Information about the 2024-25 Performances for School Groups will be available by early September.
Click “Register” for additional information about each program’s dates and times. Learning Guide resources are made available approximately two weeks before the event; they provide context, prompts, and educational support for the programs you will experience.
The registration form includes the “Get on the Bus” scholarship application. This program is for Title I schools to attend one Kennedy Center school performance by providing support, including tickets and transportation.
Check out our growing collection of on-demand virtual performances, presentations, and events. The virtual performances are part of the Kennedy Center’s extensive Digital Resources Library which also features arts-related classroom lessons, media, and activities.
October 6, 2023 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Gianandrea Noseda takes the audience on a vivid tour of Rome, the Eternal City! Don’t miss this unforgettable celebration of the National Symphony Orchestra Music Director’s rich heritage through the genius of his countryman.
Recommended for grades 7-12
October 13-30, 2023 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Washington, D.C.-area native, New York Times best-selling author, and Kennedy Center Next 50 leader Jason Reynolds’ award-winning book, which explores 10 tales of what happens after the dismissal bell rings, becomes an exciting world premiere in this co-production with Theater Alliance.
Recommended for grades 5-12
The October 20, 2023 performance is cancelled.
Dynamic concerto meets animated film! Follow a magical Sprite as it embarks on a musical journey through the inner workings of an orchestra—all set to live music from members of the NSO.
Recommended for grades 3-6
October 24, 2023 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Enjoy an insider’s look at our companies as they prepare onstage for performance. Fighter-pilot Jess grapples with her own battle: the moral implications and psychological effects of virtual warfare. This world premiere by Jeanine Tesori is based on the award-winning play by George Brant and co-produced with the Metropolitan Opera.
Recommended for grades 11-12
November 2, 2023 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Enjoy an insider’s look at our companies as they prepare onstage for performance. Star-crossed lovers risk it all in Gounod’s passionate tragedy featuring soaring music and exquisite duets.
Recommended for grades 7-12
November 3, 2023 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Revel in the heart-wrenching drama of Brahms’ “visionary masterpiece,” ranked sixth among all classical symphonies by the BBC. Guest conductor Gustavo Gimeno leads the program, which also includes a new co-commission by 2022 Kennedy Center Honoree Tania León and Elgar’s emotional Cello Concerto performed by Camille Thomas.
Recommended for grades 7-12
November 6, 2023 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Inspired by Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, this immersive show, presented in collaboration with Teller Productions, will have audience members playing like cats, flying like birds, and engaging with live music all along the way.
Recommended for grades preK-K
November 15, 2023 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Learn how operas are made! This introduction to the art form combines excerpts of WNO’s production with information about music, theater, and the people and technology needed to bring operas to life. Star-crossed lovers risk it all in Gounod’s passionate tragedy featuring soaring music and exquisite duets. The Look-In script is written by Peter Michael Marino.
Recommended for grades 4-8
November 16 – December 14, 2023 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Chinese dragon mythology, martial arts, and stunning voices combine in this world premiere musical following an unlikely duo on a daring adventure, inspired by Marcus Yi’s heroic story and songs.
Recommended for grades 2 and up
November 22, 2023 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Enjoy an insider’s look at our visiting companies as they prepare onstage for performance. Be swept away in a flurry of holiday magic as Ballet West presents America’s first and longest-running Nutcracker! An American pioneer in the world of dance, the Intermountain West’s preeminent company returns with one of the most visually striking productions of this seasonal family favorite.
Recommended for grades 5-12
December 8, 2023 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Enjoy an insider’s look at our visiting companies as they prepare onstage for performance. The hit family opera returns for the holidays, based on the award-winning children’s book and featuring music from Tony®-winning composer Jeanine Tesori.
Recommended for grades 4-6
December 12-13, 2023 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Girl From the North Country is the Tony Award®–winning new musical that the Chicago Tribune declares is “a Broadway revelation!” It’s 1934 in Duluth, Minnesota. We meet a group of wayward travelers whose lives intersect in a guesthouse filled with music, life, and hope. Experience this “profoundly beautiful” production (The New York Times) brought to vivid life by an extraordinary company of actors and musicians.
Recommended for grades 9-12
January 10-12 & 16, 2024 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Education Artist-in-Residence Jacqueline Woodson’s simple yet powerful book comes to life in a dance piece from choreographer and Kennedy Center Artistic Advisor for Dance Education Hope Boykin. Don’t miss this special return engagement of the April 2022 Kennedy Center world premiere!
Recommended for grades 2-8
JANUARY 12, 2024 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
NSO Music Director Gianandrea Noseda conducts the NSO in Wagner: The Ring without Words (compiled by Lorin Maazel). All the drama of Wagner’s four operas is here, told through the pure power of the orchestra.
Recommended for grades 7-12
January 18, 2024 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Frozen features the songs you know and love from the original Oscar®-winning film, plus an expanded score with a dozen new numbers by the film’s songwriters, Oscar winner Kristen Anderson-Lopez and EGOT winner Robert Lopez.
Recommended for grades 5-12
Canceled due to inclement weather
Take an “unhurried journey” around the globe through song! Elena Moon Park and Friends perform folk and children’s music from East and Southeast Asia, reimagined to celebrate various musical traditions, languages, styles, and stories.
Recommended for grades preK-3
January 31 – February 9, 2024 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Come along with Raina in this modern-day feminist folktale with music! This captivating journey takes the stage in a world premiere co-commission and co-production with ZACH Theatre.
Recommended for grades 2-8
February 9, 2024 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
For its annual Kennedy Center engagement, the beloved company presents Ailey classics and new works, including Ailey’s signature Revelations.
