NSO Winter Daydreams, March 2026 by Encore Magazine

Winter Daydreams: Gianandrea Noseda & Simon Trpčeski

The Keys give you a show above and below the surface. From art galleries to museums and live music, no place inspires more freedom of expression. In The Keys, you’re part of the performance.

VisitFloridaKeys.com/arts-culture 1.800.Fla.Keys

THE DONALD J. TRUMP AND JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

MARCH 6, 2026 AT 11:30 A.M. & MARCH 7, 2026 AT 8 P.M. | CONCERT HALL

Gianandrea Noseda, conductor

Simon Trpčeski, piano

GABRIEL FAURÉ (1845–1924)

CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS (1835–1921)

Pelléas et Mélisande Suite, Op. 80 (1898–1909)

i. Prélude

ii. Fileuse

iii. Sicilienne

iv. La mort de Mélisande

Piano Concerto No. 5 in F major, Op. 103, “The Egyptian” (1896)

i. Allegro animato

ii. Andante

iii. Molto allegro

Simon Trpčeski

INTERMISSION

PIOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY (1840–93)

Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Op. 13, “Winter Daydreams” (1866–74)

i. Daydreams of a Winter Journey

ii. Land of Gloom, Land of Mists

iii. Scherzo

iv. Finale

THANK YOU TO OUR SEASON SPONSORS

The NSO Music Director Chair is generously endowed by Roger Sant and Congresswoman Doris Matsui Noseda Era Fund Supporters The Amici di Gianandrea

Patrons are requested to turn off cell phones and other electronic devices during the performance. Any video and/or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.

Welcome

Dear Friends,

As we celebrate the National Symphony Orchestra’s 95th season, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt thanks to you—our devoted patrons, supporters, and friends. Your presence this evening, and your unwavering support throughout the year, mean more than words can convey. It is your love of music, your generosity, and your steadfast belief in the arts that delight this remarkable orchestra.

In 1931, Hans Kindler founded the NSO with a bold vision: to build a world-class symphony orchestra in the heart of our nation’s capital. Nearly a century later, that vision continues to be our driving force. Today, under the dynamic artistic leadership of Gianandrea Noseda, we are more inspired than ever to share powerful performances with our audiences. The NSO is not simply an orchestra; it is a family of artists joined together through a shared love of music, unity of purpose, and commitment to something greater than us.

The NSO is more than what you see on stage—it is a living, breathing institution devoted to enriching lives. Our robust education and community engagement programs reach thousands of students, educators, and families each year. Between our Youth Fellowship Program and Summer Music Institute, to Young People’s Concerts, we strive to make music accessible to everyone—especially the next generation.

This commitment to connect with broader audiences is also seen through our vibrant, genre-defying series, led by the remarkable Steven Reineke, our Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor. Steven brings a wide-reaching musical vision to the NSO, bridging genres and generations. His programming has opened the door for new audiences to discover a love for orchestral music, while continuing to captivate longtime fans with the highest levels of artistry.

As we embark on this milestone season, we are reminded that our journey would not be possible without you. Thank you for being an essential part of this vibrant and enduring musical community.

With deepest gratitude and warmest regards,

Jean Davidson Executive Director National Symphony Orchestra

From the Music Director

Cari amici,

It is with immense joy and anticipation that I welcome you to the National Symphony Orchestra’s 95th anniversary season. This moment is more than a milestone—it is a celebration of our deep musical legacy and a renewed commitment to bringing powerful, moving performances to our community and beyond. This is only the beginning. The 95th season is filled with musical discovery, celebrated artists, and unforgettable experiences.

This season features iconic works that have stood the test of time, from classic masterpieces to thrilling contemporary music. The NSO also has the opportunity to share the stage with an exceptional lineup of guest artists and conductors—beloved icons and rising stars alike. Performing new music is something the NSO truly believes in. Make history with us as we present innovative new works, including five world premieres.

I am deeply grateful to share this journey with you. Your presence in the Concert Hall is what brings our music fully to life. Thank you for being a part of the NSO family—for your passion, your applause, and your unwavering support.

Con tutto il cuore,

Gianandrea Noseda

Music

Music Director, National Symphony Orchestra

Director, National Symphony Orchestra

Che la musica vi porti gioia e ispirazione—may music bring you joy and inspiration.

Notes on the Program

Pelléas et Mélisande Suite, Op. 80 GABRIEL FAURÉ

Born May 12, 1845, in Pamiers, France

Died November 4, 1924, in Paris, France

In the Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck’s 1893 play Pelléas et Mélisande, the boorish, narcissistic Prince Golaud finds the disoriented Princess Mélisande in the woods and brings her home as his wife. After she falls in love with his naïve, innocent brother Pelléas, Golaud kills him out of jealousy, and, soon after, Mélisande dies in childbirth. The play is mostly set in a castle that sits atop smelly, poisonous caverns, nestled in a deep forest where trees block out the light. The oppressive environment seems to confuse the characters, blurring their sense of themselves. It is this intensely cloudy atmosphere and state of mind that made the story appealing to many composers of the late-19th and early-20th centuries. The play served as source material for a landmark opera by Claude Debussy, an early tone poem by Arnold Schoenberg, and a virtuosic piano work by Mel Bonis, and both Jean Sibelius and Gabriel Fauré wrote incidental music to accompany stagings of Pelléas.

Fauré came to the play by way of the British actress Mrs. Patrick Campbell. In her memoir, she recalls coming across a translation by J.W. Mackail and finding that “this archaic poem of beauty, passion, and loveliness, un-thumb-marked and un-dog-eared by ‘tradition,’ gave me peace and certainty…. I knew Mélisande as though she had been part of me before my eyes were open. I knew I could put the beauty of the written word into colour, shape, and sound.” In the face of some resistance from her fellow actors and producers, who were less enthusiastic about the doom and gloom of Maeterlinck’s play, Campbell organized a production in 1898. She arranged a meeting with Fauré to ask if he could write a score to go with the performance, and, since he had not encountered the text in French, she gave him what she described as a spotty translation to consult.

He produced a combination of original material and arrangements of previously written pieces, and he had his student Charles Koechlin help him with the orchestrations. Campbell was thrilled with the result, feeling that Fauré “had grasped with most tender inspiration the poetic purity that pervades and envelops M. Maeterlinck’s lovely play.” The reviewer for the Times likewise acknowledged the appropriateness of the music, stating that “the vagueness of melodic and harmonious progression… may be held to suit best the character of the play,” though he also bemoaned “its continued absence of tangible form, not to speak of its actual ugliness at many points.”

