2020–2021 Chronological List of Performances All Concerts Take Place in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall Unless Otherwise Noted
2020–2021 Chronological List of Performances All concerts take place in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall unless otherwise noted.
Opening Night Gala Saturday, September 26, 2020, at 7 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Gianandrea Noseda, conductor Isabel Leonard, mezzo-soprano
Rimsky-Korsakov Capriccio espagnol Bizet Preludes and Arias from Carmen Ginastera Dances from Estancia Ravel Boléro
Thursday, October 1, 2020, at 7 p.m. Friday, October 2, 2020, at 1130 a.m. Saturday, October 3, 2020, at 8 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Gianandrea Noseda, conductor James Ehnes, violin
Beethoven Violin Concerto Schubert Symphony No. 9, “The Great”
Thursday, October 8, 2020, at 7 p.m. Friday, October 9, 2020, at 8 p.m. Saturday, October 10, 2020, at 8 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Gianandrea Noseda, conductor Genia Kühmeier, soprano^ Elisabeth Kulman, mezzo-soprano^ Benjamin Bruns, tenor^ Hanno Müller-Brachmann, bass-baritone Choral Arts Society of Washington Scott Tucker, Artistic Director
Beethoven Missa Solemnis
Thursday, October 15, 2020, at 7 p.m. Saturday, October 17, 2020, at 8 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor Christina & Michelle Naughton, pianos^
Boulanger D’un matin de printemps Boulanger D’un soir triste Poulenc Concerto for Two Pianos Ravel / orch. Tortelier Piano Trio Ravel La valse
Sunday, October 18, 2020, at 2 p.m. KCCP Terrace Theater Ricardo Cyncynates and Heather LeDoux Green, violins David Hardy, cello Lambert Orkis, piano
Beethoven Piano Trio in D major, Op. 70, No. 1, “Ghost” Sebastian Currier Ghost Trio Beethoven Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, Op. 47, “Kreutzer”
Sunday, November 1, 2020, at 2~ & 4 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Family Concert Halloween Spooktacular
An annual tradition! The Concert Hall transforms into a ghostly sight when the NSO performs new and old classics to celebrate Halloween and Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) with our ghoulishly attired musicians. Arrive early for trick-or-treating and a special Haunted Hall Musical Instrument “Petting Zoo.” Most enjoyed by age 5 and up.
Thursday, November 5, 2020, at 7 p.m. Friday, November 6, 2020, at 8 p.m. Saturday, November 7, 2020, at 8 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Michael Sanderling, conductor^ Anna Vinnitskaya, piano^
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Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2 Shostakovich Symphony No. 10
Thursday, November 12, 2020, at 7 p.m. Saturday, November 14, 2020, at 8 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor The Washington Chorus Christopher Bell, Artistic Director
Salonen Karawane Ravel Daphnis et Chloé – complete ballet
Friday, November 20, 2020, at 8 p.m. Saturday, November 21, 2020, at 8 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor Marianne Crebassa, mezzo-soprano^ Paul Groves, tenor Children’s Chorus of Washington Choral Arts Society of Washington Scott Tucker, Artistic Director Peter Sellars, director
Salonen FOG (World premiere of orchestration, NSO co-commission) Berlioz Les Nuits d'été Stravinsky Perséphone (staged)
Thursday, December 3, 2020, at 7 p.m. Friday, December 4, 2020, at 8 p.m. Saturday, December 5, 2020, at 8 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Gianandrea Noseda, conductor Daniil Trifonov, piano
Mozart Overture to Le nozze di Figaro Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1 Mozart Overture to Don Giovanni Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3
Thursday, December 17, 2020, at 7 p.m. Friday, December 18, 2020, at 8 p.m. Saturday, December 19, 2020, at 8 p.m. Sunday, December 20, 2020, at 1 p.m. 3
National Symphony Orchestra Fabio Biondi, conductor^ Liv Redpath, soprano^ Kate Lindsey, mezzo-soprano^ John Matthew Myers, tenor^ Neal Davies, bass^ University of Maryland Concert Choir Edward Maclary, Director
Handel Messiah
Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 7 p.m. Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 8 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Dalia Stasevska, conductor^ Truls Mørk, cello
Jessie Montgomery New Work (World Premiere, commissioned by Classical Movements’s Eric Daniel Helms New Music Program for the NSO) Elgar Cello Concerto Debussy Images
Friday, January 22, 2021 at 8 p.m. Saturday, January 23, 2021 at 8 p.m. Sunday, January 24, 2021 at 6 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Krzysztof Urbański, conductor Hilary Hahn, violin
Kilar Krzesany Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1 Stravinsky The Rite of Spring
Thursday, January 28, 2021 at 7 p.m. Friday, January 29, 2021 at 8 p.m. Saturday, January 30, 2021 at 8 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Nathalie Stutzmann, conductor Bertrand Chamayou, piano^
Wagner Overture and Venusberg Music from Tannhäuser Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No. 2 Brahms Symphony No. 2
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Thursday, February 11, 2021 at 7 p.m. Saturday, February 13, 2021 at 8 p.m. Sunday, February 14, 2021 at 3 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Gianandrea Noseda, conductor Leonidas Kavakos, violin
Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1 Borodin Symphony No. 2 Borodin Polovtsian Dances
Thursday, February 18, 2021 at 7 p.m. Friday, February 19, 2021 at 1130 a.m. Saturday, February 20, 2021 at 8 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Gianandrea Noseda, conductor Emanuel Ax, piano
Wagner Dawn and Siegfried’s Rhine Journey (from Götterdämmerung) Mozart Piano Concerto No. 9, K. 281, “Jeunehomme” Schumann Symphony No. 3, “Rhenish”
Sunday, February 28, 2021 at 2~ & 4 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Family Concert Sleepover at the Museum
Composer Karen LeFrak has created a musical version of her children’s book Sleepover at the Museum which chronicles the adventures of Mason, who planned to spend the night at a natural history museum. Young audiences can follow him on a musical and scientific expedition an as they embark on a scavenger hunt through the many exhibits that make any natural history museum special. A Musical Instrument “Petting Zoo” precedes each performance.
Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 7 p.m. Friday, March 5, 2021 at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 8 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Gianandrea Noseda, conductor Lorelei Ensemble^
Julia Wolfe Her Story (D.C. Premiere, NSO co-commission) Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade
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Sunday, March 7, 2021 at 2 p.m. KCCP Terrace Theater Ying Fu and Peiming Lin, violins Daniel Foster and Eric deWaardt, violas David Hardy and Britton Riley, cellos
Mozart Duo No. 2 for Violin and Viola in - flat major, K.424 Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht Mozart String Quintet No. 5 in D major, K. 593
Thursday, March 11, 2021 at 7 p.m. Friday, March 12, 2021 1130 a.m. National Symphony Orchestra Gianandrea Noseda, conductor Seong-Jin Cho, piano William Gerlach, trumpet
Prokofiev Orchestral excerpts from War and Peace Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 1 Casella Symphony No. 3
Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 20, 2021 at 8 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra James Gaffigan, conductor Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
Korngold Suite from The Sea Hawk M. Daugherty The Mystery of Flight (World Premiere) Bernstein Excerpts from A Quiet Place Bernstein Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Thursday, April 8, 2021 at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 10, 2021 at 8 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra John Storgårds, conductor Leila Josefowicz, violin
Hadyn Symphony No. 96, “The Miracle” Ligeti Violin Concerto Bartók Concerto for Orchestra
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Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 7 p.m. Friday, April 16, 2021 at 1130 a.m. Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 8 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Sir Mark Elder, conductor Benjamin Grosvenor, piano
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20, K. 466 Elgar Symphony No. 2
Sunday, April 18, 2021, at 2 p.m. KCCP Terrace Theater Anaïs Naharro-Murphy, soprano Ricardo Cyncynates, violin David Hardy, cello Lambert Orkis, piano
Beethoven Folksong arrangements Shostakovich Seven Romances on Poems by Alexander Blok, Op. 127 Schubert Sei mir gegrüsst, D. 741 Schubert Fantasy in C major, D. 934
Sunday, April 25, 2021 at 2~ & 4 p.m. | Concert Hall National Symphony Orchestra Family Concert Because with Jessie Montgomery and Mo Willems
Because sometimes it’s the smallest moments that have the biggest impact. Mo Willems, Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence and number one New York Times best-selling author, composes a powerful symphony of chance, discovery, persistence, and magic in this moving tale of a young girl’s journey to center stage. Illustrator Amber Ren brings Willems’s music to life, conducting a stunning picture-book debut. A world premiere with original music by acclaimed composer, violinist, and recipient of the Leonard Bernstein Award from the ASCAP Foundation, Jessie Montgomery.
Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 7 p.m. Friday, May 7, 2021 at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 8, 2021 at 8 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Michail Jurowski, conductor Emmanuel Tjeknavorian, violin
Ustvolskaya Symphonic Poem No. 2 7
Khachaturian Violin Concerto Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique”
Thursday, May 13, 2021 at 7 p.m. Friday, May 14, 2021 at 1130 a.m. Saturday, May 15, 2021 at 8 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Thomas Wilkins, conductor Conrad Tao, piano
Verdi Overture to La forza del destino Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 P. Boyer Balance of Power (World Premiere) Liszt Les préludes
Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 22, 2021 at 8 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Gianandrea Noseda, conductor University of Maryland Concert Choir
Dvořák The Noon-Day Witch Szymanowski Stabat Mater Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 3
Thursday, June 3, 2021 at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 5, 2021 at 8 p.m. Sunday, June 6, 2021 at 3 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Gianandrea Noseda, conductor Marie-Nicole Lemieux, mezzo-soprano (Jocasta) The Washington Chorus Christopher Bell, Artistic Director
Mozart Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter” Stravinsky Oedipus Rex
Thursday, June 10, 2021 at 7 p.m. Friday, June 11, 2021 at 1130 a.m. Saturday, June 12, 2021 at 8 p.m. National Symphony Orchestra Gianandrea Noseda, conductor Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
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Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 Dvořák Symphony No. 7
Sunday, June 13, 2021, at 2 p.m. KCCP Terrace Theater Ying Fu, violin Daniel Foster, viola David Hardy, cello Lambert Orkis, piano
Previn Trio No. 2 for Violin, Cello, and Piano Poulenc Sonata for Violin and Piano Brahms Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25
^ denotes NSO debut * denotes first performance by NSO ~ Sensory-friendly performance. (inclusive performing arts experiences designed to welcome guests with autism or other sensory sensitivities, their families, and friends)
Dates, programs, and artists subject to change.
January 2020
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