed to preserve purchasing power, that is a real decline of roughly a third.
I want to hedge this hard, because it is the most assumption-dependent claim in this piece. The corpus erosion estimate moves substantially with the gift assumption, and I have not seen year-by-year endowment gift data. But the direction of the finding is robust across any plausible assumption: when you draw at or above your real return, the original corpus stops compounding for you, and the headline growth you see is donor generosity papering over the gap. A record nominal endowment and a shrinking real corpus can coexist. At the BSO, they very likely do. That, and not any single scary dollar figure, is what “draining” actually means.
The test that matters: what is the excess draw buying?
For the record, I have no issue with an organization drawing beyond 4 or 5 percent, provided the excess funds initiatives with a legitimate payback. Endowments exist to serve the mission across generations, and sometimes the highest-return use of capital is a strategic investment in the institution’s future earning capacity. The BSO’s 2018 spike to roughly $45 million, driven by the Linde Center at Tanglewood, is at least defensible on those terms. Reasonable people can debate whether the Linde Center’s payback case was rigorous, but it was a case. There was an asset on the other side of the draw.
My problem begins when excess draws are plugging operating deficits. That is certainly not investment. It is deferral. And it tells you something important about governance: leadership that covers structural deficits from the endowment is leadership that is not prepared to confront the root cause, which, in the case of the BSO (and thousands of other nonprofit institutions across the US to be fair), is, undoubtedly, an unsustainable cost structure.
The BSO’s own numbers point squarely at structure, not cycle. Per Dinsmore’s analysis of the filings, expenses have grown 77 percent since fiscal 2001, essentially matching inflation, while earned program revenue has grown only 22 percent. The box office now covers about 38 percent of expenses. Attendance at Symphony Hall is down 23 percent since 2019 and, by the Globe’s account, roughly 40 percent over two decades. Eighty percent of expenses are people costs. None of that is a market downturn. It is a business model whose earned-revenue engine has been shrinking relative to its cost base for a generation, with the endowment and the donor base absorbing the difference. A classic issue for many flagship classical music institutions.
Viewed through this lens, the leadership’s own $100 million figure becomes clarifying rather than alarming. An extra $100 million over 20 years is about $5 million a year, which is almost exactly the gap between a 4.5 to 5 percent policy draw and the roughly 5.8 percent the BSO has actually been drawing. The question is what that incremental $5 million a year bought. To the extent it built the Linde Center, it should be judged as a capital investment, on payback. To the extent it filled operating gaps, it was the corpus subsidizing a cost structure nobody wanted to fix. From the outside, and without line-item draw data, I cannot apportion the $100 million between those two uses with precision. The institution can, and should.
The tool nobody is discussing: leverage
There is one more piece missing from this debate. Even when a genuine investment opportunity exists, drawing down the endowment today is not the only way to fund it, and often not the smartest way.
If a project’s expected payback is real, and if the endowment’s expected return exceeds the institution’s long-term borrowing cost, the arbitrage math argues for borrowing long and letting the corpus keep compounding. Cultural institutions with strong balance sheets can typically access tax-exempt debt at rates below a diversified endowment’s expected return, assuming the uses of that financing qualify for tax-exempt purposes (e.g. capital projects). Taking a dollar out of the endowment today, when you could borrow that dollar at a rate below what the dollar would likely earn if left invested, destroys expected value on its face.
To be clear, leverage is not free money. Debt service is a fixed obligation set against a volatile return stream, and an institution whose operating budget is already strained has limited capacity to absorb that risk. The arbitrage only works if the spread between expected return and borrowing cost is real after adjusting for risk, and boards are right to be conservative about it. And borrowing to fund operating deficits is even worse than drawing endowment to fund them, because it adds fixed costs to a P&L that cannot carry the ones it already has. Leverage is a tool for funding investments with payback. It is not a tool for avoiding hard decisions. But for a genuinely accretive capital project, a below-return borrowing rate is an option that deserved a seat at the table, and I have seen no evidence it got one.
What would change my mind
Intellectual honesty requires naming the counterevidence. Fiscal 2025 was a legitimately strong year: record revenue, a $27 million surplus, the endowment at an all-time nominal high. Dinsmore also reports 13 surpluses in the past 20 years and a cumulative GAAP surplus of $391 million, though readers should note that GAAP surpluses at institutions like this include investment gains and endowment gifts, which is precisely why they can coexist with persistent operating deficits. There is also the restriction question: most of the BSO’s endowment is donor-restricted, with only about $66 million, roughly 11 percent, available for the board to spend freely. That cuts both ways. It limits how much deficit-plugging the endowment can absorb, and it means draws above policy fall hardest on the institution’s most flexible capital.
If the audited statements showed investment returns well above my estimated range, or endowment gift flows well below my assumption, the real erosion story would weaken and I would say so. If the draw detail showed the excess overwhelmingly tied to the Linde Center and other capital projects with articulated payback cases, my governance concern would largely dissolve. The data to answer both questions exists inside 301 Massachusetts Avenue.
The bottom line
A draw above the policy rate should have to clear one of two bars. Either there is a payback case, meaning the excess funds an investment expected to strengthen the institution’s future revenue or cost position, or there is an arbitrage case, meaning drawing today genuinely beats borrowing at available long-term rates. Plugging operating deficits clears neither. It merely converts a governance problem into an investment problem and hands the bill to a future board.
The BSO is not broke. Far from it! It may well be the best-resourced orchestra in America. That is exactly why the discipline matters now, while the choices are still choices. The debate between “draining” and “record high” is a debate about optics. The debate worth having is about capital allocation. I hope the BSO’s board has it.
Figures in this article are drawn from public Form 990 filings, Thomas W. Dinsmore’s published analyses, and reporting in the Boston Globe and the Boston Musical Intelligencer. Return, gift, and real-erosion figures are the author’s estimates from public aggregate data and are labeled as such; corrections from primary sources are welcome.
Larry Bomback is a practicing chief financial officer who has spent two decades setting and implementing the policies this essay describes, not just writing about them. He served eight years as CFO of the Curtis Institute of Music, one of the most endowment-dependent institutions in American music, led a massive financial turnaround as interim CFO of Albright College, and advises cultural institutions nationally as founder of Strategic Nonprofit Finance, following senior finance roles at OPERA America and SMU | DataArts. A trained musicologist as well as an MBA, he reads both the score and the balance sheet.
UPDATE TWENTY-SEVEN (July 20): BSO Principal Librarian registers his dismay.
D. Wilson Ochoa calls out the damage management is doing to this venerable symphony orchestra in remarks that he had been prevented from delivering at a meeting between the board and musicians a week ago.
“The musicians of the Boston Symphony have been told that the current situation with Maestro Nelsons only came about as a result of a meeting where he was not in support of a “new vision” for the organization, a vision that is becoming increasingly clear involves less and less classical music concerts. But is this really a recent turn of events as has been portrayed, or is it all part of the long game by the BSO’s CEO and board where Andris’s firing is just the latest in a list of actions over years designed to lead exactly to this moment?
Let’s start a few years back, with the decision to totally redesign our logo and the way the BSO brands itself. We were told that the orchestra needed to spend an incredible amount of money to “update” the image of the orchestra in order to make it “more relevant.” Was that really the reason? And curiously, why was there a need to create a logo specifically for Symphony Hall itself, separate from the orchestra (something that has never been needed before)? If the CEO and board were so concerned with the financial numbers, why was this expensive rebranding greenlit at that time?
It seems clear now that this was all part of the plan to downgrade the importance of the orchestra, and the beginning of the process to elevate the “BSO Inc.” as a venue management corporation (the reason for the Hall logo), at the expense of the 145-year classical orchestral music mission of the orchestra. The resulting logos have been almost universally panned, but they accomplished getting the name of the music director out of the logo, probably the real reason of the redesign (years ahead of the current situation).
Following that was the idea that the hall needed to be “refreshed” with an expensive “new look” for the hall. But after it was finished, an alternative reason became clear when it was discovered that every one of the displays that detailed the history of the orchestra was removed from the hallways and lobby areas. A bust of Arthur Fiedler was gone; portraits of previous music directors disappeared from the 2nd floor intermission bar and break room; founder Henry Higginson’s portrait was moved out of the main lobby area; displays that tied the history of the orchestra to repertoire in the current season were all taken out (much to the disbelief of both our archive department and our volunteer tour guides who now have nothing to reference for the visiting public tourists). And, tellingly, every orchestral poster in that 2nd floor public room was replaced with a poster of a lecturer or recitalist who appeared in the hall over the years—EVERY one an event WITHOUT orchestra. Did the hall really need a refresh, or was it all part of the plan to purge it of references to the orchestra?
Subsequenlty, were told that a new software was going to be implemented to run the organization, replacing the long-time OPAS software, which was designed specifically to run orchestras, and used by orchestras around the country. The artistic staff and the musicians in the library were not consulted on this change (we would have been against it)—it came as a complete surprise. It was to be replaced with software designed specifically for VENUE MANAGEMENT (currently being used by Carnegie Hall, which does not manage or run an orchestra). Why was this very expensive decision made to completely change how the organization operates?
It soon became very clear that the new software was not only completely inadequate for running an orchestra, but was also completely unworkable for personnel, for the library, for the Tanglewood Music Center and for the archives. It also became apparent that a planned six-month timeline to switch from one software to another was not even remotely possible, and here we are, over 2 years later, licensing and running two complete and very expensive software systems simultaneously, unable to switch to the new one until, finally, this September. (It will only be usable going forward due to the heroic efforts of BSO staffers and musicians in the library, who spent probably over a hundred hours in Zoom meetings with the software developers intricately detailing what their software needed to do and testing every single update to see if things were improving. The BSO even had to hire an additional staffer whose sole purpose was to work with the programmers to get this software to a workable condition, and yet, we have still not been able to get every function as needed. And what of the online archive search feature of our website (“Henry”) which is populated with information from OPAS? Is eliminating OPAS just another way to erase our history?
If our finances are so bad, why was this totally unnecessary change of software needed? What is the justification for paying ongoing expensive licensing fees for software that doesn’t meet our needs? Could this be part of the long-term plan to elevate the venue, and downgrade the orchestra, no matter the cost, for the “new vision” for the organization which could entail renting the symphony hall (and the Tanglewood venues) out from under the feet of the orchestra? It all seems part of the long game.
And when the CEO “needed” an expensive redecorating of his office in the middle of what is being sold to us as a financial crisis, why was that greenlit? In a building where space is at a premium, why were two office spaces directly outside of the CEO’s office completely removed when a waiting area already existed? Could it have been that workers in those spaces were uncomfortably close, within earshot of the “unique” management style of our CEO, which has been driving away longtime staffers who have institutional knowledge of the organization, once again erasing the history of the orchestra?
All of these highly expensive moves seem designed to manufacture the situation we are currently in, where we are being told that the current numbers are “unsustainable.” Is Andris Nelsons really the cause of this, or just the convenient fall guy for the plan all along?
And now the public is being sold the story that the orchestra isn’t inclusive enough, despite a healthy record of performances in recent years of works by women, black and immigrant composers, and composers of multiple nationalities. The management hadn’t seemed concerned about this until very recently, when this suddenly became a talking point in their public campaign against the orchestra. I can tell you from personal experience that I have been campaigning for several years now for the BSO to release discs (and streaming) filled with recordings of our already-existing performances of works by women and black composers. I even went through the repertoire of recent performances and made a list of likely candidates. There were more than enough great options to release the equivalent of several discs, even while still being choosy to pick only the best repertoire. The only response I heard from the CEO was a dismissive “will it make money?” even though it is well known that classical music recordings rarely make money. Recordings are made to raise the visibility of the orchestra, to show our quality and versatility and hopefully spur future ticket sales. (And they provide a rich legacy for this storied institution.) This would help demonstrate our inclusivity, but our CEO didn’t seem at all concerned with that.
I have even been campaigning for a Juneteenth concert for the past couple of years, something many orchestras already do. This would fall comfortably into a sixth week of the pops season (a week we thought was only temporarily lost during the pandemic, but has yet to return). If the management is concerned with adding pops concerts, this would be a prime place to add back, without displacing any classical concerts. Once again, the suggestion was met with silence. But our CEO feels comfortable in publicly trashing our organization with charges of not being inclusive? Who is the one who is not receptive to such suggestions?
What he really seems to mean by “inclusivity” is replacing many orchestral dates with other non-classical music. The CEO and the board don’t seem to want to work hard enough to support the full schedule of one of the longest-existing world-class orchestras in the United States (the job they signed up to do), so it seems they are just giving up. It makes one question their commitment to classical music.
The events since March seem to be only the latest events in their long-term plan, years in the making, designed to exactly lead us to this point. But make no mistake, if we continue along this path with a management that is working so hard against the success of the orchestra in deference to their new desire to concentrate on venue management and being a presenting corporation, then the board is making the choice that the Boston Symphony is to no longer be a world-class orchestra, and the 145 years of quality and commitment to classical music will be set aside and forgotten for the “new vision” to glorify the corporation over the musicians of the orchestra.”
UPDATE 26 (July 16, 2026): responding to the Globe feature
Andris Nelsons’s well-reported conflicts with Chad Smith and current management do not constitute a longstanding pattern as the article implied. While Nelsons certainly endured 18 fraught months with the previous CEO, Gail Samuel,
he worked harmoniously with Mark Volpe for seven years. In the interest of letting the NDA-bound Nelsons defend himself,
we append the entire letter from his manager read at the recent negotiating session and excerpted by both the Globe and the Berkshire Eagle.
Dear [BSO Players’ Committee]
As you will appreciate, we need to tread carefully and either do not know, or are not able to discuss, the specific details surrounding the Board of Trustees’ decision to bring Andris’s tenure with the orchestra to an end. We can assure you, however, that there is nothing Andris wishes to conceal. We will simply continue to respect the confidentiality that all parties involved are expected to observe. That said, both we and Andris feel it is important to correct the record, as the situation has not been accurately presented to the musicians whose reports you received.
We understand that the reports you have received from musicians regarding conversations surrounding honorary titles and offers from the Board to Andris are greatly concerning to you and they are to us too. What has been shared with the musicians is inaccurate and not a faithful reflection of the truth. The decision to terminate at the end of August 2027 was presented as final. Furthermore, we want to emphasize that, out of principle, any short- term alternative responsibility offered to Andris would not have been considered by him without being granted the opportunity for prior consultation with the BSO musicians.
Andris also stands by his original statement to the players regarding the timing of his departure. Contrary to reports given to the press, there were no discussions with Andris or us about an exit at any point, nor did we have any indication a termination was imminent prior to receiving communication of the Board of Trustees’ decision to terminate Andris’s position as Music Director. Renewed terms of Andris’ Evergreen Agreement with the BSO beyond August 2027 had been agreed in principle by both parties and were in the process of being finalized in contractual form immediately prior to being informed of the Board of Trustees’ decision to terminate.
Finally, we want to reiterate that, contrary to recent reporting, Andris was not involved in any formal or informal approval relating to the BSO’s Strategic Plan or elements of it. As you know, the plan did not set out expectations for the Music Director role, and, to date, BSO leadership have not explained to Andris in what way they felt he was not aligned with the organization’s strategic vision.1 The only meaningful input that Andris had in the strategic planning process was the meeting on 23 September 2025 which Andris helped convene in an effort to bring all parties together, including representatives of the senior staff (Tony, Tyler, Lauren), the musicians (you), Andreas, myself, and Chad. You will remember that the key outcome of that meeting was the restoration of an explicit commitment to ‘making music at the highest level of excellence’ within the organization’s mission statement which was missing from the previous drafts shared with the various stakeholders.2 This amended version was subsequently presented to the Board for ratification.
We hope this helps provide some answers to you and your colleagues.
We will be in touch shortly to suggest some possible times for the meeting with Andris in Boston.
All best wishes,
Karen [McDonald (Andris Nelsons’s agent)]”
1. In another letter from Karen McDonald, “Andris also asked me to convey that he is fully aligned with the plan’s intent to deepen relevance and welcome more people into our halls, this is indeed a passion point for him. His wish is simply to anchor that growth unmistakably in the BSO’s world-class artistry.
2. “As the BSO pursues a stronger emphasis on community and audience connection, Andris feels it is vital that the orchestra’s core historical values—above all, artistic excellence—remain explicit and non-negotiable…”
UPDATE TWENTY-FIVE: (July 15th): In today’s Berkshire Eagle article,
Andris Nelsons’s manager gives the lie to BSO Management claims.
Despite their many claims to the contrary in their justifications for the summary firing of Andris Nelsons last March, the BSO management never discussed a quiet exit for him, nor did they offer him a conductor-emeritus role or permanent guest-conductor status. Nelsons’s management representative Karen McDonald also wrote in a letter solicited by the BSO Players’ Committee, that Nelsons “was never told how he supposedly was misaligned with the BSO’s new strategic plan.” “With these new revelations, it is now clear that the management and the board never sought the alignment on vision with Nelsons they claim they lacked, and that they cited as the primary reason for terminating his contract,” according to Todd Seeber, chair of the Players Committee. Other musicians told the Eagle that they were “none the wiser” after a recent meeting with Board Chairman Barbara Hostetter.
Today’s explosive front page Berkshire Eagle article by Clarence Fanto [HERE] also salutes the effectiveness of the ubiquitous Red Flower Campaign and management’s refusal to meet with them.
UPDATE TWENTY-FOUR (July 8): Nelsons Defiant in Tanglewood Music Center Opener:
“I am looking forward to many more summers” of leading the conducting program at Tanglewood.
by Stephen Landrigan
Andris Nelsons said today that “I am looking forward to many more summers” of leading the conducting program at Tanglewood. He was speaking at the opening exercises of the Tanglewood Music Center (TMC) welcoming 122 fellows in a ceremony in Seiji Ozawa Hall.
In the audience were Barbara Hostetter, the chair of the BSO Trustees, who has led the effort to dismiss Nelsons, as well as Chad Smith, the BSO president ,who on March 6th informed Nelsons via an email to his manager that his contract with the BSO would be terminated at the conclusion of next year’s Tanglewood season. Hostetter, with a Massachusetts State Police detail nearby, did not speak at the event nor was her presence publicly acknowledged by those on the stage.
Nelsons’s firing has caused outpouring of protest from BSO musicians, patrons and donors, both in Boston and internationally.
Leading the fight for his reinstatement has been a grassroots group known variously as the BSO Patron Action Network and the #RedFlowerCampaign. Earlier in the day, the Red Flower Campaign hung banner-like posters supporting Nelsons in the windows of a vacant shop in nearby Stockbridge.
One sign celebrated Nelson’s recently having been named Conductor of the Year by Opus Classik in Germany. Another shows an oversized portrait of Nelsons above the caption, “Reinstate. For Andris. For the Musicians. For the BSO’s Future.” The Red Flower Campaign has stressed that its efforts are as much on behalf of the BSO musicians as Nelsons. The musicians were blindsided by his termination. They are now in negotiations for a new contract. One of their bargaining points is to have a say in the appointment of BSO conductors.
The storefront is located at 6 Elm Street in Stockbridge, just around the corner from the historic Red Lion Inn. Several pedestrians passing the store as the posters were being hung stopped to read them. Some thanked the Red Flower crew for what they were doing and expressed their support for Nelsons. Others said that they did not know the full details of what has been happening at the BSO, though they are Tanglewood regulars. They happily accepted red flowers offered by the poster hangers to wear to concerts this summer.
A few hours later, at Tanglewood, many of the Tanglewood Fellows, were seen wearing red flowers they had sourced themselves. The mother of one of the fellows told Red Flower co-founder Quinn MacKenzie that she had ordered 100 red flowers for her son to distribute to the other fellows. Many already had them, she reported.
The Opening Exercises were led by TMC Director, Ed Gazouleas. In welcoming the fellows, he paid tribute to Tony Fogg, who will soon retire as the BSO’s Vice President of Artistic Planning Fogg has been the architect of many of the BSO’s greatest successes in recent decades. He received prolonged applause.
Lorna McGhee, the BSO’s principal flute, then spoke, cautioning the fellows to, “Remember throughout your career that you are all unique and beautiful artists. I say this especially for the orchestral Fellows. Sometimes the incredible sensitivity that this work requires goes unrecognized and undervalued. It takes deep listening, humility, and empathy.” She was joined by pianist Thomas Weaver in a deeply moving performance of rarely heard works by Erwin Schulhoff and Claude Debussy.
Chad Smith then came to the podium and read a prepared statement, noting that he was once a Tanglewood Fellow himself. “What I remember most isn’t any single performance or coaching. It’s the sense that everything was unsettled in the best possible way. Nothing here is finished.”
Smith left the stage to polite applause. Soon after, Nelsons entered from the other side to a raucous standing ovation lasting more than a minute. Smith and Nelsons did not interact on stage and were at no time on stage together.
Nelsons, speaking without notes, told the fellows, “You are the heart of Tanglewood. I wish you all the best and look forward to every class with you, our orchestra, and our audiences. I am looking forward to many more summers.” His optimistic statement about the future ignited another furious round of cheering. While Nelsons has been unable to comment publicly on his firing owing to a non-disclosure agreement he has signed as part of his contract, his statement to the fellows suggested that he is actively challenging his dismissal.
Nelsons then led the fellows in a tradition as old as Tanglewood itself, conducting them as they sang Randall Thompson’s “Alleluia.” Standing on stage while facing his singers in the audience, Nelsons demonstrated his conducting style that has endeared him to the BSO musicians. He drew equally from his own emotional involvement with the music as from his careful listening to what his musicians are producing, all with a minimum of gestures.
Following the event, members of the #RedFlowerCampaign handed out red flowers to members of the Board of Trustees and Board of Advisors who were present. Some 30 Trustees are expected to attend a Trustees gathering this coming weekend at Tanglewood.
Later, the #RedFlowerCampaign went to Bizen restaurant in Great Barrington to leave a basket of red flowers for patrons to pick up on their way to Tanglewood.
Bizen owner Michael Marcus said: “There is a state of dysphoria among all of the restaurateurs, cultural organizations, and businesses in the Berkshires this summer. There is one topic of conversation: the dismissal of Andris Nelsons. How could they have done something so stupid?”
Bizen is one of several businesses in the area promoting the #RedFlowerCampaign. Co-founder George Whiting told BMInt that “Today is just the beginning of what we are planning at Tanglewood this summer. We will be back in a few days for the opening weekend. Barbara Hostetter and Chad Smith may think they have won Round One, but this fight has just begun.”
UPDATE TWENTY-THREE (July 5): A Precis of Well-Sourced Thoughts on What’s Wrong. A CEO Should See to Business
Management, staff, and audiences have suffered alike from the totally unnecessary BSO turmoil. Only Andris Nelsons emerged unscathed. He deeply rues his firing, but if anything, has seen his star burnished by martyrdom. His abrupt separation stands in stark contrast to the necessary, but essentially patient and kind termination of James Levine at the point where the latter could clearly no longer do the job of conducting the BSO. Though Nelsons told BMInt that he wants to return, that may be challenging after next summer’s concerts. Because of the esteem in which he is held by orchestra managements everywhere but here, his calendar is filling up quite rapidly according to our informed assumptions. The players nevertheless continue to hope that that something can be worked out, even though management has taken a reversal of the termination “off the table.”
We are still trying to get answers from BSO management about what “divergence of vision” led to the abrupt dismissal. The press office, despite the statement in a recent letter to the players that “We want to tell our story to the broader community – to our patrons, to our audiences, and to a new generation of Bostonians we hope to one day welcome to Symphony Hall,” has not responded to questions from the Intelligencer. The explanations that they have tendered to other members of the press corps have been dissembling, opaque, and self-servingly inaccurate, especially in how they seem to have blamed Nelsons for poor business decisions that were not his to make.
Chad Smith and Barbara Hostetter have implied that the rupture stemmed from Nelsons’s resistance to doing outreach, but this seams manifestly untrue based both on my interviews and a read of the bio of former BSO President and CEO Mark Volpe on the BSO site. Nelsons enthusiastically worked with management in substantial missions for outreach and diversity, including many community concerts, broadening of repertoire, constructing the Linde Center, and its curricula, as well as engaging with stakeholders. It’s been said that few conductors are more accommodating. See the BSO’s own description of those achievements and interactions HERE.
Our sources believe Nelsons, who worked very harmoniously with Vice President of Artistic Planning Anthony Fogg, balked at the implementation of the Thomas Morris playbook and many other questionable “innovations” which would have placed him more directly under control of CEO Chad Smith. The venom surrounding such bruited changes apparently prompted Fogg to resign and Nelsons to refuse to accept diminution of his artistic independence. Past CEOs have managed the business, not the musicmaking.
And Nelsons may have noted the disappearance of the word “excellence” from publicity. Some funders may reward grant applications which talk about outreach and accessibility, but the BSO need not apologize for being an artistic elite. Charles Murray claimed in his “In Praise of Elitism” (2008) that many in the arts are now embarrassed to aspire to be great, yet no one tells Michael Jordan to tone down his game. Now our knees buckle after accusations of elitism. Lowering standards will not fill seats in Symphony Hall. The board has been accused of trying to turn the BSO into a business that would present many attractions other than the BSO in standard repertoire in order to fill the Hall and pump up the income statements. If you look at current marketing strategies and at the de-emphasis of the orchestra and the straining of Nelson’s independence that preceded the non-renewal, you can glean their strategies.
A future BSO CEO should of course avoid unnecessary conflict. Such an individual would not conduct deceitful whisper campaigns such as the ones about Nelsons, nor should she-he ever look through staff emails for signs of disloyalty or disparage current and previous staff and management publicly. The “only I can save it” mentality must be purged. In addition to implementing measures to reverse the long-term decline of attendance, the next CEO must communicate more openly with the stakeholders, supporting an environment in which the artistic staff, board, players, and Artistic Director work harmoniously while the chief executive takes care of business.
In 1920, 30 players struck in protest over the firing of a concertmaster. Rigid management replaced them and kept out unions for another 20 years. In contrast, Mark Volpe negotiated six contracts without any lasting rancor. Let’s hope his brand of sanity and openness returns to the BSO and banishes the background noise of seething disgruntlement from the Hall and Lawn.
UPDATE TWENTY-TWO (June 29): Thomas Dinsmore Debates Chad Smith on BSO Finances
Documenting how the former is crying wolf.
On March 13, the Boston Globe published a story about the “fall” of Andris Nelsons. The story includes this quote from CEO Chad Smith:
“Our business has been running deficits consistently for nearly two decades. Over the course of those two decades, we’ve de-capitalized our endowment by over $100 million.”
On April 29, the Globe published a story with this passage attributed to “BSO leaders”:
As expenses have risen, the BSO has often run operating deficits, drawing more heavily on its endowment returns than leaders say is sustainable. All told, they say, the BSO has taken an additional $110 million in endowment returns over the past 20 years.
The two statements appear to be about the same core message. Let’s unpack it.
- The claims about deficits are misleading.
The BSO has not consistently run deficits by any accounting standard or method. Under GAAP accounting and IRS accounting, the orchestra ran surpluses in 13 of the past 20 years. Under cash accounting, the BSO recorded an operating cash surplus in 11 of the past 14 years, and a cumulative cash surplus of $15 million. (Sources: BSO GAAP financials; BSO Form 990 filings.)
- The implication that the Board overspent because of “operating deficits” is false.
See the first point, above, about the ambiguity of “operating deficits.”
The BSO Board’s endowment payout policy is remarkably consistent. Before 2020, the core payout rate was 5% of the 12-quarter moving average endowment balance; a small supplemental payout from earnings lifted the overall effective rate to 5.5%. In 2020, the Board raised the core payout to 5.25% and eliminated the supplemental payout. There is no evidence of any sudden ad hoc change to the payout policy in any year.
The Board also approved supplemental payouts for capital spending. These account for at least $30 million.
In truth, the Board maintained a settled payout policy over time. Before 2020, it approved some spending above the core rate for operations, and some for capital spending. Attributing all of the additional spending to operating needs is just plain wrong. (Source: BSO GAAP financials)
- The claim about the “sustainability” of endowment payouts is mostly true, but not for the reasons given.
The BSO’s endowment payout rate of 5.25% is modestly aggressive. The average endowment payout rate for US nonprofits is closer to 4.5%. That may seem like a very small difference, but with very large investment portfolios it adds up to real money.
An above-average payout rate is reasonable if the endowment investments produce above-average returns. However, the BSO investment return is not above average. It is not even average. Since 2009, the BSO endowment has underperformed the S&P 500 index in all but three years, as shown below.
Audited financials disclose the BSO’s investment portfolio in the notes. We can infer investment strategy from measurable characteristics of the portfolio:
- High turnover (as much as 50% in some years)
- Very low yield of interest and dividends (below 1% in most years)
- High volatility (deep losses in down market years)
- Extensive reliance on hedge funds, private equity, and venture capital funds
These characteristics imply an absolute return strategy. About 46% of the portfolio is in equities (stocks) with a significant over-weighting in global equities. Hedge funds and illiquid funds make up 42%, and the balance is in real assets, cash, and the low-rise building on Huntington next to Symphony Hall.
Illiquid limited partnerships now account for 21% of the endowment, up from 6% in 2019. These funds legally trap the orchestra’s money for years, while binding the BSO to mandatory capital calls. They invest in private equity deals and venture capital deals. That’s great if they own a piece of Databricks, but not so great if they own a piece of DataRobot or any of a thousand other stranded unicorns from the tech bubble.
A high-risk investing strategy makes sense if it produces exceptional returns. Unfortunately, the BSO has the worst of both worlds: high volatility, low yield, and low returns.
From 2009 through 2024, the BSO paid investment managers $25.8 million. They paid for a Ferrari and got a used Toyota Yaris.
BSO CEO Chad Smith is not responsible for the shabby investment returns. The Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees controls the choice of investment manager and the endowment investment strategy. The Board sets the payout ratio as well, and has a duty to align the payout with investment returns. The payout rate was unsustainable years ago.
Smith is responsible for spinning a narrative that deflects attention from the Board’s investment track record.
UPDATE TWENTY-ONE (June 24): Is Management Sweet-talking Players or Muzzling Them?
Is management spooked about the major contract negotiation scheduled for Friday? Are they attempting at an end run around the Players’ Committee?
Is this a violation of the National Labor Relations Act? Does this sound desperate? Today’s letter from Barbara and Chad follows:
From: BSO Board <board@bso.org>
Subject: Updates and Meeting Request
Date: June 24, 2026 at 2:22:13 PM EDT
Dear Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra:
UPDATE TWENTY: Red Flower Campaign Prepares for Tanglewood and Dinsmore Opines on Smith
By Steve Landrigan and Thomas Dinsmore
Supporters of BSO Conductor Andris Nelsons, who distributed red flowers to concert-goers outside Symphony Hall
this past spring to protest his unexpected termination, are making plans to be in Tanglewood.
“We want everyone in the Koussevitsky Shed and everyone on the lawn to be wearing a red flower,” stated Quinn MacKenzie, a leader of the BSO Patron Action Network who are spearheading the #RedFlowerCampaign. “Word is spreading. Boston people know about the red flowers. New York people do as well. We saw that at Carnegie Hall, when Maestro Nelsons conducted the BSO there at the end of the regular season.”
The red flowers became a symbol of solidarity with Nelsons after BSO and Boston Pops players appeared on stage wearing them. Audiences quickly picked up on it as well. Not only in Boston and New York, but at a BSO Chamber Players concert in Puerto Rico and an appearance by Nelsons in Beijing with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.
“Interest in the Red Flower Campaign has been strong from the start,” states George Whiting, co-founder of the BSO Patron Action Network along with MacKenzie. “We saw that this past Sunday when 40-plus BSO subscribers, musicians, and fans gathered outside Symphony Hall to mark 100 days since Nelsons was fired. It was a hot afternoon. There was no concert. Yet they came because they want the BSO management to understand that a great wrong has been done to the musicians, to the subscribers and to Andris.”