In later years, Fauré published a suite from the incidental music, made by lightly reorchestrating its most substantial and self-contained selections. The repetitive, compact, restrained melodies of the Prélude establish the subdued mood of the play. The second movement, a “Fileuse” or “Spinning Song,” was written for a scene in which Mélisande sits at a spinning wheel in misty contemplation. The strings unspool a gossamer thread of triplets throughout, while the winds take turns on wistful tunes. Fauré first wrote the “Sicilienne” in 1893 for a production of Molière’s play Le Bourgeois gentilhomme that never came to fruition. In Pelléas, he has this sweet, yet slightly mournful dance accompany a scene in which the doomed lovers cautiously discover their affection for one another. The final entry is a funereal number written for the grim death of Mélisande. The chromatic density, aggressive horn hits, and loose structure dramatically attest to the complaint of the Times critic, bringing the suite to an unsettling but affecting conclusion.

Piano Concerto No. 5 in F major, Op. 103, “The Egyptian”

CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS

Born October 9, 1835, in Paris, France

Died December 16, 1921, in Algiers, Algeria

Camille Saint-Saëns spent many winters in Egypt, where the warm weather helped to ease some of his health problems. His friend, the painter Georges Clairin, commented on the twinkle of enthusiasm and adventurousness Saint-Saëns brought to these trips, and how “he is always delightful with gaiety, youth, and simplicity.” In 1896, Saint-Saëns travelled to Luxor, a town in Southern Egypt that contains the ruins of the ancient city of Thebes. It was likely on his long journey up the Nile that he heard a boatman sing a Nubian love song, a melody that Saint-Saëns coaxed into a smooth, appealing line in 2/4 time and used as the cornerstone of his new piano concerto.

He wrote the Concerto for himself to play at a concert in Paris on May 6 of that year, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of his performance debut back in 1846. For its place of composition, and for various exoticizing features that Saint-Saëns included in the score, the work was quickly dubbed his “Egyptian” Concerto. Indeed, the composer himself implied that the entire piece could be heard as a kind of travelogue. He opens the Concerto with a charming, inviting tune from the piano—restrained, yet warm and assured. The contrasting theme, in which the melody dips down from the same fixed pitch three times, is a bit more brooding in character, perhaps a moment of nostalgia or doubt from the traveller, who momentarily remembers worries left behind at home. Throughout the movement, Saint-Saëns uses characteristic, quietly virtuosic piano writing. The soloist’s expansive sweeps across the keyboard don’t draw attention to themselves, instead lending a glow and sparkle to everything that surrounds them.

Saint-Saëns, like many of his fellow composers and artists of late-19th-century France, regularly trafficked in the exaggerations of orientalism, employing a variety of musical tropes to allude vaguely, and often offensively, to the sounds of North Africa, East Asia, and other far-off lands. At the start of the second movement of the “Egyptian” Concerto, the strings have a swaying, motoric, varied rhythmic figure. Above, the piano plays wild, cadenza-like runs based on a harmonic minor scale, a variant of the minor mode that was a tried-and-true means of signalling various culturally distant others. In this context, it is striking that the supposed song of the Nile boatman, which follows this explosive opening, is perhaps the least exotic-sounding aspect of the whole piece. Saint-Saëns treats the Nubian tune like something he heard out in the countryside in France, though the section begins with a chiming, high-octave figure in the keyboard, giving the music a celestial quality. The movement also features a surprising passage, which the composer suggested represented the sounds of crickets and frogs. The right hand of the piano plays a high, whining, chirping figure, while the left hand pops out a pentatonic tune, occasionally punctuated by a gong and cuckoo-like clarinet gestures. This strange, dissonant texture is a surprisingly impressionistic turn for a musician who was often considered more conservative than composers in his milieu, like Gabriel Fauré, Claude Debussy, and Maurice Ravel.

Travelling by boat was a thrill and not a trial for Saint-Saëns, and it is this “joy of a seacrossing” that he wished to express with the finale of the Concerto. The jolly piano part whips up excitement aboard the ship, and little moments of fear or seasickness are easily overcome. This movement is the most nakedly virtuosic of the three—in fact, SaintSaëns arranged it as a keyboard étude in 1899. But, as in the first movement, the most impressive moments come when the piano creates a nimble, shimmering background, allowing bits of melodic brilliance in the orchestra to shine through.

Notes on the Program

Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Op. 13, “Winter Daydreams”

PIOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY

Born May 7, 1840, in Votkinsk, Russia

Died November 6, 1893, in Saint Petersburg, Russia

Toward the end of 1865, after completing his studies in Saint Petersburg, Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky moved to Moscow to take a teaching job at the Moscow Conservatory. Upon assuming the position, Tchaikovsky felt he needed to produce a major piece to assert himself as a budding composer. He started his First Symphony in March of 1866 and advanced quickly; by June, he had sketched the whole piece and begun the process of scoring it. But the long nights and obsessive focus he devoted to the Symphony proved costly. He neared a nervous breakdown, and a doctor ordered him to get more sleep. This instruction, together with the demanding critiques his draft received from mentors Anton Rubinstein and Nikolai Zaremba, delayed Tchaikovsky’s progress. He managed to complete the piece in 1867, and Nikolai Rubinstein conducted the full work’s premiere in February of 1868. Ultimately, Tchaikovsky was proud of the Symphony, admitting in an 1883 letter to his sponsor and close correspondent Nadezhda von Meck that “it is in many ways immature, yet fundamentally it has more substance and is better than many of my other more mature works.”

The first movement of the Symphony carries the subtitle “Daydreams of a Winter Journey,” and the opening theme is indeed something we can imagine the composer dreaming up in a hallucinatory reverie on a lonely, late winter night in Moscow. The strings hum the harmony in understated waves. The flutes and bassoons introduce a searching melody that never begins on the downbeat, evoking a hazy figure that appears in the dim light but slips away whenever one tries to grab onto it. The piece does bear a few of those marks of immaturity. Rather than writing smooth, organic transitions between sections, Tchaikovsky often puts in a gap and simply starts something new. There are strokes of great artistry, like the chromatic countermelodies that dance around the main themes in each movement, and the haunting end of the opening movement, which fades out like a sputtering candle.

The Symphony is, in a sense, a very patriotic piece. The second movement, which is built from a melancholic, yet intensely warm tune initially presented by the oboe, is a love letter to the awe-inspiring landscape of Russia, a “Land of Gloom, Land of Mists.” The finale deftly incorporates a Russian folk song into an impressive array of contrapuntal techniques and grand orchestral fanfares. 1866 was a year of political tension in Russia. In April, Dmitri Karakozov attempted to assassinate Tsar Alexander II. Karakozov had recently studied law in Kazan and Moscow, and he was affiliated with revolutionary socialist organizations that many in the Tsar’s administration saw as an existential threat to national order. In response to the assassination attempt, the regime began a punitive, conservative assault on higher education institutions across the country, attempting to stymie the liberalism and anti-autocratic values that had gradually emerged in those spaces. The mood in Moscow that spring was frighteningly nationalistic. A presentation of Mikhail Glinka’s opera A Life for the Tsar was derailed by a heckling crowd, which demanded performances of the national anthem and shouted “Off with the Poles” when the story’s chorus of Polish soldiers who threaten the Tsar appeared on stage.

