June 30, 2026 - Boston Symphony Orchestra President and CEO Chad Smith and Julia Swanson on Boston public art

Chad Smith, president and CEO of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, joins The Culture Show as the BSO heads into a major summer season shadowed by the decision not to renew music director Andris Nelsons’ contract beyond the 2027 Tanglewood season. Smith talks with Jared Bowen about the fallout, the questions facing the orchestra, and what comes next. He also previews the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on July 4 and the season ahead at Tanglewood. We have invited Andris Nelsons on the show to get his perspective. He has not responded to our invitation.Culture Show contributor Julia Swanson returns for our Public Service Arts Announcement, looking at the public art hiding in plain sight across Boston. Swanson, a multidisciplinary artist and award-winning photographer, is the creator of The Art Walk Project, a series of self-guided micro-tours of art across Greater Boston. This month, she takes us from Rixy’s new Greenway mural, The Midnight Ride, to Boston’s fading ghost signs and the brotherly duo working to keep them visible.