Recommended for grades 4-8
February 15, 2024 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Don’t miss the electrifying new musical about “the greatest R&B group of all time.” With their signature dance moves and harmonies, The Temptations rose to the top of the charts, and their moving story still resonates five decades later. The show features such iconic hits as “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” and many more.
Recommended for grades 9-12
February 21, 2024 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Enjoy an insider’s look at our visiting companies as they prepare onstage for performance. American Ballet Theatre’s quintessential production of Swan Lake returns to pull D.C. audiences back under its spell. Journey to the enchanted lake, complete with soaring choreography, hauntingly beautiful music, and extravagant sets.
Recommended for grades 7-12
March 7, 2024 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Enjoy an insider’s look at our companies as they prepare onstage for performance. The carefree Parisian nightlife of Offenbach’s La Périchole finds its match—Prohibition-Era New Orleans—in this reimagined, jazz-infused comedy.
Recommended for grades 7-12
March 20-21, 2024 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Dynamic concerto meets animated film! Follow a magical Sprite as it embarks on a musical journey through the inner workings of an orchestra—all set to live music from members of the NSO.
Recommended for grades 3-6
April 5 & 8, 2024 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
This daring double act of classical fun is BACK for more music and mayhem. National Symphony Orchestra musicians—bassist Paul DeNola and violinist Heather LeDoux Green—introduce young audiences to some of the greatest music ever written.
Recommended for grades K-2
April 11, 2024 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
The peaceful village of Bebko is alive with joyous celebrations. Suddenly, under attack, everything changes forever. Three siblings—Leto, Mati, and Tana—must embark on perilous journeys in order to survive. Message In A Bottle is a spectacular new dance-theatre show from five-time Olivier Award nominee Kate Prince, inspired by and set to the iconic hits of 17-time Grammy Award®–winning artist Sting.
Recommended for grades 9-12
April 11, 2024 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Enjoy an insider’s look at our companies as they prepare onstage for performance. Featuring Coleridge-Taylor’s Ballade for Orchestra Op. 33; Childs’ Saxophone Concerto, co-commissioned by the NSO for Steven Banks; and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World.”
Recommended for grades 8-12
April 11-12, 2024 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
On a mission to uplift, connect, and spread the joy of jazz in an engaging way, Swing Makes You Sing! is an award-winning jazz concert for kids ages 2 to 102 by Svetlana & the New York Collective.
Recommended for grades 2-6
April 12, 2024 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Experience the sweeping drama of Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony, inspired by the African American and indigenous music Dvořák encountered during his time in America. Conductor Xian Zhang opens the concert with works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Billy Childs.
Recommended for grades 7-12
May 2-3, 2024 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Celebrate self-love and positivity with Divinity Roxx, a Grammy®-nominated musician, recording artist, and composer. Her upbeat and sunny music is filled with powerful messages that encourage young people to become the best versions of themselves.
Recommended for grades K-5
May 3, 2024 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Manfred Honeck, whose 2020 recording of Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony earned him three Grammy® nominations, presents the gripping unfinished work live to D.C. audiences. NSO Concertmaster Nurit Bar-Josef showcases her “especially beautiful playing… brimming with character” (The Washington Post) in Beethoven’s rarely heard Romances for violin and orchestra.
Recommended for grades 7-12
May 8, 2024 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Enjoy an insider’s look at our companies as they prepare onstage for performance. Love makes a princess stronger in this glorious new production by Francesca Zambello, offering a Turandot for our times.
Recommended for grades 9-12
May 16, 2024 (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
Enjoy an insider’s look at our visiting companies as they prepare onstage for performance. Alonzo King LINES Ballet makes its Kennedy Center debut with an elegant, soulful work created in collaboration with Grammy Award®–winning vocalist Lisa Fischer and Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz Jason Moran, who joins the company to perform live.
Recommended for grades 7-12
Check out the Kennedy Center’s extensive Digital Resources Library for art-related classroom lessons, media, and activities.
Check Ahead for Availability
The Moonshot Studio at the REACH offers activities for people of all ages to explore their artistry, share their creative voice, and learn something new.
Open Daily, Free Admission
An immersive new permanent exhibit on President John F. Kennedy, his connection to the arts, and the national cultural center that would bear his name.
Arts Across America aims to celebrate, connect, and energize communities and, over time, weave a national story about the power of the arts in communities across our country.
Celebrate the 13th season of free opera broadcasts by joining Washington National Opera at Nationals Park for Puccini’s La bohème on Saturday, September 30 at 7 p.m. Gates open at 5 p.m. for pre-opera activities!
KCTYA on Tour productions reveals new worlds of excitement, education, and entertainment.
Through the NSO In-School Ensemble program, musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra, Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, area youth ensembles and others—provide interactive performances and coaching for students K-12 at schools in the metro Washington, D.C. area.
Hands-on fun with instruments! Children (and their parents) have the chance to get up close and personal with the orchestral instruments they will see professionally played on stage.
The National Symphony Orchestra aims to reach a wide audience through its classical subscription series, pops concerts, and one of the country's most extensive educational programs.
Coming to the Kennedy Center Everything you need to know before your visit
Accessibility & Accommodation for patrons and visitors with disabilities
Digital Resources Library Explore and extend arts learning online
Generous support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.
Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation; Annenberg Foundation; the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Bank of America; Bender Foundation, Inc.; Carter and Melissa Cafritz Trust; Carnegie Corporation of New York; DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities; Estée Lauder; Flocabulary; Harman Family Foundation; The Hearst Foundations; the Herb Alpert Foundation; the Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The King-White Family Foundation and Dr. J. Douglas White; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation;
Music Theatre International; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; the National Endowment for the Arts; Newman’s Own Foundation; Nordstrom; Park Foundation, Inc.; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Prince Charitable Trusts; Soundtrap; The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; and Volkswagen Group of America. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts.
The content of these programs may have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education but does not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the federal government.