Tchaikovsky’s patriotism was not of this combative, jingoistic, bigoted variety. Though he didn’t condone revolutionary violence, he was no fan of the Tsar. Tchaikovsky resented writing the bombastic, cannon-blast-blemished 1812 Overture for the Sovereign years later, and he was horrified by the incident at the opera, in which “the audience approved of such a mockery of art, of truth, of decency.” The composer’s love of his land and its people is of a more positive and confident variety. In a thoughtful and patient build-up to the triumphant coda, the borrowed folk song is painstakingly transformed from something severe and solemn into something euphoric and heroic. When Tchaikovsky reaches the very end, he indulges in several rounds of brassy revelry, yet the music manages to express something sincere and fundamentally irrepressible.

Meet the Artists

Gianandrea Noseda, conductor

Gianandrea Noseda is one of the world’s most soughtafter conductors, equally recognized for his artistry in both the concert hall and opera house. The 2025–2026 season marks his ninth as music director of the National Symphony Orchestra.

Noseda’s leadership has inspired and reinvigorated the National Symphony Orchestra, which makes its home at the Kennedy Center. The renewed artistic recognition and critical acclaim have led to invitations to Carnegie Hall and international concert halls, as well as digital streaming and a record label distributed by LSO Live, for which Noseda also records as principal guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. Noseda’s discography of over 80 recordings includes dozens of critically acclaimed albums with a wide range of orchestras and repertoire for various labels, including Deutsche Grammophon and Chandos.

Noseda became General Music Director of the Zurich Opera House in September 2021 and reached an important milestone in May 2024, conducting two highly praised complete Ring Cycles. He was recognized as “Best Conductor” by the jury of the German OPER! AWARDS, specifically for his Wagner interpretations.

From 2007 to 2018, Noseda served as Music Director of the Teatro Regio Torino, where his leadership marked the opera house’s golden era. Noseda has conducted the most important international orchestras, opera houses, and festivals, and had significant roles at the BBC

Philharmonic (chief conductor), Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (principal guest conductor), Mariinsky Theatre (principal guest conductor), Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI (principal guest conductor), Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (Victor de Sabata Chair), Rotterdam Philharmonic (principal guest conductor), and Stresa Festival (artistic director).

Working with the next generation of musicians is important to Noseda, and in the summer of 2025, he led a tour of major concert halls in China, Korea, and Japan with Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the USA. In 2019, he was appointed the founding Music Director of the Tsinandali Festival and Pan-Caucasian Youth Orchestra in the village of Tsinandali, Georgia.

A native of Milan, Noseda is Commendatore al Merito della Repubblica Italiana, marking his contribution to the artistic life of Italy. He has been honored as Conductor of the Year by both Musical America and the International Opera Awards. He is also a recipient of the Puccini Award, whose past recipients include legendary opera stars Maria Callas, Birgit Nilsson, and Luciano Pavarotti.

Simon Trpčeski, piano

Macedonian pianist Simon Trpčeski has established himself as one of the most remarkable musicians on the global stage, performing with over 100 orchestras on four continents, with leading conductors, and at the most prestigious venues. Mr. Trpčeski is recognized for his powerful virtuosity

Meet the Artists

and deeply expressive approach, as well as his charismatic ability to connect with diverse audiences worldwide and his commitment to strengthening Macedonia’s cultural heritage.

Mr. Trpčeski has collaborated with a long list of prominent conductors, including Lorin Maazel, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Marin Alsop, Gustavo Dudamel, Gianandrea Noseda, Charles Dutoit, Antonio Pappano, Michael Tilson Thomas, Cristian Măcelaru, and Vasily Petrenko. As an experienced pianist, he is also a popular collaborator among the next generation of high-profile conductors, including Jakub Hrůša, Gabriel Bebeșelea, Dalia Stasevska, Elim Chan, Alpesh Chauhan, and Dima Slobodeniouk.

National Symphony Orchestra

The 2025–2026 season is the National Symphony Orchestra’s 95th and Music Director Gianandrea Noseda’s ninth season. Gianandrea Noseda serves as the orchestra’s seventh music director, joining the NSO’s legacy of distinguished leaders: Christoph Eschenbach, Leonard Slatkin, Mstislav Rostropovich, Antal Doráti, Howard Mitchell, and Hans Kindler. Its artistic leadership also includes Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor Steven Reineke.

Since its founding in 1931, the NSO has been committed to performances that enrich the lives of its audience and community members. In 1986, the National Symphony became an artistic affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where it has performed since the Center opened in 1971. The 96-member NSO participates in events of national and international importance, including the annual

nationally televised concerts on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol, live-streamed performances on medici.tv, and local radio broadcasts on WETA Classical 90.9 FM.

Since launching its eponymous recording label in 2020, the NSO has embarked on ambitious recording projects, including its first complete Beethoven Symphony cycle and the release of the first-ever cycle of George Walker’s Sinfonias, both led by Noseda. Recent projects include Four Symphonic Works by Kennedy Center Composerin-Residence Carlos Simon conducted by Noseda, and William Shatner’s So Fragile, So Blue, recorded live in the Concert Hall with the NSO under Steven Reineke. Forthcoming releases with Gianandrea Noseda include music by Gustav Mahler and William Grant Still, as well as Samuel Barber’s opera Vanessa.

The NSO’s community engagement and education projects are nationally recognized, and career development opportunities for young musicians include the NSO Youth Fellowship Program and its acclaimed, tuitionfree Summer Music Institute.

Symphony

Loud and Clear

Terms to know in the Concert Hall, loosely defined.

An extended work with multiple sections—typically four movements.

A “symphonic” piece is a long piece with multiple interpretations of a musical idea. A repeated, transformed musical idea is called a theme.

Orchestra

A group of musicians who play together.

In the Western European tradition, an orchestra often includes the four major instrument families—brass, woodwinds, strings, and percussion. An especially large orchestra is called a symphony orchestra. A smaller orchestra is called a chamber orchestra

Movement

A section of a musical work. Movements are often separated by silences, and they typically differ in tempo—speed.

Sonata

Originally, a musical composition played on instruments. In modern usage, “sonata” can mean a piece for a soloist or an ensemble, often with two to four movements. If a work or a movement is written in sonata form, it is structured in three sections: exposition, development, and recapitulation.

Concerto

A piece pairing a technically advanced soloist with the support of an orchestra, usually in three movements. Though there may be multiple soloists, the contrast between a larger ensemble and a soloing group defines a concerto.

Chorale

A congregational piece sung by a chorus, or an instrumental piece in the harmonic style of a hymn.

Overture

An orchestral instrumental introduction to a dramatic musical work, such as an opera or a ballet. Composers, particularly those of the Romantic Period, sometimes composed independent concert overtures, intended to begin a larger musical program.

Suite

Multiple pieces intended to be performed together. Suites may take from larger works, such as an opera or a ballet.

Fugue

An often brief work with multiple melodic lines interpreting a single, recurring theme. J.S. Bach popularized the practice of pairing fugues with introductory preludes.

