[1] BUTI was envisioned in 1965 when Erich Leinsdorf, then music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), invited Edward Stein, dean of the Boston University College of Fine Arts, to create a summer training program for young musicians as an extension to the BSO's Tanglewood Music Center (TMC).

During June, July, and August, BUTI offers 23 individual programs for strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, harp, voice, piano, and composition.

[5] In mid-June, a series of two-week workshops are offered for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, French horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba and euphonium, percussion, violin, viola, cello, double bass, string quartet, and electroacoustic composition.

A Junior Strings Intensive, introduced for the first time in summer 2017, is also offered during these two weeks and is for violin, viola, and cello students age 10–13.

[7] The BUTI concert season consists of more than 70 events per summer, including six performances at Seiji Ozawa Hall and one at Tanglewood on Parade.