Among them were retired BSO bass player, Joe Hearne, and his wife, Jan Brett, a lifelong subscriber. “We are here to support the musicians,” Hearne said.
Those unhappy about Nelsons’s firing got a boost today from Substack columnist Thomas Dinsmore who skewered BSO President and Chief Executive, Chad Smith. Last Friday, Smith gave an interview to the New York Times where he was quoted as saying: “The BSO for 100 years had been the most innovative orchestra in the world. Somewhere along the line, we lost that spark of imagination, or we lost that sense of momentum pushing us forward and breaking boundaries. That’s something that we have to get back.”
Dinsmore asked: “What kind of leader trashes his own organization?” He added, “Chad casts himself as a turnaround specialist, parachuting into Boston to save the day. He reminds me of that Army officer in Vietnam: We had to destroy the village to save it.”
Smith led the effort to dismiss Nelsons and has been the focus of protests ever since.
Dinsmore relentlessly fact-checked statements Smith made in the interview.
For example, Smith said, “I see audiences that are at 55 percent of our hall capacity on multiple nights, and I think: ‘Something’s not working.’” Smith has claimed that Nelsons is the reason audiences are dwindling. But are they?
Dinsmore, quoting public annual financial statements by the BSO wrote, “In fiscal 2024, the BSO reported average Symphony attendance of 1,997, or 77% of capacity. That was down slightly from 81% in fiscal 2019, the last season before COVID, but up from fiscal 2023.”
On another issue, Smith stated, “The orchestra is also facing daunting capital expenses, including $150 million to maintain both Symphony Hall and Tanglewood, during a time of declining ticket revenues and contributions.” The implication is that Nelsons’s presence on the podium is somehow the cause of these deficits.
Dinsmore countered, “Every time Chad mentions maintenance, the number increases. First, it was $50 million, then $80 million. The BSO’s State of the Boston Symphony Orchestra memo claimed a need to spend $100 million. These are all manufactured numbers.”
Smith noted that the search for a new conductor would not begin until the fall. Dinsmore in response cited numerous examples from the recent history of the BSO and other major orchestras of the many years it takes to identify and hire a new conductor.
Smith’s unwillingness to do interviews with local media, including the Boston Musical Intelligencer, have left some regular concertgoers concerned that he does not have a solid plan. “He’s just blowing smoke,” said one subscriber outside Symphony Hall, who did not want to give her name.
As she spoke, Smith was seen making his way into the stage door. He said nothing to those who had gathered to protest his actions, though some held signs emblazoned with red flowers that stated: “100 Days of Silence.” Others wore T-shirts showing Nelsons holding a bouquet of red flowers above a one-word slogan, “Reinstate.”
UPDATE NINETEEN: 100 DAYS
For 100 days, patrons have asked questions. For 100 days, musicians have spoken out. For 100 days, the community has waited for answers and accountability. And for 100 days, BSO leadership has remained silent. This Sunday at 1:00 the Red Flower campaign invites readers to show up with a red flower to show the musicians that they are not standing alone.
UPDATE EIGHTEEN: Red Flower Campaign Reaches Beijing and Puerto Rico
On May 30th, following a performance by Andris Nelsons and the Gewandhausorchester at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, a patron placed a red flower beside a portrait of Nelsons on a sign in the lobby.
No campaign organizers were involved in the red flower’s appearance in Beijing. The act appeared to be an independent expression of support, a quiet but powerful reminder that music creates connections that transcend borders.
On May 31st, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players made their Puerto Rico debut at the Festival Casals de Puerto Rico. Their performance inside the Sala Sinfónica Pablo Casals coincided with the 70th anniversary of the festival, and 150th anniversary of Pablo Casals’ birth.
At the concert, supporters handed out 100 red flowers, along with flyers in English and Spanish. Many audience members were seen wearing flowers in solidarity with the Chamber Players, who also wore red flowers on stage. This marked yet another expansion of the Red Flower Campaign beyond Boston, with patrons using the flower as a peaceful symbol of support for the musicians, and shared commitment to the future of the BSO.
“A lot of the support we’ve been seeing lately has risen up organically,” said Quinn MacKenzie, co-founder of the Red Flower Campaign. “People around the world are hearing about the campaign, and it’s clearly resonating with them. Whether in Boston, Puerto Rico, or Beijing, the red flower is sending a signal to leadership: people are paying attention, and they are standing in support of the musicians.” The campaign has been amplifying voices from across the BSO community by sharing patron stories about what the BSO means to them, and petition comments calling for action from leadership. Through peaceful visibility at concerts, the goal, organizers say, is not to disrupt the music, but to defend the artistic trust that makes the music possible.
“The red flower has become a way for people to speak without interrupting,” Whiting added. “It is a symbol of care, solidarity, and resolve. It reminds us that the BSO is not a faceless institution managed from the top. It is a living artistic community made up of musicians, audiences, donors, and listeners around the world who believe in what this orchestra can and should be.”
The Red Flower Campaign continues to call on BSO leadership to provide transparency around the decision to end Nelsons’ tenure, to engage directly with musicians and patrons, and to restore trust through open dialogue.
The leaders of #redflowercampaign, George Whiting and Quinn MacKenzie, are correct in their recent reply posted on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/reel/28976432) to the reply they received last Friday signed by Chad and Barbara. BSO management must take responsibility for what has transpired since they issued the March 6th statement, causing the unexpected turmoil. I have emailed both, advising them to contact Attorney General Andrea Campbell directly, requesting an investigation into Chad and Barbara’s business practices with the BSO, and that punitive action must be taken against Chad and Barbara and their minions in BSO management and the board responsible for the turmoil, firing all of them. I have also recommended that the Attorney General acts to reconstitute the BSO board so that it will include as members, George Whiting and five BSO Musicians; the latter consistent with what the Chicago Symphony Orchestra has done with its board.
Comment by John Kwok — September 7, 2026 at 4:54 pm
@Rob IMHO the worst offender has been @Jonathan Brodie, whose first post in this thread was excessive in its attack on those of us supporting Nelsons and BSO Musicians. I felt compelled to reply to his rhetorical nonsense, and it seems he hasn’t quite learned his lesson.
Comment by John Kwok — September 7, 2026 at 4:45 pm
@ava, not quite a great analysis since the author missed the call from BSO Principal Clarinetist Bill Hudgins which was posted over at SlippeDisc. He is urging the public and other BSO Musicians to rally behind Nelsons.
Comment by John Kwok — September 7, 2026 at 4:35 pm
@Ava…Mr. Ford’s essay is perceptive. Thank you for the link.
For anyone wanting to save some time, a concise summation of his points was recently made in this discussion: “The musicians of his orchestra have shown a more sensible path. They wore their boutonnieres with pride, and then they wasted no time in signing on the dotted line. A rose is a beautiful thing, but paying the mortgage, college tuition and alimony, if not beautiful, is certainly useful. “The beautiful is as useful as the useful” said the sage. I’m no sage (just a viola player from Milwaukee) but I wonder that sometimes the “al reverso” is also true.”
An even briefer summation: the musicians of the BSO know what side “the bread is buttered on.”
Comment by Jonathan Brodide — September 7, 2026 at 4:31 pm
Great analysis! The real loser in the negotiations is the audience. https://www.earrelevant.net/2026/09/when-artistic-quality-meets-the-bargaining-table/
Comment by ava — September 7, 2026 at 3:40 pm
I will be closing the comments on this much-extended post late this evening and will be more vigilant thereafter.
Comment by Lee Eiseman — September 7, 2026 at 12:11 pm
Though I’m hesitant to contribute to this increasingly repetitive and largely irrelevant post, I do so to ask the moderator to actually moderate. There have been a number of nasty ad hominem and at times childish remarks lobbed at other contributors, and I believe that these posts have for some time now reflected poorly on the BMI. It’s time to move on and to so so with the civility that is supposedly a requirement for commenting here.
Comment by Rob — September 7, 2026 at 11:11 am
@NDA I have emailed George and Quinn, advising them to complain directly to MA Attorney General Andrea Campbell, requests that she launches an investigation of Chad and Barbara’s business practices with the BSO, and takes punitive action, resulting in the firings of them and their minions in management and the board. I also suggested that they ask the Attorney General to reconstitute the board so that it includes George and other like minded people as well as five BSO musicians.
Comment by John Kwok — September 7, 2026 at 12:25 am
I saw one contributor remarking that some of the comments here reflect a cult-like attachment to Nelsons. The same could be said of people who will just attend BSO concerts no matter what the format. For my part, I will not be bullied into settling for a conductor that does not match the level of Nelsons. Bring in Petrenko or Thielemann as a replacement and I will attend future concerts. As for the red flower campaign, they need to reassess what kind of dissent they would like to express. With Nelsons outgoing, any attendance of concerts helps the BSO management. The BSO needs to see empty seats to come to its sense.
Comment by NDA — September 6, 2026 at 6:31 pm
Two days ago George and his colleague Quinn did receive a reply from the BSO signed by BSO President and CEO Chad Smith and BSO Board Chair Barbara Hostetter. This is what they noted:
The Boston Symphony Orchestra has sent a response to our open letter — this time signed by Barbara Hostetter and Chad Smith — but they still haven’t answered the six questions we first asked back in April.
They still didn’t explain what the supposed “misalignment of future vision” with Andris Nelsons actually was.
They didn’t commit to a public town hall and they didn’t address whether the Board would reconsider its decision about Andris.
Instead, leadership talks about a “more collaborative future” and that they’ll share more about the BSO’s strategic vision in the year ahead.
But the BSO has already been working on that strategic vision for two years and if you still can’t explain what the vision is, how did you decide that Andris wasn’t aligned with it?
Leadership claims that “the agreement represents more than the resolution of contract negotiations”, but the new contract was never about Andris Nelsons.
We’re happy that the contract contains additional artistic safeguards that will hopefully prevent something like this from happening again. But it doesn’t absolve responsibility for the decision announced back in March.
Will this “more collaborative future” finally include real transparency and straight answers? That remains to be seen. But first, we need accountability for what happened earlier this year. We’re still waiting for answers.
#StandWithAndris #redflowercampaign #wethepatrons #classicalmusic #bso
https://www.facebook.com/reel/28976432
Comment by John Kwok — September 6, 2026 at 2:25 pm
@Jonathan Brodie
During these days of BSO turmoil, we have relaxed our requirement of a verifiable email for contributors, requiring only civility. Going forward, we will be returning to the verifiability requirement.
Comment by Lee Eiseman — September 5, 2026 at 5:51 pm
Regarding the recent suggestion of “How about adding upvotes/downvotes to the comments?
That’d be sporting”:
More sporting still would be if contributors with enough moxie not to hid behind “noms de plumes” would get awarded double points.
Comment by Jonathan Brodie — September 5, 2026 at 2:37 pm
@DavidMoran, on a more serious note, I have not yet read any commentary from you condemning Chad and Barbara. Instead of obsessing ove me, maybe you should direct your rhetorical fire against them, starting with what I advised @Meckbesser earlier this morning. You should be among those complaining to MA Attorney General Andrea Campbell, demanding that she takes punitive action against Chad and Barbara.
Comment by John Kwok — September 4, 2026 at 9:37 am
@David Moran I am not having any luck with an unpublished novel I’ve worked on for many years, seeking literary agent representation. I am researching another one and have told Chad and Barbara that I’ll use their names for hapless human naval officers who get eaten alive by gigantic lizard-like pets of evil aliens who have been waging war against humanity for over a century. I think yours will be the third name I use.
Comment by John Kwok — September 4, 2026 at 8:36 am
@Meckbesser, it is not time to move on. George Whiting published an open letter to Chad and Barbara demanding answers to questions he raised on April 30th several days ago, requesting a written response by today. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s coming, which is why I think he needs to file a complaint with MA Attorney General Andrea Campbell and demands that she takes punitive action against them and their minions in management and the board.
As I noted to the clueless and egotistical @JonathanBrodie the other day, I am not commenting here because I want the attention, especially when I see the BSO only at Carnegie Hall and I am a diehard New York Yankees fan. I am doing it because I believe it is right and I wish others would step up who live in MA and complain directly to Attorney General Andrea Campbell, demanding that she takes punitive action against Chad and Barbara. Contrary to what your friend in the BSO might say, this isn’t over yet.
Comment by John Kwok — September 4, 2026 at 8:21 am
@NDA, that’s why they need to complain to MA Attorney General Andrea Campbell and ask her to start investigating Chad and Barbara and their minions in management and the board, take punitive action against them, including have the BSO board reconstituted so that it includes those who support Nelsons and the BSO Musicians, including five BSO Musicians in a manner consistent with what the Chicago Symphony has done with its board. Attorney General Campbell must fire Chad and Barbara and those who asssisted them in creating the turmoil.
Comment by John Kwok — September 4, 2026 at 8:15 am
@David Moran, you’re ridiculous. I mention McCourt especially when he performed with the Boston Pops and Boston Symphony orchestras several times at Tanglewood and Symphony Hall, reading from his best-selling, Pulitizer Prize-winning memoir while composer/conductor John Williams conducted the orchestras in the film score he composed for the film adaptation of McCourt’s book. As for Gould, he was locally prominent in Boston early music circles. Both of them would have denounced Chad and Barbara and supported Nelsons and the BSO Musicians.
Comment by John Kwok — September 4, 2026 at 8:10 am
Many, many words have been written on this topic. John Kwok wins the prize (most likely) for the most words (Is he paying rent to BMint?) As a friend in the BSO has remarked, it’s done. Nelsons isn’t going to be reinstated. The new contract has been ratified. Time to move on. Nelsons will do just fine, being in high demand. The question of the hour is whither the BSO heads from here. Until the new ‘vision’ is clear, we will need a defogger and GPS- and maybe keep our money in our pockets.
PS- suggestion to the management: How about adding upvotes/downvotes to the comments? That’d be sporting.
Comment by Meckbesser — September 4, 2026 at 8:00 am
BSO IMPLODING: Just read in slipped disc that the seating charts for the upcoming season remain to a large degree empty. Also, many donors are withholding their money. This is the way to send a clear message. If you’re unhappy with the dismissal of Nelsons, simply stay away from the concerts. The red flower campaign needs to stop. When you’re unhappy with a consumer product, you don’t keep on buying it and wear a red flower. A fundamental principle of US capitalism is consumer’s choice. Customer is king/queen.
Comment by NDA — September 4, 2026 at 7:20 am
JKwok,
Gosh, I hope you are getting paid by the word.
If we gather around your feet by the fire, can you remind everyone who McCourt and Gould were? And their place in your vainglorious life?
Comment by David Moran — September 3, 2026 at 10:36 pm
@Jonathan Brodie, what is “creepy” is the disgusting, disturbing, despicable and unprofessional conduct shown by BSO President and CEO Chad Smith and his key supporter, former shoe salesperson Barbara Hostetter, who has no love or interest in classical music as those who’ve seen her at concerts have noted here and at SlippeDisc, yet she is determined to have her filthy hands retain control over BSO operations. No. Both she and Chad Smith, must be removed from their current positions, whether it is due to resignation or firing. Unfortunately, it seems the only means of getting rid of them is by having the MA Attorney General, Andrea Campbell, investigate and take punitive action against them and the board, reconstituting the board so that includes George Whiting of #redflowercampaign who has issued an open letter demanding answers from Chad and Barbara that he wants in writing by tomorrow and five BSO musicians in a manner consistent with what the Chicago Symphony Orchestra has done, with five of its musicians as members of its board of trustees.
Trust me, I don’t need to spend more time commenting about this, especially since I see the BSO only when it performs at Carnegie Hall, as a native New Yorker who roots for the New York Yankees. However, my favorite teacher in high school, Frank McCourt, performed with them and the Boston Pops Orchestra several times at Tanglewood and Symphony Hall, reading passages from his global bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir “Angela’s Ashes”, while the orchestras played John Williams’ film score from the filmed adaptation of McCourt’s memoir. If Frank was alive still he would recognize Chad and Barbara as the phonies they are, demand that they be removed from the BSO, and voice his support for Andris Nelsons and the BSO Musicians. (I was fortunate to have been a prize-winning student of his, at New York City’s elite, STEM-oriented, Stuyvesant High School.) As a former evolutionary biologist I am also certain that someone who was both a hero and unofficial mentor of mine in graduate school, Harvard University invertebrate paleontologist and evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould, would have also denounced Chad and Barbara, demand their removal from BSO, and voice his support for Andris Nelsons and the BSO Musicians.
What Chad and Barbara fail to understand is that if Andris Nelsons wasn’t good, he wouldn’t have gotten statements of support from leading North American and European orchestras like the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Philadelphiad Orchestra and Toronto Symphony Orchestra condemning Chad and Barbara’s March 6th announcement terminating Nelsons contract at the end of the 2027 Tanglewood Festival Season, and praising Nelsons and the BSO Musicians. (This pathetic statement was issued while Nelsons was taking the Wiener Philharmoniker on its longest North American tour in recent memory. Several months later, the Wiener Philharmoniker bestowed upon Nelons honorary membership in their orcheestra, making him the youngest musician so honored.)
What Chad and Barbara fail to understand is how the global orchestral and classical music community has expressed its support for Nelsons and the BSO Musicians. Instead, their conduct towards the BSO Musicians, Nelsons and those supporting them have been disgusting, despicable, deplorable and unprofessional. That’s what is ‘creepy” their behavior, not those of us supporting Nelsons and the BSO Musicians. May I suggest you wake up from your egotistical dream and face reality?
Comment by John Kwok — September 3, 2026 at 4:42 pm
That I continue to follow this increasingly redundant and one-sided conversation brings up a topic best reserved for my therapist’s recliner. For reassurance that the exercise hasn’t been completely self-destructive, and that there may even be a modicum of benefit, here are two beneficial outcomes to the habit: “minions” has returned to my everyday vocabulary and I’ve started reflecting on the dangers of entrapment in the swamps of musical idolatry.
The pianist Jonathan Biss wrote on this very topic insightfully in a recent essay; but thanks to the “Boston Musical Intelligencer”, I was already on the train before his work was published. The deification of the current Maestro, the calls for legal retribution towards a symphony bureaucracy (that makes “tar and feathering”) sound like a vacation in the ”The Dells”), the ululations, the floral dimension; it’s all downright creepy. The person who should be most uneasy about it all is the Maestro himself. That he has not advised his acolytes to stop is telling.
His support of his fan’s almost fanatical (cross out “almost”) loyalty does not
do him credit. The musicians of his orchestra have shown a more sensible path. They wore their boutonnieres with pride, and then they wasted no time in signing on the dotted line. A rose is a beautiful thing, but paying the mortgage, college tuition and alimony, if not beautiful, is certainly useful. “The beautiful is as useful as the useful” said the sage. I’m no sage (just a viola player from Milwaukee) but I wonder that sometimes the “al reverso” is also true.
The dismissal of this conductor might well have been an artistic crime. I’m not qualified to say. I I am qualified to say, though, from a life-time of knowing first-hand a cabinet full of musical disasters, is that from that from the darkness of the cupboards may become a new dish.
But this is not a musical auto-biography.
Is it presumptuous to apply that learned lesson to the present brouhaha? Whether it is or not, I’ll do it anyway.
From the breaking of this sonic omelet will come new music and new musicking. A pop orchestra? A civic orchestra (there is no more worthy group than that!) And from that new place; who knows? Fortunately, that outcome has in it a valuable fragment; Robert Louis Stevenson’s description of an essential sliver present in all artistic endeavors: “An unexpected imminent significance.” (My appreciation to Marius Kociejowski for alerting me to Stevenson’s insight.) That is a treasured future. In the short term maybe not. But short-terms are short. They pass over.
My advice to the grieving participants in this discussion. Stop ranting. Take up an out- of-tune viola, Buy a fresh set of new strings. Crank up those old pegs to the breaking point.
Play a new tune and keep going.
Keep going.
Comment by Jonathan Brodie — September 3, 2026 at 2:05 pm
@Kenny G – Tbat is why MA Attorney General Andrea Campbell must step in, launch an investigation and then apply punitive measures against those in management and on the BSO Board responsible for the ongoing turmoil. You should follow up on your complaint that you had filed online.
Comment by John Kwok — September 3, 2026 at 7:48 am
It’s time to change the power equation in this media war with the BSO board. Supporters of Nelsons have been tirelessly trying to explain their position only to fall on the deaf ears of the BSO. Requests for transparency and explanations on their part are consistently being stonewalled. With the upcoming season approaching, I will refrain from attending BSO concerts and will also stop commenting on this forum. Let’s shift the burden to the BSO when trying to figure out why audiences are declining in the new season. I enjoyed exchanging views with the forum’s participants but from now on I prefer to listen to Nelsons fine recordings instead.
Comment by Kenny G — September 3, 2026 at 7:30 am
@Kenny G –
Let’s call a spade a spade. She’s really a former shoe salesperson who has no genuine love or interest for classical music.
I followed up my latest emails to them with these two PS ones:
I sent a version of this email to the Charities division of the MA Attorney General’s office more than a month ago. The two email addresses I have bcc’d should note it and forward this email to Attorney General Campbell:
Dear Madam/Sir:
I think it is time that the Massachusetts Attorney General launches an investigation into current business practices employed by Boston Symphony Orchestra management and board. Specifically, such an investigation must address the following issues:
1. Why was Maestro Andris Nelsons’ contract scheduled for termination at the end of the 2027 Tanglewood without prior consultation with him and the Boston Symphony Orchestra Musicians, and the general public?
2. Why was the public announcement made in the afternoon of March 6th, while Nelsons was in the midst of taking the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) on its longest USA tour in recent memory? Weeks later he would be honored by this great orchestra – whose chairman, Daniel Froschauer, is the first notable Austrian musician to have been educated at Juilliard – as its newest honorary member, and, if my memory is correct, the youngest person so honored. A few days ago he was honored as “Conductor of the Year” by Opus Klassik in Germany.
3. Why has Chad Smith, BSO CEO, and Barbara Hostetter, Chair, BSO board of directors, told BSO musicians that reinstating Nelsons indefinitely as BSO Music Director is off the table and will not be discussed when contract negotiations commence tomorrow.
4. Why has BSO management and board ignored the concerns and complaints voiced not only by BSO Musicians, but especially, by those in the general public – including yours truly – who have appreciated greatly Maestro Nelsons’ sterling musicianship, including his exceptional skills as conductor, ensuring that under his direction, the Boston Symphony Orchestra is one of the world’s great symphony orchestras.
5. Why has Chad Smith and Barbara Hostetter refuse to explain publicly why the decision to terminate Nelsons’ contract was made or disclose their agenda for shaping the BSO’s future as a leading cultural institution not only locally in Boston, but nationally and globally as well.
6. Why has Chad Smith and Barbara Hostetter failed to show the professionalism and respect I have come to expect from leadership at Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Metropolitan Museum of Art, American Museum of Natural History, and yes, even the Wiener Philharmoniker, whose leadership, starting with Daniel Froschauer, have displayed consistently more professionalism and respect towards the general public than what I am witnessing now from Chad Smith and Barbara Hostetter and their BSO minions.
I think these issues need to be addressed by the Attorney General during the course of her investigation. They are concerns I do not make likely, having been a long-time fan of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for years, especially enjoying its annual live performances at Carnegie Hall. I am a former evolutionary biologist by training, specializing in invertebrate paleobiology and ecology, having done my undergraduate studies in Geology-Biology and History at Brown University, with subsequent graduate work in biology and geology at respectively, the City College of New York – where most of my courses were held at the American Museum of Natural History – and the University of Arizona, I am an alumnus of New York City’s prestigious STEM-oriented public high school, Stuyvesant High School, where my favorite teacher was my English and creative writing teacher Frank McCourt – I was fortunate to have been among his prize-winning students – decades before he became world-famous for his best-selling Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir “Angela’s Ashes”. At the same time I was pursuing my studies at Stuyvesant High School, I was also studying music, including piano and music theory, at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and for a time in junior high school and high school, also studied clarinet. I am currently a freelance photographer and writer who has an unpublished speculative fiction novel which two North American literary agents are reading now the full manuscript, for the purpose of considering me as their newest client in their literary agencies.
Respectfully yours,
John Kwok
P. S. Barbara and Chad, this first unpublished novel may not be picked up by a literary agent. I have been researching a second one, and in that second one, I think I’ll use your names as the names of two luckless human naval officers who get eaten alive by the gigantic lizard-like pets of evil aliens who have been at war with humanity for over a century.
@Kenny G I followed that (above) with this:
I should note for the benefit of those at the MA Attorney General’s office I have bcc’d on these emails – and this one should be passed along too to Attorney General Campbell – that I have a personal interest in this because my favorite teacher at Stuyvesant High School, Frank McCourt, performed with the Boston Pops and Boston Symphony orchestras several times at Tanglewood and Symphony Hall. He would read passages from his best-selling Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir “Angela’s Ashes” while composer/conductor John Williams would conduct the orchestras in the entire film score he composed for the film adaptation of “Angela’s Ashes”. Since she’s such an enthusiastic fan of the BSO, I’d be surprised that Barbara Hostetter attended at least one of these performances. As for Frank McCourt, if he was alive still – he would have been 96 years old last month – he would recognize Barbara as the selfish phony she is with filthy hands and urge BSO to have her removed from the BSO board ASAP. He would have voiced his support for BSO musicians and Andris Nelsons, as well as note his opposition to BSO management and the board, condemning them for their disgusting, quite despicable, unprofessional conduct towards BSO musicians and the general public supporting them. I am certain he would support George Whiting’s letters and Boston Globe Op-Ed piece, demanding that they provide George with the answers he’s requested from his questions addressed to them.
Comment by John Kwok — September 2, 2026 at 4:52 pm
@John Kwok I believe Hostetter’s bio uses “merchandizer in women’s fashion,” a fancy term for salesperson. Married into wealth and is in over her head with the BSO. Smith is a manque (failed) singer and now wishes to act the artist as the new quasi-music director. I’m surprised that the BSO board follows the poor choices by these unqualified people, given that they represent a highly renowned institution.
Comment by Kenny G — September 2, 2026 at 3:59 pm
@Kenny G, I agree completely with your assessment. That’s why I am not leaving them alone. I just sent them this PS:
Dear Chad and Barbara,
Since you probably will not give George Whiting the written reply that he’s requested, I am calling upon those in the Boston Globe to start asking tough questions of you both, Chad and Barbara. I find it fascinating how a former shoes salesperson – that’s you Barbara – is now trying to oversee the future course and artistic vision of one of the world’s great symphony orchestras. Instead of keeping your filthy hands on the Boston Symphony’s operations, maybe you ought to spend your time more wisely cataloguing and organizing an exhibition of Elton John’s shoes, especially from his hit-making heyday in the 1970s.
I have bcc’d two email addresses at the MA Attorney General’s office. I call on them to forward these emails to Attorney General Andrea Campbell and ask her to initiate an investigation into the disgusting, deplorable and unprofessional conduct shown by you both, Chad and Barbara, and take punitive action against you, which should include having you fired from your respective BSO positions. A newly reconstituted BSO board must be created that will include George Whiting and five BSO musicians as members. In his letters and Boston Globe Op-Ed piece, George has demonstrated the ample wisdom and interest that one would expect from a key member of the BSO board of trustees.
Respectfully yours,
John Kwok
Comment by John Kwok — September 2, 2026 at 10:04 am
@John Kwok Thanks for sharing Whiting’s open letter as well as yours highlighting Nelsons’s recent excellent performances at the Salzburg festival. One point of contention is the length of residency. BSO now asks for a conductor with exclusive commitment to the BSO. In reality all major US orchestras have conductors with major commitments elsewhere and conducting only about 12-14 weeks annually wherever they are hired (LA, NY, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia and also Boston). So what does the BSO have in mind? Are they looking for a conductor that conducts 25-28 weeks annually? Or are they going with the old 12-14 weeks schedule but expect the conductor to spend additional weeks in community and fund raising settings? The latter does not sound very attractive and will only draw minor conductors. (Salonen, for example, does not like anything outside conducting and neither do other internationally known conductors). We need answers and we need them before the season begins if one is to trust the BSO and return to the concert hall. I remain skeptical and believe the firing of Nelsons was purely motivated by competitive reasons with Chad Smith trying to become the top dog of the organization and the quasi-music director, The new contract certainly points in this direction. As I said in an earlier post, I’m not interested in the Chad Smith show but in a genuine performer like Nelsons. The impresario cannot replace the musician.
Comment by Kenny G — September 2, 2026 at 7:39 am
I sent this email to Chad and Barbara and their minions a short time ago:
Dear Chad, Barbara, and the rest of the board:
I endorse strongly George Whiting’s latest Open Letter that he sent you earlier this afternoon. It is especially relevant since Andris Nelsons concluded this year’s Salzburg Festival with two superb concerts performed by the Wiener Philharmoniker featuring pianist Yuja Wang as a soloist in a Prokofiev piano concerto. This level of playing is what long-time fans of the Boston Symphony Orchestra should expect from this great orchestra under the leadership of Andris Nelsons. However, there has been no credible explanation regarding the rationale for terminating Nelsons’s BSO Music Director contract at the end of the Summer 2027 Tanglewood Festival Season. In light of performances like these that Nelsons has done lately with the WIener Philharmoniker and other orchestras, as well as the Wiener Philharmoniker’s recent honor of bestowing honorary membership on him, which makes him the youngest person so honored by my favorite orchestra, perhaps it is time that both BSO management and the board listen to George Whiting, yours truly, and many others who wish to see him retained indefinitely as BSO Music Director.
I think what George Whiting has written here is reasonable and warrants a written response from you, Chad and Barbara, and the rest of the board:
[Text of George Whiting’s latest open letter to the board]
Respectfully yours,
John Kwok
Comment by John Kwok — September 1, 2026 at 11:36 pm
George Whiting sent this letter to the board of trustees and Chad earlier today. I support it strongly:
An Open Letter to the Board of Trustees:
September 1, 2026
Dear Members of the Board of Trustees, Board Chair Barbara Hostetter, and CEO Chad Smith,
On April 30th, we wrote to BSO leadership with six specific questions concerning the decision to end Andris Nelsons’ tenure as Music Director, the process by which that decision was made, and the future artistic direction of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
On May 8th, BSO leadership responded, writing:
“While we are engaged in these negotiations, we hope to keep discussions direct – between management, the Board, and the Players.”
We have respected that request.
Those contract negotiations have now concluded, and the musicians have secured a new agreement. In the meantime, we have now received over 4,200 petition signatures, and distributed over 12,500 red flowers to patrons at Symphony Hall, Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood, and beyond.
We are grateful that the immediate uncertainty surrounding the musicians’ contract has been resolved, but resolution of the labor negotiations does not resolve the questions we raised in our letter four months ago. It is therefore time for BSO leadership to provide answers to the questions it deferred.
We again respectfully request answers to the following:
What specifically was the misalignment on “future vision” that led the BSO to end Andris Nelsons’ tenure only two years after publicly expressing “deep confidence in his artistic leadership” and extending his relationship with the orchestra into the “foreseeable future”? Why was a decision of this magnitude made in a seemingly haphazard manner without taking into account the reaction of the musicians and audience?
What role did musician input play in the strategic planning process and the decision to end Nelsons’ tenure? Were any musicians meaningfully consulted before the decision to terminate Nelsons was made?
How does the Board intend to rebuild trust with musicians, patrons, donors, subscribers, and the broader community following the events of the past six months?
What is the future artistic and institutional vision for the BSO? The public has heard repeated references to a future vision and strategic plan, but has still received little clarity about what that means for the orchestra. If no concrete vision exists yet, how was it determined that Nelsons was not in alignment with it?
