The highlights in classic music this fall? Well, it depends on what you’re looking for — and what you’re open to. If you like opera and aren’t too fussy about it — so long as it still feels and sounds like opera — then step right up to the IN Series, particularly the company’s plans to adapt Verdi’s Rigoletto under the big top. If you’d rather bask in the sounds of an orchestra and are willing to try out one focused on helping calm your mind, consider the seasonal offerings at the Capital City Symphony.

When it comes to broadening your classical horizons, you could do worse than focusing on a particular composer or two. On that score, this fall would be a fine time for Rachmaninoff, starting as early as this weekend with the one-day Rachmaninoff Festival at Strathmore, a kick-off to the National Philharmonic’s 40th season.

Or check out the multiple entities giving overdue attention to early African-American composer William Grant Still. Meanwhile, the Folger Consort offers the chance to hear music by Machiavelli — yes, that Machiavelli, the Italian Renaissance man almost exclusively known today as the seminal political scientist.

Among other highlights to consider this fall: the upcoming — and free — Big Sing at the National Cathedral, a Kennedy Center recital featuring a trio led by queer opera star Jamie Barton, and the ever-reliable Gay Men’s Chorus opening the season with a travel-themed cabaret. Just be sure to send us a “Postcard” if you go.

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BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

410-783-8000
www.bsomusic.org

• 2024 Gala Celebration with Yo-Yo Ma — The celebrity cellist will help kick off the 2024-25 BSO Season, themed “Music that Resonates,” with two Gala Concerts promising “surprise moments” as well as special performances by student musicians from BSO OrchKids and the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras under the direction of BSO Music Director Jonathon Heyward (9/20, Music Center at Strathmore, North Bethesda, Md.; 9/21, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Baltimore)
• Community Concert: Symphony in the City: Morgan State University (9/18, Gilliam Concert Hall, Murphy Fine Arts Center, 2201 Argonne Dr., Baltimore)
• Barber Violin Concerto with Ehnes & Heyward (9/27, 9/29, Meyerhoff; 9/28, Strathmore)
• Mozart & Schumann (10/10, Strathmore; 10/13, Meyerhoff)
• Alsop Conducts Chopin & Prokofiev — Music Director Laureate Marin Alsop returns to conduct the BSO with a larger-than-life program inspired by real heroes and mythical archetypes, including James Lee III’s tribute to Harriet Tubman, Chuphshah! Harriet’s Drive to Canaan, Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 4, and Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 performed by Japanese pianist Hayato Sumino (10/17, 10/20, Meyerhoff; 10/19, Strathmore)
• Fountains of Rome & La Mer (11/2, Meyerhoff; 11/3, Strathmore)
• Marsalis & Sibelius with Heyward (11/8, 11/10, Meyerhoff; 11/9, Strathmore)
• Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G (11/15, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, College Park, Md.; 11/16, Meyerhoff; 11/17, Strathmore)
• Community Concert: Symphony in the City: War Memorial (11/20, 101 N. Gay St., Baltimore)
• Lush Life: Ellington and Strayhorn (11/22, Strathmore; 11/23-24, Meyerhoff)
• Spirit of the Season: Bach, Corelli, and Vivaldi (12/7, Strathmore; 12/8, Meyerhoff)
• The Planets with Heyward (1/9/25, 1/12/25, Meyerhoff; 1/11/25, Strathmore)

BARNS AT WOLF TRAP

1635 Trap Road
Vienna, Va.
703-255-1868
www.wolftrap.org

• Viano Quartet — Canadian-American string ensemble, currently in residence at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, makes its debut at the Barns with a program of Debussy, Dvořák, and up-and-coming young D.C.-reared composer Alistair Coleman (10/27)
• Virtuoso Winds — Acclaimed pianist Anne-Marie McDermott accompanies an assembly of internationally renowned players performing sonatas and smaller works by Beethoven, Glière, and Reinecke in various configurations before all join for Poulenc’s Sextet, an effervescent homage to wind instruments (11/10)
• John Holiday — A decade since his training with Wolf Trap Opera, the celebrated globe-trotting countertenor returns to sing works by Price, Bonds, Robert L. Morris, Gershwin, and more (1/19/25)
• Wu Han, piano, David Finckel, cello, & Arnaud Sussmann, violin — Three of chamber music’s greatest virtuosos collaborate in a specially curated program of trios by Haydn, Shostakovich, and Mendelssohn (2/16/25)

BENDER JCC

Kreeger Auditorium
6125 Montrose Rd.
Rockville, Md.
301-881-0100
www.benderjccgw.org

• Borromeo String Quartet and Henry Kramer, piano — Award-winning ensemble, known for its diverse repertoire and the first string quartet to use computer technology in concert, dips into the classical canon with Dvořák’s Piano Quintet No. 2 before moving to the very contemporary String Quartet No. 2 by Adolphus Hailstork, which riffs on the spiritual “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” (9/22)
• Einav Yarden, pianist — A recital of C.P.E. Bach, Haydn, and Schumann is designed as a special concert exclusive to VIP subscribers of the full 2024-2025 Polinger Artists of Excellence Concert Series (10/22)
• Mount Vernon Virtuosi: Season Opening Concert — Innovative Baltimore-based chamber orchestra helps give exceptional graduate music students a much-needed boost in launching their professional careers (10/27)
• Brannon Cho, cello, and Janice Carissa, piano — Two heralded young instrumentalists team up to perform works by Janáček, Franck, Adès, and Martinů (11/17)
• William Hagen, violin, and Albert Cano Smit, piano — Two more renowned young instrumentalists, this time a pairing of two longtime friends and collaborators, perform a recital of Mendelssohn, Brahms, and Schumann (12/8)

CAPITAL CITY SYMPHONY

Atlas Performing Arts Center
1333 H St. NE
202-399-7993
www.capitalcitysymphony.org

• Renew — Billed as “a musical evening of rest, resilience, and rebirth,” the Atlas-based community orchestra of 80-plus volunteer members, led by longtime Artistic Director and Conductor Victoria Gau, opens a new season, focused on works that calm minds, fuel inner fires, and explore our shared human experience, with a concert perfectly aligned with those themes, from Carlos Simon’s calming Breathe, to Beethoven’s exuberant Symphony No. 7, and concluding with Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, described as the sound of “renewal fueled with primal energy” (10/6)
• Inspire: Family Concert — Performer Erika Rose joins the orchestra for a delightful symphonic adventure guided by Brahms’ lively Hungarian Dance No. 5, Bruce Adolphe’s Three Pieces for Kids in the Audience & Chamber Orchestra, and Jessie Montgomery’s Because, based on a story by Mo Willems and interpolating playful melodies from Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony with Montgomery’s original music, brought to life in a multimedia performance featuring the full orchestra plus narration and projected illustrations (11/3)
• Sing! Annual Holiday Concert — The organization’s annual holiday celebration offers heartwarming holiday classics as well as audience sing-alongs, plus the dynamic sounds of special guests The Capital Hearings, an a cappella ensemble established in 2010 as a spin-off from the Choral Arts Society of Washington (12/15)

