Nelsons Leads BSO to Rousing Carnegie Hall Triumph Amid Contract Controversy

Conductor Andris Nelsons led the Boston Symphony Orchestra to a thunderous Carnegie Hall performance, reprising Nixon in China excerpts with Renee Fleming and Thomas Hampson before finishing Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, The New World; New York audiences responded with foot-stomping enthusiasm, mirroring the ardor surrounding Nelsons's contract dispute with the BSO. Supporters have launched StandWithAndris.org and a petition to extend his tenure, while Nelsons spoke movingly at an after‑party about his commitment to the music and hinted at a future collaboration at Tanglewood. The episode underscores ongoing tensions between the orchestra’s management and its musicians as subscribers and critics weigh in.