This weekend, the D.C. Different Drummers’ Capital Pride Symphonic Band celebrates 35 years with a concert at the Atlas. Could there be a better way to launch the spring classical season in Washington? Other seasonal highlights include: A 50th anniversary celebration of the Choral Arts Society at The Phillips Collection, a performance from D.C.’s avant-garde electronic-tipped classical group Rogue Collective at the Clarice, the debut of the Gay Men’s Chorus’s GetOut youth chorus, and two doses of Broadway legend Audra McDonald. Don’t worry if you missed tickets to this six-time Tony winner’s sold-out show at Strathmore this weekend — in three months, she’ll perform outdoors with the National Symphony Orchestra at Wolf Trap’s Filene Center. Talk about a starry night.

THE ALDEN

McLean Community Center
1234 Ingleside Ave.
Mclean, Va.
703-790-0123
aldentheatre.org

• Young Soloists Recital — Students from area secondary schools perform as part of the free chamber music concert series co-sponsored by Music Friends of the Fairfax County Public Library (3/29, 5/24)
• John Eaton — “The Art of Improvisation” from the noted pianist/professor, who will perform “by request” (5/2)
• U.S. Army Strings — The Alden welcomes premiere ensemble of the U.S. Armed Forces for a Memorial Day kick-off concert (5/22)
• National Symphony Orchestra Chamber Ensemble — Violinist Peter Haase, violist Denise Wilkinson and cellist Loran Stephenson perform accompanied by Lisa Emenheiser (6/7)

ARTISPHERE

1101 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, Va.
703-875-1100
artisphere.com

• National Chamber Ensemble: Musical Gems of Mexico — A Mother’s Day/post-Cinco de Mayo toast to Mexican classical music, including one of the country’s greatest composers, Eduardo Angulo (5/9)
• UrbanArias: Blue Viola — The nationally celebrated, locally based company dedicated to producing short, contemporary operas offers a world premiere from librettist Matt Boresi and composer Peter Hilliard, about the true story of a junk dealer who steals a priceless viola from a prominent orchestra musician (Remaining performances 3/27-29)

ATLAS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

1333 H St. NE
202-399-7993
atlasarts.org

• Congressional Chorus — Eye of the Tiger: A 1980s American Cabaret — From Michael Jackson and Madonna to Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera, the era of headbands, shoulder pads and Walkmans gets the chorus’ cabaret treatment (3/26-29)
• So Percussion — The Village Voice calls this Brooklyn-based quartet an “experimental powerhouse” (3/28)
• Capital City Symphony — John Devlin conducts a toast to the 150th Anniversary Celebration of Sibelius, performing his Symphony No. 5 (5/17)

BACH SINFONIA

Cultural Arts Center at Silver Spring
Montgomery College
Silver Spring, Md.
301-362-6525
bachsinfonia.org

• Bach’s Early Voice: The Weimar Cantatas — Four vocalists join to perform the earliest cantatas Bach composed (4/18)
• Bach in the Middle: The Cothen Concertos — Renowned violinist Ingrid Matthews Olson returns to join the Sinfonia in a program of Bach’s greatest instrumental works, including his Brandenberg Concerto No. 5 (5/9)

BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

410-783-8000
bsomusic.org

• BSO SuperPops: Singin’ in the Rain (3/26-29)
• Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony — Marin Alsop conducts Adam Walker in the East Coast premiere of Kevin Puts’s Flute Concerto, in a program headlined by the second in Tchaikovsky’s great final symphonic trilogy (4/9 Meyerhoff, 4/12, Strathmore)
• Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition — Peter Oundjian conducts this exciting classic, performed along with Vaughan Williams’ Oboe Concerto featuring Katherine Needleman (4/17, 4/19, Meyerhoff; 4/18, Strathmore)
• A Night at the Opera — Singers from the Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists Program perform selections by Mozart, Verdi, Puccini and more (4/24, Weinberg Center for the Arts in Frederick; 4/25, Todd Performing Arts Center, Wye Mills, Md.)
• Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions — A powerful musical retrospective through the popular video game franchise’s most memorable melodies (5/1, Meyerhoff)
• Tchaikovsky’s 1st Piano Concerto — Alsop conducts Lukas Vondracek and the BSO in a performance of an enchanting work once deemed “worthless” and “impossible to play” (5/7, Strathmore; 5/8-9, Meyerhoff)
• Debussy & Don Juan — Mario Venzago conducts Debussy’s much-loved La Mer and Richard Strauss’s passionate Don Juan (5/15, 5/17, Meyerhoff; 5/16, Strathmore)
• Strauss’s Four Last Songs — Markus Stenz conducts the BSO and rising star Heidi Melton in Strauss’s last outpouring for the soprano voice (5/21-22, Meyerhoff; 5/23, Strathmore)
• Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra (5/24, Meyerhoff)
• BSO SuperPops: A Tribute to John Williams— Jack Everly conducts the composer’s stirring film scores including Schindler’s List, Star Wars and Harry Potter (5/28, Strathmore; 5/29-31, Meyerhoff)
• Beethoven’s 5th Symphony — Christoph Konig conducts the most famous symphony of them all, in a program including Alban Gerhardt playing one of Shostakovich’s most difficult pieces, the Cello Concerto No. 1 (6/5, 6/7, Meyerhoff; 6/6, Strathmore)
• Bernstein’s Candide — Alsop conducts the BSO, vocal soloists and the Baltimore Choral Arts Society in a semi-staged performance of this brilliant comedic operetta based on the classic Voltaire (6/11, Strathmore; 6/12-14, Meyerhoff)

BARNS AT WOLF TRAP

1635 Trap Road
Vienna, Va.
877-WOLFTRAP
wolftrap.org

• Cantus — “The premiere men’s vocal ensemble in the United States,” says Fanfare (3/27)
• Poulenc Trio _- Baltimore-based wind trio that the Washington Post says “does its namesake proud” (4/10)
• Sybarite5 — In concert, this award-winning string quintet shuffles through its iPod from the stage to play whatever piece shows up, and we do mean whatever: from Mozart to Radiohead, Piazzolla to Led Zeppelin (4/24)
• Black Violin — This Classically Trained viola and violin duo incorporates hip-hop beats and sounds from rock and R&B to shake up the traditional string repertoire (4/30)
• Wolf Trap Opera Company: Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro — It’s been 60 years since Figaro and Susanna married at the Barns (6/12, 6/14, 6/17, 6/20)
• Wolf Trap Opera Soloists: Aria Jukebox – Company director Kim Pensinger Witman accompanies singers performing opera hits selected by the audience (6/13)
• Wolf Trap Opera Company: John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles — A comic opera-within-an-opera, this 24-year-old work focuses on efforts to save Marie Antoinette from the guillotine (7/10, 7/12, 7/15, 7/18)
• Steven Blier with Wolf Trap Opera Soloists – The Rodgers Family: A Century of Musicals celebrates the musicals from three generations of Rodgers, including Oklahoma!, Once Upon A Mattress and The Light in the Piazza (8/1-2)

CATHEDRAL CHORAL SOCIETY

Washington National Cathedral
202-537-2228
cathedralchoralsociety.org

• Great Opera Choruses — Season finale concert offers some of the best-loved operas filling the grand cathedral (5/17)
• Cathedral Sings! Mozart Requiem — A community sing-along led by J. Reilly Lewis and Todd Fickley on the Great Organ (6/14)

THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA

620 Michigan Ave. NE
202-319-5416
music.cua.edu

• CUA Chamber Choir — Leo Nestor leads the choir in “Chants from the East and West” (4/24, St. Vincent de Paul Chapel)
• Washington International Piano Series: Brian Billion — A recital featuring the first winner of the inaugural Catholic University piano competition (4/23, Ward Recital Hall)
• CUA Wind Ensemble Concert (4/27, Location TBD)

THE CHORAL ARTS SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

202-244-3669
choralarts.org

• Choral Arts Chamber Singers — Artistic Director Scott Tucker leads the society in a 50th anniversary celebration as well as its debut at the Phillips (4/12, Phillips Collection)
• Carl Orff: Carmina Burana — A performance, with soloists and Boy and Girl Choristers of Washington National Cathedral, of the full dramatic score — not just the well-known first and last movements of this 24-movement masterpiece (5/17, Kennedy Center)

THE CITY CHOIR OF WASHINGTON

202-495-1613
thecitychoirofwashington.org

• French Choral Spectacular II — Maestro Robert Shafer reprises last year’s acclaimed program drawing on music from the great French cathedrals (5/10, Saint Luck Catholic Church, McLean, Va.)

