BSO musicians rally in support of embattled director

On Tuesday morning, about 60 musicians and a handful of supporters assembled on the steps of Symphony Hall. When Boston Symphony Orchestra music director Andris Nelsons pulled up in a black car, the crowd broke into cheers and chants of “Andris.”

It was the orchestra’s first day of rehearsals since the BSO Board of Trustees abruptly announced it would not renew Nelsons’ contract when it wraps up in August 2027. The news, which broke earlier this month, has reverberated through the classical world and galvanized the orchestra’s musicians.

“ It's Andris's return to the hall and we knew it would be a very emotional moment,” said double bass player Todd Seeber. “We just wanted to show our support for him.”

Nelsons was visibly touched by the gesture. When the applause died down, he briefly addressed the assembly, and then spent several minutes making his way through the crowd, shaking hands and giving hugs.

“It is a real action of humanity,” Nelsons said as he prepared to enter the hall. “I love this orchestra so much. I love them. And I wish them all the possible best, and I'm looking forward to doing, still, a lot of music together.”

Asked about his reaction to the board’s decision, he referred only to a letter he sent to the orchestra, which “truthfully expressed my total surprise.” In the letter, Nelsons affirmed his intention to finish out his contract, which ends after the 2027 Tanglewood season.

“We recognize that the past few weeks have been difficult for many who care deeply about the Boston Symphony Orchestra,” BSO president and CEO Chad Smith said in a statement to WBUR. He added that input from BSO musicians “will be essential as we shape the path forward and continue to fulfill the BSO’s role as a vital cultural force in our community and beyond.”

The BSO players committee plans to meet with the Board of Trustees on Thursday.

“We love our music director,” said Seeber, who also chairs the committee. “We were completely blindsided by this decision and can't for the life of us comprehend why they would do this.”

Declining ticket sales may be one explanation. Smith told the Boston Globe that classical music attendance at the BSO has dropped 40% in the last two decades.

But Lee Eisman, a classical music critic who came out to support Nelsons, took issue with the suggestion that dipping attendance was the maestro’s fault.

“The implication is that somehow the empty seats are his responsibility,” said Eisman, who runs the classical music website The Boston Music Intelligencer. “I think probably it has more to do with the marketing department of the BSO than it does with him.”

Longtime subscriber Bettina Norton also came to show her support. She worried Nelsons’ dismissal signals a shift toward a less rigorous program.

“ They're looking in the wrong place for the solution. The solution is not dumbing down” the repertoire, Norton said.

Critical response to the news has been more mixed, with some critics arguing that Nelsons has stretched himself too thin by taking numerous conducting gigs abroad, and that the quality of the orchestra has suffered as a result.

In letters to the BSO board and Smith, musicians expressed concern that executives were trying to seize control of the orchestra’s artistic direction, which has traditionally been the purview of the music director. The decision not to renew Nelsons’ tenure “represents the greatest squandering of artistic capital I have ever witnessed,” principal flute Lorna McGhee wrote in a withering missive.

In his statement to WBUR, Smith said the BSO was committed to moving forward with “care, clarity of purpose, and a deep sense of responsibility for the future of this institution.”

But he may have a full-scale revolt on his hands. Musicians are urging audiences to show up to Thursday’s concert to demonstrate their support for Nelsons.