Outstanding Mexican artists treat the audience to timeless classics and stirring new music. Jorge Federico Osorio, hailed as “an imaginative interpreter with a powerful technique” (New York Times), takes on Beethoven’s intensely energetic Piano Concerto No. 3. Rachmaninoff’s lush and lively Symphonic Dances come alive under the baton of Carlos Miguel Prieto—who returns following his “revolutionary,” “high-octane” 2018 NSO debut (Washington Classical Review).

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Carlos Miguel Prieto conducts Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances | Jorge Federico Osorio plays Beethoven

Kennedy Center

The whole farmyard is getting ready for a hoedown—but it needs your help! Presented in collaboration with Teller Productions and developed specifically for toddlers, this immersive show features puppets, storytellers, and a string quartet from the National Symphony Orchestra.

NSO Music for Young Audiences: Old MacDonald’s Symphony

National Symphony Orchestra

Experience the torment and colorful beauty of Tchaikovsky’s four-movement symphony inspired by Lord Byron’s poem. Hailed for his stellar stage presence and joyous musicianship, 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient and National Sphinx Competition winner Sterling Elliott joins the program to perform Saint-Saëns’ impassioned First Cello Concerto.

Vasily Petrenko conducts Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony | Sterling Elliott plays Saint-Saëns

Don’t miss a rare opportunity to experience the sublime synergy of two musical superstars, live! For one night only, violinist Leonidas Kavakos and pianist Daniil Trifonov join forces to perform masterworks of their instruments’ repertoire. Bask in the transcendent beauty of Beethoven, the drama of Poulenc, the depth of Brahms, and the avant-garde spirit of Bartók… all in the hands of these extraordinary artists.

NSO Presents: Leonidas Kavakos & Daniil Trifonov

Podcast link: https://youtu.be/4hagYvrYbuM

The Artelize Podcast and Kasper Holten - Pedefining Opera for the modern world

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d36M5Hi6O80

The Artelize Podcast - A legacy of innovation in Opera: Celebrating Marc A. Scorca

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59E40S_EQSY

The Artelize Podcast: A love letter that was never sent

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THv6htilWtI

The Artelize Podcast and Adolfo Corrado: Mediterranean flavors, opera and social media

Critics call Leonidas Kavakos’ interpretations of Shostakovich “utterly compelling.” Witness the magic live as the superstar Greek violinist returns to perform Shostakovich’s explosive, unpredictable Violin Concerto No. 2. To close, Stravinsky’s striking ballet score Petrushka dazzles with vivid colors, irresistible rhythms, incandescent brass and winds… a rich bouquet of assorted, ear-rousing moments!

Noseda conducts Stravinsky’s Petrushka Leonidas Kavakos plays Shostakovich

Karina Canellakis takes on feats of musical storytelling in this visionary program. Excerpts from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde capture a passion more powerful than death itself; Scriabin’s symphonic Poem of Ecstasy intoxicates listeners with a whirlwind of color and perfume. Alban Gerhardt opens the concert with a performance of Dvořák’s famous Cello Concerto.

Karina Canellakis conducts Tristan und Isolde & The Poem of Ecstasy | Alban Gerhardt plays Dvořák

Max Richter is one of the most influential and acclaimed composers of all time. His fusion of classical technique and electronic technology, heard across genre-defining solo albums and countless scores for film, dance, art, and fashion, has won him legions of fans around the world and blazed a trail for a generation of musicians. Please note: the NSO does not perform on this program.

Max Richter

Growling marches. Nostalgic lullabies. Thunderous hammer blows of fate. Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 seizes audiences from its very first notes, taking us on a dream-like journey through the composer’s concepts of dark destiny, heroic struggle, and ultimately, quiet bliss. Don’t miss this heartfelt masterpiece conducted by Noseda, whose Mahler performances are celebrated as “devilishly good” (Bachtrack).

Noseda conducts Mahler’s Sixth

The NSO brings you William Dawson’s stirring Negro Folk Symphony—a work one New York critic called “the most distinctive and promising American symphonic proclamation which has so far been achieved.” Joshua Weilerstein completes the program with Bernstein’s ever-popular Symphonic Dances from West Side Story and Gershwin’s jazz-infused Rhapsody in Blue.