Tempo Markings

Largo - slow, broad

Lento - slow

Andante - moderately slow, walking pace

Moderato - moderate

Allegretto - slightly slower than allegro

Allegro - fast, bright

Vivace - fast, lively

Presto - very fast

Additional Markings

Poco - a little Meno - less Non tanto - not as much

Ma non troppo - but not too much

Più - more

Molto - very Animato - animated

Sostenuto - sustained Maestoso - majestically

Marcato - marked, accented

Mosso - with motion and speed

Con brio - with liveliness

Scherzo - a fast, playful section

National Symphony Orchestra

GIANANDREA NOSEDA , MUSIC DIRECTOR

The Roger Sant and Congresswoman Doris Matsui Chair

STEVEN REINEKE , PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR AND ARTISTIC ADVISOR

VIOLINS

Nurit Bar-Josef, Concertmaster

Ying Fu, Associate Concertmaster, The Jeanne Weaver Ruesch Chair

Ricardo Cyncynates, Assistant Concertmaster

Xiaoxuan Shi, Second Assistant Concertmaster

Jane Bowyer Stewart

Heather LeDoux Green

Lisa-Beth Lambert

Jing Qiao

Marina Aikawa

Peiming Lin

Derek Powell

Regino Madrid**

Meredith Riley**

Marissa Regni, Principal

Dayna Hepler, Assistant Principal

Cynthia R. Finks

Deanna Lee Bien

Glenn Donnellan

Natasha Bogachek

Carole Tafoya Evans

Jae-Yeon Kim

Wanzhen Li

Hanna Lee

Benjamin Scott

Malorie Blake Shin

Angelia Cho

Kei Sugiyama**

VIOLAS

Daniel Foster, Principal, The Mrs. John Dimick Chair

Dana Kelley, Assistant Principal

Denise Wilkinson

Nancy Thomas

Jennifer Mondie

Tsuna Sakamoto

Ruth Wicker

Mahoko Eguchi

Abigail Evans Kreuzer

Rebecca Epperson

Chiara Dieguez**

Jacob Shack**

CELLOS

David Hardy, Principal, The Hans Kindler Chair, The Strong Family and the Hattie M. Strong Foundation

Raymond Tsai, Assistant Principal

David Teie

James Lee

Rachel Young

Mark Evans

Eugena Chang Riley

Loewi Lin

Britton Riley

Noah Krauss

BASSES

Robert Oppelt, Principal

Richard Barber, Assistant Principal

Jeffrey Weisner

Ira Gold

Paul DeNola

Charles Nilles

Alexander Jacobsen

Michael Marks

HARP

Adriana Horne, Principal

FLUTES

Aaron Goldman, Principal

Leah Arsenault Barrick, Assistant Principal

Matthew Ross

Carole Bean, Piccolo

OBOES

Nicholas Stovall, Principal, The Volunteer Council Chair

Jamie Roberts, Assistant Principal

Harrison Linsey***

Kathryn Meany Wilson***, English Horn

CLARINETS

Lin Ma, Principal

Eugene Mondie, Assistant Principal

Paul Cigan

Peter Cain, Bass Clarinet

BASSOONS

Sue Heineman, Principal

David Young, Assistant Principal

Steven Wilson

Sean Gordon, Contrabassoon

HORNS

Abel Pereira, Principal, The National Trustees’ Chair

James Nickel, Acting Associate Principal

Markus Osterlund***

Scott Fearing

Robert Rearden

Geoffrey Pilkington**

TRUMPETS

William Gerlach, Principal, The Howard Mitchell Chair, The Strong Family and the Hattie M. Strong Foundation

Michael Harper, Assistant Principal

Michail Thompson

Tom Cupples

TROMBONES

Craig Mulcahy, Principal

Evan Williams, Assistant Principal

David Murray

Matthew Guilford, Bass Trombone

TUBA

Stephen Dumaine, Principal, The James V. Kimsey Chair

TIMPANI

Jauvon Gilliam, Principal, The Marion E. Glover Chair

Scott Christian, Assistant Principal

PERCUSSION

Eric Shin, Principal, The Hechinger Foundation Chair

Erin Dowrey, Assistant Principal

Scott Christian

Jason Niehoff*

KEYBOARD

Lambert Orkis, Principal

Lisa Emenheiser*

ORGAN

William Neil*

LIBRARIANS

Elizabeth Cusato Schnobrick, Principal

Zen Stokdyk, Associate

Karen Lee, Assistant

PERSONNEL

Karyn Garvin, Director

Sufyan Naaman**, Coordinator

STAGE MANAGERS

David Langrell, Manager

N. Christian Bottorff, Assistant Manager

The National Symphony Orchestra uses a system of revolving strings. In each string section, untitled members are listed in order of length of service.

*Regularly Engaged Extra Musician

** Temporary Position

***Leave of Absence

National Symphony Orchestra Staff

ADMINISTRATION

Jean Davidson, Executive Director

Sabryn McDonald, Executive Assistant

EXECUTIVE TEAM

Kasama Apfelbaum, Vice President, Financial Planning & Analysis

Nigel Boon, Vice President, Artistic Planning

John Roloff, Vice President, Orchestra Operations

ARTISTIC PLANNING

Justin Ellis, Senior Producing Director

Ana Vashakmadze, Assistant Artistic Administrator

DEVELOPMENT

Laney Pleasanton, Manager, NSO Individual Giving

Pamela Wardell, Senior Director of Development

EDUCATION

Vanessa Thomas, Director of Education Activation & Engagements

FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

Eric Rubio, Director of Finance & Administration

HUMAN RESOURCES

Tony Amato, Director, Total Rewards

Chanel Kemp, Talent Acquisition Manager

Patrice McNeill, Director, HR Operations

Lisa Motti, HRIS Coordinator

Ericka Parham, Benefits Analyst

John Sanford, Senior Business Partner

MARKETING & ADVERTISING

Scott Bushnell, Senior Director, Creative and Brand Strategy

Michael Granados, Marketing Manager, NSO, Fortas & New Music

Lily Maroni, Senior Manager, Advertising Communications

Elizabeth Stoltz, Advertising Production & Special Projects Assistant Manager

Derek Younger, Director, Sales & Ticketing Service

ORCHESTRA OPERATIONS & CONCERT PRODUCTION

Brooke Bartolome, Orchestra Personnel and Operations Manager

Joseph Benitez, Media & OPAS Support Coordinator

N. Christian Bottorff, Assistant Stage Manager

Cayley Carroll, Director, Production & Orchestra Operations

Karyn Garvin, Director of Orchestra Personnel

David Langrell, Stage Manager

Sufyan Naaman, Personnel and Auditions Coordinator

Ava Yap, Operations Assistant

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Amanda Fischer, Deputy Director of Public Relations

Kennedy Center Staff

Trump Kennedy Center Staff

KENNEDY CENTER EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

KENNEDY CENTER EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

President, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

President, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing

President, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

President, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing

President, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Chief Financial Officer