THE CLARICE

University of Maryland
College Park, Md.
301-405-ARTS
theclarice.umd.edu

• UMD Symphony Orchestra & Wind Orchestra: Symphonic Scenes (3/28)
• IPAM: Reflections from the Keyboard — Donald Manildi, curator of the International Piano Archives at Maryland, plays and discusses works by CPE Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Poulenc and Rachmaninoff, while duo-pianists Margarita Glebov and Seyon Lee offer music by Arensky, Brahms and Babajanian (4/2)
• Beethoven’s Archduke (4/4)
• University Band & Community Band (4/8)
• Larissa Dedova and James Stern Faculty Recital — A sonata recital of revolutionary works for violin and piano by Shostakovich, Mozart and Ravel (4/10)
• UMD Chamber Singers and University Chorale: Spring Choral Showcase — An eclectic program including the premiere of Five Fantasies on Bach Chorales by William Kenlon, a UMD composer (4/17)
• Rogue Collective — D.C.-based group of young, classically trained artists exploring the gap between classical music and its culture, as well as performing newer or original compositions that incorporate electronic music (4/19)
• Chamber Music Showcase (4/20-21)
• Bach Cantata Series — Ianthe Marini conducts solo vocalists in a series dedicated to exploring more than 200 extant cantatas (4/23)
• New Music at Maryland –= Performance of original works by UMD student composers (4/28)
• UMD Repertoire Orchestra: Brahms’s Second Symphony (4/29)
• UMD Wind Ensemble: Bernstein and Copland — A concert of American classics (5/1)
• UMD Symphony Orchestra & Maryland Opera Studio (5/3)
• UMD Women’s Chorus & UMD Men’s Chorus: Spring Choral Showcase (5/8)
• Annual Pops Concert — UMD Wind Ensemble, University Band and Community Band (5/9)
• UMD Percussion Ensemble (5/11)
• Graduate Fellowship Chamber Ensembles — District5 Wind Quintet and Excelsa Quartet are joined by Maryland Opera Studio alumni in Schoenberg’s intimate arrangement of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde (5/14)
• Excelsa String Quartet — Internationally recognized string quartet based at UMD (5/15)
• Prince George’s Philharmonic — Charles Ellis conducts the final concert in this symphony’s 49th year (5/16)
• National Festival Orchestra: Your Classic Favorites (5/30)
• 2015 National Orchestral Institute: Artist Faculty Chamber Recital (6/5)
• National Orchestral Institute and Festival – Talented young musicians from around the country engage in a month of professional development and music-making, culminating in several concerts, including performances of: Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring (6/13), Brahms’s Sympony No. 2 (6/20), Peter and the Wolf Family Concert (6/21), and a program of Bartok, Beethoven and Wagner (6/27)

COOLIDGE AUDITORIUM

Library of Congress
Thomas Jefferson Building
10 First St. SE
202-707-8000
loc.gov/concerts

• Hope/Neubauer/Finkel/Han — An evening of piano quartets from an all-star group of chamber players, including a violinist, violist and cellist (4/10)
• Katherine Chi, Aleksandar Madzar, Yura Lee, James Donahue and Cameron Kirkpatrick — Pianists Chi and Madzar perform one of the masterworks of the 20th century, Kartheinz Stockhausen’s 1970 Mantra, which also features electronic musicians Donahue and Kirkpatrick. Lee joins Chi to perform Carter’s Duo for Violin and Piano (4/24)
• Jory Vinokour (4/25)
• Two Thousand Flutes — A few of the nearly 2,000 instruments in the Library’s Miller Flute Collection will be played by Pittsburgh Symphony principal Lorna McGhee, accompanied by S&R Foundation Artist-in-Residence Ryo Yanagitani (5/2)
• Jennifer Koh, Anssi Karttunen and Benjamin Hochman — Presentation of a new piano trio by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho commissioned in part by the Library of Congress (5/22)
• Etienne Charles — This Trinidadian trumpeter performs from his Creole Soul project, exploring connections among Afro-Caribbean, Creole, New Orleans and American traditions (5/29)