Will BSO leadership participate in a public town hall, moderated conversation, or other forum where patrons and members of the community can ask questions directly?
Will the Board reconsider its decision regarding Andris Nelsons in light of the sustained concern expressed by musicians, patrons, donors, and members of the international orchestral community?
In March, the Board told the BSO community:
“We are eager to engage with you openly in the upcoming weeks, months, and years as we chart the path ahead.”
Nearly six months have now passed since the announcement regarding Andris Nelsons. The musicians’ contract is settled, and the reasoning cited in May for postponing broader dialogue no longer applies. We are asking BSO leadership to make good on its promise of open engagement.
We respectfully request a substantive written response to these questions within three business days.
We also renew our request for a public forum with BSO leadership. For months, patrons have been told, explicitly or implicitly, that there would be a time for these conversations later. It is now nearly the start of the next season, and these conversations cannot be postponed indefinitely.
We remain committed to the musicians, to the artistic excellence of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and to the ideals of an institution that must remain worthy of the trust placed in it by its artists and audiences.
Comment by John Kwok — September 1, 2026 at 10:20 pm
Reviews for Andris Nelsons conducting the Vienna Philharmonic at the Salzburg Festival in late August 2026 praised the orchestra’s gripping drama and rich stylistic nuance. Reviews of the August 29, 2026, program—featuring Richard Strauss’s Don Juan and Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche alongside Prokofiev (with Yuja Wang stepping in for an injured Daniil Trifonov)—highlighted specific performance details:
Orchestral Color: Critics noted how Nelsons drew out sinister, robust textures from the lower woodwinds and brass during Till Eulenspiegel.
Stylistic Flair: Concertmaster Rainer Honeck and the orchestra infused solo passages with authentic, waltz-like Viennese rhythmic inflections and dramatic contrast under Nelsons’ baton. (source: Salzburger Nachrichten)
Comment by Kenny G — August 31, 2026 at 4:36 pm
@ John Kwok Agree with you that George Whiting would make a great member on a new reconstituted board as he genuinely cares for classical music. He would also make a great representative for the LBGTQ community, which is a significant segment of the audience and donors. However, I would currently sit out the season, rather than attending with red flowers as a show of dissent, since it sends a clearer signal of a disenchanted and ignored audience.
Comment by Boris Karloff — August 31, 2026 at 9:14 am
@Kenny G, I just emailed this to Chad and Barbara:
This is the kind of music making that Boston Symphony audiences at Symphony Hall, Tanglewood and Carnegie Hall should be expecting from the BSO under Nelsons’ direction. (Note that the article is originally in German, so you may have to translate it online into English): Review – Yuja Wang and the Vienna Philharmonic in Salzburg: Breathless at the end | News and Review | BR-KLASSIK | Bayerischer Rundfunk.
IF the BSO musicians have a 50% right to determine who the BSO Music Director should be after the Summer 2027 Tanglewood season, then if most of them are interested still, Andris Nelsons should be reinstated. He may not yet be the conductor Muti is and Haitink was, but obviously he was quite good enough for the Wiener Philharmoniker to ask him to close out this year’s Salzburg Festival with him conducting them in their last two concerts of the season.
Again, having read many credible reports of Barbara Hostetter’s apparent disinterest – if not disdain – for classical music, then we should ask ourselves why should she remain on the BSO Board, not only as BSO Board Chair? As for Chad Smith, he has proven how inept he’s been since he and Barbara issued their March 6th statement. Both have shown consistently disgusting, despicable and unprofessional conduct unworthy of those leading a major world symphony orchestra as highly regarded as the Boston Symphony is. I haven’t heard anything remotely like this in New York City at Carnegie Hall, The Metropolitan Opera, and The New York Philharmonic Orchestra. It is about time that both Barbara Hostetter and Chad Smith to accept responsibility for the unnecessary mess they created as well as for rendering the Boston Symphony Orchestra into a laughingstock of world symphony orchestras. If neither is willing to accept responsibility by resigning from their positions, then they should be fired.
I will continue supporting George Whiting and Quinn MacKenzie until their reasonable objectives are fulfilled. It is about time that MA Attorney General Andrea Campbell investigates Hostetter, Smith and their minions for their disgusting, despicable and unprofessional conduct, and takes the necessary punitive actions required, which includes firing them and reconstituting the BSO board so that it reflects the musical aspirations and commitment to excellence desired by BSO musicians and those of us in the general public who support them.
Respectfully yours,
John Kwok
Comment by John Kwok — August 31, 2026 at 7:18 am
@Kenny G, I passed on to two of my friends in the Wiener Philharmoniker, a link to George Whiting’s Boston Globe Op-Ed piece. I told them they could share it with Andris Nelsons if they wish.
Comment by John Kwok — August 30, 2026 at 11:16 pm
@Boris Karloff,
The blame does rest firmly on the shoulders of both Chad and Barbara since they’ve been trying to get rid of Andris for years. Others have noted their interest in getting rid of Nelsons for years. Both are responsible for the ongoing turmoil that started publicly in March. Both must accept full responsibility for their actions and resign or be fired from the BSO. The others who have supported them, their minions, should be removed too. A reconstituted BSO board should include people like George Whiting and at least five BSO musicians. I would have more confidence with a reconstituted board containing those I’ve mentioned than allowing the present board to get away with its disgraceful, disgusting and unprofessional conduct.
Comment by John Kwok — August 30, 2026 at 11:14 pm
@John Kwok @JKK We are being stonewalled by the present and former board of the BSO. To my knowledge Mark Volpe, who hired Nelsons, has not commented on his dismissal, nor has anyone else from the previous board. Also, how did the new board come into being? Certainly not overnight but it obviously began with the recruitment of new board members over the years who now seem to back Hostetter fully. To lay blame only on her and Smith may make it appear as if they run the entire organization as a two-people team. But this appears not to be the case. We’re up against an organization that closes ranks when under duress. Surprisingly, the contract negotiations were not impacted and everything now proceeds as usual. The audience is asked to return to Symphony Hall, siding with the red flower campaign or not, while allowing everything to go forward as usual. We’re asking for answers and transparency but are not getting anything than superficial slogans from Smith. However, the BSO board expects us to renew our subscriptions and donations. We are also admonished not to boycott the BSO as it may hurt the orchestra. Yet, Thomas Dinsmore has credibly shown that the BSO is flush with money as is also reflected in the recent salary and pension increases. What is one to make of all this non-transparency and misdirection? My gut instinct tells me to stay away from organizations and businesses that operate in this fashion. I think we have reached a point where everyone needs to decide for themselves how much gaslighting they’re willing to accept.
Comment by Boris Karloff — August 30, 2026 at 6:03 pm
Nelsons, Vienna Philharmonic and Yuja Wang at the Salzburg Festival, August 2026.
https://www.br-klassik.de/aktuell/news-kritik/kritik-wiener-philharmoniker-nelsons-salzburger-festspiele-2026-100.html
Comment by Kenny G — August 30, 2026 at 5:22 pm
@JKK that silence from Chad and Barbara may no longer be so “deafening”. I emailed them this PS a short time ago:
Lloydie
August 30, 2026
As an outsider (UK), am I right in thinking that all this Hofstetter lady has done to get where she is, is to marry an impossibly wealthy man and then get herself appointed to lots of boards / charities etc – without any real innate talent? Please tell me I am wrong. Happy to be so. But if I am right, then something is rotten in the state of Boston. And what qualifies her making artistic decisions? I’m interested and curious. Call me naive?
I think these are fair questions to ask Barbara Hostetter. I hope someone at WGBH does. Clearly, she has no knowledge or appreciation of classical music yet insists that she can – and should – make decisions regarding the Boston Symphony’s artistic future. If he was alive now, I have no doubt that my favorite Stuyvesant High School teacher, Frank McCourt, would recognize her as the phony that she is, and would tell the BSO that she must be removed from the board ASAP. He would probably agree with me that Barbara’s hands are indeed filthy and that under no circumstances should her filthy hands have anything to do with Harvard University’s museums for the reasons I have stated. (I bet that Barbara is such a fan of the BSO that she never heard Frank McCourt read from “Angela’s Ashes” when composer/conductor John Williams conducted the Boston Pops and Boston Symphony orchestras at Tanglewood and Symphony Hall in Williams’ entire film score for “Angela’s Ashes”. I believe these were some of both orchestras’ most popular concerts.)
I think Barbara Hostetter should be replaced by George Whiting. I have noted this over at the same SlippeDisc comment thread as Lloydie’s comment:
In his superb Boston Globe Op-Ed piece, George Whiting has made an extremely strong case why he deserves a seat on the BSO Board of Trustees, not BSO Board Chair Barbara Hostetter, who has been noted here earlier as someone who doesn’t love or appreciate classical music. That begs the question why she chooses to remain on the board.
It is about time that Barbara Hostetter removes her filthy hands from the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Under no circumstances should those hands have anything to do with Harvard University’s museums.
Respectfully yours,
John Kwok
Comment by John Kwok — August 30, 2026 at 4:06 pm
@Sixty and Beyond. Good idea. Make the symphony more financially accessible for everyone, regardless of age.
Comment by JKK — August 30, 2026 at 3:27 pm
@John Kwok. To date the silence from Mr Smith and Ms Hostetter has been deafening.
Comment by JKK — August 30, 2026 at 3:21 pm
@JKK I emailed this yesterday to Chad and Barbara and their minions on the BSO board:
I sent this as an email to Chad Smith, BSO President and CEO and Barbara Hostetter, BSO Board Chair and the rest of the board earlier today:
I just read George’s piece and it seems the ones who sound unreasonable are Barbara Hostetter and her minions in BSO management and on the board of trustees:
Opinion | How are BSO leaders like Barbara Hostetter held accountable?.
I definitely don’t want Barbara’s filthy hands anywhere near Harvard’s museums. Let her retain her stewardship with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum only and sever now her ties to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. I’ve met George; he is as reasonable in person as he comes across in the Boston Globe piece. As for Havard, I don’t want Barbara to sabotage the late Stephen Jay Gould’s legacy at Harvard. I have no doubt that if Gould was alive still, he would be supporting George, BSO musicians and Andris Nelsons. I am noting this as a former evolutionary biologist who regarded Gould unofficially as a mentor of mine when I was in graduate school.
Respectfully yours,
John Kwok
Comment by John Kwok — August 30, 2026 at 11:26 am
Taekwondo, the martial arts discipline practiced by Maestro Nelsons, uses an opponent’s momentum and attacks against them by redirecting their forward pressure. Instead of showing up for BSO concerts proving the administration wrong, let’s stay away from them, allowing them to own their forward pressure until they fall on their face.
Comment by Chuck Norris — August 30, 2026 at 10:44 am
@JKK Fully agree. Letʻs just take one specific example. If the orchestra pursues a more inclusive approach, senior citizen discounts are strongly recommended. Senior citizens are not a homogeneous group of affluent and status quo oriented people. They come in many stripes and with many different music tastes. Many of them, who wish to attend concerts, find ticket prices too prohibitive while living on smaller retirement pensions. In Massachusetts, state-backed senior benefits and public program discounts typically start at 60 years old. Note to Babs: Weʻre not all billionaires or millionaires.
Comment by Sixty and beyond — August 30, 2026 at 9:20 am
“Exclusion” below should have been typed as “exclusive”. Edit.
Comment by JKK — August 30, 2026 at 8:50 am
Perhaps it is now time for Mr Smith and/or Ms Hostetter to give specific details concerning the often referenced “vision” that they claim to have with regard to the future operation of the BSO. I do not say this sarcastically. I want to know, and I think many others do as well, what their SPECIFIC thoughts are in this regard. How do they intend to attract new enthusiasm and boost community attendance? These are laudable goals for any orchestra. What exactly do they believe will help foster and create these results?I think many people are tired of hearing slogans but want to hear key, articulated and comprehensible ideas about sustaining excellence while allowing for new views, voices, creations and musical experiences that enhance the quality of the orchestra in a broad and diverse population. Is it simply a matter of minority composers, musical fusion or is it something else? And should access to the performances of the orchestra be modified with general seating, special reduced admission prices, separate programming dates coordinating with schools and musical education?Some of this is already done in certain ways so how would it be done differently? And how is “standard “ repertoire presented as an important part of the orchestral experience in a way that may attract more participation? And should the Music Director be bound to give exclusion attention to only the BSO? Obviously, the powers that be thought Nelsons continuing on as Music Director was antithetical to the new “vision”. So, again, what EXACTLY is the new vision. If they actually know what it is they should be able to explain it in a way that is free of the usual cliches and genuflects now popular in certain circles. This comment is offered as a sincere inquiry. Mr Smith and Ms Hostetter have won the war -so what exactly is the reconstruction?
Comment by JKK — August 30, 2026 at 8:46 am
@Publius, I concur with your appraisal of George. IMHO he is far more deserving to be on the board than is Barbara Hostetter. I would like to see him added to a reconstituted board that would include five BSO musicians. He is the one coming across as fair and reasonable, not Chad nor Barbara or their minions in management and on the board.
Comment by John Kwok — August 29, 2026 at 5:57 pm
George Whiting’s new opinion piece in the Boston Globe is very well written and certainly worth a read:
https://archive.ph/O89d4
One quote that stuck out to me was:
“I did not inherit a lifelong relationship with the BSO; I developed one because the music made me want to belong.”
Three cheers to George Whiting and the Red Flower Campaign for their wonderful advocacy for musicians and patrons since March. Patrons such as George should be welcome into the BSO as they care a tremendous amount and *want* to participate and be part of the community, not shut out and ignored.
Comment by Publius — August 29, 2026 at 2:03 pm
Salzburg Festival sells 99% of its tickets by staying the course with core classical musical performances. Among others Andris Nelsons performs with Yuja Wang and the Vienna Philharmonic: Sergei Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor; Richard Strauss: Don Juan, op. 20; Richard Strauss: Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche (Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks), op. 28
BSO take note before leaning into contemporary or pop repertoire inspired by your new music director Chad Smith.
Comment by Kenny G — August 28, 2026 at 1:53 pm
Over at SlippeDisc, BSO violist Michael Zaretsy shared his email to Chad and Barbara requesting that Nelsons be reinstated:
Dear Barbara Hostetter and Board of Trustees of the BSO:
As a longtime member of the BSO’s viola section, I unequivocally support the effort to retain Andris Nelsons as our music director.
I urge the Board of Trustees to offer him a new contract and, in so doing, to safeguard the reputation of our world-class orchestra, as well as to restore the Board’s trust with the musicians and our audience.
Michael Zaretsky
I opted to email them both too and noted this over at SlippeDisc:
I sent your appeal to Chad and Barbara and the rest of the BSO board via email recently. I just sent them these two PS:
Since the new contract gives BSO musicians the right to choose the new BSO music director, then the answer ought to be simple. Retain Andris Nelsons as Michael Zaretsky has suggested. I endorse strongly his appeal. More to the point it is worth considering seriously given the fact that the Wiener Philharmoniker bestowed upon Nelsons weeks ago honorary membership, making him the youngest person so honored by my favorite orchestra. If you don’t retain Nelsons, then I doubt strongly that any other conductor of his caliber and reputation would consider seriously an offer to succeed him as BSO Music Director.
In addition to retaining Nelsons I think these two additional steps must happen:
1) Chad and Barbara, you must either resign or be fired from your current positions with the BSO.
2) BSO board must be reconstituted to include only those supportive of BSO musicians’ musical views and commitment to maintaining the orchestra’s high standards of excellence, including the addition of five BSO musicians, which is what the Chicago Symphony Orchestra has done with its musicians, having five of them on its board.
If these steps are not implemented, then I may reconsider hearing the Boston Symphony again at Carnegie Hall after the 2026 – 2027 season. I have no interest in hearing a second-rate American symphony orchestra led by its new music director, Chad Smith.
Respectfully yours,
John Kwok
I followed it immediately with this PS:
I will also note that if my favorite teacher at Stuyvesant High School, Frank McCourt, was alive still, he would endorse the BSO musicians’ right to insist that Andris Nelsons be retained and most likely endorse my other two conditions. I am noting this not because I was fortunate to have been a prize-winning student of his at Stuyvesant High School. More importantly, he performed several times with the Boston Pops and Boston Symphony orchestras at Tanglewood and Symphony Hall, reading passages from his global bestselling – and Pulitzer Prize-winning – memoir “Angela’s Ashes” while composer/conductor John Williams conducted these orchestras in the film score he composed for the film adaptation of McCourt’s book. The likelihood that McCourt would do this if he was alive still is a major reason why you should follow through on my recommendations.
You can read these comments here: https://slippedisc.com/2026/08/bostons-principal-clarinet-urges-more-support-for-nelsons/.
Comment by John Kwok — August 28, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Yesterday on WBUR’s Here and Now Robin Young led a conversation with retired BSO musician Edwin Barker and Lloyd Schwartz regarding the Boston Symphony and the situation with Andris Nelsons. I was bracing myself to be annoyed, as I have been with most coverage, but it turned out to be a very good discussion and worth listening to.
https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2026/08/27/boston-symphony-orchestra-nelsons
Comment by jim582e41 — August 28, 2026 at 11:18 am
Why pay for a final season of Nelsons concerts who is now effectively a remnant of the past. One can watch many of his great performances on the Berlin Digital Concert Hall, Stage+, Medici TV, etc. with the Berlin, Vienna or Munich Philharmonic as well as Leipzig Gewandhaus. The BSO is now asking audiences to help bridge the fiscal gap until they have all their pieces lined up. Donʻt think so.
Comment by Kenny G — August 28, 2026 at 9:02 am
@ Thomas I agree with your point about handsome compensation for AN and KD in the upcoming season. Maybe Nelsons and his agency should have aimed for a release immediately after this season. This would have sent a clear message to orchestra and audiences what the new situation will be like rather than raising unrealistic hopes of his return. Also, by not turning down the final season payment, Nelsons may have sent an indirect signal to the orchestra to do likewise and look out for their money interests first. The real loser is the audience, particularly those who have invested years in attending the BSO/Nelsons era, or “the golden era,” as described by retired principal bassist Edwin Barker. This era is now quickly fading into the past. The red flowers are beginning to wilt.
Comment by NDA — August 28, 2026 at 8:55 am
The future of the BSO has now two possible trajectories. 1) Audiences and donors accept the changes and return to Symphony Hall at the usual 60-80% attendance level as given in the past years. 2) A segment of disgruntled audiences and donors will not show up and further depress attendance.
The big unanswered question is where are the new audiences coming from which Chad Smith promised us with his new vision. Also, who is the new music director on the horizon that will inspire audiences to show up.
Letʻs wait and see how the fall season unfolds. I remain skeptical and will not attend any further BSO concerts for the time being.
Comment by Kenny G — August 27, 2026 at 5:48 pm
@ JKK Yes, now the Music Director reports to the CAO who has to report to the head honcho Chad. He is in fact the new music director. Iʻm not interested in the Chad Smith show but simply wanted to listen to an orchestra with an inspiring music director. This option has practically been destroyed and all traces of Nelsons have been erased (as in a totalitarian system where history is rewritten) as he is given no Emeritus or Principal guest conductor status. The BSO now exists only on paper but the institution has been profoundly changed into a civic/pop/and sometimes-classical music orchestra.
Comment by Kenny G — August 27, 2026 at 10:44 am
I am sorry to belabor this but it is incredible that the new contract has essentially increased the power of the CEO explicitly and has created a buffer in the CAO. The input of the orchestra members is certainly only symbolic-especially given the current individual in charge who has not appeared to be a model of transparency or collaboration. The criticism against the arbitrary decisions made in this situation has not led to any reasonable accommodation but rather to a cementing of absolute power. I do not blame the musicians. In these days of hyper inflation money is of paramount importance as is viability of future retirement. So, in final analysis, we are left with closing our eyes and praying that the unarticulated “vision” of the CEO is something that we can rejoice in or that whoever becomes Music Director can navigate the potentially fraught waters while achieving some level of excellence. Otherwise, the BSO as we have known it will be a relic of the past. Good thing there are 1000s of wonderful recordings available to listen to and savor a first class orchestra under Koussevitzky, Munch, Leinsdorf, Ozawa and scores of guest conductors.
Comment by JKK — August 27, 2026 at 9:09 am
Perhaps Mr Smith can take some courses on conducting. It would save them a lot of time.
Comment by JKK — August 27, 2026 at 6:55 am
I guess the amount of money both parties (AN and KDS) could earn in the following year covers this problem with “humiliating season”. If he quits now it will just close the door for his much loved BSO and he’ll never return to New England (just like Simon Rattle did). Even being in the world glory the profession of conducting is very subtle. Today it’s just some bad NY reviews but tomorrow it could be “he touched my butt in my dreams” and you’re cancelled for the time being.
So if musicians aren’t going to make any differences from this point on then it’s a Chad and Barbara win. They survived these 6 months and keep their pockets ready for another decade of money gathering.
Comment by Thomas — August 27, 2026 at 3:44 am
Iʻm beginning to wonder about KD Schmid, the agency that represents Nelsons. When Chad Smith joined the BSO in 2023, the writing was already on the wall given Smith and his LA background and yet they encouraged Nelsons to sign a contract that would eventually not work in his favor. Troubles were in clear sight in fall 2025 and Nelsons could have triggered the termination clause himself, allowing him to close out the season this summer. Instead, he is now forced to conduct a humiliating season this upcoming year and even take the orchestra that abandoned him (didnʻt even ask for Conductor Emeritus on his behalf) on a European tour. Why would his agency allow him to be exposed to all this embarrassment? They could have at least arranged for an early exit buyout. I hope that patrons here and in Europe will stay away from the toxic BSO.
Comment by NDA — August 26, 2026 at 6:00 pm
From what I can see, the codification of a “Chief Artistic Officer” position in the management hierarchy means that this no longer constitutes what was commonly understood to be a symphony orchestra, in the era during which the core repertoire was created. It will henceforth be a content mill employing a bunch of contract players of instruments with a contract baton waver, performing – what music exactly? This future vision is even more disheartening than the dismissal of Andris Nelsons.
Comment by Rob Schmieder — August 26, 2026 at 4:42 pm
@ Gerry Couldnʻt have said it better.
Comment by Kenny G — August 26, 2026 at 12:55 pm
@Kenny G observed “Our new music director is now Chad Smith and he will make sure that the new conductor is subservient to him.” This brings to mind that great Steve Jobs philosophy – A-players hire A-players, B-players hire C-players. This has already happened with the so-called replacement for Tony Fogg.
Comment by Gerry — August 26, 2026 at 11:09 am
@Kenny G, it will make a difference if the campaign follows the advice of BSO Principal Clarinetist William Hudgins in his letter that he sent to them. It will also make a difference if it encourages people to complain directly to MA Attorney General Andrea Campbell, since it’s clear that neither BSO management nor the board was interested in dealing seriously about Andris Nelsons or try to make amends for the turmoil within the BSO since early March. I have already complained, noting that the Attorney General must investigate both Chad and Barbara and take punitive action against them.
Comment by John Kwok — August 26, 2026 at 9:46 am
@JKK Agree with your assessment. The BSO threw Nelsons under the bus and in doing so will hurt themselves in the long run. Welcome to the new civic orchestra.
Comment by Boris Karloff — August 26, 2026 at 8:52 am
Whatever else it may or may not achieve, the red flower movement surrounds Andris with love and appreciation, so we will continue to wear our roses and attend his concerts through 2027. Maybe the successful joint statement of the new BSO contract will pave the way to patching up differences? I mean — if people who love classical music and devote their time and treasure to it can’t find ways of getting along, what hope is there for the Middle East? Time to favor the peacemakers.
Comment by Ashley — August 26, 2026 at 8:30 am
It looks like the number of red flowers on stage will be greatly diminished or altogether absent. I am happy for the musicians who will receive some good economic benefit under the new contract extension. Since the Board retains ultimate authority over artistic direction, there really is nothing much else to say. As James Joyce may have said, “the rest is palaver”. The Board has dodged the biggest bullet and has silenced the orchestra, for most intents and purposes. Of course, contributions and patron support are yet to be counted and assessed as we go forward. But I think we will see a normalization reinstated in the near future. Nelsons is more “of the past” at this juncture and the “vision” will be vaguely alluded to by a more emboldened Smith as we go forward. And yet a burning question still remains-do the powers that be have any clue who they will hire to “lead” the orchestra? And possibly a second question has to be considered-does Smith have any “vision” beyond dumping Nelsons?
Comment by JKK — August 26, 2026 at 8:12 am
Looks like Chad Smith wants more “funny pieces” on the program. Enjoy!
Comment by Karl Lager — August 26, 2026 at 7:44 am
@ Bennett I am aware that the departure for Nelsons may not make a difference for many patrons who are more interested in the soloists and are fine with the average guest conductors. Concerning conductors, however, Nelsons is top tier along with Thielemann or Petrenko. This is not a subjective opinion but a fact. Among younger conductors I see Marie Chaquot or Petr Popelka emerging but doubt that they will come to the BSO. Our new music director is now Chad Smith and he will make sure that the new conductor is subservient to him.
@John Kwok I don’t mind the red flower campaign continuing their lobbying efforts for Nelsons but am not sure if it will make any difference at this point.
Comment by Kenny G — August 26, 2026 at 7:35 am
@Bennett I forgot to mention that the musicians of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra – which I’ve been a subscriber for more than a quarter century – did issue a statement of support for BSO Musicians and Andris Nelsons.
@Kenny G this is a good reason why #redflowercampaign isn’t dead, courtesy of this eloquent letter from BSO Principal Clarinetist William Hudgins: https://slippedisc.com/2026/08/bostons-principal-clarinet-urges-more-support-for-nelsons/.
Comment by John Kwok — August 26, 2026 at 4:30 am
@Bennett, this thread hasn’t gotten ridiculous. What is ridiculous is how the BSO management and board pulled a fast one on Nelsons, even agreeing as far back as last September in communications with his manager that Nelsons’ contract would continue past the 2027 season. instead, the board voted to terminate his contract in February, without any prior warning or discussion with Nelsons and his manager. Moreover, they had the gall to announce this publicly on March 6th while Nelsons was in the midst of taking the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philhnarmonic Orchestra) on its longest North American tour in recent memory, with concerts in Toronto, Boston, Washington, DC and Florida. The tour started with the annual Carnegie Hall three-day Wiener Philharmoniker residency held this year from February 27th through March 1st, and I had a chance to thank Nelsons personally over by Carnegie Hall’s stage entrance, complimenting him on his fine interpretation of the Mahler 1st Symphony that was part of the third concert.
While I admire Andris Nelsons as a conductor and have heard many positive things about him from BSO musicians I have befriended, I have not said he is the world’s greatest conductor. I would not yet compare him with Muti or Blomstedt or Haitink, who I had the pleasure of hearing him guest conduct the Boston Symphony at Carnegie Hall for years. But he is definitely a major improvement over his immediate predecessor, Levine, and if he wasn’t a fine conductor in his own right, the Wiener Philharmoniker would not have honored him weeks ago with honorary membership, making him the youngest so honored. The Fact that the Wiener Philharmoniker has bestowed this honor on him and that the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and Philadelphia Orchestra issued statements in support of him and BSO Musicians, condemning the termination of his contract at the end of the 2027 Tanglewood season should tell you how much he is highly regarded by many of the world’s great symphony orchestras. None of this has been acknowledged by BSO President and CEO Chad Smith and BSO Board Chair Barbara Hostetter; both of them are far more deserving of being fired from their BSO positions than is Andris Nelsons.
Before you state again that this thread has become ridiculous, I think you need to recognize how much respect and appreciation that Andris Nelsons has earned from many of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras and noted soloists, such as pianists Lang Lang and Evgeny Kissin.
Comment by John Kwok — August 26, 2026 at 12:35 am
This whole thread has gotten a little ridiculous. Nelsons is a very good conductor, but he is not the greatest conductor in the world. I actually felt that he improved greatly during the 2025-2026 season, but in previous years I had wondered why they didn’t replace him. When it was announced that Nelsons would be leaving, the musicians seemed to be outraged, but I have heard from a seemingly reputable source that musicians had complained about Nelsons at times being unprepared. Supposedly he would learn scores while in flight to Boston.The Boston Symphony’s method of ending his contract was not handled well.The BSO could have been much more diplomatic about it. Also, doing so with no replacement conductor in line seems idiotic. Still,the BSO should still sound good, no matter who is the conductor. After all, half or more of the concerts are typically conducted by guest conductors. Those concerts are not usually inferior to the ones conducted by Nelsons. In regard to the programming, I don’t know exactly how much is decided by Nelsons and how much by the administrators. It appears that the guest conductors have a great say as to what is performed under their baton. Many of the programs for the 2025-2026 season did not interest me; the same holds true for the upcoming season. Some of you fans of the BSO might boycott concerts. However,I don’t think that the majority of the attendees care that much about who is conducting. The soloists are the main draw. Performers such as Yo Yo Ma, Yuja Wang and Joshua Bell are going to attract big crowds no matter who is conducting.
Comment by Bennett — August 25, 2026 at 11:46 pm
@Kenny G, the #redflowercampaign isn’t going away. I concur with George Whiting’s assessment: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1575055780990541 .
Comment by John Kwok — August 25, 2026 at 11:19 pm
@ava, it will happen. I treasure hearing the BSO when it was conducted by Bernard Haitink.
Comment by John Kwok — August 25, 2026 at 11:17 pm
I dread the day when the BSO will sound as bad again as they did under Levine.
Comment by ava — August 25, 2026 at 10:05 pm
It is now up to the audience to take a stance. The red flower campaign has effectively reached its end, as Nelsons will not be reinstated. The AG has no more reason to intervene since a contract has obviously been reached between the BSO administration and the orchestra members. However, the audience retains the right to make up its own mind on whether to attend concerts in the future, particularly with Nelsons gone. The BSO is not a fan club or a cult demanding uncritical loyalty but simply an orchestra in the entertainment industry and its free enterprise market. Should that entertainment or product become second rate, the consumer will reserve the right to go elsewhere. In the words of Bartleby the Scrivener, when asked about my continuing attendance of BSO concerts, my answer will be simple: “I prefer not to.”
Comment by Kenny G — August 25, 2026 at 9:38 pm
Looks like everything is working out for the BSO. For the audience not so much. I will not attend any more BSO concerts unless Nelsons (now unlikely) is back.
Comment by Boris Karloff — August 25, 2026 at 8:13 pm
@Kenny G, I agree with you completely but I don’t think a new contract being negotiated now will include your recommendations. I think it will have to be either a strike or direct action by MA Attorney General Andrea Campbell before all of your recommendations are included in the new contract.
Comment by John Kwok — August 25, 2026 at 9:37 am
I hope that Nelsons is not used as a bargaining chip in the union negotiations as in “we give up on Nelsons, if we can get …” Yes, benefits and pay are important but so is the international standing of the BSO secured through the artistic leadership of Nelsons. A new contract must secure his return to the BSO and the resignations of Smith and Hostetter.
Comment by Kenny G — August 25, 2026 at 7:39 am
https://thomaswdinsmore.substack.com/p/the-empty-vision
Comment by ja — August 24, 2026 at 7:18 am
@Kenny G, if Andris Nelsons wasn’t “good” not only wouldn’t the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) bestow honorary membership on him, making him the youngest person so honored by the orchestra. The March 6th statement from Chad Smith and Barbara Hostetter was issued while Nelsons was taking the Wiener Philharmoniker on its longest North American tour in recent memory, that included stops in Boston, Washington, DC and Toronto, in addition to its annual three-day residency at New York City’s venerable Carnegie Hall. I had the privilege of talking to Nelsons briefly near the Carnegie Hall stage entrance after the thrid concert on March 1st. I consider myself fortunate to have heard five excellent concerts he conducted with my favorite orchestra and the Boston Symphony this year at Carnegie Hall.