Ambassador Richard Grenell

Ambassador Richard Grenell Chief Financial Officer

Donna Arduin

Ambassador Richard Grenell Financial Officer

General Counsel

Donna Arduin

Chief Financial Officer Donna Arduin

Donna Arduin General Counsel

General Counsel

Berke

General Counsel Elliot Berke

Berke

Donna Arduin General Counsel

Berke

Senior Vice President, Development

Dale

Senior Vice President, Development

Vice President of Human

Dale

Senior Vice President, Marketing

Senior Vice President,

Osborne

Senior Vice President, Marketing�� Robin Osborne

Osborne

Senior Vice President, Special

Senior Vice President, Special Events

Donlon

Senior Vice President, Development Lisa Dale

Donlon

Vice President, Human

Vice President, Human Ta’Sha Bowens

Vice President, Public Relations Roma Daravi

Vice President, Operations

Executive Director, National Symphony Orchestra Jean Davidson

Vice President, Education

Vice President,

Vice President, Education

Vice President, Special Events

Vice President, Education

Bronagh Donlon

Vice

Vice President, Public

Vice President, Public Relations

Vice President, Facilities Matt Floca

Vice President, Public Relations

Chief Information Officer

Chief

Chief Information Officer

Vice President, Education Jordan LaSalle

Chief Information Officer

Executive Director, National Symphony Orchestra

Executive Director, National Symphony

Executive Director, National

Executive Director, National Symphony Orchestra

Executive Director, National Symphony

Chief Information Officer Bob Sellappan

General Director, Washington National

General Director, Washington

General Director, Washington National

General Director, Washington

Concert Hall Staff

Theater Manager

Theater Manager Allen V. McCallum Jr.

Theater Manager

Theater Manager Allen V. McCallum Jr.

Box Office Treasurer

Allen V. McCallum Jr.

Theater Manager Allen V. McCallum Jr.

Allen V. McCallum Jr.

Deborah Glover

Box Office Treasurer Deborah Glover

Deborah Glover

Box Office Treasurer

Deborah Glover

Box Office Treasurer Deborah Glover

Head Usher

Head Usher Cathy Crocker

Head Usher

Stage Crew

Cathy Crocker

Head Usher Cathy Crocker

Cathy Crocker

Head Usher Cathy Crocker

Stage Crew Zach Boutilier, Michael Buchman, Paul Johannes, April King, John Ottaviano, and Arielle Qorb

Boutilier, Michael Buchman, Paul Johannes, April King, John Ottaviano, and Arielle Qorb

Stage Crew Zach Boutilier, Michael Buchman, Paul Johannes, April King, John Ottaviano, and Arielle Qorb

Zach Boutilier, Michael Buchman, Paul Johannes, April King, John Ottaviano, and Arielle Qorb

Stage Crew Zach Boutilier, Michael Buchman, Paul Johannes, April King, John Ottaviano, and Arielle Qorb

*Represented by ATPAM, the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers.

Steinway Piano Gallery is the exclusive area representative of Steinway & Sons and Boston pianos, the official pianos of the Kennedy Center.

Steinway Piano Gallery is the exclusive area representative of Steinway & Sons and Boston pianos, the official pianos of the Trump Kennedy Center.

Steinway Gallery is the exclusive area representative of Steinway & Sons and Boston pianos, the official pianos of the Kennedy Center.

The box office at the Kennedy Center is represented by I.A.T.S.E, Local #868.

The box office at the Trump Kennedy Center is represented by I.A.T.S.E, Local #868.

The box office at the Kennedy Center is represented by I.A.T.S.E, Local #868.

The technicians at the Kennedy Center are represented by Local #22, Local #772, and Local #798 I.A.T.S.E.

The technicians at the Trump Kennedy Center are represented by Local #22, Local #772, and Local #798 I.A.T.S.E.

The technicians at the Kennedy Center are represented by Local #22, Local #772, and Local #798 I.A.T.S.E.

AFL-CIO-CLC, the professional union of theatrical technicians.

The technicians at the Kennedy Center are represented by Local #22, Local #772, and Local #798 I.A.T.S.E. AFL-CIO-CLC, the professional union of theatrical technicians.

AFL-CIO-CLC, the professional union of theatrical technicians.

The American Guild of Musical Artists, the union of professional singers, dancers and production personnel in opera, ballet and concert, affiliated with the AFL-CIO, represents the Artists and Staging Staff for the purposes of collective bargaining.

The American Guild Musical Artists, the union of professional singers, dancers and production personnel in opera, ballet and concert, affiliated with the AFL-CIO, represents the Artists and Staging Staff for the purposes of collective bargaining.

National Symphony Orchestra musicians are represented by the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Federation of Musicians, AFM Local 161-710.

National Symphony Orchestra musicians are represented by the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Federation of Musicians, Local 161-710.

National Symphony Orchestra musicians are represented by the Metropolitan Washington,

National Symphony Orchestra musicians are represented by the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Federation of Musicians, AFM Local 161-710.

Thank You to Our Supporters

National Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors

Officers

Joan Bialek, Chair

Ashley Davis, Vice Chair

Stanley Pierre-Louis, Treasurer

Brian Boyle, Secretary

Executive Committee

Carl Bergeron, Chair, Pension Committee

Brian Boyle, Co-Chair, Development Committee

Ashley Davis, Chair, Nominating and Governance Committee

Shannon McCormick Davis, Co-Chair, Development Committee

Ronald D. Abramson

Anne K. Altman

Michael F. Brewer

Jean Davidson, ex officio

Barbara H. Franklin

Directors

Ernest Abbott

Andrita J. Andreas

Jane Lipton Cafritz

Ronya Corey

Pierre de Lucy

Debbie Driesman

Larry Driver

William Finnerty

Brian L. Gevry

David Ginsberg

Cindy Green

Thomas C. Green

Kathryn Jones

Christina Co Mather

Michael Mayton

Richard Moxley

Stephanie Guyett

Dana Hearn

Helen Jackson

Ann D. Jordan, Lifetime Dir.

Vlad Khomenko

Gerald L. Kohlenberger, ex officio

Michael Lipsitz

Jan M. Lodal

Timothy R. Lowery

Heidi Narang

David B. Novy

Michael Salzberg

Roger W. Sant

Susan Silverstein Scott

Tina B. Small

Cathy McCulloch

Sarah Mills

Jeanne Weaver Ruesch

Sheryl Schwartz

Jeffrey M. Senger

Jeff Shockey

Raghu Srinivasan

Courtney Straus

Stuart Winston

National Symphony Orchestra National Trustees

Officers

Gerald L. Kohlenberger, VA, Chairman

Ross Ain, DC, Vice Chairman

Ken Leibowitz, DC, Vice President of Membership

Purvi Patel Albers, TX, Vice President of Development

Jeannette J. Segel, AZ, Vice President of Special Events & Meetings

Ex-Officio Positions

Michael Mayton, AR, Past Chairman

Jessine Monaghan, DC, Past Chairman

Mary K. Abercrombie, ID, Past Chairman

Members

Susan Ain, FL

Ralph Baxter, WV

Jeri Crawford, NV

Nancy Jean Davis, FL

Gail Charnley Elliott, CT

Glenn Finch, VA

Mary Galvin, IL

Larry Kellogg, FL

Laura Kerr-Engstrom, OK

Tom Mims, FL

Theresa Thompson, VA

James Ward, NM

John Wohlstetter, SC

Stephen T. Young, GA

Thank You to Our Donors

Individual and Foundation donors contributing $1,800 or more to the National Symphony Orchestra annually are recognized in the following lists. For a full listing of Trump Kennedy Center supporters, please visit: tkc.co/Support