CORNER STORE ARTS

900 South Carolina Ave. SE
202-544-5807

cornerstorearts.org

• The Nova Consort: Music from the Italian Renaissance — A newly formed ensemble including some of the area’s finest musicians reprises a program first heard at the opening of the Piero di Cosimo exhibition at the National Gallery of Art (4/12)

DAVIS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

202-687-ARTS
performingarts.georgetown.edu

• Senior Capstone Recital: Brendan Hickey (3/28)
• Joe McCarthy and Friends — Friday Music Series concert featuring Georgetown faculty member who is also the leader/founder of Afro Bop Alliance, a D.C.-based Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble recipient of the 2008 Latin Grammy for Latin Jazz Album of the Year (4/10)
• Ballet Foklorico Mexicano de Georgetown (4/11)
• Georgetown Superfood & Georgetown Saxatones — “Spring Sing” with these high-energy a cappella outfits (4/11)
• Georgetown University Chamber Singers (4/13)
• World Percussion Ensemble: Spring Concert (4/21)
• Georgetown University Concert Choir (4/22)
• GU Jazz Ensemble: Spring Concert (4/23)
• Georgetown University Jszzfest (4/25)
• Georgetown University Orchestra: Concerto Competition Winners — Cellist Simon Mairson and pianist Elizabeth Oh perform movements from Dvorak and Rachmaninoff in a program that also includes Beethoven’s Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano (4/25)
• GU Chamber Music Ensembles: Spring Concert (4/26)

D.C. DIFFERENT DRUMMERS

202-269-4868
dcdd.org

• Capital Pride Symphonic Band: 35th Anniversary Concert — Love and Devotion is the name of this celebratory concert featuring Robert Jager’s Espirit de Corps, the “Symphonic Dances” from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story and works by Hazo, Shostakovich and Gershwin (3/29, Atlas)

THE EMBASSY SERIES

202-625-2361
embassyseries.org

This two-decades-old series offers public access to foreign embassies and diplomatic homes in D.C. via classical concerts, followed by receptions, aimed at “uniting people through musical diplomacy”

• Nikolay Khozyainov — Young Russian pianist who has won many awards and plaudits performs a program of Haydn, Chopin, Tchaikovksy and Rachmaninoff (3/31, Russian Ambassador’s Residence)
• Martin Kasik — Considered among the foremost Czech pianists today (4/15, Embassy of the Czech Republic)
• Mendelssohn Piano Trio — The Embassy Series’ resident ensemble performs two German Romantic masterpieces by Brahms and Schumann (4/22, Embassy of Slovenia)
• Adrienne Haan — Cabaret artist known for her passion for the music of the ’20s and ’30s performs with accompaniment by Richard Danley (5/2, Embassy of Luxembourg)
• Alan Choo — A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Singapore-native violinist performs with accompaniment from Iris Hsu (5/7, Embassy of Singapore)
• Redbrick Duo — Dazzling guitar-and-flute duo formed in New York plays both classical/romantic pieces as well as new works and popular renditions, creating a wide-ranging, inviting environment (5/11, Residence of the EU Ambassador)
• Julian Schwarz — This cellist made his debut at the age of 11 as a soloist with the Seattle Symphony conducted by his father Gerard Schwarz. He’s accompanied by Marika Bournaki (5/22, Embassy of Austria)
• Pedro Botas — “Evening of Fado” by the singer, accompanied by Jose Silva on Portuguese guitar and Viriato Ferreira on viola de Fado (5/28, Portuguese Ambassador)
• Saeunn Thonrsteinsdottir — The Los Angeles Times praised this Icelandic cellist for her “emotional intensity” after her recent debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic (6/12, Icelandic Ambassador’s Residence)

FAIRFAX SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Harris Theatre
GMU Center for the Arts
703-563-1990
fairfaxsymphony.org

• A Civil War Portrait — Luke Frazier created and will conduct this musical commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, with the National Broadway Chorus joining for a performance of period music, and Allison Seymour of Fox 5 News the guest narrator (4/11)
• Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony — Christopher Zimmerman conducts the FSO in the Russian masterpiece as well as Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor featuring Stanislav Kristenko (5/9)

FOLGER CONSORT

Folger Elizabethan Theatre
201 East Capitol St. SE
202-544-7077
folger.edu

• Ships, Clocks and Stars — In celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Act of Longitude, the consort explores the scientific and the satirical in a concert of late Baroque masterpieces (4/10-12)

GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF WASHINGTON, D.C.

