What The Hell Happened: Public Scandal and Hidden Turmoil at the Boston Symphony Orchestra

On March 6, the board of the Boston Symphony Orchestra caused a stir by announcing that they would not be renewing the contract of their music director, Andris Nelsons. In a statement, they said the decision had been made because the board’s “future vision” was not aligned with that of Nelsons.

Nelsons has been the music director for the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 2014, though he unofficially made his debut when he stepped in for James Levine, predecessor, in 2011.

Nelsons had recently received an evergreen contract in January 2024 — an agreement that automatically renewed his contract until either he or the board decided to terminate it. In a letter to the orchestra, Nelsons wrote that the decision to terminate his contract was not something that he had “anticipated or wanted” but that he would remain “unwaveringly committed to [BSO] and [their] work together.” Nelsons will conclude his run as music director after the orchestra’s Tanglewood season in August 2027.

The board’s decision was not entirely surprising to some members of the music community. Like other conductors, Nelsons maintains several jobs besides leading the BSO, among them music director for the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig. For this reason, many individuals were concerned that Nelsons was spreading himself too thin, which might decrease the orchestra’s performance quality.

In particular, New York Times critic David Allen observed that Nelsons’ multiple positions made it seem like he had only briefly looked at the score at times, leading to “patchy” interpretations of the music. Viewers have also noted “sluggishness” and “disengagement” from orchestra members, signaling a lack of the group identity evident in other well-known orchestras, such as the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Symphonies. This may be partly due to Nelsons’ slowness in picking a new concert master — a process which took five years.

Nevertheless, the ensemble has won six Grammys and received mostly positive reviews under Nelsons’ guidance. He is also highly beloved by some of the players in the orchestra. Principal flute player Lorna McGhee has described working with Nelsons as, “the artistic highlight of [her] life.” McGhee was among several orchestra members who were greatly angered by the decision to fire Nelsons, a conversation that the musicians had no part in. Some musicians described the decision as “[blindsiding] them” and “artistic suicide.” Several players sent letters to the board criticizing the decision and expressing their loyalty to Nelsons.

While orchestra members and fans alike see this decision as abrupt, the board’s chief executive, Chad Smith, claims that negotiations were opened last September in an effort to have Nelsons quietly resign from his position. Smith’s appointment to the board came on the heels of another recent scandal at the Boston Symphony after Gail Samuel — the previous board director and first female chair — resigned after less than 18 months in office.

These disruptions reveal deeper problems that the BSO is currently struggling with. While, on its face, the organization appears to be in good financial health, the orchestra has in reality been running persistent deficits. In an interview, Smith admitted that one point of disagreement with Nelsons was over 90 million dollars worth of deferred maintenance for Symphony Hall and the orchestra’s Tanglewood campus in the Berkshires. Compounded by a 40% decrease in attendance over the past 20 years, it is clear that the Symphony requires some changes.

Given that Nelsons will only be leaving after the summer of 2027, the Boston Symphony Orchestra will face even more scrutiny regarding its next choice of conductor. With the uncertain but clearly negative circumstances of Nelsons’ departure, some of the Orchestra’s supporters believe that it will be difficult to attract another top-tier conductor in such a short amount of time. Moreover, the selected guest conductors for the orchestra have been hits or misses according to critics, resulting in no obvious successor for Nelsons.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra could learn a lesson from this turmoil: If there is not a good working relationship between the chief executive, the music director, and the head of the board, how can an orchestra thrive?

—Staff writer Nina M. Jasanoff can be reached at [email protected]