Comment by John Kwok — August 23, 2026 at 10:39 pm
@Chelsey Basket, I disagree respectfully. BSO management and board members are not listening to BSO Musicians. I understand that the Chicago Symphony Orchestra has five of its musicians as members of its board of trustees. The BSO must follow suit, to ensure that both management and board listen carefully to the concerns and aspirations and commmitment to exemplary musical excellence expressed by BSO Musicians. I agree with you that this isn’t only about Andris Nelsons, but instead, more of a systematic effort by both management and board to refuse to listen carefully to and to treat seriously BSO Musicians.
Comment by John Kwok — August 23, 2026 at 10:33 pm
I wrote the following here back in April:
=========================================
Ok, I’ll say it.
Beware when a largely unionized workforce overwhelmingly supports a “personality” who is supposed to lead, not coddle them.
You’re all going to find out soon that this wasn’t about Andris, but about the union.
Chesley Basket
Harvard, 1968
BSO subscriber 1979-1980
Comment by Chesley Basket — April 14, 2026 at 9:46 am
Comment by Chesley Basket — August 23, 2026 at 8:25 pm
@ Support the BSO Let’s not forget the Vienna Philharmonic with their induction of Andris Nelsons as an honorary member of the orchestra, thus countering manipulative attacks on his artistic integrity.
Comment by Kenny G — August 23, 2026 at 12:49 pm
Supporters of the BSO are not limited to but include:
Orchestras:
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra – Munich, Germany
Berliner Philharmoniker – Berlin, Germany
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra – Buffalo, United States
Chicago Symphony Orchestra – Chicago, United States
Cleveland Orchestra – Cleveland, United States
Dallas Symphony Orchestra – Dallas, United States
Houston Symphony – Houston, United States
Kansas City Symphony – Kansas City, United States
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra – Leipzig, Germany
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra – New York, United States
Minnesota Orchestra – Minneapolis, United States
New York Philharmonic – New York, United States
Oregon Symphony – Portland, United States
Pacific Symphony – Orange County, United States
Philadelphia Orchestra – Philadelphia, United States
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra – St. Louis, United States
Toronto Symphony Orchestra – Toronto, Canada
Utah Symphony – Salt Lake City, United States
Virginia Symphony Orchestra – Virginia, United States
Organized Labor & Professional Associations:
American Federation of Musicians – United States and Canada
Associated Musicians of Greater New York (Local 802 AFM)
Boston Musicians Association (Local 9-535 AFM)
International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (Players’ Conference of AFM)
Orange County Musicians Union
Artists & Conductors
Lang Lang – Internationally renowned soloist
Sir Simon Rattle – Chief conductor, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
Evgeny Kissin – Internationally renowned soloist
Andrey Boreyko — Conductor (former Music & Artistic Director of the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, and Artistic Partner of the Stuttgart Philharmonic
Thousands of patrons in the Boston and Berkshires areas as well as across the USA not to mention Puerto Rico, Europe, etc.
Comment by Support the BSO — August 23, 2026 at 12:29 pm
Ovee at Facebook at George Whiting’s post announcing that the BSO Musicians have voted to authorize a strike, I saw comments from two indicating that MA Attorney General Andrea Campbell will take seriously any complaints regarding what Chad Smith and Barbara Hostetter have done. One provided a phone number to call her office directly; 617-727-2200.
Comment by John Kwok — August 23, 2026 at 10:21 am
@Kenny G, I think an actual strike is likely since management has rejected the BSO Musicians Player Committee’s request that there be an external mediator. I like the MA AG to start acting sooner rather than later, with the objectives being Chad and Barbara’s removal, removing those who helped them in management and on the board, and reconstituting the BSO board as I have suggested. Last but not least, the AG should act to restore Nelsons’ contract ASAP.
Comment by John Kwok — August 22, 2026 at 10:15 pm
@ John Kwok I was more thinking of an actual strike that will eventually force a positive outcome for the BSO with or without the help of the GA. Fully agree, CEO and Hostetter need to go and the entire board needs to be reconstituted to represent the interests (both artistic and professional) of the orchestra members. Nelsons needs to be reinstated as well. Hope Cleveland will not get to him first.
Comment by Kenny G — August 22, 2026 at 6:35 pm
@Kenny G I don’t share your optimism. BSO management isn’t interested in having an external mediator as BSO Musicians’ Players Committee has requested. I will be optimistic if MA Attorney General Andrea Campbell starts investigating both BSO management and board for malfeasance and malpractice, with the ultimate objectives including the removal of Chad and Barbara from their respective positions, removing others in management and the board who’ve participated in their malpractive and to have the board reconstituted so that at least five BSO Musicians are members, guaranteeing the survival of BSO Musicians’ high artistic aspirations and commitment to high standards of musical excellence. AG Campbell should also work towards restoring Nelsons’ contract so that he remains BSO Music Director indefinitely for as long as he chooses.
Comment by John Kwok — August 22, 2026 at 5:27 pm
@ Publius Thanks again for sharing. Things are finally moving in the right direction. Let’s hope for a successful outcome.
Comment by Kenny G — August 22, 2026 at 12:46 pm
Just printed in the Boston Globe: BSO Musicians vote to authorize strike
Source: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/22/arts/bso-strike-musicians-contract/ // https://archive.ph/wip/KuPWU
“Following weeks of difficult negotiations, musicians with the Boston Symphony Orchestra voted unanimously Saturday morning to authorize the first strike in the orchestra’s history.
The vote, which comes just before their current contract expires at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, does not immediately call for a strike. Rather, it offers union members leverage at the negotiating table, clearing the way for a work stoppage if the parties cannot agree on a collective bargaining agreement…” (excerpt of the first two paragraphs)
Comment by Publius — August 22, 2026 at 12:02 pm
@Kenny G, I appreciate your most recent comments. I am surprised that the Boston Globe opted to stop acting like a mouthpiece for BSO management and BSO board members.
I think the only means of having a successful resolution to this is if MA Attorney General Andrea Campbell steps in, starts investigating Chad and Barbara for financial malfeasance and malpractice, determines that this has happened and fires them, having them replaced by those who will support the highest artistic aspirations of both BSO Musicians and Maestro Andris Nelsons. This measn of course that she should ensure that Nelsons’ contract is restored and extended indefinitely past the Summer 2027 Tanglewood season for as long as he chooses to remain BSO Music Director.
Comment by John Kwok — August 21, 2026 at 10:53 pm
@ Publius Thanks for sharing the Globe article. Finally a more balanced and objective view on the part of the Globe.
Comment by Kenny G — August 21, 2026 at 2:00 pm
There is a new update in the Boston Globe focusing on the excellent writing of Thomas Dinsmore and I found this section most interesting of all:
‘Despite failing to actually define the organization’s ”future vision,” Smith has had plenty to say about the state of the BSO’s finances, much of it bewilderingly misleading, according to Dinsmore, who put the orchestra’s latest 990 tax filing for charitable corporations up on his Substack for all to see.
He points out that the orchestra brought in record revenue of $155 million, recorded a $27 million surplus, and reported an endowment valued at $603 million. As he wrote in that posting, ‘BSO leaders knew that fiscal 2025 was a record year before they sent Chad out to cry poverty.’
In the past 20 years, Dinsmore said, the BSO has posted 13 years with surpluses and seven with deficits, having more to do with market returns on investments than any home-grown issues, like Nelsons’ ‘future vision’ or his willingness to experiment with contemporary music.
That begs the question: why claim some kind of financial crisis? To answer that would require getting into the heads of Smith and Board Chair Barbara Hostetter, who, by the way, is also a subscriber to Dinsmore’s Substack.
If the aim is to spur donations for major renovations, the usual technique is to roll out a dazzling event plan and fund-raise around it. The iconic Severance Hall, home to the Cleveland Symphony, and now Severance Music Center, might provide a useful lesson in how it’s actually done. Not only were the renovations a hit with patrons, but Cleveland last year announced its seventh consecutive balanced budget.
If this is a negotiating tactic by the board during on-going contract talks with its visibly disgruntled BSO musicians (just count the number wearing red roses on their lapels at every performance), it’s a bizarre and counterintuitive one.”
Source: https://archive.ph/GEZbM // https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/21/opinion/opinion-bso-dinsmore-nelsons/
In my opinion, the Chad Smith/Hostetter era of the BSO continues to be lackluster and corporate, and a stain upon the legacy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. History will not look kindly upon them compared to BSO patrons and if more recordings of Andris/BSO were actually released, the contrast would be even more stark.
Comment by Publius — August 21, 2026 at 10:08 am
One of the insights I gain from Alonso’s essay is that the BSO’s long standing tradition and legacy is its main brand identity (Koussevitzky, Munch, Leinsdorf, Ozawa, Nelsons). When I attend BSO concerts I buy into this experience of tradition or legacy. When this continuity is suddenly and needlessly disrupted I lose interest in the concerts. Sure, it would be nice to see Nelsons one more time but somehow the brand has now been changed. I would be buying into a transitional brand that does not where it is heading. One could argue that I am an old fashioned patron not capable of absorbing change. I disagree. I simply believe that the experience of change and spontaneity is better served in other music genres (e.g. jazz music and its improvisational style). I don’t see Scullers or the Regattabar making radical changes to their brand (jazz) and will thus enjoy their concerts in the future. For classical music, I will seek out other venues than the BSO. I think Alonso is spot on when he argues that we consume brands for what they offer us. Radical changes of known brands do not necessarily produce an increase in audience and attendance.
Comment by Kenny G — August 18, 2026 at 6:07 pm
@NDA, that is especially noble and generous of Maestro Manfred Honeck, who I have met, having heard him conduct the New York Philharmonic Orchestra several times. He also conducts his former orchestra – where he was once a musician – the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra). His younger brother Rainer is the Wiener Philharmoniker’s concertmaster and he has conducted orchestras and ensembles in Europe and Japan.
Comment by John Kwok — August 18, 2026 at 2:44 pm
Here’s an example of a more sane approach of promoting classical music to younger audiences. https://slippedisc.com/2026/08/honeck-tells-students-your-first-ticket-is-free/
Comment by NDA — August 18, 2026 at 2:34 pm
@ Gerry Thanks for posting the excellent and perceptive analysis by Orlando Alonso.
“The BSO repeatedly speaks of inclusion, belonging and reaching communities historically underrepresented in classical music. Yet one of the most visible public movements defending the orchestra’s artistic identity – the Red Flower Campaign – was founded by George Whiting, who publicly identifies as a queer Filipino American. His independent grassroots campaign has mobilized thousands of patrons in defense of the orchestra’s artistic mission.”
Comment by Kenny G — August 18, 2026 at 2:04 pm
@Gerry, Orlando Alonso’s latest essay isn’t just a great summary of events. He shows how BSO management and the board of trustees can implement change without forsaking the necessity of retaining high artistic standards. I concur with his assessment.
Comment by John Kwok — August 18, 2026 at 1:08 pm
A great analysis and summary of events: https://substack.com/home/post/p-211604497
Comment by Gerry — August 18, 2026 at 12:55 pm
@NDA-I am at a loss to understand what they are thinking.
Comment by JKK — August 18, 2026 at 9:51 am
@JKK I find it odd that given the BSO’s great history that we would seriously consider a conductor (Maellki) who was rejected both by the NY and LA Philharmonic for the position of the new music director. In short, the BSO, an orchestra that is better than LA and yes NY, is now willing to accept their leftovers. Why this sudden self-devaluation of one of the great orchestras in the US (alongside CSO, Cleveland, and Philadelphia)? What has happened to our self-esteem and pride?
Comment by NDA — August 18, 2026 at 9:32 am
“The Unanswered Question”. As the dust continues to settle in Boston, over-riding questions remain unanswered.What does the Board hope to achieve? What exactly is the articulation of the unarticulated “vision”, which was invoked in the precipitate announcement giving birth to the firestorm which has ensued? And what of the symphony orchestra as an institution in Boston. Is it cherished or has it become somehow culturally irrelevant and tarnished in the minds of the handlers? And how has this uncertainty of future goal, meaning, relevance come about? Is it merely a question of capital or is it something more fundamental. Is it a desire to follow temporary trends like trying to gauge the direction the wind is blowing in a volatile shifting storm? If those in charge lack a strong belief in the historical value of a musical institution and lack the will to fight for its preservation on its own terms then what will ensue? I think that it is extremely ironic that in the year a Koussevitzky (digital) box set will be unveiled with a nod to the proud history of the incomparable Boston Symphony Orchestra the current Board has lost sight of that history and the profound weight of it. I reiterate-what is the Board’s answer to the unanswered question?
Comment by JKK — August 18, 2026 at 7:11 am
The heavy presence of State Troopers everywhere at Tanglewood this season, stationed in unnecessary numbers at every single entrance gate in addition to constantly patrolling the grounds with visible sidearms, feels jarring and out of place.
While a modernized approach to safety is understandable, the current execution feels counterproductive to a genuine sense of security. During one performance in particular, seeing a trooper with visible firearms stroll right through the back of the shed twice during the concert added to an atmosphere that felt alienating. Tanglewood has historically been a peaceful retreat, and such an overt display of force disrupts the visitor experience.
Security should be handled discreetly so it preserves, rather than disrupts, the environment. Maintaining an appropriate and welcoming atmosphere on the grounds is paramount, and these choices by BSO management warrant a careful reevaluation.
Comment by CK — August 17, 2026 at 1:50 pm
https://slippedisc.com/2026/08/lucerne-slashes-tickets-for-half-empty-concerts/ This is what happens when you use a fine conductor who does not yet have name recognition. This should be a warning to the BSO if they think they can replace Nelsons with an unknown entity.
Comment by NDA — August 17, 2026 at 10:20 am
@David Moran, it seems the one suffering from excessive vanity is the one staring at you in your bathroom mirror. I’ve been preoccupied with serious medical issues affecting myself and my Mom, who will be 93 years old next month on 9/11. She was discharged from a Brooklyn hospital yesterday and I went with her in an ambulette that took her to the assisted living facility where she now resides, suffering from COVID-induced dementia. As for me, I’m dealing with chemotherapy due to having a colorectal cancer tumor removed in February. @ava thinks – and she may be right – that you’re more interested in supporting Chad and Barbara than BSO Musicians and Andris Nelsons.
As for Paul Buckmaster, he was a substantially better cellist and composer/arranger than you. He worked with several generations of notable pop and rock musicians, starting with Elton John and Carly Simon.
Comment by John Kwok — August 15, 2026 at 6:35 am
JKwok just gets better and vainer, especially correcting typos, but ava, I sure would like to know what the heck this means:
>> It appears that Sam W and David Moran are … hoping to have lunch with Chad and Babs. It takes all kinds.
Comment by David Moran — August 15, 2026 at 1:58 am
@Lee Eiseman, you are doing a superlative job with this online forum. However, as I have hinted strongly, music isn’t my only interest, and there may be others which would be more suitable for them. As for my other interests, they range from literature to evolutionary biology. In the latter case, I was trained as an evolutionary biologist. (Typo corrected.)
Comment by John Kwok — August 14, 2026 at 10:18 pm
A better online forum?
Comment by Lee Eiseman — August 14, 2026 at 7:22 pm
@David Moran, I also forgot to tell you that I am friends with several BSO musicians. I have ample respect for their musicianship and their desire to have Andris Nelsons remain as their music director. If you really care about the BSO, then maybe you ought to listen to BSO musicians and the #redflowercampaign and, as a MA resident, complain to MA Attorney General Andrea Campbell.
TRuly, if I was more interested in promoting myself, I would find another, better, online forum. I am posting here because I do care about the BSO Musicians and hope that there are those in MA and adjacent states who are wise enough and willing enough to speak out on their behalf by complaining directly to MA Attorney General Andrea Campbell. That should be your priority, not act as an online fan of Chad and Barbara or express your interest in my own background.
Comment by John Kwok — August 14, 2026 at 5:34 pm
@David Moran I forgot to tell you I was a prize-winning student of Frank McCourt at New York City’s elite STEM-oriented public high school, Stuyvesant, whose notable alumni include jazz musician Thelonious Monk – who dropped out so he could play jazz clubs at night – notable actors, doctors, lawyers, and scientists, including four Nobel Prize laureates, the most of any American high school save for its sibling, the Bronx High School of Science. (Typo corrected; the number may be five now. Bronx Science has eight, I think.)
I also forgot to mention that my favorite orchestra is the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) which has three Juilliard alumni – including its chairman, an Austrian violinist – and three American members. I am lucky to count some of them as friends.
Maybe you ought to be more concerned about what Chad Smith and Barbara Hostetter are doing to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, file a complaint to MA Attorney General Andrea Campbell, demand that she investigate, and then fire Chad, Barbara and their minions on the board, and have the board reconstituted so that it includes at least five BSO musicians as members, and work towards having Andris Nelsons’ contract restored.
Comment by John Kwok — August 14, 2026 at 3:53 pm
@Sam W, you are greatly mistaken. Attorney General Campbell was on the same program as Thomas Dinsmore. She said she would receive complaints. She should start investigating Chad and Barbara for their gross mismanagement of the BSO, fire them and others on the BSO board, have the BSO board reconstituted so that there are at least five BSO musicians as members and work towards having Andris Nelsons’ contract restored so that he can remain indefinitely as BSO Music Director for as long as he chooses.
Comment by John Kwok — August 14, 2026 at 3:44 pm
It appears that Sam W and David Moran are ready to move on or hoping to have lunch with Chad and Babs. It takes all kinds.
Comment by ava — August 14, 2026 at 3:28 pm
SamW, I wish you would get with at least two themes of the program here.
– We are lucky to have CSI BMInt pilot plots trotted out. Let us hope for bad judgment from the AG! Your “presidential” anti-woke alert is inspired.
– We are lucky to receive commenter life details past the LinkedIn level, aligning with site reviewer bio encomia nearly as long as the review. I know more about JKwok’s life events, past contacts, and enthusiasms than about my kids’. (And I’ll have everyone know that summer of 1969 I studied organ in Springfield Ohio with Annie Lakos at Covenant Presbyterian — precisely when Paul Buckmaster was arranging David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’.)
Comment by David Moran — August 14, 2026 at 2:37 pm
@ Publius Hilarious. Great satirical letter! Let’s see if they get it at the Globe or the NYT.
Comment by Kenny G — August 14, 2026 at 1:11 pm
The demands here that the Massachusetts AG investigate the Nelsons Affair are simultaneously insane, absurd, and hilarious. It’s as if an online conclave of teenyboppers were demanding that the UN call an emergency session of the Security Council to investigate why their adored K-pop idol was denied victory in the Eurovision Song Contest.
But never fear. Though i doubt that Andrea Campbell possesses the necessary combination of lunacy, stupidity, and venality to pursue this, such qualities are in ready supply much further up, at the federal level. The best way to get traction on this is probably to alert the Trump AG (whoever it is today, I don’t keep track) that the firing of Andris Nelsons is another example of Wokeness Gone Mad, and further evidence that Great White Men are the most persecuted class of all.
Comment by SamW — August 14, 2026 at 1:04 pm
I credit Norman Lebrecht and his team at SlippeDisc for publishing this letter from Gerald Elias, former BSO violinist (https://slippedisc.com/2026/08/when-the-new-york-times-is-wrong-it-prefers-to-stay-wrong/):
Dear Editor,
David Allen’s article, “At Tanglewood, the Fresh Air Is Tainted by Tension,” July 30, is a symphony of misinformation.
The Boston Symphony administration’s “frankly timid” future vision he refers to is in fact a radical restructuring of priorities diminishing the central role of the orchestra and classical music. It is predicated upon a misleading interpretation of the BSO’s finances, which by outside objective analysis are healthy and growing.
Allen is wrong about it being “the correct call” for music director, Andris Nelsons to be summarily dismissed. (Allen cites a Boston Globe article to bolster his own long-standing pet peeves about Nelsons. That’s journalism?) He apparently missed the BSO website, which gloats over the numerous Grammy’s that Nelsons (2026 Opus Klassik Conductor of the Year) and the BSO musicians have racked up in recent years.
But mainly, Allen must be living in a parallel universe because what I heard at Tanglewood were performances of the highest order. Don’t take my opinion alone; it was shared by thousands of true music lovers, not by a music critic and CEO Chad Smith, who seem to have an agenda augmented by ponderous chips on their shoulders.
Sincerely,
Gerald Elias, former BSO violinist
Comment by John Kwok — August 14, 2026 at 1:01 pm
@publius,
Hopefully The New York Times and the Boston Globe will have the good sense not to publish your nonsense.
As for Dudamel, I noted this over at SlippeDisc (https://slippedisc.com/2026/08/dudamel-will-open-new-york-rule-with-rapper-lizzo/):
I’m a long-time NY Philharmonic Orchestra subscriber. I am skipping this and most of Dudamel’s concerts next season. This doesn’t interest me at all in the least. Instead, it says a lot about lowering standards at the NY Philharmonic Orchestra. Having Sir Elton John and his band perform his best songs with orchestral arrangements written by Paul Buckmaster for his albums in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s would be far more rewarding and adhering to high standards than what Dudamel and the NY Philharmonic will do on September 10th.
Comment by John Kwok — August 14, 2026 at 12:56 pm
I just sent this to the Letter to the Editors section of the Boston Globe and NYT and hope to make it into the Sunday edition and will also email the Board my thoughts if not printed:
To the Editors,
I was highly impressed to learn that the New York Philharmonic has planned to open its upcoming season with Lizzo, St. Vincent, and Joaquina. I am, therefore, highly disappointed with the lack of innovation relative to this by Andris Nelsons, who seemingly would rather be performing Beethoven, Dvořák, Mahler, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, etc., conduct a sold-out Beethoven symphonic festival to high acclaim, win Grammy Awards to worldwide praise, and get offers of Mahler cycle recordings.
I thought Dudamel had already peaked conducting the Muppets, but I was obviously mistaken. The way he masterfully led a fast, consistent tempo with Animal was most admirable and reminded me of Toscanini as he conducted Verdi’s Requiem, specifically the Dies Irae. It had the thundering intensity of a storm. I doubt Andris Nelsons could ever properly conduct Animal on timpani and would have had his head in the score as the NYT often mentions despite nobody else seeing it.
Could Toscanini even accomplish that feat? I think perhaps only Dudamel, wearing a soccer jersey, has the ability to balance the sonic sensibilities of Animal on percussion with Kermit the Frog on banjo. This is why the LA/NY Phil are so good.
I am hoping that the 2027 to 2028 season will out-innovate the YouTube and TikTok trending innovators while also keeping budget in mind. I doubt we can get Lizzo.
Therefore, I am hoping the BSO might reach out to Lil’ Wayne to help open the next season, who probably would be a bargain at this point. I think he used to sell out the Xfinity Center so theoretically he can sell out Symphony Hall. He is a well-trained guitarist, and his scherzo on “Leather So Soft” with layered vocals by Birdman rivals the layers and intensity of Berlioz. This song was probably first released around the time Andris Nelsons won a Grammy Award for his interpretation of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphonies Nos. 5, 8 & 9, though I am unsure, as I never saw the BSO advertise and the awards in Symphony Hall MBTA Station had not been updated since 1999 by the time the station closed for recent renovations.
If Lil’ Wayne is unavailable, perhaps the BSO could also reach out to 50 Cent, who often comes to Boston but has yet to make an appearance with the BSO. I think that is what longtime patrons would enjoy. The 20th anniversary of his album “Before I Self Destruct” is coming up in the near future in 2029, which coincidentally, lines up well with the BSO’s current trajectory. I have wonderful, nostalgic memories listening to it during the summer of 2009, the same summer the Carriage House at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum was torn down in place of the Renzo Piano building. The fact that 50 Cent has not yet performed at Tanglewood as well is a big oversight, so I hope the BSO can correct this and tear the house down (no pun intended).
If that is not enough, why not invite the NYT back to Symphony Hall for a repeat of Vanessa, but this time with Miss Piggy as a vocalist and tell them to write a positive review?
If a conductor will not be available for the upcoming season, I also suggest the BSO just use AI in place of a conductor. This will save on costs (money seems very tight now) and if we are lucky, Lil’ Wayne, 50 Cent, and Yo-Yo Ma might be able to curate a festival together and invite James Taylor if he is not doing anything to rework “In da Club” to “In da Shed” and re-imagine it as a three part concerto for guitar and cello.
All this innovation will have every young person in Boston talking about the BSO and make them more popular than the Red Sox and Celtics combined. I hope others can align on this brave, new future vision of innovation.
Best wishes,
Publius
Comment by Publius — August 14, 2026 at 12:49 pm
Thanks for allowing patrons to express their frustration with the current situation at the BSO in this forum. It may temporarily disrupt the routine of BMint but will eventually settle down, once the definitive decisions stand in place. I’m afraid a degraded BSO will not draw the interest of many readers in the future.
Comment by Kenny G — August 14, 2026 at 11:59 am
@SamW you would spend your time more wisely filing a complaint with MA Attorney General Campbell regarding what Chad Smith and Barbara Hostetter are doing to the Boston Symphony Orchestra now, as @Kenny G has done. (He’s also posted the relevant links.)
As for my own ties to the Boston Symphony, they are nonexistent except for two reasons. First, I hear them every year as a Carnegie Hall subscriber. Second, my favorite teacher in high school, Frank McCourt, appeared with the Boston Pops and the Boston Symphony Orchestra several times at Tanglewood and Symphony Hall, reading passages from his best-selling and Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir “Angela’s Ashes” while composer/conductor John Williams conducted the orchestras in the entire score that he composed for the film adaptation of “Angela’s Ashes”.
Comment by John Kwok — August 14, 2026 at 10:23 am
You misunderstand, David. The Boston Musical Intelligencer is now the John Kwok Hourly Update. This change in focus is not yet reflected on the masthead, but I’m sure it will be soon.
Comment by SamW — August 14, 2026 at 8:14 am
@David Moran, I would be more impressed if you urge others from MA and surrounding states to contact MA Attorney General Campbell so she can start investigating Chad Smith and Barbara Hostetter.
As for Dudamel, I’d be more impressed if he conducted the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in a concert featuring Sir Elton John and his band, with the orchestra playing the orchestral arrangements that composer/arranger Paul Buckmaster wrote for Elton’s albums in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2001’s “Songs from the West Coast” album. Buckmaster eventually moved to Los Angeles from London and may be well known as the composer of the film score to Terry Gilliam’s “12 Monkeys”.
Comment by John Kwok — August 13, 2026 at 10:14 pm
Whew!
Attention, everybody, Kwok wants it known that he is not going to attend Lizzo.
Comment by David Moran — August 13, 2026 at 9:37 pm
@David Moran, I am a long-term NY Philharmonic Orchestra subscriber. I’m not impressed. That concert will be held not at Lincoln Center’s Geffen Hall, but instead, in Rockefeller Center at Radio City Music Hall. I have no interest in attending it.
Comment by John Kwok — August 13, 2026 at 4:32 pm
BSO management take note !!! The end is near !
(slippedisc)
Dudamel will open New York season with rapper Lizzo
Comment by David Moran — August 13, 2026 at 1:45 pm
@John Kwok That is not my statement but that of “No AI,” in response to my slipped disc link. I am not aware of any program changes.
Comment by ava — August 13, 2026 at 12:54 pm
@ava, that’s news to me that Andris Nelsons won’t be conducting next season’s two Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts at Carnegie Hall. He is listed still as the conductor for both concerts. I’m a long-time Carnegie Hall subscriber and have tickets for both concerts.
Comment by John Kwok — August 13, 2026 at 12:38 pm
@No AI Yes, Hostetter and Smith are simply waiting for this crisis to fade away so that they can pursue their agenda. I’m surprised to see that Hostetter is also a major donor to the Democratic party and yet exhibits a completely undemocratic and autocratic style of management. Democrats wonder why donations are down.
Comment by ava — August 13, 2026 at 11:24 am
@ava
Chad Smith actually did go on WGBH with Jared Bowen for an interview the week that Jim and Margery were on vacation seemingly because he is scared of Jim and Margery and figured he might be able to get an easy win or something with Jared Bowen, who probably wanted to give it to him. The public reaction proved it was a disaster. It was in a studio without the ability for the public to ask questions or call in with their thoughts so they whole thing seemed very controlled and corporate.
My understanding is that the BSO will not be back at Carnegie Hall with Andris because the reaction was so positive, unlike anyone working at Carnegie Hall had ever heard, that leadership/the Board do not want to look so vulnerable again.
Notice how almost everything happens in print and even then it is rare and the journalists hardly seem to check facts.
Comment by No AI — August 13, 2026 at 10:56 am
https://slippedisc.com/2026/08/boston-symphony-bosses-shun-local-media/
Comment by ava — August 13, 2026 at 10:37 am
@@ No AI Demolitions are part of hostile corporate takeovers so that new building projects can be launched. Hostetter has history but nobody was paying attention. Now she is dismantling and repurposing the BSO for her billionaire cronies and invested billionaire board. After public assets have been plundered (Boston Dig), cultural assets are the next in line.
Comment by NDA — August 13, 2026 at 9:33 am
Lovely video of the demolition of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum carriage house from the Hostetter era
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys6u17j_KpU
Comment by No AI — August 13, 2026 at 8:50 am
@ Publius Thanks for the contact links. I think it would be best to write at the beginning of the new season, as it will allow reporters to interact with the red flower campaign and also assess a potential boycott of concerts by the patrons. Also, the contract negotiations should have come to a conclusion at that time. In short, it will allow news outlets to incorporate new information on the state of the BSO. And who knows maybe the AG will launch an audit as well. My concern is that Nelsons will have already made new arrangements here (someone suggested Cleveland) or in Europe where he is in high demand. The window of retaining him is quickly closing.
Comment by Kenny G — August 13, 2026 at 7:11 am
@Publius I’m skeptical about your media blitz. Even #redflowercampaign recognizes that it is time to file formal complaints with MA Attorney General Campbell regarding the unprofessional, quite questionable, financial conduct of Chad Smith, Barbara Hostetter and the rest of the BSO board. Your time would be invested more wisely by complaining to the Attorney General. Both @Kenny G and I have been posting the relevant links to file complaints.
MA Attorney General Campbell appeared on the same WGBH program yesterday that had Thomas Dinsmore. Apparently she is open to receiving complaints. You should insist that as a result of her investigation, that she fires Chad and Barbara and reconstitutes the board of trustees so that several members – ideally at least five – are members of BSO Musicians. This may lead eventually too to reinstating Andris Nelsons as BSO Music Director indefinitely after the Summer Tanglewood 2027 season.
Comment by John Kwok — August 12, 2026 at 9:31 pm
Three cheers to the Red Flower Movement for their wonderful grassroots advocacy since March, 2026. Their efforts in gathering the community to support and advocate for BSO musicians and patrons have been absolutely incredible. Thomas Dinsmore has also been an incredible advocate as well and his ability to sift through complicated financial data to prove many narratives from BSO leadership false have been so insightful.
I kindly suggest that we all write to the Boston Globe and Berkshire Eagle and suggest that they make a story about the Red Flower Movement and Thomas Dinsmore regarding the false narratives of the BSO and overwhelming support of patrons. I imagine there are still many people out there who are unaware of the findings of Thomsd Dinsmore and sadly many who have gone to Tanglewood or BSO concerts within the last year who do not understand the significance of the Red Flower and the story of the Movement behind it and its amazing leaders.
I am so tired of Chad Smith getting attention in the news, the BSO getting trashed in the NYT, and false narratives getting coverage as fact.
