Zander's Boston Orchestras to Shutter

The Boston Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra will permanently cease performing at the conclusion of their 2026-27 season in June. In their stead, the Zander Center, a newly formed legacy organization, will house the BPO’s media holdings and serve as the headquarters for the artistic and educational activities of Benjamin Zander, 87, who founded the BPO in 1979 and remains its leader to this day.

The BPO, an ensemble of freelance professionals, college-aged music students, and skilled avocational musicians, has won praise for its performances of the German Romantic canon, particularly the symphonies of Beethoven, Bruckner, and Mahler. The BPYO, comprised of students ages 13 to 21, has proven just as impressive since it was founded in 2012, and has toured to Europe, South and Central America, Africa, and Asia to great acclaim.

Zander has been a fixture on the Boston music scene for more than a half century, known for both his engaging pre-concert talks as well as his much-praised recordings of Mahler’s Symphonies Nos. 6 and 9.

Performance dates for both ensembles’ final seasons have not yet been announced, but will include symphonies by Beethoven and Mahler, with the BPO concluding with the former’s Symphony No. 9—the same work it presented in its first concert in 1979. The BYPO will perform Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, which it first played during its inaugural season.

Boston Classical Review