The Tanglewood Festival Chorus (TFC) is a chorus that performs with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops, serving as the official chorus of both ensembles year-round. It was organized in 1970 when John Oliver became director of vocal and choral activities at the Tanglewood Music Center, originally at the request of BSO conductor-designate Seiji Ozawa, with the aim of creating a permanent chorus for the orchestra. Its first concert was a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at Symphony Hall in 1970, conducted by Leonard Bernstein in place of William Steinberg. The chorus later gained international exposure through its first overseas tour to Hong Kong and Japan in 1994 and its participation in the 1998 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies. It has collaborated on numerous recordings with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops, including works by Mahler, Strauss, Berlioz, Fauré, Brahms, and others.