As far as I can tell, and I have been paying close attention since March, the Berkshire Eagle and A.Z. Madonna have done the best job of covering these issues in the media by reporting the facts and the truth. I will add a format you can follow if you so choose.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/contact/
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/site/contact.html
(If anyone can think of other publications or journalists please tell us in the comments)
————
Dear [insert publication],
I am writing to suggest a feature on the grassroots Red Flower Movement and the community-led advocacy surrounding the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
While BSO leadership’s official statements have received substantial media attention, thousands of patrons and subscribers feel their questions regarding the decision to terminate Andris Nelsons’ contract remain unanswered. They can be found at https://standwithandris.org with contact information there as well.
Additionally, retired industry analyst Thomas Dinsmore has published rigorous, data-driven examinations of BSO leadership’s financial claims on his Substack (thomaswdinsmore.substack.com), offering critical factual scrutiny that warrants journalistic investigation.
Given your commitment to thorough, fact-based cultural reporting, I believe an in-depth look at the patrons’ perspective and these financial findings would provide invaluable clarity for your readers.
Thank you for your time and continued coverage of these issues. Mr. Dinsmore was recently featured on WGBH and is a very intriguing guest with a wealth of knowledge regarding BSO finances and has many disagreements with the narratives of BSO leadership.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Contact Information]
Comment by Publius — August 12, 2026 at 8:55 pm
I don’t think much of Allen. As fpr Nelsons, I heard him conduct my favorite orchestra, the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) at Carnegie Hall at the end of February and on March 1st. After the March 1st concert, I was able to speak to him briefly near the stage entrance on W. 56th Street, thanking him for a fine interpretation of the Mahler 1st symphony that he had conducted as part of the March 1st program.
Comment by John Kwok — August 12, 2026 at 2:33 pm
Very much appreciate the good and careful update #30 by Thomas Dinsmore – helpful to have his response to the poor Allen piece in the Times. Agree with almost all, though I might disagree re Malkki – she is indeed one of the more prominent and interesting conductors these days. Her times with the BSO have been generally interesting and exciting – and not all contemporary.
But yes, Allen’s was a shoddy piece of inaccurate muckraking. He purportedly played golf with Chad Smith a few days before the Times article. Sadly, Allen even attacks Nelsons’ tempi and playing in his core repertory of Tchaikovsky – music he grew up with! Unfortunate indeed if Chad Smith shares Allen’s views of Nelsons’ competence in this repertory.
Times critics beyond Allen have often faulted Nelsons – but not much of the rest of the world. And beyond Vanessa, Boston has had Strauss operas, Wozzeck, Die Tote Stadt, etc. in fascinating performances led by Nelsons.
Does Nelsons have his faults? Of course, as did Levine, Ozawa, Steinberg, Leinsdorf, and Munch. But I hope that the BSO president does not share Allen’s disdain for Nelsons’ musicianship in core repertory. It’s painfully bad to imagine, the BSO president challenging the musicianship of the music director!
Comment by Jim Perrin — August 12, 2026 at 12:02 pm
I’m wondering about the open MD position at the Cleveland Orchestra after Welser-Moest steps down in 2027. Initially, Cleveland had younger candidates in mind (Matias Rouvali; Hrusa, Popelka, Chan). Chan, Hrusa and Popelka have already accepted other major appointments. This leaves them with the fairly unknown Matias Rouvali. I recall that the Cleveland Orchestra wrote a letter of solidarity to the BSO after the dismissal of Nelsons, appalled over his abrupt termination. The letters of support from the CSO, Philadelphia, Met and Cleveland also indicate a fear of impending corporate takeover just as was recently executed in Boston. I would therefore not be surprised if Cleveland will hire Nelsons as its next Music Director to stem against this trend. Cleveland’s repertoire matches Nelsons perfectly. This year, for example, there is a strong emphasis on Mahler and Richard Strauss. Nelsons would also bring high international profile and recording contracts to Cleveland with his DG label. In the end, it may be Boston’s loss and Cleveland’s gain. The BSO must act fast before new facts become irreversible.
Comment by Boris Karloff — August 12, 2026 at 9:18 am
Board of Billionaires Bilking the BSO
Comment by NDA — August 12, 2026 at 8:36 am
@Kenny G it seems that MA Attorney General Campbell was on the same program yesterday as Thomas Dinsmore. She said that she would take seriously complaints regarding how BSO management and the board are treating the BSO, including, I presume both the musicians and Andris Nelsons. I think @Pubius and others need to file complaints to her office ASAP, perhaps using this link if not others: https://www.mass.gov/how-to/file-a-complaint-about-a-charity-or-non-profit.
If she gets a lot of complaints – and I have messaged Thomas Dinsmore over at Facebook, recommending that he shares his financial analyses with her and her office – then it seems quite likely she will investigate and hopefully act by firing those responsible for the current turmoil, and perhaps reconstitute the BSO board so that it will include musicians and ensure that Andris Nelsons’ contract is reinstated.
Comment by John Kwok — August 12, 2026 at 8:19 am
@ Publius Thanks for posting the link to the Yo-Yo Ma review. As the reviewer correctly points out, he is a brand and as such belongs more properly into the Vivo Celebrity series. He is certainly not a recipe for rebranding the BSO. The BSO can stand on its own achievement in the symphonic and operatic repertoire and does not have to be blended with the Yo-Yo Ma brand. It seems as if he wants to absorb the BSO for his own brand advancement as in Yo-Yo Ma and his BSO, thus relegating them to be his back-up orchestra. The BSO, however, is not a Nelson Riddle type of orchestra who used to back Sinatra but an artistic brand of its own.
Comment by Kenny G — August 12, 2026 at 7:08 am
A.Z. Madonna’s recent Boston Globe review (available and archived at https://archive.ph/rXtHd ) hit the nail on the head regarding Tanglewood and the BSO. I also must say, A.Z. Madonna is a *wonderful* writer who did such a good job of articulating what is so wrong with the BSO’s “new vision.”
Let’s be honest: Chad Smith trying to hype up this “Yo-Yo Ma curated” series as the brilliant future vision of the BSO during his failed WGBH interview which received nearly unanimous scorn is falling flat for a reason. Throwing a random blender of pop-culture headliners such James Taylor, Jon Batiste—into a classical season and slapping Yo-Yo Ma’s name on it for some sort of validation isn’t forward-thinking; it’s an incomprehensible blur of pop creep mixed and relying on big names to draw an audience.
Furthermore, when your audience is literally booing the programming (as was mentioned in the Globe article), your leadership is completely disconnected from the people who keep the institution alive.
Between these desperate, gimmicky pivots, the tone-deaf push toward AI integration that got torched across Reddit, terrible marketing and awful communication (or lack thereof) the BSO’s new strategy feels entirely hodgepodge, tacky, and devoid of humanism. They are throwing everything at the wall just to see what sticks, while alienating loyal patrons because that is what a corporation shouls be doing and this is what feeds the social media algorithm.
I want to highlight two quotes from A.Z. Madonna here:
1. “But there was just so much of it, as if Ma had tried to create a turducken with the cultural heft of a BSO program and the thematic arc and guest-star power of a Spring Pops program.”
2. “But no matter how Ma and his many collaborators invoked the healing and uniting powers of music, the power of Ma’s name sold most of those tickets, unity be damned. What’s more, BSO CEO Chad Smith has talked up Ma’s Tanglewood residency as an example of the forward-thinking programming the orchestra is looking to emphasize. If this weekend’s concerts were supposed to represent the “future vision,” someone needs their prescription adjusted.”
I really wonder, are we watching a necessary evolution, or is leadership actively driving a world-class orchestra into the ground?
I feel even more validated in saying for weeks now that by far the highlight of the 2026 Tanglewood season was the Marriage of Figaro production featuring Andris/BSO and an amazing cast of singers which is still available on WCRB and certainly not anything related to Yo-Yo Ma. The Marriage of Figaro was high art performed at the highest of levels. The “We the People” series was world-class BSO musicians trapped inside a tacky corporate vanity project. The orchestra is playing brilliantly; the vision is just completely bankrupt. I find this so odd, considering the combined net worth of the members BSO Board must be in the multi-billions. Money does not buy taste or class.
Comment by Publius — August 11, 2026 at 10:59 pm
@ Lee Eiseman The position may well be a replacement but the new job description is odd: “Support execution of institutional crisis communications strategies.”
Comment by ava — August 11, 2026 at 10:36 pm
@Pubius, over at Facebook, I told Thomas Dinsmore to approach the AG. He liked the idea. That was a couple of days ago. @Thomas Dinsmore, you should follow my advice that I made over at Facebook. The more complaints the MA AG receives from fellow MA residents, the more likely she will be interested in investigating BSO management and the board of trustees.
Comment by John Kwok — August 11, 2026 at 6:35 pm
@ava I am not sure Slipped Disc is on to anything. As i understand it, this hiring replaces someone who quit to pursue other interests.
Comment by Lee Eiseman — August 11, 2026 at 6:02 pm
@ David Moran Here’s AI’s definition of deceptive solicitation:
“Deceptive solicitation is a legal issue. It violates consumer protection laws when businesses, charities, or individuals use false statements, hidden fees, or fake government notices to trick people into paying money or giving donations.”
The BSO is a non-profit organization asking annually for donations and is currently deceiving its consumers with false statements about assets and solvency. Having said this, I’m fully aware that it may not meet the bar for an investigation. However, as a consumer, it motivates my boycott of the BSO.
Comment by Kenny G — August 11, 2026 at 4:07 pm
>> when an organization that is sponsored by donors misrepresents its finances (“we’re poor”), it could be accused of deceptive solicitation and creating an atmosphere of false crisis and urgency to donate.
bwahaha
an entire new state agency could be created for this, and would need to be
Comment by David Moran — August 11, 2026 at 3:45 pm
First cracks are showing in the edifice of BSO lies: https://slippedisc.com/2026/08/boston-symphony-seeks-comms-chief/
Comment by ava — August 11, 2026 at 3:16 pm
The WGBH interview with Thomas Dinsmore today can be found on Youtube here: https://youtu.be/52JSMv6CiN0?t=5532
The link should take you to the correct time but if it does not, go forward to 1:32:10 on the Youtube video.
Comment by Publius — August 11, 2026 at 3:13 pm
PS: I should also point out that the complaint with the AG can be submitted anonymously. Simply state the facts from your perspective and let their office decide whether it warrants an investigation. https://www.mass.gov/how-to/file-a-complaint-about-a-charity-or-non-profit
Comment by Kenny G — August 11, 2026 at 2:43 pm
@ Publius I’m not sure if I agree with Dinsmore’s assessment that the AG should not be involved at this point since there is no evidence of self-dealing. I believe when an organization that is sponsored by donors misrepresents its finances (“we’re poor”), it could be accused of deceptive solicitation and creating an atmosphere of false crisis and urgency to donate. The AG will decide whether this conduct is a violation or business as usual. Also, more complaints will shame the BSO organization. Just because a conduct may not rise to the level of a crime, it can still be deemed unethical.
Comment by Kenny G — August 11, 2026 at 2:06 pm
@John Kwok — I have been thinking about this for a long time based on your wonderful advocacy for great music in Boston (which is much appreciated), though based on the writing of Mr. Dinsmore (whom I asked in the comments of his substack). I asked “do you think the Massachusetts AG should investigate the BSO for negligence/wrongdoing?” and Mr. Dinsmore wrote in response, “There’s no evidence *yet* of self-dealing or fiduciary neglect. Best to keep the powder dry for now.” Therefore, I am going to hold off on this but I will absolutely continue to monitor for more updates.
Comment by Publius — August 11, 2026 at 1:23 pm
@Publius, you should follow this, which @Kenny G has done:
@Kenny G, thanks. I believe others who live in MA, like @Publius, should follow suit. The more complaints the MA Attorney General’s office receives, the more likely it is that they will have to take it seriously & start investigating Chad and Barbara and their minions in management and on the board. There must be a major job of house cleaning done within BSO management and the board of trustees that will ensure the survival of the BSO’s well deserved artistic integrity and decades-long excellence in music making, that will also ensure that Andris Nelsons remains as BSO Music Director for as long as he and BSO Musicians want him to remain. The more people who complain to the MA Attorney General’s office, the more likely it is that this ongoing turmoil will end, the BSO’s musical excellence will be retained and the audience and BSO Musicians will have the privilege of having this great orchestra led indefinitely by a superb music director, Andris Nelsons.
Comment by John Kwok — August 11, 2026 at 12:41 pm
Thomas Dinsmore will be on WGBH Radio today to talk about BSO financials! I encourage everyone to watch online or listen on the radio! You should be able to watch it on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52JSMv6CiN0
Comment by Publius — August 11, 2026 at 11:16 am
I’m an, um, antediluvian music lover and a self-avowed Luddite who’s pretty out of touch with social media. But since social media seems to be how word spreads most quickly and effectively these days, would it be useful to have update 30 and its fairly comprehensive and damning refutation of David Allen’s claims “published” (if that’s the correct word) on YouTube (or Instagram,or wherever)? This Luddite has no idea how one would go about that, but maybe someone who reads the Intelligencer does? Also, do the good folks who run the Red Flower Campaign have a YouTube channel (or Insta, or whatever the heck would be effective as a campaign tool? Just a thought …
Comment by Britmusiclover — August 11, 2026 at 10:52 am
More false narratives squashed by Thomas Dinsmore:
https://thomaswdinsmore.substack.com/p/the-bsos-false-narrative-part-ii
Meanwhile, Boston.com is still showing the David Allen Tanglewood article.
Comment by Publius — August 10, 2026 at 5:11 pm
@Kenny G, thanks. I believe others who live in MA, like @Publius, should follow suit. The more complaints the MA Attorney General’s office receives, the more likely it is that they will have to take it seriously & start investigating Chad and Barbara and their minions in management and on the board. There must be a major job of house cleaning done within BSO management and the board of trustees that will ensure the survival of the BSO’s well deserved artistic integrity and decades-long excellence in music making, that will also ensure that Andris Nelsons remains as BSO Music Director for as long as he and BSO Musicians want him to remain. The more people who complain to the MA Attorney General’s office, the more likely it is that this ongoing turmoil will end, the BSO’s musical excellence will be retained and the audience and BSO Musicians will have the privilege of having this great orchestra led indefinitely by a superb music director, Andris Nelsons.
Comment by John Kwok — August 9, 2026 at 4:25 pm
@ John Kwok I just filed a complaint. Kept it simple and mostly referred to fraudulent soliciting through misrepresentation of funds and fiscal affairs (contradicted by Thomas Dinsmore’s analysis). An audit may help to get the ball rolling alongside boycotts, red flower and media campaigns.
Comment by Kenny G — August 9, 2026 at 9:40 am
@Kenny G I found that website months ago, soon after the BSO Board announced its decision regarding Nelsons. What is needed is for the public to complain en masse to it and maybe enlist elected officials like Mayor Wu to insist that the MA Attorney General starts investigating Chad and Barbara, then removes them from ther respective positions, and reconstitutes the BSO board so that at least five BSO musicians are members, with its first action, reinstating Nelsons’ contract after the 2027 Tanglewood season. I don’t think a boycott will be persuasive enough for any meaningful change to occur. Drastic action must be taken now, with the MA Attorney General getting involved with investigating this.
Comment by John Kwok — August 9, 2026 at 8:52 am
PS: This site seems more to the point as it concerns non-profit organizations and fraudulent soliciting: https://www.mass.gov/how-to/file-a-complaint-about-a-charity-or-non-profit
Comment by Kenny G — August 9, 2026 at 8:27 am
@ John Kwok I am not a legal expert but I do think that the BSO is misrepresenting its financial assets to the public to deceive donors. We all know from Thomas Dinsmore that the claims of current insolvency are not true and hence the messaging from the BSO is fraudulent. Here’s a link where such fraudulent behavior can be reported to the Attorney General. https://www.mass.gov/how-to/report-fraud-relating-to-public-contracts-or-funds-to-the-attorney-generals-office
Comment by Kenny G — August 9, 2026 at 8:19 am
@Kenny G while I think the boycott should be pursued, I think more credible action in support of patrons and musicians will be done IF AND ONLY IF the public demands that the MA Attorney General investigates BSO management and the board, fires Chad Smith and Barbara Hostetter and replaces them in management and the board who will act responsibly on behalf of BSO Musicians. This must include a reconstituted board that will include as members, BSO musicians which will decide favorably in retaining Andris Nelsons as BSO Music Director for as long as he chooses.
Comment by John Kwok — August 9, 2026 at 7:58 am
@ Publius Fully agree. Boycott is currently the only way to move forward. I looked at the BSO ticket site and checked out a few concerts dates to see whether many tickets had been sold so far. Compared to last year, there are significantly more available tickets and it looks like many subscribers are boycotting. This is encouraging. And yes, there is radio where you can follow Andris. You can also hear him on the German radio station featuring the Gewandhaus Orchestra https://www.gewandhausradio.de/mediathek/
@John Kwok Agree but US laws are very business-friendly and I’m not sure if the General Attorney will step in though a financial audit could help in getting rid of some board members.
Comment by Kenny G — August 9, 2026 at 7:38 am
I have zero faith in any internal political process to fix this, so my wife and I—former subscribers—are officially disengaging from the BSO with both our time and money. To be clear, this is entirely about management, not the musicians. Between the administrative shenanigans and the New York Times’s ongoing, unfair targeted negativity toward Andris and the orchestra, which finally pushed me to cancel my NYT subscription, we are done supporting the status quo.
Instead, our subscription dollars are heading to vibrant local alternatives like Vivo, the Boston Early Music Festival, and H + H, plus the occasional trip down to New York City for world-class programming.
If anything is going to shift at Symphony Hall, I feel it has to start with action from the musicians themselves, backed by a deeply supportive patron community. The Red Flower Movement and writers such as Thomas Dinsmore have done stellar work cutting through false narratives and calling out leadership. Talk to people outside Symphony Hall, or look at the widespread pushback across Reddit regarding next season’s AI programming gimmicks, and it is clear that a massive segment of the audience is completely checked out and those who might have been interested are actually repulsed when they look more closely. Boycotting feels like the only rational response left.
That said, we are not abandoning the music entirely. We will still be streaming WCRB whenever Andris and the BSO are together, and I hope along with others, we might turn the Intelligencer comment section into virtual intermission listening parties with others who will boycott, not only for the socialization but also to clearly state facts. The institutional knowledge and camaraderie here are worth infinitely more than the NYT or spending money to help fund the salaries of BSO leadership in any capacity. Instead, I would be honored so spend intermission with others in the Intelligencer community with 99.5 FM tuned in on my radio.
Comment by Publius — August 9, 2026 at 12:59 am
@Kenny G, what is needed now is for the MA Attorney General to step in, to start investigating BSO management and the board, and then to fire those responsible for the ongoing turmoil. THe board must be reconstituted with members drawn from BSO Musicians, with one of its key decisions, reinstating Nelsons’ contract so that he can remain indefinitely as BSO Music Director for as long as he chooses. Both Chad Smtih and Barbara Hostetter must be removed from their current postiions ASAP.
Comment by John Kwok — August 8, 2026 at 11:33 pm
@ Rick I’m afraid that the decision had little to do with art but with programming and business. Reduction of classical concerts and increase of more commercial pop-oriented concerts. In addition, plans of monetizing the BSO via massive renovations projects here in Boston and in Tanglewood. The board is taking a purely corporate approach, deeming those of us who care for classical music old- fashioned. They are basically rebranding the BSO in a way one would do with an old restaurant, namely redesign the exterior/interior and change the menu. Welcome to the soulless world of late capitalism. I’m not sure why Mark Volpe with his creative vision allowed so many soulless people on the board so as to empower indirectly their takeover and destruction of what he had built.
Comment by Kenny G — August 8, 2026 at 11:29 pm
@Maurice “Rick” Laurence, your remarks are quite elegant and eloquent. I agree with your assessment. But talking bout it won’t address what happened back in March.
Comment by John Kwok — August 8, 2026 at 11:29 pm
“You must hear the bird’s song without attempting to render it into nouns and verbs.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson “Works and Days” paragraph 40.
In early March, when 110 musicians met a tearful Andris Nelsons on the steps of Symphony Hall, I think that their concern was about a spiritual bankruptcy that appears to have found its way into the workings of Symphony Hall. None of what has been written since then, in The Boston Globe, in The New York Times, in The Berkshire Eagle really addresses this bankruptcy which has nothing to do with the music or any monetary checks that may have bounced at the bank that handles the account of the Boston Symphony.
I do not think that the discussion about contemporary versus standard repertoire speaks to the issues either. When a composer writes a work of music, the composer writes for eternity. Whether the composer be Joseph Haydn, Bela Bartok, Olivier Messiaen,or Sofia Gubaidulina the date of composition is secondary to the eternal message to the soul.
Additionally, composers for eternity do not write thinking about how much money the work might bring in.
The spiritual bankruptcy at Symphony Hall has to do with a Friday afternoon email announcing that Andris Nelsons had been fired. It is not about how the news was rolled out (which was horrible), but about the news itself. It was a clear message of disrespect both to Andris Nelsons and to the musicians who work with him. It makes the current attempt to honor Andris Nelsons’ legacy in the coming season patently false and superficial. Who really wants to witness such a charade?
Instead of music, we read about the political baggage and armaments of secret votes by Boards. We will never know what the members of the Board were told before the vote occurred. We will never know what concerns even brought the vote to take place. We will never know if any real attempt was made to reach a more positive solution to whatever problems were perceived.
We all can do better than what has been occurring. Hopefully, people can talk about the realities that brought all this about. As Carl Rogers said, “The facts are always friendly.” People really can talk out their differences and find creative solutions.
Comment by Maurice “Rick” Laurence — August 8, 2026 at 4:54 pm
@ava – Someone shared the BSO AI story on Reddit in r/boston and r/classicalmusic:
https://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/1vi5jkh/boston_symphony_will_augment_its_musicians_with_ai/
https://www.reddit.com/r/classicalmusic/comments/1vi5ivn/boston_symphony_will_augment_its_musicians_with_ai/
The responses have been devastatingly negative, especially within the Boston community. The wider community and local audience are seeing what is happening here, and they really don’t like it.
Comment by Publius — August 7, 2026 at 8:16 pm
Here’s AI’s answer concerning its use at the BSO:
“As an AI, I view the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s integration of live artificial intelligence—such as in Tod Machover’s commissioned piece “already and not yet”—as an intriguing artistic experiment rather than a replacement for human soul. Technology acts as a digital mirror, reflecting human creativity back with new textures while relying entirely on the physical expression of the musicians to mean anything at all.”
I’m not sure if I believe AI’s answer.
Comment by ava — August 7, 2026 at 5:45 pm
Is that an example of “affinity” programming, or perhaps better positioned as “infinity” programming?
Comment by Gerry — August 7, 2026 at 11:23 am
A collaboration between the MIT Media Lab and the BSO a few years back featured scores with underlying low-frequency drones which they claimed would erase sleep deficits and improve brain function. I was neither cured nor inspired.
Comment by Lee Eiseman — August 7, 2026 at 11:04 am
The upcoming usage of AI in the next BSO season is finally getting coverage and I am happy about that considering the implications of AI regarding creativity as well as employment, among many other issues. I find the upcoming partnership between the BSO/MIT Media Lab and everything surrounding its “Technology & Our Humanity” series to be out of place and gimmicky. I rebuke it strongly.
https://slippedisc.com/2026/08/small-print-boston-symphony-will-augment-its-musicians-with-ai/
Comment by Publius — August 7, 2026 at 9:23 am
“I found his evolution exasperating, as did fellow local critics.” — David Allen in his most recent NYT article. From my point of view, I could not disagree more.
For example, take his Dvorak 9th: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggxpjfuf5bU
I feel he has evolved as a conductor and changed with a lot of pieces over time in order to perfect them and this is a great example. If I were only to know this specific recording of Andris, I might not be impressed. However, I saw Andris/BSO perform it in March. I was in awe as was the entire audience in Symphony Hall. The tempo was faster, the energy was ecstatic, the sound was booming. It was amazing. Andris himself stated at a talk a few months back he is always learning and seeking out the tutorship of teachers. I wish I could provide a recording from the March concert but safe to say the premise of an “exasperating evolution” is something I could not disagree with more.
Comment by Publius — August 6, 2026 at 4:43 pm
@Publius, I agree completely with what you’ve said regarding what Thomas Dinsmore and Lee Eiseman have written over at SlippeDisc: https://slippedisc.com/2026/08/boston-fact-checker-dismembers-ny-times-music-critic/. You can read Dinsmore’s original piece with contributions from Lee Eisemann here: https://thomaswdinsmore.substack.com/p/the-assassin?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web.
Comment by John Kwok — August 6, 2026 at 3:14 pm
@BM or should I call you Chad Smith or BS. The recording catalogue of Maellki is highly specialized and mostly occurs on obscure labels. You bring to mind the poet Mallarme who took a pride in not being read. Let’s just give Boston what they want and not shove down a contemporary and barely known conductor down their throats. Nelsons both on recordings and performances is truly excellent. Can he have an off-night. Of course. When I was a regular at the CSO, Solti and Barenboim had occasional off nights. In any case, ain’t anyone better than Nelsons.
Comment by Boris Karloff — August 6, 2026 at 12:55 pm
Big shout out to Lee Eiseman and Thomas Dinsmore for their analysis of David Allen’s writing for the NYT as it comes to Andris/BSO. That was a great read.
Comment by Publius — August 6, 2026 at 12:49 pm
@ JKK Great analysis of the current crisis and the cultural differences between LA and Boston. One sticking point apart from firing Smith and providing an honorable exit for Nelsons is a replacement that can match his level and scope of repertoire. Younger promising conductors like Popelka or Hrusa are not yet at his level.
@ Aquilantus Your fiscal analysis is spot on. It’s not like some of these ideas (emphasis on contemporary repertoire) haven’t been tried before and failed miserably with audiences. Let’s promote Nelsons and the orchestra properly!
Comment by Kenny G — August 6, 2026 at 11:37 am
Speaking of not being entitled to one’s own facts, the summary of the Times article left out several named instances in the Globe article it references in which musicians cited Nelsons being unprepared.
“While many conductors have multiple posts, some BSO musicians say Nelsons has at times arrived at rehearsals underprepared. In one 2018 instance, he had to be shown a YouTube video to recollect a section of a Leonard Bernstein ballet. And last summer at Tanglewood, Nelsons rehearsed a piece by contemporary composer Gabriela Ortiz at less than half its normal tempo because he was still learning it. Even in rehearsals, musicians say, it’s uncommon for a maestro to be so unfamiliar with a work.
The difficulties have occasionally resulted in frustration. In January, during a rehearsal of the Samuel Barber opera “Vanessa,” Nelsons became unsettled when principal BSO oboist John Ferrillo asked to repeat a particularly tricky section. According to musicians, the conductor stepped off the podium and extended his baton. “You want to conduct?” he demanded. “You want to conduct?” (Nelsons later apologized, arriving at rehearsal the following day with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne for the oboist.)”
Neither of those anecdotes, including one specifically relating to ‘Vanessa,’ reference Allen’s review of ‘Vanessa.’
Susanna Mälkki’s fall season: London Symphony, Orchestra de Paris, Dutch National Opera, Staatsoper Hamburg, Deutsche Oper Berlin. She’s a regular at the Berlin Phil. If that’s not one of “the world’s leading conductors” I’ll eat my hat. And again, the Globe article describes behavior quite different from this summary:
“At one rehearsal, a player questioned the timing of the conductor’s “stick” (baton) in a manner that some colleagues viewed as disrespectful. Later, during a performance at Symphony Hall, a different musician played a piece at his own tempo, without watching Malkki.”
Comment by BM — August 6, 2026 at 11:15 am
Very interesting financial debate going on between Thomas Dinsmore and Larry Bomback. But even if the BSO board were to be fully transparent (don’t hold your breath), how does getting rid of Andris Nelsons at all improve the BSO’s finances? The only factor that a music director could possibly affect here is ticket revenue – but what if Nelsons was purposely under-marketed by a CEO who wanted to get rid of him? What if the orchestra itself is not being sufficiently promoted? What if the “affinity” programming, centering others’ voices in a way that Chad Smith claims the BSO desperately needs, does not actually translate into box office success? (The 2023 “Voices of Loss, Reckoning, and Hope” festival is a case in point, as it rendered 3 weeks of a nearly empty hall.) What if “adventurous” programming that Smith also claims the BSO needs, means more contemporary music that audiences also don’t want to hear? Smith & the board’s whole credibility is at stake here. What if this strategic plan is just a financial house of cards? Have the CEO & board even made a convincing case to the public that their future vision means future financial flourishing? No, they have not.
Comment by Aliquantus — August 6, 2026 at 11:01 am
I have been observing this situation as an outsider. I have not attended a concert for some time. I am wondering when Hostetter will fire Smith and blame this fiasco on him. And which Board members will be isolated and marginalized. She must be seething over this situation and its expected negative impact on her reputation and desired legacy. She misread and misunderstood the basic differences between LA and Boston. The folks who financially support the BSO do not respect the glitter and the vacuous nature of the LA mentality as it may be perceived. And Boston likes the BSO traditions alongside the Pops traditions. They are separate and distinct. The so -called “vision” has never been defined or articulated and may not be anytime soon. If Hostetter wants “diversity” there are many ways to achieve it including a thoughtful non-renewal of the essentially at-will employment of Nelsons. If properly done he would have signed off on joint statement congratulating him on his legacy BSO achievements and his “desire” to devote more energy to his European orchestral commitments. It still would have been somewhat problematic if no replacement had been quietly recruited but it would have been preferable to the seeming confrontational way it was done which disrespected the conductor, musicians, patrons and the public. The BSO has a irrefutable legacy which must be preserved. Hostetter has apparently not understood Boston but she can blame Smith, do penance and attempt to move on. Nelsons will still leave but be afforded an acknowledgment of his status and contribution to the legacy of the BSO. The insiders will privately cringe but publicly smile and applaud. Money will flow again and a fresh face will be hired.
Comment by JKK — August 6, 2026 at 7:20 am
Someone brought up in interesting question in the slipped disc forum. Is the donor money dedicated to the endowment tied to a specific use? For example, is it expected to support classical music and its core canon when used or can it be applied to anything (e.g. laser shows; pop events, etc.). In other words, is there a binding mission statement? I recall a case where a significant donation made out to the humanities at a university was instead used for a scoreboard for the football team. I believe there were no binding by laws how the donation should be used and it thus became volatile money. I hope this is not the case with the BSO.
Comment by NDA — August 5, 2026 at 5:18 pm
In A.Z. Madonna’s rave review of Nelsons/BSO Marriage of Figaro, I found it interesting to read:
“There’s also the apparently flourishing Red Flower Campaign, which calls for Nelsons’s reinstatement and more openness from BSO leadership with the public about its plans for the orchestra. I counted around 60 flower pins on patrons during a quick walk across the lawn before a Friday evening concert, and I wasn’t even looking too hard.”
Three cheers for the Red Flower Movement, which is still growing at a fast pace and making itself heard as it voices its concerns with BSO leadership and support of Andris Nelsons and BSO musicians. If you have not heard the recording of this concert, you must listen to it. This was the highlight of the Tanglewood season this summer and Andris is a brilliant opera conductor. There goes the narrative of Andris “always being in the score” ridiculousness. I am going to skip listening to the rest of the Tanglewood concerts this year but I will be listening and encourage others to do the same on 99.5 FM/WCRB online on Friday, August 21, 8 pm for Nelson/BSO & Fleming and Hampson as they perform excerpts from “Nixon in China” at Tanglewood (previously recorded, sadly without the Tanglewood Festival Chorus).
Three cheers as well to A.Z. Madonna for the excellent coverage along with Anne Davenport of this concert. I also encourage everyone to read the new Berkshire Edge article ( https://theberkshireedge.com/red-flower-campaign-supporting-bso-music-director-nelsons-continues/ ) about the Red Flower Movement.