THE CHORAL ARTS SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

Kennedy Center Concert Hall
202-244-3669
www.choralarts.org

• O Night Divine! — New Artistic Director Marie Bucoy-Calavan shepherds this venerable organization into its 60th anniversary season, kicking off with the annual Christmas concert featuring symphonic chorus, youth choir, and full orchestra, not to mention the audience sing-along (12/16, 12/24)
• A Family Christmas — Expect appearances by Santa, Frosty, Rudolph, and the Grinch at this annual one-hour concert, “perfect for children ages five and up,” filled with holiday classics performed by the organization’s symphonic chorus and brass ensemble under the direction of Michele Fowlin (12/15, 12/24)
• Living the Dream…Singing the Dream — The 37th annual choral tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., co-presented with Washington Performing Arts (2/2/25)

THE CITY CHOIR OF WASHINGTON

571-206-8525
www.thecitychoirofwashington.org

• 7 Days of Creation — Trumpeted as a “spectacular multi-dimensional production” of Franz Joseph Haydn’s The Creation, the City Choir, helmed by Erin Freeman, will perform Philip Moody’s elegant English translation in a program featuring soloists Esther Toneo, soprano, Dashiell Waterbury, tenor, and Andrew Adelsberger, baritone, with accompaniment from the Washington National Opera Orchestra (11/24, National Presbyterian Church, 4101 Nebraska Ave. NW)
• Bizet’s Carmen at 150 — The WNO Orchestra returns to accompany a celebration promising to “bring all the fiery excitement of Georges Bizet’s Carmen (and more!) to life” through the performance of opera choruses and scenes featuring star soloists from Wolf Trap Opera’s Studio Artist program — yet don’t expect actual bullfights, alas (1/25/25, Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall, Alexandria, Va.)

CLARICE SMITH CENTER

Dekelboum Concert Hall
University of Maryland
College Park, Md.
301-405-2787
www.theclarice.umd.edu

• UMD Choral Activities: Bach Cantata Series — Little by little, students in the University of Maryland’s choral program will sing their way through all of the cantatas composed by J.S. Bach, more than 200 in total, through this series of short monthly performances (9/19, 10/17, 11/21, Grand Pavilion)
• UMD Wind Orchestra: Fourths on the Fourth — Symphonies from the wind band repertoire, and specifically, symphonic works that were the fourth compositions created by their composers, including the “Symphonic Suite” from Leonard Bernstein’s musical On The Waterfront, the fourth symphony from Arthur Meulemans, whose work presents a rich and colorful mosaic, and the fourth from Alan Hovhaness, with a work incorporating far-flung sources of inspiration, including Armenian religious music and the orchestral music from China’s Tang Dynasty (10/4)
• UMD Symphony Orchestra: Still’s Symphony No. 1 “Afro-American” — The first symphony composed by an African-American that was also performed by a major orchestra, with a premiere in 1931, William Grant Still’s remarkable first symphony serves as a love letter to blues and Black culture and masterfully integrates blues progressions and rhythms with traditional Western symphonic forms. Percussion soloist Robert Rocheteau, the UMD School of Music’s 2023 Concerto Competition Winner, joins this ensemble led by David Neely to play the marimba in Emmanuel Séjourné’s energetic Concerto for Marimba and Strings (10/5)
• Daniel Kurganov, violin, and Constantine Finehouse, piano — Works by Franck, Beach, and Debussy serve to showcase the musical passion and technical prowess that this duo has become known for (10/8, Gildenhorn Recital Hall)
• The Smithsonian Academy Orchestra: Haydn and Beethoven — Newly established ensemble offers top young early music professionals a week-long dive into the research and performance, on period instruments and tuning, of repertoire from 200 and 300 years ago, via lectures from esteemed musicologists as well as a concert from this 33-piece orchestra conducted by Kenneth Slowik (10/13)
• University Orchestra (10/17)
• UMD Wind Ensemble (10/18)
• UMD Choral Activities: High School Choir Invitational — Talented area high school choirs perform alongside the choirs of the UMD School of Music in a concert styled as one that “puts the spotlight on the future of choral music” (10/23)
• University & Community Band — A concert of traditional and contemporary wind band music featuring the University Band and the Maryland Community Band (10/25)
• UMD Wind Orchestra: A Tribute to Donald Hunsberger — “Thanks for Everything, Don,” is the title for a concert in tribute to an American conductor and arranger who was a longstanding professor at the prestigious Eastman School of Music, where he also lead the school’s acclaimed Eastman Wind Ensemble (11/1)
• UMD Symphony Orchestra: The Pines of Rome — Ottorino Respighi’s tone poem takes listeners on a journey through the splendor of Rome, especially through the way it captures visions of the trees that dominate the Eternal City’s landscape. Music Director Neely conducts a program also featuring a pair of works by Finnish composers, from Jean Sibelius’ climactic Symphony No. 5, which captures the beauty of life and the natural world, to Kaija Saariaho’s ethereal Lumiere et Pesanteur, a work inspired by the life and writings of Jewish French philosopher Simone Weil that remarkably “moves and breathes as if the music were alive,” according to the official blurb (11/2)
• Castalian String Quartet — Touted as one of the most skillful and in-demand string quartets, this multinational collective took its name from a nymph from Greek mythology that managed to avoid Apollo’s amorous attention (11/10, Gildenhorn)
• UMD Chamber Singers & University Chorale — (11/10)
• Orchestra Concerto Competition — UMD School of Music students perform excerpts from concertos or concert pieces before an independent jury panel tasked with finding the next featured soloist for the UMD Symphony Orchestra. Competition proceeds in two parts, with a preliminary round followed a week larter by the finals (11/17, 11/25)
• UMD Treble Choir and Tactus — A mix of choral works celebrating the joy and strength that comes from joining voices together (11/17)
• Maryland Opera Studio: Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte (11/19-24, Kay Theatre)
• Brass Ensemble Concert (11/24)
• Piano Division Showcase — The UMD School of Music’s highly selective Piano Division presents the fall showcase of talented students performing in solo and collaborative iterations (11/25, Gildenhorn)
• Chamber Music Concerts (12/3, 12/5, Gildenhorn)
• UMD University Orchestra (12/3)
• UMD Wind Ensemble (12/5)
• UMD Choral Activities: Festival of Lessons & Carols — Led by Music Director Jason Max Ferdinand, this 23rd annual holiday program combines choirs, brass quintet, and organ in performance of carols, hymns, and spoken-word poems with messages of hope and goodwill (12/6, UMD Memorial Chapel)
• Kaleidoscope of Bands — Bands from across the School of Music come together for “a crowd-pleasing extravaganza,” an upbeat and lively show featuring the University Band, the Maryland Community Band, and the Mighty Sound of Maryland Marching Band (12/6)
• UMD Wind Orchestra: Faculty on Stage — A handful of School of Music faculty join the orchestra and promptly put the lie to the famous quip, attributed to George Bernard Shaw, about teachers not actually being able to do what they say and train others to do: “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” At UMD anyway, music teachers can, and every now and then, actually do, including flute professor Sarah Frisof, oboe lecturer Emily Tsai, clarinet professor Robert Dilutis, and bassoon professor Joey Grimmer, a fantastic foursome who’ll play their parts in a performance of the stunning Concerto Grosso for Woodwind Quartet and Wind Orchestra by Heitor Villa-Lobos. Another teacher perfectly happy demonstrating she can and will do is assistant professor of voice Teri Bickham, who’ll perform Augusta Read Thomas’ meditative and impassioned work A Plea for Peace (12/7)
• UMD Symphony Orchestra: Stravinsky’s Petrushka (12/8)

