Who are some of the most notable people to perform at Symphony Hall?

November 16, 2016 1:35 PM

I'm looking for a list of the most notable people ever to perform at Symphony Hall in Boston. Anyone from 1900 to date.
posted by Thrillhouse to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

What you want is this book: Symphony Hall The First 100 Years. Borrowable, keyword searchable and readable online at Open Library (nb: I work there) with a free we-will-never-spam-you account.
posted by jessamyn at 2:11 PM on November 16, 2016 [5 favorites]

Yeah, I think that by definition anyone who performs there is notable. Helen Keller gave lectures there. I saw Savion Glover perform, and read rave reviews about Mandy Patinkin.
posted by Melismata at 2:16 PM on November 16, 2016

The BSO has its own Archives, although they charge an hourly fee for involved research questions. Their online performer search from 1881 to the present might be enough for you.
posted by nonane at 6:21 PM on November 16, 2016

I'm one! I was a chorister in the American Boychoir and we performed with the BSO, among other places.

I know for certain that I was in the Pique Dame in autumn of 1991. I think that I was also in Mahler's Third Symphony in 1992, but that one isn't as memorable --- I'm mostly remembering that I made the Boston trip both years.

I would never have remembered either work's title without nonane's link to the BSO archives, but seeing "Pique Dame/Queen of Spades" brought that one rushing back. I remember being very impressed with Seiji Ozawa as a conductor, even though essentially the only thing I knew about classical music was that I enjoyed making it.
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 8:31 PM on November 16, 2016

This might be a good question to ask @BostonSymphony.
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 2:37 AM on November 17, 2016