Knowra Serge Koussevitzky Serge Koussevitzky Serge Koussevitzky (1874–1951) was a Russian-born conductor and composer who led the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1924 to 1949 and founded the Tanglewood Music Center.
Boston Symphony Orchestra : An American orchestra founded in 1881 and based in Boston, Massachusetts. Koussevitzky led the orchestra from 1924 to 1949, establishing its modern reputation.
Tanglewood Music Center : A summer training program for young musicians at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts. Koussevitzky founded it in 1940 as a lasting extension of the Boston Symphony's summer festival.
Conducting : The practice of directing musicians in performance through gesture, rehearsal, and interpretation. Koussevitzky's interpretations and rehearsal leadership defined his public work.
Moscow Conservatory : A music conservatory founded in Moscow in 1866, now named for Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Koussevitzky studied double bass there and graduated in 1894.
Aaron Copland : An American composer whose works helped define a distinctive twentieth-century concert style in the United States. Koussevitzky championed Copland and commissioned his Organ Symphony.
Koussevitzky Foundation : A music foundation established by Serge and Natalie Koussevitzky to support composers and musical projects. The foundation carried his patronage forward through commissions, publications, and support for new music.
Musical commissioning : The practice of funding or requesting a new musical work from a composer. Commissions let Koussevitzky introduce new orchestral works directly into the Boston Symphony's repertoire.
Nikolai Tcherepnin : A Russian composer, conductor, and teacher associated with the musical life of St. Petersburg. Tcherepnin taught Koussevitzky at the Moscow Conservatory.
Leonard Bernstein : An American conductor, composer, pianist, and educator known for combining classical music with popular forms. Bernstein studied conducting at Tanglewood, where Koussevitzky became an influential mentor.
Symphony of Psalms : A 1930 choral symphony by Igor Stravinsky, composed for the Boston Symphony Orchestra's fiftieth anniversary. Koussevitzky commissioned this landmark work for the orchestra he led.
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