$500,000+

Anonymous

The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation

$100,000-499,999

Mr. Martin K. Alloy and Mrs. Daris M. Clifton-Alloy

Paul M. Angell Family Foundation

The Galena-Yorktown Foundation

$50,000-99,999

Anonymous (2)

Mrs. Byrle M. Abbin

The Andreas Family Foundation

Eve E. Bachrach

Joan Bialek and Louis Levitt, MD

$25,000-49,999

Anonymous

Ernest and Catherine Abbott

Ms. Anne K. Altman

Bender Foundation, Inc.

Brian and Sheila Boyle

Michael Brewer and Janet Brown

Shannon and Jim Davis

Pierre de Lucy and Jodie McLean

Ms. Kirby Heller and Mr. Stephen Dennett

Dr. Christine A. Dingivan

The Honorable Barbara H. Franklin

Ann and Tom Friedman

Mary B. Galvin

Brian and Kendra Gevry

David and Ellen Ginsberg

Cindy and Andy Green

Greg and Stephanie Guyett

Daniel Heider

$10,000-14,999

Anonymous (2)

Mary K. Abercrombie

Ross and Judy Ain

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Baly, III

Ralph H. Baxter, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Richard T. Crawford

Gail Charnley and E. Donald Elliott

Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Finch

$6,000-9,999

Janice and Larry Clark

Phil and Joan Currie

Mr. and Mrs. Dennis de Tray

Mr. Edward A. Farquhar

Henrietta “Etta” Fielek

Drs. Jorge R. Gallardo-García and Viviana Vélez-Grajales

Mr. Woolf P. Gross

Dr. Elaine S. Jaffe and Mr. Michael Evan Jaffe

The Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts

Dr. Gary Mather† and Ms. Christina Co Mather

Dana A. Hearn and Kevin J. McCloskey

Thelma Z. Lenkin

Jacqueline Badger Mars

Eric Shin

Larry Driver

Tom and Pamela Green

Janet and Jerry Kohlenberger

The Honorable Jan M. Lodal

Stella Boyle Smith Trust, Catherine and Michael Mayton, Trustees

Ms. Judy Honig and Mr. Stephen Robb

Mr. Frank F. Islam and Ms. Debbie Driesman

Helen Jackson and Joseph Sassoon

Admiral Jay L. Johnson and Sydney McNiff Johnson

Kathryn and J. Stephen Jones MD

Michael and Terri Lipsitz

Cathy and Scot McCulloch

Kathe and Bill McDaniels

Mr. Devon McFadden and Ms. Ronya Corey

Sarah and Christopher Mills

Jessine A. Monaghan

RJ and Heidi Narang

David Novy

Melanie and Larry† Nussdorf

Stanley Pierre-Louis and Natalie Williams

Josh Harris

Frederic Harwood and Nedda di Montezemolo

Sarosh Khan

The Kiplinger Foundation

Richard S. and Karen LeFrak

Charitable Foundation

Ken Leibowitz

Glen M. Johnson

Helen and David Kenney

Jane Mary Kwass

Sharon and Alan Levy

Heidi and Bill Maloni

RADM Dan and Jackie March, USN Ret

Joan and John McAvoy

Leah Chang and Ryan Naftulin

Mr. Robert K. Oaks

Mellon Foundation

Roger Sant and Doris Matsui

The Leonard and Elaine Silverstein Family Foundation Fund for the National Symphony Orchestra

The Volgenau Foundation

The Moxley Family Foundation

Jeanne Weaver Ruesch

Jeffrey Shockey

Tina and Albert Small, Jr.

Drs. Robert and Gail† Wilensky

Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation

Steven Portnoy and Ryan Manning

Mrs. Harriet Rogers

Michael and Deborah Salzberg

Brad and Sheryl Schwartz

Susan Silverstein Scott

Jeffrey and Leigh Senger

Dr. Heather Turnbow and Mr. Raghu Srinivasan

John and Eunice Thomas

Nina Totenberg and David Reines

Jerry and Carol Trautschold

Mr. John C. Wohlstetter

Mr. Georges Markow-Totevy

Jeannette J. Segel

Fredda S. Sparks

The Linda and Isaac Stern Charitable Foundation

Theresa Thompson

Steve and Jena Young

Mr. Joseph A. Page and Ms. Martha Gil-Montero

Ashley Rose and Jerry Horak

Justin A. Shirk

Claire and Jack Tozier

Michael and Alice Weinreb

Dr. and Mrs. Peter L. Willson

$4,000-5,999

Anonymous (2)

Pennie and Gary Abramson

Ken and Liz Babby

David M. Bachman, M.D.

Dr. Mark Cinnamon and Ms. Doreen Kelly

George and Phyllis† Cohen

Helen Darling and Brad Gray

Gretchen and Douglas Davies

Tom Ehrgood

Robert Fahs

Jack Firestone

Alma Gildenhorn

Maggie Givens

Mr. and Mrs. Jurgen O. Gobien

Mr. and Mrs. Rolf Graage

Richard and Pamela Hinds

Joe† and Lynne Horning

$1,800-3,999

Anonymous (4)

Anja Allen

Mr. John Ausink and Ms. Elaine S. Simmons

Ann and Russel Bantham

Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell J. Bassman

Herschel V. Beazley

John† and Priscilla Becker

Elaine and Richard Binder

Robert Bleimann and May Chin

Jane B. Boynton

Mary Breiner

Ms. Linda Bunce

Mr. Vincent Careatti

Frank and Victoria Chang

Helen Chason

Susan Christie

Donna Christy

Robin Rowan Clarke

Robert M. Coffelt, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Anthony C. Collins

Sandra Cummins-Haid and Allen Haid

Col. and Mrs. James Dandridge II, Ret

Justin W. Danowski

Mr. Michael J. Dean

The Charles Delmar Foundation

Dr. Darrin and Mrs. April DeReus

Tracy Dietz

Peter and Sally DiGiovanni

Dr. Earl W. Donaldson

Aaron and Jackie Epstein

John Evans

Anita Fendrock

Ms. Nina M. Fite

Charles and Mita Forsyth

Dr. Stanley and Ronna Foster

Catherine French

Richard L. Gaiani

Carol Galaty and Kenneth Shuck

Ms. Pamela J. Garvie

Professor Joseph L. Gastwirth

Laura Genero, in memory of Elizabeth H. Genero

Brenda A. Pommerenke and Dr. Larry George

Karyn C. Gill and George M. Gill, MD

Dr. and Mrs. Michael Gold

Mr. Barry D. Goldberg

Jesse Goodman and Nicole Lurie

Thomas Graves and Jennifer Eubanks

Marianne Gustafson

Brian and Kaitlin Haggerty

Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Kampschroer

Isabelle Katzer

Henry B. & Jessie W. Keiser Foundation, Inc.