DUMBARTON CONCERTS

3133 Dumbarton St. NW
202-965-2000
www.dumbartonconcerts.org

• The Thirteen — Celebrated area professional chamber choir will help launch the 47th season of Dumbarton Arts and Education, the presenter of concerts in the intimate environs of its namesake church in Georgetown with a program of J.S. Bach’s timeless motets, brought to life by a full choir of 16 singers accompanied by musicians on period instruments (10/19)
• Fauré Quartett — A concert of “chamber music at its finest: organic, vital, and always beautiful,” as this famed ensemble performs rarities and favorites by Mahler and Brahms as well as the Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor by its namesake composer (11/9)
• Seth Parker Woods — Critically acclaimed cellist offers a program that Gramophone touts as “dazzlingly inventive,” one in which a collection of contemporary works are enlisted to reframe the classical cello canon (11/16)
• A Celtic Christmas — The Barnes and Hampton Celtic Consort lead this perennial Georgetown favorite with narration by Robert Aubry Davis (12/7-8)
• Cyrus Chestnut Trio — The Baltimore jazz virtuoso, hailed by TIME magazine as “the best pianist of his generation,” pays tribute to his first jazz influence with a fresh yet reverent interpretation of Vince Guaraldi’s iconic A Charlie Brown Christmas (12/13)
• Helicon: Winter Solstice — Ken Kolodner leads this Baltimore-based supergroup for an annual program of bluegrass and folk music, a wintry mix steeped in traditional Irish rhythms and melodies and featuring special guests including Charm City Junction and Elke Baker (12/14)
• Fry Street Quartet (1/25/25)
• Steve Honigberg Tango Ensemble (2/14/25)

FAIRFAX SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

GMU Center for the Arts
703-993-2787
www.fairfaxsymphony.org

• An American Journey — The FSO ushers in its 67th year with a season honoring the 15th anniversary of its Artistic Director Christopher Zimmerman with a celebratory mix of past favorite symphonic pieces and guest artists as well as “the new and the striking.” The season begins with a concert of dynamic works by two venerated masters of American music Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland, plus the U.S. premiere of “Force Majeure,” a new concerto for piano and orchestra by innovative American composer Elena Kats-Chernin featuring pianist Lisa Moore (10/19, Harris Theatre)
• Melodies of Inspiration — The intention is to inspire with this Zimmerman-led concert centered on Beethoven’s lyrical and profound Piano Concerto No. 4, rendered by the extraordinary pianist Jeremy Denk, and rounded out with Rachmaninoff’s captivating final masterpiece, the melodic and rhythmic tour de force known as “Symphonic Dances,” and emerging composer Quinn Mason’s tribute to persistence and inspiration “She Dreams of Flying” (11/23)
• Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker — An annual collaboration with the Fairfax Ballet performing the timeless holiday favorite, with the FSO providing live symphonic accompaniment unlike other productions you might see around town (12/21-22)

FOLGER CONSORT

Folger Shakespeare Library
201 E. Capitol St. SE
202-544-7077
www.folger.edu

• Tale of Two Cities — In the 16th and 17th centuries, both Florence and Venice were European power centers, with thriving music cultures, as the Folger’s acclaimed early music ensemble and guest artists will document by performing a program of works representing each Italian hotbed from the Venetian-based Claudio Monteverdi, Florentine composer Francesca Caccini, and the infamous Florentine philosopher and diplomat Niccolo Machiavelli aka the father of modern political science, lesser known today for his work as an accomplished poet and musician (9/13-15)
• A Mass for Christmas Eve: Baroque Music for the Season — A performance of Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Messe de Minuit pour Noel, a composition from 1694 based on captivating, folksong-like noels and enhanced with his characteristic irresistible dance rhythms and sophisticated harmonies, will be complemented by a riff on the composer’s Mass with haunting vocals set amid joyful instrumental concertos by Italian baroque masters (12/6-15)
• The Love Birds — The first reference to St. Valentine as the patron saint of lovers is found in Geoffrey Chaucer’s 14th-century poem A Parlement of Foules, and the short work about avian politics will undergo a dramatic reading interspersed with bracing and intricate music of the author’s time from England and France (2/14-16)

GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF WASHINGTON

202-293-1548
www.gmcw.org

• Sing Out: GMCW Open Mic Night — Once a month, the chorus presents an open mike night that functions as a kind of choral karaoke, one enhanced with live accompaniment and requiring sheet music for the selections to be performed (9/25, 10/16, 11/20, 12/11, Atlas Performing Arts Center)
• Cabaret: Postcards — The chorus’s new season will conclude next June with a proverbial bang — followed by actual bellows from exhausted choristers — via the launch of an International Choral Festival and series of “pop-up” concerts with visiting choral groups scheduled to run the full two weeks of WorldPride DC 2025. By contrast, the chorus will ease into its 44th season, opening with an intimate evening focused on members taking solo turns and getting personal. The popular annual cabaret bears tunes and tales touching on the theme of travel in sync with the season’s timely theme “Around the World with Pride” (10/19, Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW)
• The Holiday Show — The immensely popular holiday extravaganza is a pretty evergreen treat of sparkly snow, tap dancers, over-the-top costumes, a dancing Christmas tree, snow, and yuletide carols sung with the full Chorus, soloists, all GMCW ensembles, and the GenOUT Youth Chorus. This year’s show also features the World Music Collective, a mix of musicians as diverse as they come. The D.C.-area chamber ensemble joins GMCW as special guests to perform a blend of jazz, contemporary styles, and world music steeped in the art of musical improvisation, and committed to the value of diversity and the importance of entertainment, education, and social justice (12/2, 12/9, 12/10, Lincoln Theatre)
• Heart & Soul — A celebration of Black History Month with the chorus’s gospel ensemble Seasons of Love under the direction of GMCW Assistant Conductor Ronté Pierce (2/22/25, National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW)