The Lincoln Theatre
1215 U St. NW
202-293-1548
gmcw.org

• Born This Way — A celebration of equal rights movements, with the full choir joined by special guest Malya Sykes from NBC’s The Voice and, in its debut, the organization’s GenOut Chorus of area high school students (5/15-16)

THE IN SERIES

202-204-7763
inseries.org

• The Romantics: Wagner & Liszt — A salon-style concert of rarely heard songs by two giants who embody the pinnacles — and pitfalls — of the Romantic Era (4/18-19, Casa Italiana)
• Latino Music Fever — Program focuses on the surprising number of hits from the Golden Age of American Song that actually came from south of the border (5/28-30, Source; 6/5-6, Mexican Cultural Institute)

KENNEDY CENTER

202-467-4600
kennedy-center.org

• Jan Lisiecki — This 19-year-old Polish-Canadian piano prodigy makes his debut with one of two performances this season at the Kennedy Center, both courtesy of Washington Performing Arts (3/28, Terrace Theater)
• Raphael Severe — Washington Performing Arts and Young Concert Artists co-present this young French clarinetist, joined by pianist Paul Montag and violinist Paul Huang (3/30, Terrace)
• Joshua Bell — A regular highlight of the Washington Performing Arts season, this celebrity violinist returns for another concert, this time for a program in which he’ll play duets with pianist Sam Haywood (3/31, Concert Hall)
• Stephen Hough — Washington Performing Arts offers a rare recital in D.C. by this knighted British pianist, otherwise a regular local presence in the Concert Hall as a guest soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra (4/1, Terrace)
• William and Mary Symphony Orchestra Concert — Two soloists, winners of this year’s annual Student Concerto Competition, perform with orchestra (4/3, Terrace)
• Kennedy Center Chamber Players — The acclaimed ensemble of NSO musicians plays works by Shostakovich and Dvorak (4/5, Terrace)
• The Philadelphia Orchestra — Yannick Nezet-Seguin leads the symphony in a Washington Performing Arts program featuring pianist Jan Lisiecki playing Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 (4/7, Concert Hall)
• Karen Cargill — Vocal Arts DC presents this Scottish mezzo-soprano in her Washington debut, a recital with pianist Simon Lepper (4/7, Terrace)
• Edgar Meyer — Four-time Grammy winning cellist and MacArthur Genius Awardee returns for a solo recital part of the Fortas Chamber Music Concerts series (4/8, Terrace)
• Benjamin T. Rome School of Music 50th Anniversary Gala Concert — Catholic University of America celebrates the 50th anniversary of its music department with performances by its Symphony Orchestra and Choruses as well as vocal soloists and ensembles (4/12, Concert Hall)
• Jay Campbell — Washington Performing Arts presents this young cellist who is committed to music of our time and has already premiered nearly 100 works to date (4/12, Terrace)
• English Baroque Soloists — Sir John Eliot Gardiner leads this acclaimed period instrument ensemble, with the Monteverdi Choir, in a performance that is a centerpiece of the Washington Performing Arts season, Monteverdi’s late Renaissance/early Baroque opera L’Orfeo (4/21, Concert Hall)
• Bella Hristava — Bulgarian-American violinist performs as part of the 36th Young Concert Artists Series (4/28, Terrace)
• Miro Quartet w/Sasha Cooke — Fortas Chamber Music Concerts series offers a unique evening of chamber music for voice and strings (4/29, Terrace)
• New World Symphony w/Anne-Sophie Mutter — Michael Tilson Thomas leads “America’s Orchestral Academy,” which grooms recent graduates of top music programs, in a presentation by Washington Performing Arts and also featuring the celebrated violinist (4/29, Concert Hall)