Erna and Michael Kerst

SooJung Kim

Edward Lenkin and Roselin Atzwanger

John and Jaime Martinez

Catherine McGuire

Sis and Jim McKay

In Honor of Jenny Mondie

Beret and Homer Moyer

Ronald Mueller and Larry Anthony

Ms. Madeline C. Nelson

Elise and Dennis Reeder

Jane† and David Reese

Admiral William Roberts and Patricia Roberts

Ms. Susan Z. Haller

Dr. and Mrs. H. Keith Hellems

Virginia Hendrickson

Lenese C. Herbert

Daniel Hicks and John McCall

Mr. and Mrs. J. Paul Horne

Christiane B. Huff

Stephen and Neda Humenik

Brian Hunter

Dr. Brian M. Ilfeld

Ms. Nancy E. Johnson

Ann L. Jones

Dr. Rachel Kaiser and Dr. Yves Konigshofer

Dr. Martha Kanter

Peter and Carol Kaplan

Irene and Louis Katz

Diane and Brian Keller

Stephanie Smith Kinney

Mr. and Mrs. William H. Kirchhoff

Jennifer Knoops

Mr. Michael and Young Hee Kreps

Janet Platt Lambert

Dr. and Mrs. Keith M. Lindgren

Michael Long

Judge and Mrs. Alan D. Lourie

Dr. Joyce S. Lowenstein

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Maddox

Hon. and Mrs. Kenneth L. Marcus

Dan and Karen Mayers

Ms. Kathleen T. McCollom

Mary Kay and Dorn McGrath

Susan McGrath

Alan and Ruth Melvin

Catherine Michaels

Mr. Jim Miller

Mr. Joseph J. Minarik

Arthur Mitchell

Clara Montanez

Susan and Fred Morhart

James Morris

Ms. Sakura Namioka

Kara Nath

Bruce and Son Young Nelson

Anna Nichols

Rich Oakley

David O’Connor

David and Marina Ottaway

Michael Pasich

Michael and Barbara Phillips

Tracy Pless

Mr. and Mrs. James J. Pohlman

Ellen and Roy Rosenthal

MG (Ret) and Mrs. Alan B. Salisbury

Steven and Donna Shriver

Christine J. Steiner

Dr. Barbara S. and Dr. Howard D. Stowe

Ms. Mary K. Sturtevant and Mr. Alan V. Asay

Paul and Chandler Tagliabue

Marilyn Walz Taylor

Charles Trozzo and Gail Rothrock

Mr. and Mrs. James G. Vaughter

Gloria M. Weissberg, PhD

Dr. Linda E. Wetzel

Kathleen G. Wicks

Mr. Christopher Wolf and Mr. James L. Beller, Jr.

David Worby

Mahy Polymeropoulos

George and Virginia Potts

Ms. Shannon Quill and Mr. Brian Miller

Jane Evans Ramsay

Mrs. Barbara Rapaport

William Reed

In Memory of Jane Reese

Henry & Anne Reich Family Foundation, Lee G. Rubenstein, Co-President

Thomas Richardson and Kyra Cheremeteff

Gerd and Duncan Ritchie

Mr. and Mrs. James P. Roach

Mr. and Mrs. William Ronsaville

Mr. and Mrs. Harry Rosen

Dr. Shirley Ross and Mr. Joseph Pinciaro

Robert and Fran Rubin

Mr. Charles A. Rubio, Jr.

Enric Sala

Ms. Patricia A. Sarcone

Mr. Ronald J. and Mrs. Rise F. Schlesinger

The Honorable Carol L. Schwartz

Cheryl L. Sharp

Byron and Elva Siliezar

Patricia L. Sims, Esq. and David M. Sims, Esq.

Ronald and Margaret Stehman

Douglas Struck

Evelyn A. Sweet

Kathy Szot

Kathleen M. Thies

Pauline Labbé Thompson

Kenneth Timmer

Steven and Prudence Traut

Raya Bakalov Treiser and Max Johnson

Capt. and Mrs. Eric Vanderpoel II, USN, Ret.

Laura and Kirk Wade

Pearl Y. Wang

Judy Ann and Richard Webster

Judith Weintraub

Ms. Rebecca Welch

Ms. Carla Wheeler and Mr. Jeffrey P. Naimon

Lawrence Wilkerson

Leslie-Ann Williams

Al Wilson

Dr. Ursula R. Wolfman

Robert Woodward and Elsa Walsh

Clinton B. Wright

Daniel Zak

Orchestrated Lives

Each month, the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) spotlights a different musician. For this program, orchestra librarian Elizabeth Cusato Schnobrick discusses her team’s @NSO_Librarians Instagram page, the necessity of bowings, and what it takes to prepare a piece for performance.

Name: Elizabeth Cusato Schnobrick

Hometown: Anchorage, Alaska

Role: Principal Librarian

Years with the NSO: 17

How did you find your way to working as a professional music librarian?

I taught band and orchestra for eight years, and I was looking for something temporary to do as a sabbatical. I ended up doing an internship with the Philadelphia Orchestra that I thought would last for one year, but it became a career.

Could you explain the work of a music librarian in your own words?

We are tasked with getting the right music to the right place at the right time, so we work with Artistic Planning and conductors to figure out what editions they want to use and whether they have any specific markings or that need to be added to the parts. We work with Personnel to make sure that everybody knows how many musicians are needed, and with Operations to help them with information about what needs to fit on the stage. Every sheet of music that goes onto the stage is bespoke; it is for that specific moment in time. Even though a Beethoven symphony has been around for a really long time and there aren’t significant changes being made to it, if we pull a Beethoven out of the library, we still check every single page. Orchestra librarians need to have had performing experience to understand what a player sitting on the stage is experiencing and give them what they need to be successful.

What does it mean to “mark the bowings?”

To put it simply, string players either move their bow up or down, and there’s a specific notation for each of those two motions. Our string principals examine each piece of music and either create bowings from scratch or confirm that the bowings already in the part feel right to them. We then compare the principal parts against every part in their section to make sure that the penciled markings on each page are identical.

Can you tell me about the origin of the @NSO_Librarians Instagram page?

We were sitting around as a trio, talking about how people always have questions about what we do and who we are, and we had this idea that we would start an Instagram page to share what it’s like to be an orchestral librarian. In the initial stages, we thought it would be very how-to, but it has turned out to be more whimsical, which has been delightful. We really enjoy what we do and who we do it with, and I think that comes out in the posts.

If you could say one thing to NSO audiences, what would it be?