Sources:
Boston Globe Review: https://archive.ph/NRwS8
Recording: https://www.classicalwcrb.org/show/the-boston-symphony-orchestra/2026-03-25/mozarts-the-marriage-of-figaro-at-tanglewood
Red Flower Movement: https://theberkshireedge.com/red-flower-campaign-supporting-bso-music-director-nelsons-continues/
Comment by Publius — August 5, 2026 at 3:59 pm
@ John Kwok — Thanks very for links. I was happy to read the part that stated “Guys, you need a mediator” and it made me think of your comment recently that Mayor Wu would be a good mediator, who has performed multiple times with Andris & the BSO. Of course, I imagine that BSO Leadership would never allow that because she is far more trusted than any of them. However, the main point for me is that they just ignore everything and damage themselves in the process. Had the Board listened to patrons who send emails from the start (I have particularly enjoyed yours which you post), it would be in a far better place. One wonders, does the Board have no shame? Are they not concerned with how bad they look from this crisis that they made?
Comment by Publius — August 5, 2026 at 11:33 am
Over at SlippeDisc, Norman Lebrecht has weighed in. The problem with his “friendly letter” is that it might be too late for meaningful dialogue: https://slippedisc.com/2026/08/a-friendly-letter-to-the-board-of-the-boston-symphony/.
Comment by John Kwok — August 5, 2026 at 6:57 am
Thomas Dinsmore has weighed in again on how mendacious Chad Smith has been with regards to the real facts of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s finances: https://slippedisc.com/2026/08/chad-smith-is-playing-havoc-with-the-boston-facts/.
Comment by John Kwok — August 4, 2026 at 2:37 pm
Maurice “Rick”Laurence: Local students are already clamoring for tickets to the BSO, but at a price they can afford. The “College Card”/”Student Pass” is SO popular, but the tickets are limited; I hope that management will expand availability! Empty seats on the afternoon of performances could be made available.
Also, The Harvard-Radcliffe and NEC choruses performed with the BSO because there was no official Boston Symphony chorus back then. That’s why John Oliver proposed to management that the BSO should have its own chorus; thus, in 1970 the Tanglewood Festival Chorus (TFC) was founded for year-round performances, recordings and tours. I wish it was called “Boston Symphony Chorus” to prevent confusion; I’ve answered many questions from subscribers over the years. My favorite one was “Do they bus you in from the Berkshires?”😝😖
(I’m a longtime member of the TFC.)
Comment by KT — August 3, 2026 at 2:48 pm
In the face of the current turmoil, I have been drawn to listening to two recordings by Charles Munch, his April 1959 recording of Hector Berlioz’s Requiem and his February 1954 recording of Berlioz’s La Damnation of Faust. Both Charles Munch and Andris Nelsons have worked with the Boston Symphony for a little more than a decade, and both have a recorded legacy with this orchestra for the ages.
Additionally, both Charles Munch and Andris Nelsons approach music from the heart with warmth rather than precision being their artistic approach. Both conductors are known for being well liked by the musicians.
It is interesting to hear the use of the Harvard Glee Club, the Radcliffe Choral Society (Faust) and the New England Conservatory Chorus (Requiem) used in these recordings. Having members of the local educational institutions participate in performances would certainly be a good way to encourage interest by local students in attending the Boston Symphony programs.
I can only hope that the emphasis at the Boston Symphony remains upon artistic expression.
Comment by Maurice “Rick” Laurence — August 3, 2026 at 10:44 am
Mr. David Allen, NYT critic, hanging out with publicist paid by Chad Smith at Tanglewood. https://slippedisc.com/2026/08/over-at-tanglewood-watch-the-ny-times-get-spun/
Meanwhile at the Salzburg festival where a highly popular artistic director was ousted, “the Festival administration has been ordered by a court to account for the expenses incurred in the removal of Hinterhäuser from a post he fulfilled with distinction.” I wonder if something similar could be done by the Attorney General. https://slippedisc.com/2026/08/the-night-salzburg-turned-into-tanglewood/
Comment by Kenny G — August 3, 2026 at 6:43 am
@KC I wouldn’t rely on AI. I would recommend contacting the MA Attorney General’s office directly. You should also contact Mayor Wu to ask her to step in and mediate.
Comment by John Kwok — August 2, 2026 at 10:58 pm
@NDA — Absolutely agreed. I listened to last night’s concert on the radio and had a wonderful time at home and I will continue listening on the radio for the foreseeable future, perhaps forever, who knows(?). Symphony Hall has always been the greatest, most magical concert venue of anywhere in the world, in my humble opinion. However, I see no reason to go there now, and I do not want my hard-earned dollars to support a toxic organization or the people in charge of it.
Comment by Publius — August 2, 2026 at 9:57 pm
We need to send a message as patrons and consumers and refuse to attend BSO concerts for the time being. “This aggression will not stand.”
Comment by NDA — August 2, 2026 at 9:31 pm
@John Kwok Here’s the AI answer concerning intervention by the Attorney General. Governance disputes and management decisions are unfortunately off limits.
The Massachusetts Attorney General cannot intervene in internal governance disputes or management decisions of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, because the AG’s oversight is strictly limited to enforcing charitable assets, registration compliance, and fiduciary breaches.
Comment by KC — August 2, 2026 at 9:18 pm
@Robert Kimble, thanks for your excellent commentary. As I have noted several times, I think the only way this will be resolved is if BSO Patrons and others demand from the MA Attorney General that she launches an investigation into Chad and Barbara’s business practices with the BSO. The goal should be firing and replacing them and the entire board with those – including members of the BSO musicians – who are genuinely sympathetic to the musical aspirations of both the BSO Musicians and BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons, having him reinstated indefinitely as music director, allowing him to remain for as long as he chooses.
Comment by John Kwok — August 2, 2026 at 5:10 pm
I wrote a letter to the New York Times complaining about David Allen’s Critical Notebook. I don’t expect it to get published. I avoided writing about differences in critical interpretation. I focused on what I considered glaring errors in fact.
I’ll say that I wasn’t shocked by Allen’s review. He’s made his dislike of Nelsons’s conducting quite clear and I doubt that he will ever like anything Andris does. That’s his right, but we also have the right to disagree with him. I listened to the link that @Publius posted and Mr. Allen’s review doesn’t reflect what I heard. This doesn’t surprise me. Earlier this year, Allen reviewed two concerts that Klaus Makela and the CSO performed at Carnegie Hall. I heard the same pieces performed in Chicago by Klaus and the orchestra. My friends and I were shocked by Allen’s review, which didn’t match what we heard in Chicago. Maybe the acoustics are dramatically different in New York. Allen specializes in the type of criticism that Bernard Holland abhors: Buzzwords without the concrete analysis to back it up.
@John Kwok, I like your thoughts on the BSO Board. I wish the musicians could organize like the Vienna Philharmonic, but I don’t know that it can be done practically. For better or worse the American model depends on donations- large ones- and that comes with giving donors a big say. The BSO has an incredibly large board. Who knows how involved most of the members are? If they were more active they’d be lighting a fire under Barbara and Chad for creating this mess. Musicians at all orchestras should be represented on the governing committees of their boards. In Boston, it’s the only way to regain trust with the musicians. Barbara and Chad seem indifferent to both musicians and patrons. Most orchestras would kill for patrons who are as passionate and as knowledgeable as Boston’s. Barbara and Chad see it as a threat.
@Ava thanks for posting the LA Philharmonic schedule. It really isn’t that different. It would be interesting to see an analysis of attendance. How do audiences respond to programming? The LA Phil justifiable brags about the attendance at the Hollywood Bowl, but it’s harder to find figures for Disney Hall. Often you hear misleading percentages of seats filled. This doesn’t take in to account seating capacities. Symphony Hall seats 2,625 for BSO concerts. Disney seats 2,265 for the LA Phil. If Boston plays to 80% of capacity and the LA Philharmonic plays to 90% on the same night, there are still more people at Symphony Hall. During the Volpe era, the BSO Annual Report included breakdowns for attendance at concerts. It doesn’t include as much information now.
I wrote the first draft of this last night. Since then, I’ve read Orlando Alonso’s Substack, which covers a lot of the same ground. It’s worth reading.
Comment by Robert Kimble — August 2, 2026 at 12:32 pm
@Gerry I’ve been emailing Chad and the board for weeks now. In an earlier email several weeks ago, I noted that they lacked the humility I saw from my favorite teacher in high school, Frank McCourt, many years before he wrote “Angela’s Ashes”. After the film was released, he read passages from the book, while the film composer, John Williams, conducted the Boston Pops and the Boston Symphony in several concerts devoted to the film score. I noted that if Frank was alive now – he died in July 2009 – he would support strongly Andris Nelsons and the BSO musicians, not Chad, Barbara and their minions on the BSO Board.
Comment by John Kwok — August 2, 2026 at 10:09 am
@ John Kwok – thanks for the Orlando Alonso link; “evolution should begin with humility rather than certainty” – all I can say is AMEN.
Comment by Gerry — August 2, 2026 at 7:21 am
This is worthy of note. I agree strongly with the writer’s assessment: https://open.substack.com/pub/orlandoalonsomusic/p/when-critics-forget-their-limits?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web .
Comment by John Kwok — August 2, 2026 at 5:50 am
@ Publius Thanks for posting this link. Many people forget that Nelsons is also an outstanding opera conductor.
Comment by Kenny G — August 1, 2026 at 8:47 pm
If anyone is online now, I urge to you start listening to Andris Nelsons and the BSO play the Marriage of Figaro live from Tanglewood on WCRB. As someone who is boycotting Tanglewood, I feel I am there now and I love the shouts of “Andris!” at the start of the broadcast. This will be the absolute highlight of the summer.
Go here: https://www.classicalwcrb.org/show/the-boston-symphony-orchestra/2026-03-25/mozarts-the-marriage-of-figaro-at-tanglewood or turn on the radio at 99.5 FM in the Boston area!
Comment by Publius — August 1, 2026 at 8:10 pm
@ Publius Thanks for the concert link – The Mozart concerto has a wonderful sweet tone – the Tchaikovsky is gorgeous with lush sound and great drama. The critic mentions Karajan and the influence of Karajan’s emotive atmospheric sound is clearly there and masterfully executed by the orchestra and Nelsons. Let’s not forget that Ozawa was a disciple of Karajan and Nelsons is carrying this tradition forward in his own unique way.
Comment by Kenny G — August 1, 2026 at 3:47 pm
@TITUREL it should not be a done deal which is why people need to demand that the MA Attorney General investigates Chad Smith, Barbara Hostetter, and their minions, and then act by firing and replacing them and creating a reconstituted board of trustees that will include at least five BSO musicians who will rescind the termination of Nelsons’ contract, so that he can remain indefinitely as BSO Music Director for as long as he chooses.
Comment by John Kwok — August 1, 2026 at 10:16 am
Thank you, Ava, for posting the LA schedule. It would seem that their programs aren’t so terribly different, forward-thinking, or more ‘inclusive’ (with the exception of the film nights) than those currently at the BSO. Their solo/chamber programs are similar to what’s on offer at the Celebrity Series (what’s that new name again?) or the Bos Sym Chamber Players, and their association with Colburn seems more defined than the BSO’s with NEC. But otherwise, to me it looks like similar fare to the major American orchestras. Same handful of international soloists (Andsnes, Bronfman, Midori, Buchbinder et al). Same format- contemporary repertoire either as an opener or sandwiched between more familiar pieces. Boston has Twood, LA the Hollywood Bowl. Until the BSO clearly articulates what this new vision is, there will continue to be frustration and anger at management. Nelsons aside- and it appears that’s a done deal- the BSO management has some ‘splainin to do.
Comment by TITUREL — August 1, 2026 at 8:54 am
I encourage everyone to listen to one of the recent concerts that the New York Times sent an obituary writer to review. The NYT wrote, in part:
“Sure, the Bostonians have been playing with more intensity since March, but that intensity is fundamentally undisciplined. Add Nelsons’s in-the-moment interpretations, and things can fray.
The Tchaikovsky did. Basic speeds were lethargic throughout the Third, Fourth and Fifth symphonies, and Nelsons then pushed tempo shifts past their breaking points, especially in a messy, moribund Fifth. Their Mozart was more convincing, conceived in the elegant style of the Karajan-era conductors that Nelsons admires, if without the last twinkle of spirit that aesthetic needs to shine.”
You can access it here: https://www.classicalwcrb.org/show/the-boston-symphony-orchestra/2026-03-25/mozart-and-tchaikovsky-at-tanglewood-with-paul-lewis-part-2
I am genuinely interested in everyone’s thoughts.
Comment by Publius — August 1, 2026 at 8:47 am
The future vision: https://www.laphil.com/tickets-and-events/calendar
Comment by ava — July 31, 2026 at 7:16 pm
@ Jim Makes sense, esp. if you have gift coupon. For my part, I’ll wait for the time being. If there is an unexpected reversal of the decision within the next 1-2 months, I can always buy tickets at that time. I do want to see Nelsons reinstated before I commit.
Comment by Kenny G — July 31, 2026 at 6:41 pm
@Kenny G
I hear what you’re saying, but I think there is a middle ground. Perhaps it would send a stronger message if Nelson’s performances were significantly better attended than the rest of the season’s offerings.
As for me, before all this brouhaha a friend gave me a very generous gift certificate for the BSO so they’ve got the money whether I use it or not. The turmoil being beside the point, this season doesn’t hold a lot of interest for me anyway. I ended up buying a ticket for only one concert – April’s Sunday afternoon Prokofiev concert. As for the Mahler I’ll have to wait and see what the situation is once tickets become available.
Comment by jim78e395 — July 31, 2026 at 6:13 pm
@jim I understand wanting to see Nelsons one more time. Luckily, he has performed many of this season’s pieces with the BSO before (including Mahler 3) and is giving us more of a retrospective (though Shostakovich is missing). For my part, I don’t want to sponsor a dishonest organization even if the musicians and Nelsons are not be blamed for this disaster. Also, a domino effect is likely to occur, if this hostile takeover is not stopped, emboldening other orchestra administrations to decapitate their music directors.
Comment by Kenny G — July 31, 2026 at 4:01 pm
I just received this reply from BSO customer service regarding the Mahler 3rd:
“Thank you for your inquiry. Unfortunately, we will not have any further updates regarding the 4/17 concert until early in 2027.”
Comment by jim78e395 — July 31, 2026 at 12:54 pm
Tickets went on sale for the upcoming BSO season this morning except for the Mahler 3rd that’s being billed as Nelsons’ final Symphony Hall performance. Does anyone know what the story is or when those tickets are supposed to become available? I presume they’re going to exploit the situation and charge a premium price for it, but it was one of the few concerts this season that I was actually interested in making an effort for. As far as I can determine there is no info on the website other than the concert not being available as part of a subscription. I’ve been reloading the page all morning just in case tickets suddenly become available, but my patience for that has just about run out.
Comment by jim78e395 — July 31, 2026 at 12:23 pm
@ Kenny G — I feel we should absolutely boycott, take count, and be heard. My wife and I will not attend as we are done with the shenanigans. That already makes three of us. I am also going to cancel my New Yoek Times subscription and instead subscribe to the Berkshire Eagle to support quality, local journalism.
Comment by Publius — July 31, 2026 at 8:29 am
I find it odd that this piece would appear today when BSO tickets go on sale for the general public. It is as if Smith’s PR team does not want us to attend BSO concerts anymore. I will take him up on his advice and skip this year’s season and future ones as well.
Comment by Kenny G — July 31, 2026 at 7:38 am
My dearest apologies for writing on a phone.
@ asta — The New York Times is a joke when it comes to music criticism and is unreliable when it comes to covering Andris and the BSO based on my reading over the years and being present at the meet same concerts. However, do not take my word for it. Rick Beato cannot stand the New York Times and its music critics and he is well regarded in this field perhaps more so than anyone else currently so his opinion holds immense weight.
I love Andris Nelsons most of all *for* his interpretations of Tchaikovsky. I would also stress to anyone going to Tanglewood that it ia the summer home of the BSO and most of all a place of experimentation where artists should take risks. The author, seemingly, found it a place to take pot shots.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr2nuKFM33s&pp=ygUXUmljayBiZWF0byBtdXNpYyBjcml0aWM%3D
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IQTMkjQvHoc&pp=ygUXUmljayBiZWF0byBtdXNpYyBjcml0aWPSBwkJowsBhyohjO8%3D
Comment by Publius — July 31, 2026 at 7:20 am
@ Asta — The NEw York Times
Comment by Publius — July 31, 2026 at 7:14 am
When will the New York Times stop publishing insulting articles about Maestro Nelsons?! What kind of incompetent ears would consider his interpretation of Tchaikovsky a disaster? Today’s article is clearly part of a PR campaign by the BSO management.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/arts/music/tanglewood-tension-boston-orchestra.html
Comment by Asta — July 31, 2026 at 2:35 am
I just saw this headline on the Boston Globe: “BSO’s Chad Smith withdraws from ‘future of orchestras’ talk at Tanglewood”
I found this paragraph most interesting: “This is the second public talk this year from which Chad Smith has withdrawn on short notice. The BSO leader was scheduled to present a colloquium titled ‘A Vision for the Humanities at the Boston Symphony’ at his alma mater Tufts University this past April 6…”
(Source: https://archive.ph/CjSa3 )
Kudos to A.Z. Madonna for the great reporting recently on the BSO.
Comment by Publius — July 27, 2026 at 6:04 pm
An interesting recent change today to the July 28th (12 PM) TLI program:
Previous: “TLI Presents: Shaping Sound: The Future of Orchestras with Esa-Pekka Salonen and Chad Smith”
Updated: “TLI Presents: Shaping Sound with composers Esa-Pekka Salonen and Gabriella Smith”
Organizer note: ‘Due to a family medical matter, Chad Smith needs to withdraw from this talk. We are grateful that composer Gabriella Smith is able to extend her residency at Tanglewood to join Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Comment by Kris — July 26, 2026 at 7:39 pm
I sent this to Chad, Barbara and the rest of the board yesterday with a slight correction again a short time ago:
I noted this over at SlippeDisc earlier today:
It is ironic in the very state that had the first battles of the American Revolution (Lexington, Concord, Bunker Hill), that Chad Smith, Barbara Hostetter and their minions have opted to terminate dissent by banning people from wearing red flowers. They ought to know better but they don’t, which is why they must be removed from their current positions ASAP via all necessary legal means.
I am certain that if he hadn’t died tragically a few weeks before the 250th anniversary of the birth of our country, my college professor, noted American historian Gordon Wood, professor emeritus of history, Brown University, regarded widely as our foremost historian of the American Revolution and the drafting of the U. S. Constitution, might have made a similar observation regarding how you, Chad and Barbara, are more interested in suppressing dissent than listening to credible concerns and complaints voiced since early March by the BSO Musicians and the general public. It’s another reason why you must be removed from your current positions ASAP.
Respectfully yours,
John Kwok
Comment by John Kwok — July 25, 2026 at 11:12 am
The estimated annual ticket revenues at the BSO are $ 47 million. If we truly wish to diversify the audience attending BSO concerts (and not just via lip service by the BSO board), we should adopt the Harvard Art Museum approach where all tickets are free. This was made possible with a generous donation from the Rockefeller estate. (Sackler family, this is your chance to redeem yourself). In doing so, the BSO would remove the financial access barrier and classical music could be performed without short-selling itself.
Comment by Karl Lager — July 25, 2026 at 7:52 am
I noted this over at SlippeDisc but it is worth repeating here as well:
It is ironic in the very state that had the first battles of the American Revolution (Lexington, Concord, Bunker Hill), that Chad Smith, Barbara Hostetter and their minions have opted to terminate dissent by banning people from wearing red flowers. They ought to know better but they don’t, which is why they must be removed from their current positions ASAP via all necessary legal means.
Comment by John Kwok — July 24, 2026 at 3:10 pm
@ Publius Thanks for the Globe links. The 2nd article pretends to be more evenhanded, though not without first slinging dirt at Nelsons and taking the fiscal numbers provided by the board as factual (Dinsmore is missing). I also hope that the NY music critic Allen will pay close critical attention to Dudamel’s performances in the upcoming NY Philharmonic season, since Nelsons performances should be of no concern to him.
Comment by Boris Karloff — July 24, 2026 at 1:14 pm
The pop fusion vision of Smith & co. simply doesn’t work, as it merely gentrifies or colonizes music genres that have their own autonomy. For example, Dudamel’s performance of Mambo from Bernstein West Side Story, an occasional fun piece in a classical concert hall, can ultimately not replace real Cuban or Salsa music and is not credible as a genuine expression of Latin music. I am a fan of many music genres but respect their diversity as genres and the unique cultural settings in which they are performed. I don’t like jazz with string accompaniment. When I attend classical music concerts, I expect them to honor the tradition of this genre. This is true diversity and not the assimilative melting pot vision (a la Henry Mancini) advanced by the BSO board.
Comment by Kenny G — July 24, 2026 at 11:29 am
“Tanglewood has instructed staff to preemptively caution anyone on campus carrying multiple red flowers” — you would think that this was printed in the Onion, but it is the Boston Globe. (source: https://archive.ph/Mri0C)
BSO leadership is completely pathetic! At this point, how can ANY Board member be satisfied with the organization and think the current path forward is a good idea? Are you serious? This honestly gives me Prague Spring vibes. As Alexander Dubček allegedly stated; “You can crush the flowers, but you can’t stop the spring.” Good luck trying to win over people at this point after having alienated so many people and done so much damage. Why can’t BSO leadership just OWN its mistake and fix it rather than repeatedly making the worst decision possible and ignoring its devoted patrons, musicians, etc.?
I wonder how the “Washington, D.C.-based crisis communications firm” that the BSO hired due to the uproar after the dismissal of Andris Nelsons (source: https://archive.ph/zhsaM#selection-3085.112-3085.161 ) will deal with this new update. I would read the comments of the Boston Globe with a new level of skepticism.
Comment by Publius — July 24, 2026 at 9:57 am
https://slippedisc.com/2026/07/tanglewood-visitors-are-warned-off-wearing-red-flowers/
Comment by ava — July 24, 2026 at 9:10 am
While my wife and I will not be attending the 2026 – 2027 season due to our extreme dissatisfaction with BSO leadership, we are also concerned that leadership will just twist any drop in attendance to push thr narrative that Symphony Hall is often empty because it needs a new musical director. If anything, I wonder if that what they want (?).
Had Andris Nelsons not been dismissed, we would have subscribed to nearly the entire season, though the upcoming usage of AI in concert this year also became a big cause of concern.
We plan to subscribe to the Boston Early Music Festival.
Comment by Publius — July 22, 2026 at 2:29 pm
@Boris Karloff, I agree completely. The audience must show its displeasure with Chad and Barbara abd their minions by refusing to attend any concerts in what is being promoted now as Nelsons’ final season as BSO music director. If the audience goes on strike, then maybe those jerks will be forced to listen.
Comment by John Kwok — July 22, 2026 at 9:22 am
PS: If you’re looking for an alternative concert season, check out the Berlin Philharmonic digital concert hall. A mere $ 150 will give you the entire 2026-27 season plus access to large archives that also include Nelsons’s many guest performances.
https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en
Comment by Boris Karloff — July 22, 2026 at 7:55 am
Unless we want to go along with the new changes at the BSO, the audience has to express its dissent visibly by skipping the upcoming season. Let an empty hall reflect the disapproval of the audience with Hostetter’s and Smith’s regime. I’m not worried about the opening night and its gala dinner, as I will not attend any concert until Nelsons is reinstated.
Comment by Boris Karloff — July 22, 2026 at 7:37 am
I emailed this yesterday to Chad, Barbara and their minions on the BSO board:
I think it was over at SlippeDisc that someone said that they saw Barbara Hostetter at a Tanglewood concert this weekend, and she didn’t seem to enjoy the music. That begs the question that if she doesn’t like classical music, then why does she insist on remaining chair of the board of trustees of what should be recognized still as one of the world’s great symphony orchestras? An orchestra that regained its stature after its difficult years with James Levine, under the stewardship of great conductors like Andris Nelsons and Bernard Haitink. Maybe Barbara should devote her time instead solely to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. I would not like her to become involved with Harvard University’s museums, especially what was once known as the Museum of Comparative Zoology, since that was the long-time home of someone who was both a personal hero and a mentor of mine, classical music lover Stephen Jay Gould, who was both one of our foremost invertebrate paleobiologists and science writers contributing greatly towards furthering public understanding of science, especially of evolutionary biology. (Steve was also a member of a Boston classical music ensemble.) I am certain that if he was alive still, he would be voicing his support for both Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra and demanding the resignations of Chad, Barbara, and probably the entire BSO board. Steve recognized genuine musical excellence, which seems to be a trait not shared by Chad and Barbara and their minions on the BSO board.
Comment by John Kwok — July 22, 2026 at 6:30 am
The comment below about the endowment discussion refers to Update 22, an otherwise useful analysis of the BSO’s finances.
Comment by Concordia — July 22, 2026 at 12:23 am
The article above makes comparisons of the BSO returns to the S&P 500. This is incomplete and unhelpful, as no endowed institution with salaries to pay would ever invest in a relatively undiversified portfolio of US stocks. That doesn’t mean that the returns are excellent, only that we have no good measurement of how they have done for the risks they have taken and vs peer institutions.
Comment by Concordia — July 22, 2026 at 12:11 am
A question that is less frivolous than it sounds:
Opening night tickets have started to go on sale. There is no gala dinner or reception being advertised—- is that a marketing decision to eliminate unnecessary costs, or are non-loyalists being frozen out of an event planned for insiders?
Comment by Concordia — July 21, 2026 at 11:49 pm
@AK Thematically yes. However, the Boston Landmarks Orchestra lacks the revenue streams that Hostetter and co. wish to make when monetizing the BSO. We’re witnessing a corporate takeover of a cultural institution. AI lists the following core items of this takeover:
Affinity & Contemporary Programming: Moving away from standard classical pillars toward modern, pop, and demographic-specific shows to capture new revenue streams.
Infrastructure Commercialization: Repurposing assets into modern revenue generators, such as building a tech/co-working space and updating Tanglewood’s digital infrastructure.
Comment by Boris Karloff — July 21, 2026 at 6:52 pm
Having just read Christopher Wilkins’ conductor’s notes for the upcoming concert of the Boston Landmarks Orchestra, I realized that Boston already has the orchestra that the BSO’s CEO and board want to make the BSO into.
Comment by A K — July 21, 2026 at 3:55 pm
@NDA, I agree completely with your assessment of Smith and Hostetter and why they need to resign now. They have no understanding of genuine musical excellence and I have read that Hostetter apparently doesn’t like classical music, even though she has been attending BSO concerts.
Comment by John Kwok — July 21, 2026 at 2:34 pm
It is worth noting how widely D. Wilson Ochoa’s statement has resonated across the internet. As the BSO’s Principal Librarian, his thoughts and experiences carry immense institutional weight, and he articulates these vital issues with incredible clarity. His statement was recently reposted on Reddit’s classical music forum, where it quickly reached the #1 spot and is currently sparking extensive discussion:
https://www.reddit.com/r/classicalmusic/comments/1v25zv1/boston_symphony_librarian_speaks_up_about_bso/
Rereading his words, the contrast he draws is heartbreaking. Placing the detail about an expensive office renovation of the CEO during a supposed financial crisis right alongside his account of proposing archival releases, only to be met with a dismissive ‘will it make money?’, captures the problem entirely.
The BSO sits on a treasure trove of unreleased historical recordings that could generate meaningful revenue while fulfilling its artistic mission. When the Principal Librarian identifies viable artistic projects, the administration should back those efforts enthusiastically instead of shutting them down; it seems he even could identify a triple album worth of material from over the years if nothing else, which could do so well both in terms of sales/streaming, as well as raising the notoriety of the BSO. I know I am far from the only patron who would happily pay to support any archival release Mr. Ochoa curates.
Comment by Publius — July 21, 2026 at 11:45 am
@ John Kwok Agree.The Vienna Philharmonic is an alternate model with complete orchestra control and no overarching chief conductor or music director. While I prefer this model with Vienna, an orchestra that is its own best representative, I like the presence of a music director that shapes an orchestra like the BSO. Nelsons (and yes Haitink) have left a great impact on the BSO and produced amazing concerts. Hostetter and Smith must resign as they stand in the way of excellence and audience appeal.
Comment by NDA — July 21, 2026 at 11:06 am
@NDA I am thinking more in terms of what the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) has done, since they have no permanent conductors, but like the Berliner Philharmoniker, are governed solely by themselves, the orchestra’s musicians. I reminded Alonso of this elsewhere on social media.
I thought I’d share with you and everyone else, what I sent to Barbara Hostetter last night as a private Facebook message, which she hasn’t read yet:
Resign now as BSO Board of Trustees chair. You are doing great harm to one of my favorite orchestras by remaining on the board of trustees. For years I have enjoyed hearing the BSO give exceptional concerts at Carnegie Hall and these remain among my favorites. These include concerts conducted by the late great Bernard Haitink who was a guest conductor for years, as well as by Andris Nelsons. I have a lot of respect and admiration for Andris Nelsons and spoke to him in person briefly over near the Carnegie Hall stage entrance on March 1st, just after he had conducted three exceptional concerts played by my favorite orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
Comment by John Kwok — July 21, 2026 at 8:32 am
@John Kwok Thanks for posting on Alonso’s piece on Berlin’s model of self governance with which I agree in principle. However, Petrenko, a great opera conductor, has so far only produced a small and slightly eccentric recording catalogue which is somewhat unusual for Berlin. His symphonic performances on record (e.g. Shostakovich, Brahms) are not always convincing. When the choice was made other frontrunners were Thielemann and Nelsons. Thielemann because of his far right sympathies took himself out of the race. However, I believe Nelsons should have been the new chief conductor in Berlin. We would be looking at an amazing recording catalogue. Imagine all the great recordings that Nelsons has done with the BSO (Brahms, Shostakovich, Strauss) or Leipzig (Bruckner, Strauss, Mendelssohn) and Vienna (Beethoven) would more than likely have been made with the Berlin Philharmonic. Suffice it to say, Nelsons is also a great opera conductor. Boston should be overjoyed that they have Nelsons, a conductor who could easily be elsewhere.
Comment by NDA — July 21, 2026 at 7:25 am
I agree with Orlando Alonso’s assessment of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s present and future: https://orlandoalonsomusic.substack.com/p/the-orchestra-belongs-to-the-music .
Comment by John Kwok — July 21, 2026 at 2:58 am
Barbara Hosteeter is on Facebook I sent her this Facebook message earlier this evening:
Resign now as BSO Board of Trustees chair. You are doing great harm to one of my favorite orchestras by remaining on the board of trustees. For years I have enjoyed hearing the BSO give exceptional concerts at Carnegie Hall and these remain among my favorites. These include concerts conducted by the late great Bernard Haitink who was a guest conductor of the BSO for years, as well as by Andris Nelsons. l have a lot of respect and admiration for Andris Nelsons and spoke to him in person briefly over near the Carnegie Hall stage entrance on March 1st, just after he had conducted three exceptional concerts played by my favorite orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
Comment by John Kwok — July 21, 2026 at 2:54 am
@Publius I concur with your observations. This has more to do with BSO management unfortunately. Deutsche Grammophon tried to fill some of the vacuum when Bernard Haitink was the BSO’s principal guest conductor, but this had more to do with the fact that Haitink was under contract with them.