• New York Festival of Song — Vocal Arts DC presents “Letters from Spain: A World of Song from Spanish Poetry” featuring emerging soprano Corinne Winters and young tenor Theo Lebow, in a program led by the festival’s Steven Blier and Michael Barrett (4/30, Terrace)
• ARC Ensemble — Pro Musica Hebraica presents a program featuring this six-piece group of strings and keys performing “Before the Night: Jewish Classical Masterpieces of pre-1933 Europe” (5/7, Terrace)
• Igor Levi — Washington Performing Arts presents this pianist, a BBC New Generation Artist (5/9, Terrace)
• Paul Lewis — A Beethoven specialist, this pianist performs a Washington Performing Arts program of three of the German master’s sonatas (5/10, Terrace)
• Leonidas Kavakos with Christoph Eschenbach — During a two-week residency with the National Symphony Orchestra, this Grammy-nominated violinist offers an intimate evening with the NSO’s conductor, here serving as pianist, as part of the Fortas Chamber series (5/11, Concert Hall)
• Chhandayan: A Concert of Indian Classical Music (5/12, Terrace)
• Thierry Escaich — The NSO presents an organ recital by the distinguished French instrumentalist (5/13, Concert Hall)
• The Myriad Trio with Anthony McGill — A Fortas Chamber debut by this flute, clarinet and harp trio with Metropolitan Opera Orchestra’s principal clarinetist (5/19, Terrace)
• Wesley Festival Choir – A Gala Concert to Benefit Imagine No Malaria — Celebrated soprano Adrienne Danrich joins the Wesley Festival Choir in this benefit for the United Methodist Church’s work in fighting malaria, presented by Music Celebrations International (5/23, Concert Hall)
• National Memorial Day Choral Festival 2015 — Music Celebrations International presents the annual concert featuring the United States Air Force Orchestra (5/24, Concert Hall)
• Opera Lafayette — Acclaimed local francophone company closes its 20th season with the modern world premiere of Gretry’s L’Epreuve Villageoise, which two centuries ago was a hit in New Orleans and New York as well as opera-rich Europe (5/30, Terrace)
• John Philip Sousa Band Festival — Music Celebrations International presents this concert (5/31, Concert Hall)
• Francesco Piemontesi — A star in Europe, this Swiss-Italian pianist makes a rare U.S. appearance and his D.C. debut in a concert presented by Washington Performing Arts (6/6, Terrace)
• Washington International Competition for Strings Finals — A group of outstanding young instrumentalists perform before a panel of esteemed judges in the final round of this competition of the Friday Morning Music Club Foundation (6/7, Terrace)
• Washington Men’s Camerata — Noted men’s chorus concludes its 30th anniversary season with a program celebrating anniversaries of all kinds (6/13, Terrace)

LEVINE SCHOOL OF MUSIC

202-686-8000
levinemusic.org

• Flute Jam — Open to all flute players with their own instrument (3/28, Virginia Campus, 1125 N. Patrick Henry Dr., Arlington)
• Young Concert Artist Series: Raphael Severe — Clarinetist (3/31)
• Marlin Engel Solo Competition — Pianists, instrumentalists and vocalists from ages six to 18 compete in this competition named after Levine founders Jackie Marlin and Diana Engel (4/12)
• Art of the Piano: Robert Schumann — The third in a four-part series led by lecturer Martin Labazevitch, with performance by Levine Music students of selections by this “Melancholic Miniaturist” (4/22)
• Composition Weekend Concerts — Del Soul String Quartet, pianist Jeffrey Chappell (4/24-25)
• Misbin Chamber Music Competition (4/26)
• 2015 Gala (4/29)
• Young Concert Artist Series: Julia Bullock — Acclaimed soprano and winner of the 2012 Young Concert Artists International Auditions presents a performance, master class and Q&A (5/15)
• Art of the Piano: Johannes Brahms — Final lecture and performance in the series focuses on “The Lonesome Grand Master” and features a performance by Stanislav Khristenko (5/27)
• Symphonic Explorations: Beethoven’s Fifth (6/6)