I think that music has the power to be life-changing. I think it finds us in the liminal spaces. I think that it is unifying and inspiring. Through the shared experience of live music, we can all become bigger and better than we were. I hope, when audiences come to our concerts, that is their experience.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Support your ORCHESTRA

The mission of the National Symphony Orchestra is to engage audiences locally, across the country, and around the world through excellence in performance and education. Each year, the NSO offers approximately 150 concerts as well as some of the country’s most extensive community and educational programming. It regularly participates in events of national and international importance, including performances for state occasions, highlevel government events, and regularly televised holiday appearances for Capitol Concerts and local radio broadcasts on WETA, making the NSO one of the most-heard orchestras in the country.

Give your support in this 95th season by becoming a Member, joining the NSO Circles, or pledging a Legacy Gift. Visit tkc.co/SupportNSO or scan the QR code.

Thank You to Our Supporters

The Trump Kennedy Center Board of Trustees

National Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors

The Trump Kennedy Center President’s Council

The Trump Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts

President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts

National Committee for the Performing Arts

National Symphony Orchestra National Trustees

The Trump Kennedy Center Circles Board

The Trump Kennedy Center Community Advisory Board

The Trump Kennedy Center Corporate Fund Board

The Trump Kennedy Center 50th Anniversary Committee

Corporate Donors

Individual and Foundation Donors

Endowment Gifts, Bequests, and Legacy Donors

Building the Future Campaign Donors

Visit tkc.co/Support for a full listing of donors and to learn how you can join us by becoming a Member.

Andrew Geraci

More Concerts this Season!

Carlos Simon World Premiere | Brahms’ Third

Music Director Gianandrea Noseda conducts the world premiere of Carlos Simon’s Double Concerto Suite. Warmth and complexity unfold in Brahms’ Symphony No. 3.

March 12, 2026 at 7 p.m.

March 13, 2026 at 8 p.m.

March 14, 2026 at 8 p.m.

NSO Presents: Alexandra Dovgan

Alexandra Dovgan has become a teenage piano phenomenon with sold-out concerts worldwide. Witness her extraordinary talent in a performance of Chopin’s passionate Piano Sonata No. 3, Prokofiev’s complex Piano Sonata No. 2, and more. Please note: the NSO does not perform on this program.

March 14, 2026 at 3 p.m.

Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of an Orchestra

Told through a mesmerizing hybrid of animated and live action filming, a magical Sprite embarks on a musical journey through the inner workings of an orchestra! Violin strings vibrate, brass valves slice air, and drumheads resonate like you’ve never seen before—all set to live music from the National Symphony Orchestra.

March 29, 2026 at 2 p.m.

2025–2026 CLASSICAL SEASON PERFORMANCE CALENDAR

Winter Daydreams: Noseda conducts

Tchaikovsky’s First Trpčeski plays Saint-Saëns

Fri., Mar. 6 at 11:30 a.m.

Sat., Mar. 7 at 8 p.m.

Carlos Simon World Premiere

Brahms’ Third

Thu., Mar. 12, 2026 at 7 p.m.

Fri., Mar. 13, 2026 at 8 p.m.

Sat., Mar. 14, 2026 at 8 p.m.

NSO Presents*

Alexandra Dovgan

Sat., Mar. 14, 2026 at 3 p.m.

Death and Transfiguration

Khachatryan plays Sibelius

Thu., Apr. 2, 2026 at 7 p.m.

Fri., Apr. 3, 2026 at 11:30 a.m.

Sat., Apr. 4, 2026 at 8 p.m.

Bruckner’s Seventh Gerlach plays Haydn

Fri., Apr. 10, 2026 at 8 p.m.

Sat., Apr. 11, 2026 at 8 p.m.

Mozart’s “Jupiter” & Bach’s Brandenburg No. 1

Wed., Apr. 15, 2026 at 7 p.m.

Thu., Apr. 16, 2026 at 7 p.m.

Fri., Apr. 17, 2026 at 8 p.m.

NSO Presents*

Khatia Buniatishvili

Fri., Apr. 24, 2026 at 8 p.m.

Opera in Concert Puccini’s Il trittico

Wed., Apr. 29, 2026 at 7 p.m.

Fri., May 1, 2026 at 7 p.m.

Gaffigan conducts Ives and Copland

Fri., May 29, 2026 at 8 p.m.

Sat., May 30, 2026 at 8 p.m.

Cann plays Coleman

Fri., June 5, 2026 at 8 p.m.

Sat., June 6, 2026 at 8 p.m.

Dalene plays Barber

Fri., June 12, 2026 at 8 p.m.

Sat., June 13, 2026 at 8 p.m.

*Please

A look back at our history

1939

NSO Music Director Hans Kindler leads the Orchestra in a summer outdoor concert on a floating barge anchored at the foot of the stone steps below the Lincoln Memorial.

Harris & Ewing Collection, Library of Congress

A look back at our history

1958

Music Director Howard Mitchell conducts the NSO at Constitution Hall. Photographer unknown, Courtesy of the Kennedy Center Archives

1970s A look back at our history

NSO Music Director Antal Doráti conducts the NSO.

Photo by Richard Braaten, Courtesy of the Kennedy Center Archives

A look back at our history

1987

NSO Music Director Mstislav Rostropovich conducts the NSO with guest soloist soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, his wife.

Photo by Joan Marcus, Courtesy of the Kennedy Center Archives

A look back at our history

1996

Music man Bobby McFerrin wowed Washingtonians when he conducted the National Symphony Orchestra concerts for families and school children.

Photo by Carol Pratt, Courtesy of the Kennedy Center Archives

2000 A look back at our history

Pianists John Browning, Sara Davis Buechner, Brian Ganz, Joseph Kalichstein, Lambert Orkis, and Jeffrey Siegel play Franz Liszt’s Hexameron with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Music Director Leonard Slatkin for the Piano 2000 festival.

Photo by Carol Pratt, Courtesy of the Kennedy Center Archives

2015 A look back at our history

Kendrick Lamar and the NSO led by Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke delivered a one-night-only performance featuring some of Lamar’s biggest hits and the first-ever live performances of music from his lyrical masterpiece “To Pimp a Butterfly.”

Photo by Elman Studio, Courtesy of the Kennedy Center Archives

2022 A look back at our history

As the concluding event of Kennedy Center’s 50th Anniversary celebration, Leonard Bernstein’s MASS returned 51 years after its world premiere at the Center in a dynamic staging featuring the NSO, guest conductor James Gaffigan, and baritone Will Liverman in the role of Celebrant.

Photo by Scott Suchman, Courtesy of the Kennedy Center Archives

For 250 years, America’s story has been told through the voices of its artists, the rhythm of its music, the words of its writers, and the movement of its dancers. It is a story of resilience and reinvention, of dreams daring enough to redefine what was possible, and of creativity that has not only shaped a nation, but the world.

As the nation marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Center invites Americans everywhere to take part in 250 Years of US, a yearlong exploration of who we are, where we’ve been, and where we’re going. Through music, theater, dance, and visual art, 250 Years of US celebrates the boundless imagination of a people united by creativity.