HYLTON PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Merchant Hall
Manassas, Va.
703-993-7759
www.hyltoncenter.org

• Manassas Chorale — The smaller ensembles of the Chorale offer a “Salute to Heroes and Heroines” also featuring choirs from multiple local high schools (10/12)
• Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra — Local, all-volunteer ensemble performs a program designed as an early musical treat for Halloween — specifically, per the orchestra’s website, “Halloween with John Williams,” further promising a “family-friendly performance of crowd-pleasers and favorites” by the famed Hollywood composer. Expect tunes from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Star Wars, Superman, Indiana Jones, and Harry Potter (10/13)
• Erinys Quartet — Formed at the Sibelius Academy in Finland, this group, currently the quartet-in-residence at Ohio’s Curtis Institute of Music, will perform string quartets by Bartók and Beethoven as part of the Hylton’s “Matinee Idylls” series (10/16, Jacquemin Family Foundation Rehearsal Hall)
• Manassas Symphony Orchestra feat. the Marcolivia Duo — The award-winning string duo of Olivia Hajioff, violin, and Marc Ramirez, viola, joins to perform the evocative Romantic Fantasy for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra by Australian composer Arthur Benjamin as well as Vivaldi’s Concerto for 2 Violins in A Minor. THe program also includes Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slav and Dvorák’s masterwork Symphony No. 9, “From the New World” (10/27)
• The U.S. Army Concert Band — “Pershing’s Own” military band performs “A Salute to Veterans” presented by George Mason University’s Veterans and the Arts Initiative (11/7)
• Chanticleer — The 12-member ensemble, dubbed the “world’s reigning male chorus” by the New Yorker, returns to the Hylton Center to sing a mix of traditional carols and gospel numbers as well as “holiday wonders” spanning centuries around the globe (12/1)
• Mason Opera — Talented vocal students from Mason’s Dewberry School of Music will perform a program showcasing their vocal dexterity and dramatic ability, with accompaniment by an instrumental chamber ensemble (12/7, Gregory Family Theater)
• Manassas Chorale — A performance of carols and popular songs courtesy the group’s annual holiday concert “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” accompanied by a 20-piece live orchestra (12/7)
• American Festival Pops Orchestra — Artistic Director and Conductor Peter Wilson leads the 60-member professional symphony in the festive program “Holiday Pops: Songs of the Season,” ranging from toe-tapping classics performed by the orchestra’s embedded Big Band, to a reading of “The Night Before Christmas” by Hylton Center Executive Director Rick Davis, to audience carol sing-alongs, plus an appearance by the Mason Jazz Vocal Ensemble (12/13)
• Manassas Symphony Orchestra — The annual holiday offering “Reveries” evokes “a wintry dreamscape” to usher in the holidays, complete with a colorful “music and light show spectacular.” The program includes Goodnight Moon, a piece composed by Eric Whitacre and sung by soprano Christine Maxted, and A Trumpeter’s Lullaby, a work by Leroy Anderson and featuring Kettle Run High School senior Levi Pardy on trumpet (12/14)
• Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra — The ensemble returns for its annual “sing-along performance” of Handel’s most-popular work, the Jesus-themed oratorio with the signature “Hallelujah Chorus” (12/14, Rehearsal Hall)

THE IN SERIES

202-204-7763
www.inseries.org

• The Cradle Will Rock — The new season from the innovative and imaginative local music organization focuses on “Illicit Opera,” specifically boundary-pushing works that have been “considered too dangerous to be performed” if not outright banned, kicking off with a reimagined version of “the famous and infamous 1936 American musical masterpiece” created by composer and librettist Marc Blitzstein. A humorous, Brechtian allegory about corruption and corporate greed that ultimately celebrates one man’s fight against a powerful industrialist, this folk opera came under fire from government and union leaders alike, and their various attempts to ban the show failed only as a result of the brave defiance shown by the cast and creative team, including original director Orson Welles. Nearly a century later, the IN Series stages a revamp helmed by Theatre Alliance’s Shanara Gabrielle with a cast of young local vocalists. The IN Series’ Emily Baltzer serves as musical director. (10/5-6, 10/12-13, Goldman Theatre DCJCC; 10/18-20, Baltimore Theater Project)
• Rigoletto — Nearly five years after the pandemic scuttled its original plans, The IN Series is finally ready to present its unique take on this masterpiece by Verdi, one in which the original setting of a ducal palace in Northern Italy is replaced by an in-the-round stage, or ring, of an enclosed arena, home to a contemporary circus. Artistic Director Timothy Nelson serves as the off-stage ringmaster, as it were, shepherding on and off the stage the circus artists (aka the cast of actors), many of them returning as “fan favorites” from The IN Series production of Verdi’s The Promised End last year. You can expect the cast to perform dramatic new stunts — that is, “bawdy new text” conceived by Bari Biern explicitly for the big top. The new setting also inspired ever-so-minimal changes in the three-act opera’s revered score, including a new arrangement for a circus band performing under the baton of Emily Baltzer. (12/7-8, 12/14-15, DCJCC; 12/11-12, Baltimore)