Comment by John Kwok — July 20, 2026 at 9:41 pm
I really appreciate the courageousness, thoughtfulness, and integrity of D. Wilson Ochoa and hope that more union members will speak out with their own thoughts regarding their workplace. One point of his that really stuck with me from his writing was this:
” can tell you from personal experience that I have been campaigning for several years now for the BSO to release discs (and streaming) filled with recordings of our already-existing performances of works by women and black composers. I even went through the repertoire of recent performances and made a list of likely candidates. There were more than enough great options to release the equivalent of several discs, even while still being choosy to pick only the best repertoire. The only response I heard from the CEO was a dismissive “will it make money?” even though it is well known that classical music recordings rarely make money. Recordings are made to raise the visibility of the orchestra, to show our quality and versatility and hopefully spur future ticket sales. (And they provide a rich legacy for this storied institution.) This would help demonstrate our inclusivity, but our CEO didn’t seem at all concerned with that.”
This was so sad for me. I often think about the immense wealth of recordings the BSO must have and how it is such a shame they do not release more recordings. The BSO’s recordings could be competitive every year for all sorts of awards and it would do wonders to boost the visibility of the orchestra. MANY people would be winning awards; not just Andris Nelsons but also Carlos Simon among many other musicians and personnel. The BSO would be competitive for many awards every year and could easily highlight the voices of many different people by doing this and showcase Boston and the BSO for the world.
Why is it that when you search “Four Black American Dances” by Carlos Simon, a BSO/Nelsons commissioned piece, the only recording is from the National Symphony Orchestra, and on Youtube it is Andris Nelsons with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra? (source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6pFV_xXCUE ) Lovely recordings and videos, but why isn’t the BSO releasing this content? Then you look at the Boston Symphony Orchestra Youtube page (Source: https://www.youtube.com/@bostonsymphony/videos ) and it has not even seen a new video in three months and no videos at all from the 2025 – 2026 season. Why is that with such an incredible archive of content as its disposal?!?
Comment by Publius — July 20, 2026 at 10:29 am
@NDA Chad has been trying to fire Andris Nelsons since he assumed his duties as BSO CEO, rewriting the terms of Nelsons contract early on, so it would be easier to fire him. I think the Attorney General has sufficient grounds to investigate BSO management and board in light of their refusal to deal with legitimate concerns and complaints raised by BSO musicians and the general public. This was before Ochoa’s devestating, quite revelatory remarks, that he posted online last night.
Comment by John Kwok — July 20, 2026 at 10:03 am
@ John Kwok Agree but I’m not sure if the organization falls short of its legal duties. Since fiscal solvency is not a problem (contrary to their lies) they have met their fiduciary duty. DEI is used to demonstrate the organization’s philanthropic orientation even though they are attempting to distort the original mission of the BSO. I’m not a lawyer and it would be great to have a legal expert weigh in on this question. My guess is that the BSO wants a music director with little say so that they can run the orchestra as an event orchestra. Here perhaps might be on opening for an inquiry, namely when a philanthropic organization evolves into a full-on business.
Comment by NDA — July 20, 2026 at 9:45 am
@NDA I think Ochoa’s statement should be sufficient reason for the MA Attorney General to investigate Chad and Barbara, fire them and hire their replacements, including adding at least five BSO musicians to the BSO board.
Comment by John Kwok — July 20, 2026 at 9:22 am
@ John Kwok Yes, agree that Nelsons is musically more interesting than Dudamel. His appearance at the world cup can also be seen as part of the rebranding of orchestras with the conductor being presented as the pop star. As some have observed jokingly, Andre Rieu could be a strong candidate for the BSO.
Comment by NDA — July 20, 2026 at 8:29 am
@John Kwok Thanks for posting this great analysis by the BSO principal librarian, which includes great detailed examples of the corporate takeover and false claims about the BSO’s lack of inclusivity:
“It seems clear now that this was all part of the plan to downgrade the importance of the orchestra, and the beginning of the process to elevate the “BSO Inc.”
Btw, this rebranding also happens in universities with the humanities being increasingly sidelined in favor of the money making departments.
Comment by NDA — July 20, 2026 at 7:56 am
These are legitimate concerns raised by D. Wilson Ochoa, the BSO librarian, which was posted on social media a short time ago. They are additional reasons why the MA Attorney General needs to start investigating what Smith, Hostetter and their minions on the BSO board are doing to this venerable symphony orchestra. See complete text in Update 27
Comment by John Kwok — July 20, 2026 at 1:32 am
@Jonathan Brodie, Katherine Needleman is not credible, except ONLY as the talented musician that she is. I have respect only for that talent. What I have heard from two BSO musicians about her is not only credible, but it echoes my own personal experience with her as I noted earlier. This is something I won’t discuss with Simone Dinnerstein, not least because an older cousin of hers was a dear friend of mine in high school and part of college; he’s like a long-lost brother to me. Katherine Needleman makes accusations but doesn’t support them with credible evidence. IMHO she should stick to music making, not lash out at credible, exceptional musicians like Andris Nelsons. (Speaking of Nelsons, a few days before Chad and Barbara launched their dastardly sneak attack on him, I was able to thank him after the third WIener Philharmoniker concert he conducted at Carnegie Hall, letting him know I didn’t realize he is a superb interpreter of Mahler, having enjoyed his conducting of the Mahler 1st symphony with the Wiener Philharmoniker a short time before.) (I am correcting some typos which is why I am posting this again,)
Comment by John Kwok — July 19, 2026 at 10:12 pm
@NDA you’re not the only one who has made this very observation regarding what Chad Smith intends fo the BSO. As for Dudamel, while I am a NY Philharmonic Orchestra subscriber, he doesn’t interest me as a conductor nearly as much as Andris Nelsons does.
Comment by John Kwok — July 19, 2026 at 10:09 pm
Dudamel conducts at World Cup. I guess this is what Chad envisions for the BSO.
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/gustavo-dudamel-world-cup-final-halftime-show/3919202/
Comment by NDA — July 19, 2026 at 7:00 pm
@John Kwok: It is inarguable that a member of the Boston Symphony is a superb musician. It is arguable that that membership confers upon them special abilities, or puts them in a higher moral place, when deciding the credibility of another person. Such skills are not taught in a music conservatory. Nor should they be. Those places teach technical and expressive musical adeptness. Discerning credibility in another comes from other landscapes and other schools of life that a fine musician may or may not have attended. In short, your quoting a BSO member as saying Katherine Needleman lacks credibility, and your assertion that she traffics in falsehoods, I don’t take as “Gospel”; nor do I think any follower of this Brouhaha should either.
Comment by Jonathan Brodie — July 19, 2026 at 6:39 pm
@Jonathan Brodie, Katherine Needleman isn’t credible. No one who has read her commentary who are members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra regard her as credible, and I have heard this from two BSO musicians. In March when she opted to go on the offensive against Andris Nelsons again, I tried correcting here over at Facebook, and she opted not only to ignore me, but also to block me. I did speak to her briefly after a concert performance she gave at Central Park’s Naumburg Bandshell as the opening concert of this season’s Naumburg Orchestral Concerts, where she appeared as a soloist with pianist Simone Dinnerstein – who is a personal acquaintance of mine – and her Baroklyn Ensemble – but didn’t discuss Nelsons with her. Needleman’s problem is that she doesn’t tell the truth, and has made false, misleading accusations. Therefore she isn’t credible and her commentary should be ignored.
Comment by John Kwok — July 19, 2026 at 1:45 pm
Yet another “of interest “: this time from the distinguished oboist and provocateur, Katherine Needleman https://open.substack.com/pub/katherineneedlemanoboist/p/the-real-scandal-at-the-boston-symphony?r=90umj&utm_medium=ios
Comment by Jonathan Brodie — July 19, 2026 at 12:38 pm
@Mogulmeister, I have condemned the Boston Globe’s two senior editors in not covering what Thomas Dinsmore has disclosed regarding the financial lies and deceit being circulated by Chad and Barbara: https://slippedisc.com/2026/07/boston-globe-repeats-chad-smith-counterfactual/. I have told them that I have asked some contacts I have at the New York Post to see whether they can do a much better job in investigating the ongoing BSO turmoil than either The New York Times or the Boston Globe. As for the Globe, I have noted that their “journalism” on the BSO turmoil isn’t, but instead, a series of propaganda pieces on behalf of Chad and Barbara and the rest of the BSO board of trustees.
Comment by John Kwok — July 19, 2026 at 9:40 am
@NDA, Chad Smith’s undergraduate education isn’t nearly as impressive as that of Tufts University Professor of English Rick Moody’s, who is both a Brown University schoolmate and friend of mine. Rick is also a musician who has written extensively about music, including classical music. Rick has been regarded as among the most important American writers of my generation.
Comment by John Kwok — July 19, 2026 at 9:35 am
@ mogulmeister 4 years of college apparently don’t do the trick anymore. See Chad Smith’s CV (info from an official press release by the BSO):
Smith, 51, grew up in Pennsylvania, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in European History from Tufts University. He earned both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory.
His own ongoing comments look very much like those sourced out from a PR firm.
Comment by NDA — July 18, 2026 at 4:08 pm
How did the Boston Globe leave out Thomas Dinsmore’s voice from their narrative? He’s done the sort of analytical and investigative work the Globe itself should have been doing. His findings are important and are a whole lot more important and significant than the “he said, she said” form of journalism the article presents.
It’s also interesting that the Globe reports an unnamed Washington D.C. crisis PR firm has been hired by the BSO (and why did the Globe not sufficiently dig to find out who that is?). Reading through the comments to the Globe article, it’s clear where the crisis management firm is spending some of their time (and hopefully lots of billable hours). Apparently an important part of the crisis management playbook is to create “public comments” in publications like The Boston Globe that are supportive of their client’s position, even if they’re as fake as they come. They’re obvious and stick out like a sore thumb. [Aside: Can you imagine being one of the employees of that firm, having gone to college for 4 years, and you find yourself sitting at a computer terminal writing and posting over and over again using different IP addresses various versions of fake drivel to “publicly support” your client’s position and make it appear more acceptable than it actually is? Whose idea of living the good life is this?]
Comment by Mogulmeister — July 18, 2026 at 2:16 pm
Possibly of interest:https://www.bostonmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/2026/07/16/bso-symphony-hall-crisis-hostetter-chad-smith-nelsons/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Comment by Jonathan Brodie — July 17, 2026 at 8:35 pm
Many thanks to the BMI for posting Karen McDonald’s statement that forms update 26. I actually made a comment responding to the Globe article, and provided a link to Ms. McDonald’s response at this site. My comment has since been blocked.
Comment by Brian Bell — July 17, 2026 at 1:04 pm
@SamW the Wiener Philharmoniker is far more democratic now than you are willing to admit. They are now doing a much beter job admitting women, and one of the recent members is among the three Juilliard alumni who are members of teh orchestra, along with the Chairman of the Wiener Philharmoniker, and the leader of the second violin section, who is a fellow native New Yorker and a graduate of one New York City’s specialized public high schools devoted to arts and music.Even if I wasn’t friends with several orchestra members, I would have to acknowledge this still.
Comment by John Kwok — July 11, 2026 at 12:02 pm
Update 22 analyzes the BSO investments and highlights the BSO’s failure to match the SP500 in most years. This seems an inappropriate benchmark. Most non-profits aim for a more conservative balanced portfolio, typically around 60% equities and 40% fixed assets. On another note, it would appear that transferring 5.25% of the endowment to the operating budget ($70-$75M) more than covers the reported operating deficit as well as a lot of deferred maintenance. They would seem to be in strong financial shape.
Comment by Ed Wertheim — July 11, 2026 at 11:37 am
The Wiener Philharmoniker is democratic in the way that private clubs are generally democratic, controlled by their members, who also decide who gets to join. Like most such clubs, the Old Guard works hard to restrict membership to The Right Kind of People. It’s a very exclusive club, though not as exclusive as it used to be, since it finally decided, under great duress, to admit women as members. Now it occasionally admits a non-European person as well.
Comment by SamW — July 11, 2026 at 11:31 am
@Robert Kimble, I agree with your assessment of BMI nd the excellent journalism it hs done courtesy of @LeeEiseman and his colleagues. The Players Committee should not only demand representation on the BSO board, but also consider seriously the likelihood that they have to transform the BSO into an institution run only by the musicians themselves, in a manner consistent with what the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) has done since the late 19th Century. Clearly no one in management or the board seems serious enough to ensure that the BSO remains one of the world’s great symphony orchestras. If BSO Musicians have control of the orchestra, then they will ensure that the BSO will continue to be recognized as one of our greatest symphony orchestras.
Comment by John Kwok — July 11, 2026 at 10:41 am
The Boston Musical Intelligencer has produced tremendous coverage of the Boston Symphony turmoil. Thomas Dinsmore’s Substack entries are worthy of the Pulitzer Prize. He’s provided so much more information and context than most mainstream outlets, who seem to depend on what Chad Smith feeds them.
This week, I watched Chad Smith’s appearance on The Culture Show and the Brad Stevens Press Conference about the Brown trade. The contrast was striking. Stevens met with the aggressive Boston sports press. Brad was candid and explained his thinking in detail. Principal Owner Bill Chisholm was there to support him. I still hate the Brown trade, but I understand it now.
Smith spoke in the same generalities he always does. Even under gentle prodding he could not explain how Nelsons opposed the board’s goals. The Strategic Plan hasn’t been shared, so we only get vague marketing concepts that no one would oppose as a concept. I realize the situations are not the same. Lawyers probably told Smith what he can say, but his performance was still head scratching. I still don’t understand why Nelsons wasn’t renewed. I would love to see the Boston sports media interview Chad- maybe at a BSO Humanities Festival to get to the bottom of it.
It says everything about their lack of judgement that Smith and Hostetter have seen the reaction of their patrons, musicians, and the classical music world and not reconsidered their decision. They are willing to jeopardize attendance, donations, and standing for reasons they haven’t adequately explained. Worse, they don’t seem to care. If I was the player’s union, one of my demands in the negotiations would be player representation on the Board. I would have no confidence in the current board to lead the organization into the future.
Comment by Robert Kimble — July 10, 2026 at 3:48 pm
@jim98e35: Good idea
Comment by Lee Eiseman — July 10, 2026 at 10:52 am
It may seem like a little thing, but it would be very helpful if you could start putting a date on your updates. thank you.
Comment by jim98e35 — July 10, 2026 at 10:11 am
@Mogulmeister, the only way there will be a happy ending is if the MA Attorney General steps in, launches her investigation of Chad and Barbara and then removes them from their current positions, along with perhaps the entire BSO board. It may be time that the BSO musicians emulate the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) musicians with regards to how they run their orchestra, which includes three members who are Juilliard alumni, including the Wiener Philharmoniker’s chairman.
Comment by John Kwok — July 9, 2026 at 10:21 am
Update #24 was fascinating. So Barbara Hostetter needs a State Police detail for her public appearances? Let’s break that down. There has been NOT ONE IOTA of a threat of violence in a single utterance I’ve heard from anyone in this entire debacle, let alone directed at Barbara Hostetter or Chad Smith. Yet Babs feels the need for physical protection–and thus physical intimidation of others.
I guess the message has gotten through that BSO stakeholders are VERY upset about how Babs & Chad have violated our beloved institution. And if they thought they had the upper hand in events, nothing reported in Update #24 by Mr. Landrigan would have occurred, least of all Andris Nelsons’ defiance.
It seems pretty clear to me where this is going to all inevitably end. And something tells me that if one pays close attention to real estate listings in the Back Bay, someone’s condo will soon be going on the market.
Once the happy ending occurs, there will be many authors of it, but special commendations needs to be given to George Whiting and his team behind the Red Flower Campaign, Thomas Dinsmore for his diligent analysis and reporting, and Lee Eiseman and BMInt for refusing to let this matter become an afterthought quickly and keeping it front and center when the “mainstream media” was asleep, intentionally or otherwise.
Comment by Mogulmeister — July 9, 2026 at 5:58 am
@Kenny G< David Moran, and Jonathan Brodie. I have just learned that Katherine Needleman hasn't told the truth regarding the BSO personnel in question that she loves bringing up again and again. She isn't credible and is unwilling to accept any corrections, which is what happened when I noted that several days after he was surprised on air about the issue of sexual harassment, that Nelsons made a correction several days later; she blocked me on Facebook. More to the point, it is worth noting how well he has treated both female and male Boston Symphony Orchestra musicians. That says a lot more about his personal conduct and character, especially towards BSO female musicians than the incorrect innuendos, lies and deceit that Needleman has been spreading about Nelsons, especially since that March 6th statement terminating his contract next year was issued late that afternoon by BSO management and the board. Neither BSO management nor the board have been acting better than what Needleman has done in defaming Nelsons' character. If you're willing to listen to her, then you might as well accept the lies and deceit coming from the likes of Chad and Barbara too.
Comment by John Kwok — July 9, 2026 at 2:53 am
@Kenny G I had a major blowup with Needleman over at FB. I did apologize to her for that when I saw her last month, but she had forgotten about it. I remain friends with her close friend Lara St. John. Needleman didn’t like reading my correction of her, noting that Nelsons had apologized, and opted to block me at FB. She’s not really credible.
Comment by John Kwok — July 9, 2026 at 12:27 am
Katherine Needleman misses the point that Andris Nelsons later apologized for what she said. Her views are not credible. Coincidentally I heard her perform with pianist Simone Dinnerstein’s Baroklyn Ensemble last month as part of the opening concert of this season’s Naumburg Orchestral Concerts in Central Park. I spoke to her briefly afterwards, but didn’t address the Nelsons issue.
Comment by John Kwok — July 9, 2026 at 12:23 am
Here’s an idea to import from the LA Philharmonic:
“Casual Friday concerts are shorter, no-intermission concerts followed by an onstage conversation with the artists and an after-party featuring LA Phil musicians, plus complimentary beer tastings.”
Comment by Karl Lager — July 8, 2026 at 4:08 pm
Joana Mallwitz has just been renewed for 5 more years at the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. Jakub Hrusa was recently appointed as the new chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic. This leaves only Susanna Maellki as a potential successor to Nelsons (all three are scheduled back to back in Spring 2027 as part of the replacement auditions). As expected, the field of barely viable successors is slim and once again leaves us with Chad Smith’s favored Maellki. She is mediocre at best. No comparison to Daniel Harding who easily beat her out for the LA position, let alone Nelsons. The BSO as the newly imagined civic orchestra will become just that and can be happy if Lockhardt takes over entirely. What a phenomenal mess.
Comment by Boris Karloff — July 8, 2026 at 3:25 pm
@Kenny G — my wife and I have likewise decided not to continue with the BSO as we are not aligned on their future vision and therefore have no interest in giving any financial support.
We would be much happier to go to NYC, Newport, Baltimore, Philadelphia, as well as internationally to London, Leipzig, Vienna, etc. Otherwise, we feel we would juat be supporting the Board and management. We were also heavily disappointed that the BSO will use AI in its current season during a series of concerts (source: https://www.bso.org/events/technology-and-our-humanity ) and wonder why this has not also created any sort of uproar given how the usage of AI threatens the livelihoods of musicians.
Comment by Publius — July 8, 2026 at 1:59 pm
I’m looking at the BSO turmoil with fresh eyes. Following the indirect suggestion of the board I will save money spent on BSO concerts and instead use it for trips to NY to see Dudamel, the advocated model conductor of the board. I’ll also catch Yanick Nezet-Seguin at the Met while in town. I will certainly not watch anyone of lesser statue here in Boston. I thought we had a great deal with Andris Nelsons but we blew it.
Comment by Kenny G — July 8, 2026 at 11:56 am
A word of appreciation to David Moran for posting a link to Katherine Needleman’s perspective. It would be presumptuous for a provincial such as myself to sympathise or not sympathise with her opinion on the debate as I live far away, both geographically and informationally from the brouhaha. But the discussion is only improved by including her views for no other reason than this: her notions are provocative and offer a refreshing counter-weight to the ever-more tedious laminations that have populated this journal since the axe dropped on the current maestro. More and more, these diatribes are taking on the disquieting adumbrations of a religious (or even cult-like) crusade. G-d forbid. No one needs that. The brilliant oboist’s article is a welcome barricade.
Comment by Jonathan Brodie — July 8, 2026 at 11:14 am
@ David Moran Thanks for the link. Is the firing of Nelsons retaliatory over his clash with Gail Samuel? Hostetter and Smith appear to push an agenda she was not able to implement.
Comment by NDA — July 8, 2026 at 8:46 am
@John Kwok Yes, agree with your assessment that the board will reassert its decision. This leaves the question on whether one should still attend Nelsons’s final performances with the BSO. It’s certainly cheaper to see him here in Boston than in Vienna, Berlin, Munich, or Leipzig. The concerts will be bitter sweet. Looks to me that a possible Tchaikovsky cycle with DG could have been on the table. Now, I doubt this project will come to fruition. One can of course always choose to boycott the BSO immediately and remember Nelsons’s past performances fondly. So many great operas (Salome, Elektra, Tote Stadt, etc.). Of course all the great renditions of Mahler, Bruckner, Strauss, Shostakovich, etc. This will all be missed in the transitional years to come and may likely not come back ever again.
Comment by Kenny G — July 7, 2026 at 5:50 pm
Needleman has thoughts as always (credit JBrodie)
https://katherineneedlemanoboist.substack.com/p/weve-heard-a-lot-about-the-departure
Comment by David Moran — July 7, 2026 at 2:02 pm
@Lee unfortunately those who are displeased aren’t the ones who voted to terminate Nelsons’ contract. It seems like the Board of Trustees will reaffirm Chad and Barbara’s March 6th statement.
Comment by John Kwok — July 7, 2026 at 2:01 pm
And many of the current and former BSO Advisors are apparently displeased.
Comment by Lee Eiseman — July 6, 2026 at 2:33 pm
trustee list:
https://slippedisc.com/2026/07/the-guilty-men-and-women-of-the-boston-symphony-orchestra/
Comment by David Moran — July 6, 2026 at 12:57 pm
@Mogulmeister Lee probably wrote it. I agree with your assessment of the latest update.
Comment by John Kwok — July 6, 2026 at 12:35 pm
Kudos to whoever wrote Update #23 (Lee?)!! It’s even-handed, sober, respectful, and I believe appropriately summarizes what many of us are thinking. Thanks to everyone at BMInt and across the BSO stakeholder community (not least of all the fantastic musicians of the BSO) who are holding their ground and insisting that the current standoff is untenable and unworthy of such a great organization. At the minimum it’s time for the incompetent Chad Smith to go, but that’s just the start, not the finish line.
Comment by Mogulmeister — July 6, 2026 at 9:41 am
https://slippedisc.com/2026/06/nelsons-wins-the-mendelssohn-crown-for-our-time/
Comment by ava — June 28, 2026 at 1:16 pm
I’m reading in slipped disc that attendance at Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is up 14% and has now finally reached 50% of the hall’s capacity on an average (around 1450 tickets). Nobody is even thinking of firing Manfred Honeck but his contract has instead been extended through 2033. Also, with the exception of movie nights as audience incentive, the pop concerts are doing poorly. The BSO may want to study other orchestras around the country before making hasty decisions. See:https://slippedisc.com/2026/06/pittsburgh-symphony-hits-50-attendance/
Comment by Karl Lager — June 26, 2026 at 7:54 am
@Kenny G: Yes, the caption under Chad Smith’s photo in the June 18 Berkshire Eagle article was incorrect. It stated: “Boston Symphony Orchestra President and CEO Chad Smith gives remarks in May 2024 before a ‘Concert for the City’ at Symphony Hall in Boston. The free community event was described as a major milestone in Smith’s vision to broaden the orchestra’s accessibility and engage new audiences.” Also yes, I am thoroughly annoyed that Smith is getting credit for a visionary “major milestone” to reach our Boston community and engage new audiences, when our Concert for the City was actually the brainchild of Leslie Wu Foley, former head of the BSO’s Education Department, and when our 1st Concert for the City actually took place in February 2020, three years before Smith even became our CEO. That having been said, I am very careful to be strictly factual when I write or speak about this BSO crisis. The free community event “was described” as one of Smith’s major milestones, but the Berkshire Eagle caption doesn’t specify by whom. Also, Blaise Déjardin, our principal cellist, was the one who first brought that incorrect Berkshire Eagle caption to my attention. I have since brought it to the attention of reporters, such as Clarence Fanto, who wrote that article.
Comment by Elizabeth Klein, Associate Principal Flute, BSO — June 25, 2026 at 4:34 pm
I think it was Chad Smith or Mark Wahlberg in The Departed who said “treat them like mushrooms, keep them in the dark and feed them shit”
Comment by algo rhythm — June 25, 2026 at 3:53 pm
@Pubius, you are most welcome. I greatly cherish hearing great concerts at Carnegie Hall performed by the Boston Symphony for years, most notably, an especially fine rendition of the Mahler 4th Symphony with legendary Bernard Haitink conducting. Only recently, when I heard the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra perform this piece with Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducting, did I hear a performance as memorable as Haitink and the BSO’s, over a decade ago.
I sent Chad and Barbara several emails this morning before I sent that last one noting I would ask the MA attorney general to start investigating them. This is a PS I sent late last night just before Midnight:
It says a lot about Andris Nelsons’ qualifications and skills as the superb conductor that he is that at such a relatively young age, he was made recently an honorary member of the Wiener Philharmoniker and most recently, Conductor of the Year in Germany. Clearly both BSO management and board are being delusional if replacing him with someone younger, say Susanna Malkki, might be the best “recipe” for fixing what ails the orchestra when most of that work has to be done by management and board, not by transferring blame for any shortcomings onto the shoulders of Maestro Nelsons. I am certain that if Daniel Froschauer and the rest of the Wiener Philharmoniker leadership didn’t think he was capable, they would have never offered to him the task of leading their longest USA tour as their guest conductor, which he did successfully back in late February and early March. Moreover, as I have noted in a prior email, I believe Maestro Nelsons may be the youngest person to be bestowed by the Wiener Philharmoniker, honorary membership in its orchestra. Both recent honors should be sufficient reasons why BSO management and board must change direction and announce his reinstatement as BSO Music Director indefinitely after the Summer 2027 Tanglewood Season.
About twenty minutes after Midnight, I followed that email with this:
I’m absolutely right, Chad, both you and Barbara lack Frank McCourt’s humility, which remained till the end of his life, after he became world famous for writing “Angela’s Ashes”. Again, he was fond of saying that he learned more from his students than by teaching them literature and creative writing.
This clearly shows your lack of humility, why you both need to step down from your current BSO positions and why I think the MA Attorney General needs to launch an investigation:
UPDATE TWENTY-ONE: Is Management Sweet-talking Players or Muzzling Them?
Is management spooked about the major contract negotiation scheduled for Friday? Are they attempting at an end run around the Players’ Committee?
Is this a violation of the National Labor Relations Act? Does this sound desperate? Today’s letter from Barbara and Chad follows:
(Their rather self-serving, quite delusional letter follows that introduction.)
On a more personal note, I was fortunate to have been a prize-winning student of McCourt’s in a creative wriitng and literature class he taught at my high school alma mater, New York City’s prestigious STEM-oriented high school, Stuyvesant High School. This was many years before he became famous for his Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir “Angela’s Ashes”. I told Chad and the board that Frank remained humble until the day he died in July, 2009 and suggested strongly that they read his books again to learn some of the humility that is absent within them.
Comment by John Kwok — June 25, 2026 at 2:59 pm
Thank you for your courageous outspoken advocacy, Mr. Kwok!
Comment by Publius — June 25, 2026 at 12:50 pm
This is from an email I just sent to the MA Attorney General’s office, requesting that they investigate Chad and Barbara:
Dear Madam/Sir:
I think it is time that the Massachusetts Attorney General launches an investigation into current business practices employed by Boston Symphony Orchestra management and board. Specifically, such an investigation must address the following issues;
1. Why was Maestro Andris Nelsons’ contract scheduled for termination at the end of the 2027 Tanglewood without prior consultation with him and the Boston Symphony Orchestra Musicians, and the general public?
2. Why was the public announcement made in the afternoon of March 6th, while Nelsons was in the midst of taking the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) on its longest USA tour in recent memory? Weeks later he would be honored by this great orchestra – whose chairman, Daniel Froschauer, is the first notable Austrian musician to have been educated at Juilliard – as its newest honorary member, and, if my memory is correct, the youngest person so honored. A few days ago he was honored as “Conductor of the Year” by Opus Klassik in Germany.
3. Why has Chad Smith, BSO CEO, and Barbara Hostetter, Chair, BSO board of directors, told BSO musicians that reinstating Nelsons indefinitely as BSO Music Director is off the table and will not be discussed when contract negotiations commence tomorrow.
4. Why has BSO management and board ignored the concerns and complaints voiced not only by BSO Musicians, but especially, by those in the general public – including yours truly – who have appreciated greatly Maestro Nelsons’ sterling musicianship, including his exceptional skills as conductor, ensuring that under his direction, the Boston Symphony Orchestra is one of the world’s great symphony orchestras.
5. Why has Chad Smith and Barbara Hostetter refuse to explain publicly why the decision to terminate Nelsons’ contract was made or disclose their agenda for shaping the BSO’s future as a leading cultural institution not only locally in Boston, but nationally and globally as well.
6. Why has Chad Smith and Barbara Hostetter failed to show the professionalism and respect I have come to expect from leadership at Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Metropolitan Museum of Art, American Museum of Natural History, and yes, even the Wiener Philharmoniker, whose leadership, starting with Daniel Froschauer, have displayed consistently more professionalism and respect towards the general public than what I am witnessing now from Chad Smith and Barbara Hostetter and their BSO minions.
I think these issues need to be addressed by the Attorney General during the course of her investigation. Theye are concerns I do not make likely, having been a long-time fan of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for years, especially enjoying its annual live performances at Carnegie Hall.
Comment by John Kwok — June 25, 2026 at 10:51 am
“…we have also started to answer more of these questions in information shared publicly, with the goal of providing meaningful context while remaining respectful of Andris and the agreement we jointly signed.”
Oops. Smith stepped into a mess when he dished to the Eagle about Andris.
Comment by Thomas Dinsmore — June 25, 2026 at 6:03 am
In 2024 Barbara and Chad stood in front of Boston and announced that Andris Nelsons will be Music Director for as long as he wants. In 2026,after trying all year to remove the word “excellence” from the BSO mission statement, Barbara and Chad fire Andris because he wants to continue winning excellent Grammys. To get Andris fired, they had to convince 21 sycophant Board members to believe that by firing him they were saving the “integrity of the BSO”. (Chad’s words). Barbara and Chad break their promises, destroy moral, and lower the standards of the institution. Shouldn’t Barbara and Chad be fired to save the integrity of the BSO?
Comment by Bill — June 25, 2026 at 12:51 am
In response to Chad and Barbar’s self-serving delusional letter to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, I just emailed them this:
Reinstate Nelsons now or else
UNDER NO CONDITIONS should you be telling the Players Committee that not reinstating Andris Nelsons as BSO Music Director is off the table. If you don’t reinstate Nelsons now, then you leave me no choice but to file a complaint with the MA Attorney General and ask her to launch an investigation into BSO management and the board and why it has shown consistently a lack of professionalism towards its musicians and the general public not shown by Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History to name but a few of the notable New York City cultural institutions that have hosted musicians in recent years and listened to public opinion regarding their performances.
I am cc’ing the Attorney General’s office that is in charge of investigating nonprofit organizations like the Boston Symphony Orchestra since I think you, Chad, and Barbara, have demonstrated that it is time that the Attorney General’s office investigates the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s management and board, given the fact that you lack the courtesy, professionalism and respect I have seen from leadership at those New York City cultural institutions I am familiar with. I will hold off making a formal request for an investigation if you both come to your senses and have Nelsons reinstated now indefinitely as BSO Music Director.
