Due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Irene on Sunday, August 28, Tanglewood has canceled the 2:30 pm Boston Symphony performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the BSO’s last concert of the 2011 Tanglewood season, and traditional season finale. This cancelation applies to all Tanglewood activities that were scheduled to take place on Sunday, August 28, including One Day University.

This is the first time in Tanglewood’s 75 year history that a concert has been cancelled due to inclement weather, according to a BSO spokesman.

The all-Beethoven concert, featuring Itzhak Perlman as conductor and soloist, will go ahead as originally scheduled, tonight, at 8:30 p.m. in the Koussevitzky Music Shed.  The Tanglewood Jazz Festival and Wine and Food Classic will take place as originally scheduled, September 1-4 (further information about these events is available at www.tanglewood.org).

To accommodate for the first concert cancellation in the BSO’s 75-year history at Tanglewood, all patrons who had tickets for the BSO’s canceled performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, originally scheduled for Sunday, August 28, will receive refunds.  Further details are available at www.tanglewood.org.  In addition, for further information about refunds, beginning on Monday, August 29, patrons can contact the BSO’s Customer Service office at 617-638-9395.

On Friday Governor Patrick issued a state of emergency for Massachusetts, citing the expectation that damaging winds, flooding rains, and a storm surge from the hurricane would debilitate the state. The Governor’s announcement, coupled with the town of Stockbridge’s decision to call a state of emergency and potentially close roadways, raised growing concerns for the safety of patrons attending the event, employees working the concert, and the BSO musicians on stage.