KENNEDY CENTER

Terrace Theater
202-467-4600
www.kennedy-center.org

• The U.S. Navy Band Chamber Players: Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale — A performance of Igor Stravinsky’s music for The Soldier’s Tale, presented as part of the Navy Band Chamber Recital Series and as part of the Kennedy Center’s free nightly series (9/18, Millennium Stage)
• Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra — A Chamber Music event promising “a calm and reflective atmosphere where guests can enjoy the harmonious sounds of string quartets playing a mix of classical and contemporary pieces,” Chamber Music in the Skylight Pavilion” (9/22, Pavilion)
• Jennifer Koh — A Fortas recital focused on the complete works for solo violin composed by Johann Sebastian Bach — that is, all six Sonatas and Partitas (10/1)
• Bennett Tsai, cello, HyeJin Kim, piano — For his debut concert, presented by Young Concert Artists, Tsai the cellist focuses on works of tribute to something or someone, including Beethoven’s homage to Mozart a la his Seven Variations on “Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen,” Ginastera’s visceral toast to Argentina in Pampeana No. 2, and Brahms’ reverence for Bach with Cellos Sonata in E Minor (10/10)
• Sphinx Virtuosi — The flagship performing entity of the Sphinx Organization, this “self-conducted” string orchestra of 18 accomplished Black and Latinx artists offers a program “carefully and collaboratively curated to celebrate the richness of the American musical landscape.” Emerging percussion soloist Britton-René Collins joins the ensemble for this American Form/s concert, co-presented by Washington Performing Arts (10/19)
• Opera Lafayette: Re:Claim — Revered Algerian early music group Ensemble Amedyez makes its North American debut as a guest of the D.C.-based opera outfit and its groundbreaking program exploring the roots of Eastern-inspired French music from the 19th-century. In addition to Amedyez performing traditional Algerian melodies, both in their original, authentic form and via Francisco Salvador Daniel’s French transcriptions, longtime Opera Lafayette collaborator Kalanidhi Dance will join to contrast authentic Indian classical dance with the portrayal via Lalla Roukh, Félicien David’s opera set in Kashmir (10/21)
• The Big Sing — The Kennedy Center teams up with Levine Music along with event host the Washington National Cathedral for an extra-special — and totally free — “community sing for everyone.” Having recently established regular community sings at Levine Music’s campus in Northwest D.C., organizer Micah Hendler will expand the concept so participants can bask in the rich, reverberating acoustics of the second-largest U.S. cathedral. That dramatic setting and even the heightened sound effects are ultimately just superficial lures to attract a crowd, with the real aim of helping all those taking part to tap into the proven social and psychological benefits of singing together (10/23, Washington National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW)
• Pan American Symphony Orchestra: From Manhattan to Kiev — Subtitled A Celebration of Rhapsodies by Gershwin and Kapustin, this concert, led by Maestro Sergio Alessandro Buslje, celebrates 100 years of George Gershwin’s exuberant jazz-steeped Rhapsody in Blue as well as the influence it had on later work, Concert Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra from Ukrainian composer Nikolai Kapustin. Pianist Sean Mahon will join for the performance of both rhapsodic compositions, and the concert also incorporates selections from the work of Duke Ellington in a nod to another influence on Kapustin. Meanwhile, another rhapsody will be introduced to the world at this concert, Argentine composer Ariel Pirotti’s Tango Rhapsody, a work for violin and orchestra that will feature violinist Holly Nelson (10/26)
• Isidore String Quartet — A Terrace Theater debut from this New York City-based ensemble, winner of the 14th Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2022, exploring the complicated maze of human compassion and love in a program centered around Billy Childs’ String Quartet No. 3 “Unrequited” and its examination into the grieving process as it relates to one-sided love, and with Mozart’s String Quartet No. 19 “Dissonance” and Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 12 offering additional insight (10/30)
• Kennedy Center Chamber Players — Chamber music classics performed by titled musicians of the NSO (11/3)
• Nadine Sierra, soprano — Hailed as one of the most promising young talents in opera today, already something of a fixture at many of the top houses in the world, Sierra next steps into the spotlight courtesy of the Renée Fleming VOICES cabaret series at the Kennedy Center (11/10)
• Michael Yeung, percussion — Young Concert Artists presents a debut program exploring the vast percussion musical canon, with Yeung singling out Georges Aperghis’ Le corps à​​ corps as a particular highlight by virtue of the composer’s “blending of musical theater and performance art [that] will surely captivate you.” Violinist CheeYun will also appear as a guest artist (11/14)
• PostClassical Ensemble: Legends of Brazil — A bicentennial celebration honoring 200 years of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Brazil, this program provides a panoramic view of Brazilian concert music, mixing in some of the earliest works by Brazilian-native composers, a world-premiere commission by André Mehmari, one of Brazil’s leading classical figures today, a set of popular Brazilian songs performed by locally based Elin Melgarejo, and chamber music featuring Latin Grammy-nominated violist Tatjana Mead Chamis (11/19-20)
• Imani Winds and Harlem Quartet — A Fortas Chamber Music Concert with A.B. Spellman, orator (11/21)
• Curtis Institute of Music — Students from the prestigious school perform Franz Schubert’s Octet in F Major as well as premiere a new Kennedy Center co-commission in a program also featuring violinist Jennifer Koh and clarinetist Anthony McGill (11/21)
• Jasper String Quartet — The latest concert from Philadelphia-based ensemble will likely live up to the hype about the group’s compelling, thought-provoking performances. The group will highlight three string quartets by composers as different as Ludwig von Beethoven, William Grant Still, and Vivian Fung, while noting the similarities, chief among these the way all three composers managed to create a complete musical story, in fits and starts, through distinctly characterful movements. The thought-provoking takeaway for concertgoers, to quote an official note from the group, is “to embrace the twists and turns that complete our lives and look for treasures in the small corners of our experiences” (12/5)
• Key’mon Murrah, countertenor — The latest recipient of the esteemed Marian Anderson Vocal Award performs a recital presented by Washington National Opera (12/17)
• Ludong University College of Arts: Hopeful Harmony — Violinist Fei Tong makes her Kennedy Center debut helping to highlight China’s vibrant ethnocultural diversity through the performance of contemporary works inspired by eight different ethnic groups making their home, not always easily, across the massive East Asian country, including the persecuted Uyghurs and Kazakhs. The program also features soprano Canjingling Cui and pianist Baoqi Zhu, plus commentary by musicologist Jessica Ray King (12/18)
• Miró Quartet — Lauded, high-profile chamber group closing in on its 30th anniversary performs a new string quartet written for the ensemble by Caroline Shaw, and described by Miró as an “evocative mixture of spoken text and instrumental sound [that] inspires the listener to hear the images and feel the textures in the music.” At this Fortas Chamber Music Concert, Shaw’s Microfictions [Volume 1] will be framed by works of Hadyn and late Beethoven putting Shaw’s bold new style in context (12/19)
• Kennedy Center Chamber Players (1/19/25)
• Jamie Barton, mezzo-soprano, Matthew Lipman, viola, and Tamar Sanikidze, piano — Barton, the “proudly queer” opera star, joins with two other “world-class musicians” to form a Millennial trio and recital of works by Clara Schumann and Brahms, plus the premiere of a new Music Accord Commission from composer Joel Thompson (1/30/25)