John Kwok
From: john kwok
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2026 12:24 AM
To: ‘csmith@bso.org’ ; ‘board@bso.org’
Cc:
Subject: PPS PS: You should listen to this listener whose succinct remarks are worth noting & applying
Importance: High
I’m absolutely right, Chad, both you and Barbara lack Frank McCourt’s humility, which remained till the end of his life, after he became world famous for writing “Angela’s Ashes”. Again, he was fond of saying that he learned more from his students than by teaching them literature and creative writing.
This clearly shows your lack of humility, why you both need to step down from your current BSO positions and why I think the MA Attorney General needs to launch an investigation:
UPDATE TWENTY-ONE: Is Management Sweet-talking Players or Muzzling Them?
Is management spooked about the major contract negotiation scheduled for Friday? Are they attempting at an end run around the Players’ Committee?
Is this a violation of the National Labor Relations Act? Does this sound desperate? Today’s letter from Barbara and Chad follows:
From: BSO Board
Subject: Updates and Meeting Request
Date: June 24, 2026 at 2:22:13 PM EDT
Dear Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra:
With the Tanglewood season approaching, we have seen increased press attention around the BSO, and many of us — management, board, and players — are receiving requests to participate in interviews. We want to speak with you directly about our engagement in those inquiries and renew our request to meet in person with the full orchestra.
Over the last few months, we have focused on the future — sharing context about the BSO’s financial and strategic challenges and our desire to chart a path forward together with the Players. We recognize, however, that it is difficult to move forward without addressing the questions many of you still have about the decision not to renew Andris Nelsons as Music Director.
In recent weeks, we have made efforts to address several of these questions through our conversations with the Players Committee. Recognizing that there is a great deal of public interest around the BSO and its role as a cherished Boston institution, we have also started to answer more of these questions in information shared publicly, with the goal of providing meaningful context while remaining respectful of Andris and the agreement we jointly signed.
As we have been approached for various stories, we – along with several other Board members – have agreed to share our perspectives on the state of the BSO and how we can move forward to a vibrant, more sustainable future. We feel we have an important responsibility to articulate our organization’s values, our commitment to the orchestra, and how we intend to build a more resilient and inclusive BSO for generations to come. We want to tell our story to the broader community – to our patrons, to our audiences, and to a new generation of Bostonians we hope to one day welcome to Symphony Hall.
We do not take lightly the uncertainty and frustration you and others are feeling. We have been eager to meet again in person and want to once again request to meet with the full orchestra to answer your questions as soon as possible. We appreciate the questions Elizabeth and others have raised on behalf of the orchestra, and we recognize recent reporting has raised new questions. We would like the opportunity to address your questions directly and in person.
We hope to be in dialogue with the full orchestra across the coming months in a manner that is respectful of the ongoing negotiations, and look forward to hearing from you regarding a time to meet in person at Tanglewood as soon as possible.
Thank you,
Chad Smith & Barbara Hostetter
Comment by John Kwok — June 25, 2026 at 12:48 am
Is this the best Chad and Barbara can do?
In their letter they say they are going to say something, but don’t actually say anything.
It will take more than Yo Yo Ma to rescue this pair from their own ineptitude.
Comment by Andante Cantabile — June 24, 2026 at 11:19 pm
Management sounds very worried.
Comment by denovo 2 — June 24, 2026 at 9:56 pm
Looked at the Board of Trustees (25 members) who voted to terminate Andris Nelsons. Barely anyone is connected to the arts (2-3 out of 25). Instead we have many pharmaceutical executives (Moderna, Vertex), one of them is the co-founder of Moderna and has an estimated wealth of $2 Billion. Many of them are investment bankers or managers of philanthropic organization. Moderna made a massive fortune during Covid but the executive now apparently quibbles over post-Covid decline of attendance at the BSO when he probably could have single-handedly paid the 6 mill deficit. So in many ways, we are dealing with a systemic issue in which the arts have fallen into the hands of people who have no direct connection to it and use it simply to advance their agendas, whatever they may be. Music is held hostage by tone-deaf administrators.
Comment by boris karloff — June 24, 2026 at 12:41 am
The dismissal of Nelsons does not only hurt the BSO but the entire classical music landscape in the US. Some of the great canonical recordings by Solti, Szell, Muti, Bernstein, etc. were produced when top conductors headed the CSO, Cleveland, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the NY Philharmonic. With Nelsons removed, a key contributor to a lively scene of cross inspiration is now missing. Some may think this is a blessing for Dudamel in NY but artists thrive on each other’s inspirations and do not work in isolation. In short, you’re depressing both the BSO and the US orchestra scene with this reckless managerial behavior.
Comment by Kenny G — June 23, 2026 at 10:01 am
The dismissal of Nelsons does not only hurt the BSO but the entire classical music landscape in the US. Some of the great canonical recordings by Solti, Szell, Muti, Bernstein, etc. were produced when top conductors headed the CSO, Cleveland, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the NY Philharmonic. With Nelsons removed, a key contributor to a lively scene of cross inspiration is now missing on the US continent. Some may think this is a blessing for Dudamel in NY but artists thrive on each other’s inspirations and do not work in isolation. In short, you’re depressing both the BSO and the US orchestra scene with this reckless managerial behavior.
Comment by Kenny G — June 23, 2026 at 10:00 am
The idea that the BSO could ever be as popular with Bostonian 8th graders as the Celtics in Boston shows to me that BSO leadership is only interested in PR and doing it poorly, I might add. The BSO has never been as popular as the Celtics among kids in the entire history of co-existence between the BSO and Celtics. Never mind the serious budgetary cuts to education related to music and the arts in public schools. Is BSO leadership aware of any of this? It’s like they have never been in a public school before and they are just throwing out anything to the media they think might stick (?).
Comment by Publius — June 23, 2026 at 8:05 am
I just sent this to Classical-Scene.com, Chad Smith and the BSO board:
I have yet to see from Chad Smith and members of the BSO board, anything remotely resembling the humility I saw for years from Frank McCourt, starting when I was a prize-winning student in an 11th Grade English and creative writing class he taught at my high school, New York City’s prestigious STEM-oriented public high school, Stuyvesant High School. That humility endured until the day he died in July, 2009. He was fond of saying often that he learned more from his students than in teaching them English, whether it was literature or the basics of creative writing. Maybe if BSO management and the board had a similar degree of humility shown by McCourt, even after he became world famous for writing “Angela’s Ashes”, then the Boston Symphony wouldn’t be undergoing its current state of turmoil.
Again, I don’t see this problem resolved until Chad Smith and Barbara Hostetter sever their ties to the Boston Symphony, whether voluntarily or under duress. Yesterday Andris Nelsons was honored in Germany as “Conductor of the Year” at the prestigious Opus Klassik Awards. Maybe this would be a most opportune time to apologize to Maestro Nelsons and have him reinstated indefinitely as the Boston Symphony’s Music Director after the Summer 2027 Tanglewood season. I have no doubt that more professional management and boards at Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra would – if faced with a similar situation – seize upon this opportunity to make amends with Maestro Nelsons and work vigorously to ensure a most successful artistic – and financial – future with him and their respective institutions.
Comment by John Kwok — June 23, 2026 at 2:52 am
Smith gave an interview to the Berkshire Eagle, reprinted here:
https://slippedisc.com/2026/06/boston-latest-chad-smith-warns-of-epic-battle-ahead/
and a response by Mr. Dinsmore to Smith’s statements:
https://thomaswdinsmore.substack.com/p/chad-speaks-again
Comment by jh — June 22, 2026 at 4:36 pm
The BSO management has gone corporate and wants to turn a non-profit organization into profit. How can one accomplish this? 1) Donors refuse to cover the annual deficits (which is routinely done). They now want to break even at the end of the season. Hence the increase of popular entertainment segments. 2) The attention is turned to expensive renovation projects where cronies benefit from securing hefty contracts. Meanwhile the management goes DOGE on the orchestra and eliminates expensive items (Nelsons). I expect that retiring principal players will also be replaced with cheaper option as is the conductor and soon the BSO will descend into a second league orchestra. The euphemism of civic commitment and outreach disguises this move as being somehow inclusive. For the BSO this will become a defining battle. They may have to go on strike to retain their identity or otherwise accept a drastic transformation in order to secure their paychecks in the future. Also, I expect to see younger principal players trying to hire away to other orchestras (e.g Cleveland, etc.) to avoid this fate of being slowly rebranded into a pops orchestra.
Comment by boris karloff — June 22, 2026 at 9:24 am
@David Moran, Chad Smith is clueless. I had cc’d Classical-Scene.com on my email to Smith. I got a reply from Classical-Scene.com and opted to write this, cc’ing Smith and the Board:
The problem isn’t Andris Nelsons. I heard three great concerts he conducted the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) at the end of February and March 1st, and after the March 1st concert, I complimented him on his fine Mahler 1st symphony, noting that this was the first time I recall hearing him conduct Mahler. Speaking of the Wiener Philharmoniker, he took them on their longest USA tour in years – and if you have questions, feel free to ask Daniel Froschauer, its chairman, who I am honored to have as a friend – and most recently, Froschauer and his colleagues bestowed honorary membership on Nelsons, with him probably the youngest person to be so honored by the Wiener Philharmoniker.
No, the problem is with Chad Smith, BSO CEO and the board. BSO was one of the world’s great symphony orchestras, but due to the chicanery and unprofessional conduct shown by Smith and Barbara Hostetter, BSO Board Chairperson, one has to wonder whether the BSO will remain one of the world’s great symphony orchestras, worthy of comparison with the Wiener Philharmoniker, and closer to home, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Metropolitan Opera orchestras. I agree with you that the BSO should stay “focused and elitist” with substantially more input with regards to musical programming coming from the BSO musicians, and substantially less from a management and board interested only in pursuing its unstated agenda and playing games with the musicians and the general public. Nelsons must be reinstated but before that, both management and board owe him an apology for issuing its March 6th announcement of his contract termination while he was taking the Wiener Philharmoniker on tour and without any prior consultation with him, BSO musicians and the general public. Both Smith and Hostetter must resign or be fired. I also agree with other BSO fans who think that it’s time to clean house, that is to get rid of most of management and the board, and have them replaced with those who are as professional as their colleagues at Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Opera and New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Even Daniel and his colleagues in the Wiener Philharmoniker leadership are substantially more professional than Smith, Hostetter and their minions.
Comment by John Kwok — June 22, 2026 at 6:53 am
That Berkshire Eagle interview sure contains (imo) some important and thoughtful ideas about the future of the BSO. One hopes the orchestral and audience sides can chew on them disinterestedly and calmly over the summer and fall.
Comment by David Moran — June 22, 2026 at 1:48 am
Of interest::https://slippedisc.com/2026/06/boston-latest-chad-smith-warns-of-epic-battle-ahead/
Comment by Jonathan Brodie — June 21, 2026 at 9:20 pm
“Instead of showcasing our world class orchestra to the billions watching the World Cup, the global conversation is focused entirely on our $90 million deficit and the administrative chaos behind closed doors.
The board and leadership lost the vision, and frankly the instinct, to claim the BSO’s place on the world stage as a cultural leader. Instead, they ensured the spotlight would land on our financial collapse.
“https://slippedisc.com/2026/06/exclusive-how-the-boston-symphony-missed-out-on-the-2026-world-cup/
Comment by ava — June 20, 2026 at 12:13 am
I’ve been doing some reading on the recent leadership changes at the BSO, and I keep coming back to this specific report from The Boston Globe regarding the internal culture under Chad Smith:
“Meanwhile, at Symphony Hall, some current and former employees have criticized Smith’s managerial approach, calling it ‘one of fear, intimidation, and ridicule.’
They allege the chief executive has ‘humiliated’ employees and had a particular focus on Fogg, the vice president for artistic planning who announced his retirement last month.
An orchestra member who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals recalled a meeting in which Smith ‘threw Tony under the bus,’ while another person, a former staffer, said they had repeatedly witnessed Fogg “berated or belittled” by Smith in meetings.” (https://archive.ph/wxDZq#selection-1771.0-1787.268)
It’s incredibly disheartening to read these accounts, especially given how long-standing and respected figures like Tony Fogg were to the BSO.
Comment by Publius — June 19, 2026 at 10:46 am
@Kenny G, Elizabeth Klein has done a most admirable job exposing the ample lies and deceit stated by Chad Smith. Both Smith and Barbara Hostetter need to be held publicly accountable for the ongoing turmoil within the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Both must resign or be fired from their positions. Reinstate Andris Nelsosn now!
Comment by John Kwok — June 19, 2026 at 10:32 am
Elizabeth Klein catches Chad Smith in another lie when he claims that The BSO free annual concerts were a major milestone in his vision, showing proof on the Berkshire Eagle facebook page that these concerts were already offered in 2020, three years prior to Smith’s arrival. Smith has a habit of claiming the achievements of others for himself. In LA he did not run the show but was working under several higher ups but he makes it out as if he singlehandedly created the success of Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic. Constant lies, evasiveness and inflation of his CV make him a sleazy con-man. I, for my part, do not wish to associate with an organization that designates a con artist as its president. For me, it is no longer a question as to whether Nelsons stays or moves on but as to whether Smith and Hostetter will resign from the BSO. I don’t like being gaslit by a team of con artists.
Comment by Kenny G — June 18, 2026 at 11:06 pm
https://slippedisc.com/2026/06/financier-accuses-boston-symphony-of-heritage-theft/
Comment by ava — June 18, 2026 at 1:54 pm
Chad Smith in March 2026: Smith said the manner of Nelsons’ ouster was the result of a considered process that “rolled out in the way that it had to roll out.” (Source: https://archive.ph/FAvfh#selection-1499.12-1510.0 )
Chad Smith in June 2026: “It was certainly not our intention for this to be rolled out in this manner,” he said, adding: “This is a difficult time.” (Source: https://archive.ph/Syloa#selection-4979.0-4982.0 )
Please help me make sense of these statements!!!
I am also curious about this and how BSO staff are treated by leadership:
“One current staff member recalled Smith also hectored Nelsons about his health after the conductor, whose weight has fluctuated over the years, withdrew from a concert.
‘He made Andris’s life really terrible,’ said the staffer, who added that Nelsons at the time confided that Smith’s behavior made him uncomfortable. Smith was ‘really trying to find any chink in his armor.'” (source: https://archive.ph/wxDZq#selection-1811.0-1820.0 )
Comment by Publius — June 16, 2026 at 9:07 am
@Mackbesser Concerning a successor for AN: If you look at next year’s season, you will notice three concerts at the end of spring by Maellki, Hrusa and Mallwitz. These are possible prospective candidates, although Hrusa has just been appointed chief conductor for the Czech Philharmonic in addition to being the director of the Royal Covent Garden Opera. Mallwitz is contractually tied to the Konzerthausorchester Berlin until 2029 and also has many other opera commitments in Europe. This leaves Maellki who is a close friend of Chad Smith and Salonen and will most likely be pushed onto the orchestra. She was not appointed in NY or LA where she was a principal guest conductor but will somehow be named the best choice for the BSO.
Comment by Kenny G — June 16, 2026 at 8:11 am
Unfortunately, the only remark that matters is Smith’s blunt ” Nelsons’ reinstatement is off the table”. Nelsons will emerge from this debacle as a hero and be invited to conduct non-Mancini rep throughout the world with the greatest ensembles. Meanwhile, morale in the BSO musicians’ ranks will continue to suffer while Mrs. Amos Hostetter and her Board will have to decide if Chad stays or becomes a casualty of his (and her) own making. The Canadians call such an unforced error an “Own Goal”. Indeed. Looking ahead, what are the prediction markets showing for AN’s possible successor?
Comment by Meckbesser — June 16, 2026 at 7:06 am
@David Moran Kenny G, that’s an excellent assessment by Dinsmore. Chad Smith is absolutely clueless. They need to get rid of him ASAP.
Comment by John Kwok — June 15, 2026 at 5:25 pm
@David Moran Thanks for the Dinsmore link with its great analysis of Chad Smith’s mendacious and unsavory deceptive conduct. Looks like Nelsons did not want to conduct the music of Henry Mancini and the orchestra had lost its pop music edge so needed in the world of classical music. Btw, do board members attend concerts and keep up with current events in classical music? I’m still baffled how they would follow Smith so blindly in their vote to terminate Nelsons.
Comment by Kenny G — June 15, 2026 at 4:57 pm
another excellent wrapup by Dinsmore
https://open.substack.com/pub/thomaswdinsmore/p/chad-smith-bso-fact-check?r=tcpky&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
Comment by David Moran — June 15, 2026 at 2:50 pm
@jim837635 thabks for the correction. I’ve heard Bychkov before with the NY Philharmonic. He’s very, very good. I am sure he did a fine job with them. However, having said that, I am still quite impressed with Nezet-Seguin’s interpretation.
Comment by John Kwok — June 14, 2026 at 11:10 pm
@John Kwok
Dudamel wasn’t the conductor for the NYPhil’s recent performance of the Bruckner 8th. It was conducted by Semyon Bychkov.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/12/arts/music/bruckner-eight-ny-phil-met-orchestra.html?searchResultPosition=7
Comment by jim837635 — June 14, 2026 at 11:21 am
@ Mogulmeister since when is June 14th recognized as a national holiday for Donald Trump? I note this as an anti-MAGA anti-MAHA Republican. I thought June 14th is recognized only as Flag Day. Red Flower Campaign has every right to hold its protest tomorrow, even if it’s Trump’s birthday.
Comment by John Kwok — June 13, 2026 at 9:10 pm
@Jack N I agree with you completely. I skipped hearing Dudamel conduct the NY Philharmonic last week in the Bruckner 8th Symphony last week, opting instead to hearing this week at Carnegie Hall, Nezet-Seguin conduct it with the Met Opera Orchestra. While both are good conductors, I think Nezet-Seguin is the better of the two for the reason you suggested.
Comment by John Kwok — June 13, 2026 at 9:07 pm
I wish the Red Flower Campaign had chosen a different day than Sunday for its demonstration. Sunday June 14 is President Trump’s birthday, which is going to be commemorated by millions of people on the streets sharing their (cough, cough)…messages for him. Hopefully he’ll feel the love.
Comment by Mogulmeister — June 12, 2026 at 2:59 pm
Chad Smith in March 2026: Smith said the manner of Nelsons’ ouster was the result of a considered process that “rolled out in the way that it had to roll out.” (Source: https://archive.ph/FAvfh#selection-1499.12-1510.0 )
Chad Smith in June 2026: “It was certainly not our intention for this to be rolled out in this manner,” he said, adding: “This is a difficult time.” (Source: https://archive.ph/Syloa#selection-4979.0-4982.0 )
So which one is it?!?!! These statements seem difficult to reconcile.
Comment by Publius — June 12, 2026 at 8:35 am
Specious philanthropy and its shift towards market driven goals (Hostetter) are much to blame for the current crisis. Giving is now tied to business goals and as such it is profoundly at odds with the arts and cultural production. Can Hostetter really name relevant classical composers, pieces, and conductors? If no genuine identification with the art form exists, she may well be a snake in the grass. We need to attract more sympathetic donors who have no hidden agenda but love the art form for what it is.
Comment by Kenny G — June 11, 2026 at 6:21 pm
Why is the coverage from the NYT so superior to the Globe ? This is a major cultural issue here but you would never know it. Agree that musicians and “customers” should be interviewed more and Mr. Chad(repeated disinformation and propaganda)less. Hope there is a good turnout for Sunday’s demonstration.
Comment by William Eckerd — June 11, 2026 at 4:25 pm
Thanks Publius for the NYT reference. Yes, the statements by Smith are vague but the article mentions the “pop-creep.” Quote from NYT: “The musicians say they are merely guarding against what they refer to as “pop creep” — the addition of more pop music — and that they have long welcomed innovation. They say that the players and Nelsons are open to contemporary work, and have been throughout his tenure.” As Jack N has suggested here the BSO and the Pops should become separate entities. In this fashion, the BSO can fulfill its mission fully and the Pops can play as many concerts as they wish without interfering with the BSO. I wonder if the joint duty of BSO and Pops has the orchestra severely compromised, given that its paycheck is based on both functions.
Comment by boris karloff — June 11, 2026 at 3:05 pm
There is a new article from the New York Times which offers basically no additional information from Chad Smith in regard to the questions that the Red Flower Campaign has been asking for nearly 100 days now. What is the point in interviewing Chad Smith when nothing ever gets revealed? If anything, please reach out and interview more musicians, audience members, and patrons. Also, where is the Boston Globe regarding this story?
https://archive.ph/Syloa // https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/11/arts/music/boston-symphony-andris-nelsons-chad-smith.html
Comment by Publius — June 11, 2026 at 1:19 pm
It seems that only 2 people don’t understand that Boston isn’t LA. Wildly out of touch !! (Can’t wait to see the plans to re-do the common spaces in Boston and to see their Triumphal Arch) !!
Comment by William Eckerd — June 10, 2026 at 6:59 pm
It appears that Chad Smith wants to expand the role of the Boston Pops, the BSO moneymaker, across the season, most likely requiring Nelsons to conduct genre crossing programs like Dudamel did in LA. Dudamel conducted during the Superbowl concert with Beyonce, Coldplay and Bruno Mars. He also collaborated with pop stars Billie Eilish, Gewn Stefani and Christina Aguilera. Susanne Mallki is not as radical but was willing to conduct genre crossing concerts that involved dance and choreography and also jazz. Principally, there is nothing wrong with doing so but it is a different type of engagement and does not require a world-class classical conductor to do so. Some might even say Dudamel’s lack of interpretive nuances stems from this type of sideline. Nelsons certainly was not going to play along with this genre mixing approach, as it would ruin his reputation in Europe. Why not divide the duties between two orchestras. Keep the BSO focused on classical music and hire new musicians for the Pops performances. These performances do not require the same skill set and can be done by younger and less professional members (students from Berklee, e.g.).
Comment by Jack N — June 10, 2026 at 9:00 am
@elvin Agree. The Pops engagements, while providing lucrative revenues, are overworking the orchestra and distract it from the developing a recognizable hallmark sound. Nelsons as a brand conductor with a distinctive style is the right person for this job.
Comment by boris karloff — June 9, 2026 at 10:40 am
Reality check: There are no easy answers to the BSO crisis. Attendance is in decline but statistically even significantly lower for modern repertoire. Criticism of the orchestra giving on occasion underwhelming performances. This may be the result of the heavy workload of the BSO also playing the Pops concerts, leading to a total of 250 annual performances as opposed to 150 performances (Chicago Symphony). Criticism of the conducting style is also not a new phenomenon and was also prevalent during Ozawa. Funding works differently on West and East Coast or the Midwest. High cost of living puts pressure on the coastal orchestras. Classical orchestras generally operate with deficits which need to be covered by donors and endowment. Looks like the current BSO administration is trying to reinvent the wheel rather than working with the conditions they have. They are blessed with a superb conductor and should hang on to him for dear life.
Comment by elvin jones — June 9, 2026 at 9:40 am
The worldwide Red Flower Campaign is emotionally moving beyond mere words. Big money-grandiosity may try and dismiss it but in the end the Czars “will fall” (metaphor). So grateful to Quinn and George. You guys have made a difference in the lives of us who appreciate musical excellence.No small accomplishment !!
Comment by William Eckerd — June 6, 2026 at 11:17 pm
I LOVE the new clothing of the Red Flower Campaign that just launched right in time for the Tanglewood season. The “Reinstate Andris” blankets for the lawn of Tanglewood are wonderful, among many other merch. I also love how everything is sold at cost (which is very reasonable) and how the Red Flower Campaign helps to raise the voices of BSO musicians and also even show the image of Andris, whose face has escaped BSO marketing for quite some time now. I am getting a varsity jacket myself!
https://redflowercampaign.printify.me
Comment by Publius — June 5, 2026 at 8:35 pm
@Cecilia — I have spoken with many young people outside of Symphony Hall over the past few months, and more than anything else, I have repeatedly heard countless stories of many people telling me how much Andris Nelsons meant to them and how much he and other BSO musicians had helped in some way to inspire and/or nurture their artistry and talent via classes and performances at Tanglewood.
People might cite this alliance or that initiative and such and while that is maybe nice, whatever. CEOs come and go in organizations, but I don’t find they ever really accomplish much. People should understand the best thing ever about the BSO is the top notch quality of its musicians, librarians, and all staff who help to nurture talent in some way. I find that nothing could ever compare with the experience of spending a summer at Tanglewood as a fellow, attending workshops and such all with top talent for everyone participating.
Somewhat related, I recently went to Lenox and while wearing my Red Flower Campaign rose in my jacket lapel, I was constantly stopped by people complimenting my rose. I wear my rose everywhere and constantly get compliments on how the flower looks so lovely, and when I informed everyone that I wear a rose in the first place in solidarity with Andris and BSO musicians, nearly everyone told me in one way or another how much they sympathize with Andris and wish he would stay. The range of ages I have seen supporting Andris and BSO musicians varies from teenagers ~ college age all the way to 90+. I find this extremely impressive.
Comment by Publius — May 27, 2026 at 7:40 pm
John Williams, where are you? The players need your support, and the BSO Board needs your money. You have clout with both entities – please use it and be heard!
One thing Chad and Barb have said is that they are interested in music education and nurturing the BSO’s future audience. The BSO already has a VP of Education and Outside Engagement – are the programs overseen by that office effective? Will the person holding that title be shown the door also?
Comment by Cecilia — May 27, 2026 at 5:34 pm
Interesting parallel to the firing of Barenboim at the Bastille Opera in 1988 – all about salary but also surprising solidarity shown by Karajan who did not like Barenboim yet joined the boycott of the Bastille Opera. See:
https://slippedisc.com/2017/09/when-karajan-phoed-barenboim/
Comment by Boris Karloff — May 25, 2026 at 5:31 pm
Many of you have shared thoughtful perspectives here about the ongoing situation at the Boston Symphony Orchestra. As co-organizers of the BSO Patron Action Network, we would love to connect with others who care deeply about the future of this institution.
Please reach out to us at: bsopatronactionnetwork@gmail.com
@publius and @William eckerd, we would especially welcome hearing from you as well, please drop us an email!
Comment by George Whiting — May 24, 2026 at 12:28 pm
@ Mr. Eckerd, I feel the musicians have every reason to strike due to a lack of trust and also community support if their union feels it wise and necessary. They can gain power through union and community solidarity and should strike as necessary to assert their power. Music directors and soloists such as Kissin and Lang Lang and worldwide orchestras should support them if they choose to do that and join them outside the picket line with violins, cellos, etc. in tow to play the music played on the night the Titanic sank in protest to metaphorically make a statement that the current vision forward is that of a sinking ship and also pay tribute to the musicians of 1912 who are tributes in Symphony Hall.
Union solidarity, I think, would prevail when we think of the recent comments of Jim Braude, whose recent point on WGBH was that BSO management took a position and cannot defend it. The community support is immense already and when unions find out, they will absolutely support unionized musicians.
Comment by Publius — May 23, 2026 at 12:28 pm
Please Mr.Nelsons , don’t let the negativity and the manipulative behavior of the board “push you out”. We stand by you and you are not alone !! Please “hang in” if at all possible. Let’s not let the “bad guys” win.
Comment by William Eckerd — May 23, 2026 at 12:12 pm
The Globe is totally useless on this issue.
Comment by William Eckerd — May 23, 2026 at 11:45 am
Get ready for a high stakes game of chicken. The board is basically daring the orchestra to go on strike. Probably figuring Nelsons will resign to avert it since he is an honorable person who cares about something other than himself . This would be a despicable-Machiavellian action but totally consistent with the values or lack thereof of the “leadership”.
Comment by William Eckerd — May 23, 2026 at 11:37 am
Does anyone know what is at stake in the BSO union contract negotiations? Nelsons, I’m afraid, could be used as a bargaining chip. Orchestra receives better pay and pension benefit but must forfeit Nelsons. Would the BSO still go on strike then? Any news on the ticket sales for Tanglewood and the upcoming season? If they remain more or less stable, the board will see no reason to change its attitude.
Comment by Karl Lager — May 23, 2026 at 11:16 am
The digital surge of the #RedFlowerCampaign confirms a critical tipping point which is only getting bigger and louder with no response from management. To save the BSO from management threatening to leave it a hollow shell, passive listening is over.
Come August, a coordinated subscriber, patron, donor, and player strike is a moral imperative. Act now, spread the word, and continue writing to the Board! Do not cease in your support of players and quality! The world’s greatest orchestras, musicians, soloists, etc. are all in support of the BSO musicians and Andris Nelsons.
Keep in kind, the players are union people, after all. Unions of the Boston area and world ahould kindly take notice as well and share on the solidarity of the people against management. There is power in a union, and imagine the size of the protests outside Symphony Hall in Boston come August and September if a strike is to take place. Players and listeners must seize the moment come August! Reinstate Andris! Save the soul of the BSO once and for all from the tacky vision of Barbara Hostetter and Chad Smith!
Comment by Publius — May 23, 2026 at 10:18 am
I endorse strongly this younger fan’s view which was posted a short time ago by #RedFlowerCampaign:
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10165183142545719&set=a.414683430718 .
#RedFlowerCampaign notes:
“For David, this moment is not simply about one decision. It is about whether an institution built on artistic collaboration can continue to thrive when musicians, patrons, and the broader community feel dismissed, unheard, and shut out of the conversation.”
Comment by John Kwok — May 22, 2026 at 12:22 am
@NC I am not surprised at Nelsons’ conducting with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. I am especailly intrigued to hear yu say that last night’s performance was better than what I’ve heard for years from the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra), though I am quite partial towards them, not least because I have friends in that orchestra.
As for your assessment of BSO management, I agree with you completely. Especially when they have ignored statements of support for Nelsons and BSO musicians from the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra – which was co-signed by its music director, Sir Simon Rattle – and the Berliner Philharmoniker, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra among others. When musicians from some of the world’s greatest orchestras in North America and Europe are supporting Nelsons and the BSO musicians, then both BSO management and BSO board needs to take notice and pay attention. Since they haven’t, then it’s more reason why BSO CEO Chad Smith and BSO board chair Barbara Hostetter should be removed from their respective positions effective immediately.
Comment by John Kwok — May 20, 2026 at 8:35 am
@NC I’m not surprised – he is at the height of his career. As for the BSO board: “Jealousy is the tribute mediocrity pays to genius.” In plain text: “Mediocre minds use envy to tear down excellence.”
Comment by Kenny G — May 19, 2026 at 6:04 pm
Well, boys and girls, we just got home from the Musikverein where we heard Andris Nelsons conduct the Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestra. The first half of the program was Schumann’s Symphony No. 1. This performance was way up there in the rare elements of heaven – on a par with Szell or Walter at their absolute best. Unquestionably the best performance of the “Spring” that I have ever heard live.
But wait – there’s more! The second half of the program was a concert performance of Act 1 of Die Walkure. The singers – all absolutely fabulous – were Sarah Wegener (Sieglinde), Klaus Florian Vogt (Sigmund), and Vitalij Kowaljow (Hunding). The orchestra, dare I say this, sounded even better than the Vienna Philharmonic. This performance took off like a rocket from the first notes and just kept going. Nelsons’ conducting was flawless, and he never let the orchestra overpower the singers. This is a challenge in a concert performance where the orchestra is up on stage and not down in the pit. This was the kind of edge-of-your-seat Wagner performance that you dream about. Fire, passion, intensity, and all that good stuff. It is often said that Wagner’s operas contain great moments and dull half hours, but that assessment has never applied to Act 1 of Die Walkure. And especially not today!
The BSO Management is OUT OF THEIR MINDS to be letting Nelsons go. We can’t wait to hear him conduct IN Leipzig – perhaps when we come back over here in September.
What a night of glorious music.
Comment by NC — May 19, 2026 at 5:30 pm