LISNER AUDITORIUM

George Washington University
730 21st St. NW
202-994-6800
lisner.org

• Battle of the A Capellas — Competition presented by GW Class Council (4/22)

NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC

Music Center at Strathmore
5301 Tuckerman Lane
North Bethesda, Md.
301-493-9283
nationalphilharmonic.org

• Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 — Piotr Gajewski conducts Haochen Zhang and the symphony in a Russian Romantic program featuring this “Mount Everest” of piano concerts, plus works by Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov (3/28-29)
• Bach’s St. John Passion — Victoria Gau conducts vocal soloists and the orchestra in this rich, dramatic portrayal of the Biblical passion story (4/11)
• Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony — Gajewski conducts a program led by Mozart’s last symphony and also including Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 featuring Christopher Taylor (5/2-3)
• Faure’s Requiem — Gajewski leads the orchestra, soprano Julie Keim, baritone Andrew McLaughlin and the National Philharmonic Chorale (5/30)

NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Kennedy Center Concert Hall
202-467-4600
kennedy-center.org

• NSO Pops: Do You Hear The People Sing? — Steven Reineke leads a concert focused on the musicals of Boublil and Schonberg (Les Miserables, Miss Saigon) and performed by talented vocalists including Lea Salonga (3/27-28)
• Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 — Krzysztof Urbanski conducts the NSO in a program that also features young piano sensation Daniil Trifonov performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 (4/2-4)
• Rachmaninoff: The Bells — Vassily Sinaisky conducts the NSO plus three Russian singers and the Choral Arts Society (4/16-18)
• Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5— Christoph Eschenbach leads the NSO in this epic masterpiece (4/30-5/2)
• Leonidas Kavakos: Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 — Eschenbach leads the NSO and Kavakos, who kicks off a two-week residency by performing Sibelius’s Violin Concerto (5/7-9)
• Kavakos: Mussorsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition — Kavakos takes the podium to conduct this piece, then features as a soloist in Bach’s Violin Concerto No. 1 (5/14-16)
• Andy Akiho — Manuel Lopez-Gomez leads the NSO in a percussion-themed program including the world premiere of an Akiho concerto for steelpan featuring Liam Teague (5/29-30)
• NSO Pops: Let’s Be Frank — Reineke leads a celebration of the centennial year of Frank Sinatra’s birth with his own “Rat Pack” quartet of artists, including piano man Tony DeSare and Pink Martini vocalist Storm Large (6/5-6)

THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION

1600 21st St. NW
202-974-6832
phillipscollection.org

• Marc Coppey — French cellist makes his D.C. debut in a program of works by Beethoven, Debussy, Bartok and Franck accompanied by Ran Dank (3/29)
• Choral Arts Chamber Singers — Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Choral Arts Society (4/12)
• New Orford String Quartet — Performances of quartets by Haydn, Beethoven and Canadian composer Tim Brady (4/19)
• Zhang Zuo — Imaginative and electrifying Chinese pianist makes her D.C. debut (4/26)
• The Cambini-Paris Quartet — A period instrument ensemble known for their exploration of rare and forgotten scores (5/3) ^Kristin Lee — Korean-American violinist makes her Phillips debut in a program accompanied by Michael Mizrahi (5/10)
• Nicolas Altstaedt — German cellist who is a champion of new music, joined by Argentinian pianist Jose Gallardo (5/17)
• Alexander Schimpf — Pianist makes his D.C. debut with works by Brahms, Scriabin and Beethoven (5/24)
• The Phillips Camerata — Ensemble closes the concert season at the Phillips with works exploring the synergies between mathematics and art (5/31)