NATIONAL CHAMBER ENSEMBLE

703-685-7590
www.nationalchamberensemble.org

• Hungarian Musical Masterpieces — Virginia-based group opens a new season, focused on “some of the favorite chamber works of all time,” with a program celebrating the distinctive folk song-inflected classical style that characterizes much of the Hungarian repertoire, including works by famed composers Bela Bartok, Ernst von Dohnanyl, and Franz Liszt. Leonid Sushansky, the ensemble’s founding artistic director, dons his other hat as an acclaimed violinist for a performance as a trio with cellist Steven Honigberg and pianist Carlos Cesar Rodriguez (11/9, Gunston Arts Center, Theater 1)
• Holiday Cheer! — A festive program mixing fine classical masterpieces with holiday favorites, concluding carols sing-along. Soprano Sharon Christman and the Outstanding Young Artist String Competition winners will join the ensemble for the program (12/14, Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington)
• Love at the Cinema — A Valentine’s Day-themed program rooted in the ensemble performing selections from celebrated romantic film scores joined by professional dancers working to heighten the romantic mood through choreography and direction by the renowned Lucy Bowen McCauley (2/15/25, Gunston Arts Center)

NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC

Music Center at Strathmore
5301 Tuckerman Lane
North Bethesda, Md.
301-581-5100
www.nationalphilharmonic.org

• Rachmaninoff Festival — A celebration of the recent 150th anniversary of Sergei Rachmaninoff, and particularly the “virtuosity, passion, and timeless beauty” that characterizes his work as both a performer and a composer, is the focus of the opening salvo of the Philharmonic’s 40th season. The Peabody Conservatory’s Joseph Young makes his NatPhil debut as guest conductor, joined by three acclaimed virtuoso pianists well-versed in the composer’s works. The program includes: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini featuring Russian émigré Oleg Volkov; Piano Concerto No. 1 featuring Daniil Trifonov, a more recent Russian émigré who has already garnered three Grammy nominations and one win as a prolific recording musician, and whose output includes Rachmaninov Variations, a 2016 release that includes his take on the same First Piano Concerto; and Piano Concerto No. 3 featuring Sergei Babayan, an émigré from the former Soviet Union and native of Armenia who has established himself as a particularly influential teacher and mentor, with Trifonov one of his former students who has gone on to become a frequent collaborator (9/14)
• Verdi’s Requiem — A full-scale production of this Italian masterpiece is a feat worthy of celebrating in and of itself, but this production deserves even more applause since it also kicks off a new partnership with the choral organization Cantate. In addition to both celebrating their 40th anniversary, the two organizations are also linked by Guest Conductor Victoria Gua, who formerly served as NatPhil associate conductor and is now the recently appointed artistic director of Cantate (11/23)
• Handel’s Messiah — Anthony Blake Clark joins to guest conduct the annual tradition and ultimate holiday classic this year, with a production that features a reunion of the same starry vocal lineup that helped reinvigorate the proceedings last year, including soprano Aundi Marie Moore, the 2023 Sphinx Medal of Excellence honoree, mezzo-soprano Lucia Bradford, tenor Norman Shankle, and baritone Jorell Williams, along with the returning Baltimore Choral Arts Society (12/21-22, Strathmore; 12/23, Capital One Hall, Tysons, Va.)

NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

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

• Echoes of America: Music of Carlos Simon, Aaron Copland & Jessie Montgomery — One-night-only premiere performance of Here I Stand: Paul Robeson by Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence Simon with librettist Dan Harder, a co-commission with the Washington Chorus (9/14)
• Mo @ the NSO — This NSO Family Concert offers the world premiere of a one-of-a-kind program from author/illustrator Mo Willems using music and storytelling to take kids (and former kids) on a journey of symphonic delights, with Enrico Lopez-Yañez conducting the orchestra plus guests including vocalists Aaron Reeder, Rayanne Gonzales, and Christopher Mueller and percussionist Bonnie Whiting (9/21-22)
• Season Opening Gala Concert: Noseda Conducts Ravel, Bonis & Carlos Simon | Yunchan Lim Plays Rachmaninoff — Lim, touted as classical music’s “newest rock star,” makes his NSO debut performing Rachmaninoff’s sweeping Piano Concerto No. 2 as part of a dynamic concert led by NSO Music Director Gianandrea Noseda also featuring Simon’s celebratory Four Black American Dances (9/28)
• Noseda Conducts Beethoven’s Fifth — Carlos Simon’s Four Black American Dances is one enticement itself, and for that matter, the same is true of Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs in a performance featuring acclaimed soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen. Yet what really seals the deal in making this Noseda-led concert a “must” is the chance to hear Ludwig van Beethoven’s colossal crowd-pleaser in full flower, taking in every note of the imaginative, wide-ranging, and gloriously bombastic work, and hearing the most famous four-note opening in history ring out in the Concert Hall (10/3-5)
• Noseda Conducts Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben | Leif Ove Andsnes Plays Beethoven’s “Emperor” — Drama abounds in this program split between Richard Strauss’s sumptuous, sonic self-portrait and Beethoven’s fifth and final, grandeur-filled piano concerto brought to life by Andsnes, exactly one decade after the Norwegian pianist recorded his take on the “Emperor” (10/10-13)
• Strauss’ Capriccio with Renée Fleming | Noseda Conducts Brahms’ First — Fleming, the acclaimed soprano and Kennedy Center Artistic Advisor at Large, joins the NSO for selections from Strauss’s operatic masterpiece about love and artistic discovery, on the same bill as a performance of the “tender, towering masterwork of emotion” Symphony No. 1 by Johannes Brahms (10/17-19)
• NSO Family Concert: Halloween Spooktacular (10/27)
• Noseda Conducts Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique” | Alexei Ogrintchouk Plays Raskatov’s Time’s River — Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique” is “a force to be reckoned with,” one that, to further quote the official NSO description, “is a veritable declaration of forbidden love shrouded in mystery.” Noseda leads this impassioned program also including a suite from Prokofiev and the NSO co-commission of Alexander Raskatov’s Oboe Concerto – Time’s River featuring Alexei Ogrintchouk (10/31-11/2)
• Leonard Slatkin & Emanuel Ax — Former NSO Music Director Slatkin returns to guest conduct the NSO as a special treat for his 80th birthday, joined by seven-time Grammy-winning pianist Ax for a sure-to-be spellbinding riff on Mozart’s fierce and far-reaching Piano Concerto No. 20. The program concludes with William Walton’s evolving and eventually triumph Symphony No. 1 (11/14-17)
• Alexandra Dovgan Plays Schumann’s Piano Concerto | Marek Janowski Conducts Bruckner’s Fourth — Six years after winning the Grand Piano Competition when she was only 10 years of age, Dovgan is now a teenage piano phenomenon with sold-out concerts worldwide, and she joins the NSO as a featured guest performing Schumann’s Piano Concerto on a deeply romantic program with Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4 “Romantic.” (11/21-23)
• A Holiday Pops! — Steven Reineke, the pops conductor extraordinaire, seems to run on an endless supply of holiday cheer every year during this annual to-do, and he spreads it far and wide around the Concert Hall, too, even though he barely moves from the podium. He’s just that good. This year, the gesticulator par excellence and the NSO will be joined by special guests the Heritage Signature Chorale and Broadway sensation Jessica Vosk, known from a Wicked star turn as Elphaba. Not to mention a likely surprise visit from — spoiler alert! — Santa (12/6-7)
• Masaaki Suzuki Conducts Handel’s Messiah — The ultimate celebration of holiday joy returns with the NSO under the baton of Suzuki, joined by a stellar cast of soloists including soprano Jone Martínez, countertenor Reginald Mobley, tenor Lunga Eric Hallam, and bass-baritone Dashon Burton (12/19-22)
• NSO Music for Young Audiences: Old MacDonald’s Symphony (1/18/25-1/19/25)

