The Avett Brothers and Natalie Merchant Added to Tanglewood Lineup

Photo by Crackerfarm.

This season’s rendition of Tanglewood just added some new faces to the line up.

Folk singer Natalie Merchant and bluegrass experts the Avett Brothers are coming to Western Massachusetts. They fill part of the Popular Artist Series at Tanglewood, with additional pop artists to be announced at a later date.

Merchant, formerly of alt rock band 10,000 Maniacs, brings her distinctive voice and style to Tanglewood on the evening of July 2. Originally from a much more southern Concord—North Carolina, to be specific—the Avett Brothers arrive at Tanglewood on September 1. Tickets are on sale now.

Other notable additions to the Tanglewood season include soprano Dawn Upshaw, pianist Anna Polonsky, conductor Charles Dutoit, and pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard.

This year Tanglewood also features initiatives to include more guest artists from classical, Broadway, dance, and pop culture backgrounds in addition to the traditional presence of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. There will also be lectures and musical demonstrations for people of all ages, yoga on the lawn, and a food and wine tasting for the older crowd.

Mass Audubon is collaborating with Tanglewood this year to bring Tanglewood Takes Flight to life. The series pairs music from Olivier Messiaen’s Catalogue of the Birds with a bird walk featuring the potential for real-life birds. If you’re an early riser, head out to a bird watch at 5 a.m., then enjoy a concert afterwards around 7 a.m. “in close proximity to the scheduled early morning bird walks.” When in the Berkshires, right?

Natalie Merchant, $16.50+, July 2, 297 West St., Lenox, tanglewood.org. The Avett Brothers, $16+, September 1, 297 West St., Lenox, tanglewood.org.