200 Days Later: Andris Is Back, and So Are the Red Flowers
200 Days Later: Andris Is Back, and So Are the Red Flowers
Today marks 200 days since the announcement that Andris Nelsons’ tenure as Music Director would be ending after the 2026-27 season. But today, rather than simply looking backward, we want to talk about what happened this weekend
Andris came home to Symphony Hall. The orchestra sounded extraordinary. The audiences were enthusiastic. Musicians and audience members were still wearing red flowers. And on opening night, Andris spoke about those flowers himself: “I think roses, or any flower, it’s a sign of love. If you give a rose to somebody, it’s [an] expression of adoration, love, respect, compassion.”
He explained that the flowers worn by the musicians show respect and love for each other and for the audience. “We love you, our wonderful audiences and our wonderful community,” Nelsons said. “I love this orchestra from the bottom of my heart.”
(Watch his remarks here: Opening Night Red Flowers with Andris
After everything that’s happened over the past 200 days, hearing those words meant a great deal to us. It was hard to imagine a more impactful way to kick off the season.
Because that is what the flowers have always been about.
Love for this orchestra. Respect for its musicians. Support for Andris. And a belief that the community that cares this deeply about the orchestra deserves honesty, transparency, and respect from the people entrusted with leading it.
Barbara W. Hostetter and Chad Smith can continue talking about moving forward and a new era of collaboration. We hope that collaboration is real. But collaboration doesn’t mean that everyone agrees to stop asking questions.
We can celebrate Andris. We can celebrate the musicians. We can be thrilled to be back at Symphony Hall. And at the same time, we can continue asking leadership to account for what happened and reconsider their decision to end Andris’ tenure.
We love this orchestra, and we aren’t going anywhere.
We’ll be back outside Symphony Hall again this week, as Andris conducts Mahler 7 with the BSO for the very first time.
Join us at the corner of St. Stephen Street and Mass Ave. starting one hour before the concert:
Thursday 9/24 at 6:30 PM
Friday 9/25 at 12:30 PM
Saturday 9/26 at 7:00 PM
Two hundred days later, the flowers are still blooming.
For Andris. For the musicians. For the BSO we believe in.