SOUNDS OF US FESTIVAL

The REACH
202-467-4600
www.kennedy-center.org

Violinist and Fortas Chamber Music Concerts Artistic Director Jennifer Koh created and curated this immersive new music festival, in part to provide a new way to enjoy music as a community, “unrestricted by genre or exclusivity.” Through the festival, taking place in areas of the Kennedy Center’s The REACH, over 40 commissions of new works from musicians and visual artists will premiere, the bulk of them through a series of four concerts highlighting the steps toward establishing a career as a musician. To Begin the pursuit — The debut concert offers a showcase of young talent, including students of the National Symphony Orchestra Youth Fellowship, who will have the honor of performing world premieres by Linda May Han Oh, Anthony Cheung, and Hilary Purrington. To Believe in the dream — The second concert focuses on young musicians and rising generations of musicians with a program featuring world premieres by Alyssa Weinberg, Trevor Weston, and composition students of The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Program, all performed by Weston Sprott, Javier Gándara, and Juilliard Pre-College students. To Become what one envisions — Graduate and current college students are featured in the third Sounds of US concert offering world premieres by David Ludwig and Nina C. Young, performed by students of The Juilliard School. To Be in the life of a working musician — The final concert focuses on today’s music leaders, with world premieres by Carlos Simon and Vijay Iyer performed by Jennifer Koh and some of todays’ top professional artists (Studio K); In between the four mainstage concerts the festival will offer free ongoing performances, including opportunities for anyone to join in the music-making (11/16)

STRATHMORE

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

• Njioma Grevious, violin — A recital from up-and-coming Black artist, a featured performer in the Sphinx Soloist Program who has been showered with awards since graduating from The Juilliard School (9/26, Mansion)
• Annapolis Symphony Orchestra: Pasajes (Passages) — Season 63 of this Maryland orchestra launches with a concert promising “a musical journey from the enlightenment to modern times,” including the work that gives the concert its title and reflects and evokes Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Tania León’s childhood in Cuba. The journey continues with William Grant Still’s Symphony No. 1, also known as his “Afro-American Symphony,” which explores the Black musical idioms of traditional jazz, blues, and spirituals, elements of which are incorporated into the work. The concert also honors Jose-Luis Novo’s 20th year as ASO artistic director and conductor, and welcomes pianist Brian Ganz for a performance of Mozart’s vibrant and elegant Piano Concerto No. 23 (10/6, Music Center)
• Sarah Cahill, piano — She’s a music conservatory teacher and an NPR music show host in addition to being a prolific recording artist and touring musician and soloist. All that plus her dedicated commitment and advocacy for contemporary and women composers explains why Cahill has, as NPR Music has put it, “near-godlike-status among fans of contemporary classical music” (10/31, Mansion)
• Ars Gratia Populi: Renaissance Christmas — WIth a Latin name that translates as “art for the people’s sake,” this vocal sextet, led by All-Ireland champion singer Kevin Elam, “combines the technical excellence of a chamber choir with the relaxed, accessible presentation of a folk group” (12/12, Mansion)
• Salute to Vienna: New Year’s Concert — A joyful experience and holiday tradition for more than 20 years, this musical celebration draws inspiration from the Austrian capital’s famed Neujahrskonzert with Strauss waltzes, polkas, and operetta excerpts. The Strauss Symphony of America presents the annual American spinoff with a new cast and musical program every year, further enlivened by professional dancers from the worlds of ballet and ballroom (12/29, Music Center)

VOCAL ARTS DC

Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
202-669-1463
www.vocalartsdc.org

• Lunga Eric Hallam, tenor, and Craig Terry, piano — Vocal Arts presents a recital featuring the budding opera star, a native of South Africa, still in the early stages of a career that has recently registered debuts at the Chicago Symphony and Wolf Trap Opera in addition to a string of roles at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Expect a captivating blend of African and American folk songs and timeless classics from the Italian tenor repertoire, all performed with the Grammy-winning pianist and arranger and a director at Chicago’s Lyric (11/18)
• Samantha Hankey, mezzo soprano, and Myra Huang, pianist — A dusky-voiced singer increasingly in-demand at leading opera companies around the world offers a recital accompanied by another young artist on the verge and centered around Hankey’s sweet spot of German lieder by virtue of Dichterliebe (A Poet’s Love). The genre’s signature set of 16 cathartic songs was composed by Robert Schumann as a way to process the sense of sorrow and despair that overwhelmed him during those hours of the day when he was separated from his new bride Clara (1/14/25)

WASHINGTON BACH CONSORT

202-429-2121
www.bachconsort.org

• Bach’s St. Matthew Passion — Considered by Bach aficionados as Johan Sebastian Bach’s greatest surviving work, and maybe even “the finest composition ever produced in western music, this epic drama, a work of deep emotional expression in its minute detail, is performed by the Consort once every three seasons in a concert with a cast of 10 vocal soloists and the National Children’s Chorus this round (9/21, St. Mark’s Capitol Hill, 301 A St. SE; 9/22, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 4900 Connecticut Ave. NW)
• Noontime Cantata Series — Now in its 36th season, this free monthly showcase of Bach’s masterful works for organ, performed by a rotating cast of instrumentalists (10/1, Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G St. NW; 11/4-5, Church of the Epiphany)
• In Love With Night — An enchanting Chamber Series evening guided by a handful of vocal and instrumental soloists through music by French and English baroque masters, including Jean-Philippe Rameau and Henry Purcell, touching on legends and themes from classical mythology (10/18, Live! at 10th & G; 10/19, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 228 S. Pitt St., Alexandria)
• Motet Mania — After last season’s concert playing through the complete set of Bach motets, the WBC Chorus now offers a Director’s Series program exploring the history of this diverse type of vocal composition, from the earliest works dating to the late-medieval music period of the 13th Century, to present-day varieties from contemporary classical composers. The Chorus will focus its performance on nearly two dozen motets from composers including Mendelssohn, Brahms, Poulenc, Machaut, Dufay, Sheppard, Purcell, and Hailstork (10/27, National Presbyterian Church, 1317 G St. NW)
• The Christmas Story: Bach’s Christmas Oratorio Parts 1, 2, 3, and 6 — A star vocal cast performs Bach’s timeless retelling of the Nativity drama that has also become something of the organization’s signature work, with this year’s roster featuring Nola Richardson, soprano, Meg Bragle, alto, Gene Stenger, tenor and Evangelist, and Paul Max Tipton, bass (12/15, Music Center at Strathmore)