STRATHMORE

5301 Tuckerman Lane
North Bethesda, Md.
301-581-5100
strathmore.org

• Audra McDonald — Broadway and all-around vocal superstar’s show naturally sold out a long time ago (3/27, Music Center)
• Matt Haimovitz: Back Listening Room — Cellist has commissioned new overtures to each of Bach’s cello suites from modern-day composers including Philip Glass and Wolfgang Rihm (3/27, Mansion)
• Miranda Cuckson — Violinist and violist, who is “an artist to be reckoned with,” according to Gramophone (4/9, Mansion)
• Israeli Chamber Project — A mix of the standard classical repertoire with music born in and influenced by Israeli culture (4/16, Mansion)
• Evgeny Kissin — Arguably one of the most celebrated living pianists returns for his 10th local appearance courtesy of Washington Performing Arts (4/22, Music Center)
• Lily Neill — Internationally acclaimed harp player who got her start performing for President Bill Clinton alongside Irish super-group The Chieftains (4/23, Mansion)
• Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain — This YouTube-popular group of uke virtuosos offering all-ukulele versions of songs ranging from Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” to Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (4/26, Music Center)
• Mormon Tabernacle Choir — “America’s Choir” of 360 singers and orchestra (6/25, Music Center)
• Uke & Guitar Summit (8/15, Mansion)

WASHINGTON BACH CONSORT

202-429-2121
bachconsort.org

• Noontime Cantata — Founder and music director J. Reilly Lewis introduces each free, monthly, hour-long cantata before performing an organ work and a cantata featuring both chorus and period instrument orchestra (4/7, 5/5 Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G St. NW)
• Pinnacle Achievements — Lewis performs the innovative Goldberg Variations while Todd Fickley leads a performance of what served as the prototype for all piano concertos to follow, the fifth Brandenburg Concerto (4/11, First Congregational United Church of Christ, 945 G St. NW)
• Mass in B Minor — Bach’s monumental Mass represents the composer’s lifelong exploration of musical and spiritual possibilities, but transcends the boundaries of faith. Performance features six vocal soloists (4/26, National Presbyterian Church, 4101 Nebraska Ave. NW)

THE WASHINGTON CHORUS

202-342-6221
thewashingtonchorus.org

• Israel in Egypt — New York Baroque Incorporated joins for this theatrical work by Handel that depicts the great Biblical plaques and the Israelites’ flight from Egypt through emotionally charged choruses and extraordinary dramatic power (5/17, National Presbyterian Church)

WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA

Kennedy Center Opera House
202-295-2400
dc-opera.org

• Cinderella — Rossini’s operatic retelling of the fairy tale adds a few twists in a whimsical production helmed by Spanish director Joan Font from the Houston Grand Opera, which the Seattle Times calls “imaginative, fast-paced, irresistibly funny” (5/9-21)

WEINBERG CENTER FOR THE ARTS

20 W. Patrick St.
Frederick, Md.
301-600-2828
weinbergcenter.org

• Take 6 — A cappella group touted as the most-awarded vocal group in history, including 10 Grammy Awards (4/16)
• Sonic Escape — Heralded flute-violin-cello trio of Juilliard graduates pushes musical boundaries with original works and classics (5/7)

WOLF TRAP

Filene Center
1645 Trap Road
Vienna, Va.
703-255-1900
wolftrap.org

• New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players: The Pirates of Penzance — Head to the swashbuckling high seas with the duo’s most popular comic opera (6/13)
• NSO @ Wolf Trap: Back to the Future (6/19)
• NSO @ Wolf Trap: Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture — A blowout of a program conducted by Andrew Litton and also featuring Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 2 performed by Emanuel Ax (6/21)
• NSO @ Wolf Trap: Audra McDonald — Andy Einhorn conducts the NSO accompanying the most-awarded Tony winner in history in a program of show tunes and pop standards (6/22)
• NSO @ Wolf Trap: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 — Shi-Yeon Sung conducts a program of the world’s most recognizable classical composition, also featuring the debut of Sarah Chang in a performance of Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 (7/11)
• NSO @ Wolf Trap: Pokemon: Symphonic Evolutions (7/18)
• Verdi’s Aida In Concert — The Wolf Trap Opera Alumni join the National Symphony Orchestra, along with the Washington Chorus, to perform Verdi’s grand opera (7/24)
• NSO @ Wolf Trap: Star Trek (8/1)
• Puccini’s Madama Butterfly — Grant Gershon conducts this OperaScape Production featuring the Wolf Trap Opera, the NSO and the Choral Arts Society (8/7)
• NSO @ Wolf Trap: The Music of John Williams — Emil de Cou conducts a journey through the iconic scores to many of cinema’s most epic adventures (8/8)