Joshua Weilerstein conducts Bernstein & Dawson | John Kimura Parker plays Gershwin

Experience the opulent period epic as the NSO performs the score live-to-picture! Winner of eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, Amadeus tells the story of vindictive composer Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham), who is consumed by jealousy for his rival—the petulant genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce).

Amadeus Full Film with Live Orchestra

The Apollo Orchestra–David Chan, Principal Conductor; featuring members or the WNO Cafritz Young Artists Program

The Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church

Few artists embody creativity and innovation quite like Lindsey Stirling. A multi-award-winning electronic violinist, dancer, and New York Times bestselling author, she has captivated audiences worldwide with her high-energy performances and genre-blending sound. Known for her electrifying live shows, Lindsey continues to push boundaries—now bringing her signature style to grand symphonic settings.

Lindsey Stirling

An evening of daring adventures, mythical creatures, sorcery, and romance: the NSO conjures an intoxicating Mediterranean dreamscape with Ravel’s ballet Daphnis et Chloé! Simon Trpčeski, who “looks set to dominate the piano world for a long time to come” (London Times), joins the orchestra for Saint-Saëns’s tender Piano Concerto No. 2.

Daphnis et Chloé & Simon Trpčeski

Hans Graf brings “a brave new world of music-making” (The Straits Times) to Schubert’s romantic Symphony No. 8, the great “Unfinished” masterwork that packs a lifetime of hope, suffering, and joy into just two perfect movements. “Spellbinding soloist” Renaud Capuçon performs Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto—a mysterious, autumnal farewell “to the memory of an angel.”

Schubert’s “Unfinished” Capuçon plays Berg

The former NSO Music Director returns with an all-Beethoven program brimming with lyricism and energy. Acclaimed violinist Isabelle Faust, whose “sound electrifies” (The New York Times), makes her much-anticipated NSO debut in Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. Beethoven’s joyous Symphony No. 7, a work Richard Wagner called “the apotheosis of the dance,” makes an electrifying finale.

Eschenbach returns: An Evening of Beethoven

Two titans of classical music join forces for an intimate performance of Schubert’s song cycle Winterreise: renowned baritone Matthias Goerne and Grammy Award–winning pianist Daniil Trifonov. Set to Wilhelm Müller’s poetry, Winterreise unfolds in 24 heartbreaking, hopeful songs for voice and piano as a wanderer moves through the frozen landscape. Please note: the NSO does not perform on this program.

NSO Presents: Matthias Goerne & Daniil Trifonov

Awaken your heart with two distinct visions of love: Strauss’ Don Juan, a man’s restless pursuit of passion; and Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet, a fated tale of love at its purest. Led by Jader Bignamini, the concert also features Wynton Marsalis’ bold Herald, Holler, and Hallelujah and Gershwin’s jazz-infused Piano Concerto in F with soloist Hélène Grimaud.

Don Juan & Romeo and Juliet Grimaud plays Gershwin

Beethoven’s joyful wit and lyricism make his Piano Concerto No. 1 a perfect showcase for Garrick Ohlsson’s “fingers, fortitude, and freewheeling imagination” (The New York Times). To close, conductor Louis Langrée “draws a lithe, articulate and elegant performance” (The New York Times) of Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3, the mighty “Organ Symphony.”

Saint-Saëns’ “Organ Symphony” Ohlsson plays Beethoven

Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra Edward Gardner leads Tchaikovsky’s ever-popular Symphony No. 5. With soaring melodies, roaring brass, and balletic grace, the Fifth is a wild ride of heart-on-sleeve emotions. Also on the program: Pablo Ferrández makes his NSO debut in Lutosławski’s innovative Cello Concerto.

Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Ferrández plays Lutosławski

Experience the heartbreaking Adagio from Mahler’s unfinished Symphony No. 10 conducted by Gianandrea Noseda, whose Mahler interpretations Bachtrack calls “devilishly good.” Soprano Camilla Nylund and bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny take the stage in Zemlinsky’s Lyric Symphony, a monumental exploration of love and longing.

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