THE WASHINGTON CHORUS

202-342-6221
www.thewashingtonchorus.org

• NSO: Echoes of America — The first major area chorus founded independently of a church or college, this preeminent local choral institution joins the National Symphony Orchestra for the one-night-only premiere of Here I Stand: Paul Robeson, a co-commissioned oratorio by Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence Carlos Simon and librettist Dan Harder featuring bass-baritone Morris Robinson. Artistic Director Eugene Rogers leads both organizations in a full program of songs and stories celebrating and challenging the American narrative, from Jessie Montgomery’s revolutionary anthem Banner to selections from Aaron Copland’s Billy the Kid and Old American Songs (9/14, Kennedy Center Concert Hall)
• A Candlelight Christmas — The organization’s 63rd season continues with the 15th anniversary of its annual holiday treat, a family-friendly concert with the full, 220-voice chorus joined by the National Capital Brass and Percussion as well as guest artist Suzzette Ortiz and “side-by-side high school choirs” (12/14, Music Center at Strathmore; 12/15, 12/21-22, Kennedy Center Concert Hall)

WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN PHILHARMONIC

101 Callahan Drive
Alexandria, Va.
703-799-8229
www.wmpamusic.org

• Fantastical Explorations — Billed as “a musical journey through the whimsical realms of imagination,” the opening concert in the Philharmonic’s 53rd season sets the stage with female composer Dan Wei’s The Dancing Moonlight showcasing the rich tapestry of orchestral colors, and from there the orchestra, under the baton of music director Anna Binneweg, explores the emotional depths of fantasy through Leoš Janáček’s “Symphony Fantasy” from his opera Jenůfa, and then aims to evoke a sense of playful enchantment via Josef Suk’s innovative and expressive Scherzo Fantastique. The program concludes with Philip Glass’s mesmerizing Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpanists and Orchestra featuring Glenn Paulson and Scott Christian in a display of their virtuosity and also the concerto’s dazzling rhythmic intensity and prowess (10/6)
• Holiday Dreams — This year’s holiday concert comes in three parts, two of which serve as programmatic bookends of Duke Ellington’s remarkable reimagining of the Nutcracker Suite, bolstering Tchaikovsky’s classic jaunty melodies with bold, jazz-inflected riffs and flourishes and adding a heightened sense of exuberance and nostalgia. The seasonal celebration starts with Grace-Evangeline Mason’s The Imagined Forest, weaving together melodies evoking the spirit of the holidays, and concludes with a selection of holiday choral works performed with the Alexandria Choral Society (12/8)

WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA

Kennedy Center
Opera House
202-295-2400
www.kennedy-center.org

• Fidelio — Beethoven’s only opera opens the new WNO season honoring the grand tradition of the artform, and this new production, directed by Artistic Director Francesca Zambello, also marks Zambello’s her first collaboration with new Music Director Designate Robert Spano. Irish soprano Sinéad Campbell Wallace makes her American debut to lead a cast also featuring New Orleans-born tenor Jamez McCorkle and Australian bass-baritone, both in their WNO debuts, plus opera star Denyce Graves (10/25-11/4)
• Gods and Mortals: A Celebration of Wagner — Richard Wagner’s revolutionary music is the focus of this fully staged concert with video productions and featuring “two of the most important Wagnerian singers,” Christine Goerke and Brandon Jovanovich, plus members of Cafritz Young Artists and the WNO Orchestra led by Spano (10/26)
• Macbeth — Étienne Dupuis takes on the titular role in a new production of Verdi’s first Shakespearean opera also featuring Ewa Plonka as Lady Macbeth. Brenna Corner directs while Evan Rogister conducts (11/13-23)
• Jungle Book — A world-premiere production retelling the classic Kipling story and featuring music from Eastern and Western traditions composed by Kamala Sankaram with a libretto by Kelley Rourke. Helmed by the all-women leadership team of directors Zambello and Corner and conductor Stephanie Rhodes Russell, the new family opera also incorporates Bollywood dancing with the Indian Classical dance company Taal Academy of Dance, also helmed by a woman, Shuchi Buch (12/13-15, Terrace Theater)

WASHINGTON PERFORMING ARTS

202-785-9727
www.washingtonperformingarts.org

• Tregaron Unplugged — Intimate outdoor concert series featuring exceptional performances by string quartets, vocalists, and unique musical ensembles in the picturesque setting of Tregaron Conservancy, 20 acres of secret gardens, meadows, and ponds located in between Cleveland Park and Woodley Park that once co-owned by Marjorie Merriweather Post before she moved a few miles north to Hillwood. Free registration and full lineup of performers will be available shortly (10/5, Tregaron Conservancy, 3100 Macomb St. NW)
• Sphinx Virtuosi — Emerging percussion soloist Britton-René Collins joins the notable 18-piece Black and Latinx string orchestra for a concert co-presented by the Kennedy Center (10/19, Terrace Theater)
• Tony Siqi Yun, piano — Canadian-born instrumentalist is quickly becoming a sought-after soloist and recitalist, and will make his Washington Performing Arts debut with a varied program of Wagner, Schumann, Beethoven, and Brahms (10/27, Terrace Theater)
• Berliner Philharmoniker — One of the world’s most acclaimed orchestras, dating to 1882, returns to Washington after a 21-year absence as the first stop on a U.S. tour conducted by Kirill Petrenko. Hilary Hahn joins in a performance of Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s cinematic Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, on a program of works by Rachmaninoff, Dvořák, and Beethoven (11/15, Kennedy Center Concert Hall)
• Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra — World-renowned for its robust musical prowess and exceptional musical versatility, Amsterdam-based ensemble returns to Washington for a program conducted by 28-year-old Finnish phenomenon Klaus Mäkelä, the incoming music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. On the program is a Rachmaninoff symphony, a Prokofiev violin concerto, and a new work by Ellen Reid, the Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer and groundbreaking sound artist behind Wolf Trap SOUNDWALK and related series (11/24, Kennedy Center Concert Hall)
• Living the Dream…Singing the Dream — The 37th annual choral tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., co-presented with the Choral Arts Society of Washington (2/2/25, Kennedy Center Concert Hall)

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