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Can’t attend in person?

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.

A young girl embarks on a quest to save her father after he’s struck by the “Big Bad Sickness of the Sea.” Come along on this enchanting musical journey about facing fears, embracing emotions, and believing in yourself.

Recommended for grades 1-6

Enjoy an insider’s look at our companies as they prepare onstage for performance. Love fuels a revolution in Beethoven’s monumental, sole opera. If his “Ode to Joy” declares the universal triumph of peace over war, then his Fidelio is an inspiring ode to love’s transcendent power over tyranny.

Recommended for grades 9-12

Equal parts interactive science, comedy, and personal empowerment messages, Doktor Kaboom returns to explore real-life mental and emotional pressures in a hilarious and educational new show.

Recommended for grades 3-6

Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique” Symphony is a force to be reckoned with; a veritable declaration of forbidden love shrouded in mystery. This impassioned program also features Prokofiev’s evocative Summer Night Suite and Time’s River, an NSO co-commission by Alexander Raskatov. Outstanding Moscow-born oboist Alexei Ogrintchouk takes center stage for Raskatov’s new concerto, described as “a hymn to nature in resonance with our time.”

Recommended for grades 7-12

Go on a magical journey through the Land of Percussion to see and hear different percussion instruments with D.C.-based musician Uncle Devin. Through this interactive musical experience, school children and educators will discover the history of percussion and move to the beat of funky drums, Go-Go, and more.

Recommended for grades K-5

Enjoy an insider’s look at our companies as they prepare onstage for performance. Verdi meets Shakespeare for a bloody showdown of power and greed.

Recommended for grades 9-12

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.

Recommended for grades 6-12

Following a decade touring the world as one of the most successful magic shows in history, the Champions Of Magic team is back with an explosive all-new show featuring thrilling and mind-bending illusions. Combining their signature humor with groundbreaking magic, this team of illusionists presents a brand-new production unlike anything that has come before.

Recommended for grades 9-12

From the creator of Doc McStuffins and Vampirina, Finn is filled with quirky sea creature characters and catchy tunes. Hilarious and heartwarming, this world premiere musical chronicles the coming-of-age journey of a young shark following his dreams.

Recommended for grades K-5

A “revelation” at the 2018 Grand Piano Competition where she stormed to victory at the age of 10, Alexandra Dovgan has become a teenage piano phenomenon with sold-out concerts worldwide. Witness her extraordinary talent in a performance of Schumann’s masterwork, considered the ultimate romantic piano concerto. Marek Janowski returns to lead the composer’s shimmering Symphony No. 4.

Recommended for grades 7-12

Full of warmth and holiday cheer, George Balanchine’s beloved classic The Nutcracker returns in a whimsical production from Philadelphia Ballet (formerly Pennsylvania Ballet). Marvel at the magic of swirling snowflakes, dancing candy canes, and enchanted toys.

Recommended for grades 6-12

BalletX is Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet lauded for producing nearly 130 world premiere ballets by over 70 choreographers from around the world. The acclaimed company returns with works by Justin Peck, Jodie Gates, Takehiro Ueyama, and Matthew Neenan.

Recommended for grades 6-12

Enjoy an insider’s look at our companies as they prepare onstage for performance. Our colorful family opera steps into the jungle to find courage and friendship.

Recommended for grades 4-6

Created by the Emmy Award®–winning writer from Schitt’s Creek, this hilarious new musical flips the script on the greatest love story ever told. & Juliet asks: What would happen next if Juliet didn’t end it all over Romeo? Get whisked away on a fabulous journey as she ditches her famous ending for a fresh beginning and a second chance at life and love—her way.

Recommended for grades 9-12

Based on the novel that sold more than 15 million copies and became a worldwide phenomenon, Life of Pi is an epic story of perseverance and hope that speaks to every generation and “gives new life to Broadway” (The Today Show). After a shipwreck in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a 16-year-old boy named Pi survives on a lifeboat with four companions—a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and a Royal Bengal tiger.

Recommended for grades 9-12

Young Yeila dreams of being a superstar, but she struggles with awful stage fright. Watch as she begins to find her roots, gain confidence, and be her amazing self in this dynamic participation play written and performed by Paige Hernandez with music by Nick Tha 1da.

Recommended for grades K-5

SHAPESHIFT presents powerful stories of friendship through interconnected vignettes, exploring themes of social injustice, sexual identity, addiction, and betrayal. Nine accomplished dancers combine hip hop with contemporary dance to illuminate the human experience.

Recommended for grades 4-12

Outstanding Mexican artists treat the audience to timeless classics and stirring new music. Jorge Federico Osorio, hailed as “an imaginative interpreter with a powerful technique” (New York Times), takes on Beethoven’s intensely energetic Piano Concerto No. 3. Rachmaninoff’s lush and lively Symphonic Dances come alive under the baton of Carlos Miguel Prieto—who returns following his “revolutionary,” “high-octane” 2018 NSO debut (Washington Classical Review).

Recommended for grades 6-12

The whole farmyard is getting ready for a hoedown—but it needs your help! Presented in collaboration with Teller Productions and developed specifically for toddlers, this immersive show features puppets, storytellers, and a string quartet from the National Symphony Orchestra.

Recommended for grades preK-2

With its dazzling hybrid of western ballet and Chinese culture, National Ballet of China returns to thrill audiences with its luminous fusion of traditions, telling the story of a family’s Chinese New Year celebration—set to Tchaikovsky’s treasured Nutcracker score.

Recommended for grades 6-12

Comprised of National Symphony Orchestra musicians, the Last Stand Quartet performs a lively program linking the ways in which math is present in all music-making, creating music to move to and engage with on a deeper level.

Recommended for grades K-5

Nite Bjuti (pronounced “night beauty”) is a woman-led improvisatory trio of vocalist Candice Hoyes, Grammy®–winning sound chemist Val Jeanty, and bassist Mimi Jones. Their improvised electro acoustic performances move through grooves into freedom. According to the New York Times, “spirit, conjure, necromancy, and memory seem to be some of the grounding ideas behind Nite Bjuti’s stunning, fully improvised sound.”

Recommended for grades 8-12

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

This National Symphony Orchestra rehearsal will give students a glimpse into the life of orchestral musicians and provide the opportunity to hear great music as it is being rehearsed for opening night. This special concert features Cody Fry’s genre-bending fusion of pop and cinematic symphonic music, pop-rock group LANY, and indie band Sleeping At Last.

Recommended for grades 7-12

Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novel Crime and Punishment is a devastatingly modern psychological thriller that provided choreographer Helen Pickett and director James Bonas with a startling source for a ballet. Watch as striking movement depicts a young man’s journey towards redemption.

Recommended for grades 6-12

This whimsical superhero adventure, based on Navajo creation legend, follows the journey of celestial siblings. Writer and co-director Rhiana Yazzie and co-director Steven Paul Judd offer a funny and thought-provoking world premiere play that challenges us to look at heroism through a new lens.

Recommended for grades 2-6

Enjoy an insider’s look at our National Symphony Orchestra and Music Director, Gianandrea Noseda as they prepare onstage for performance. Discover Debussy’s delightful Images for orchestra; and Ravel’s sultry slow-burn Boléro, with its sensuously hypnotic theme building to volcanic climax. Also on the program: Rota’s lively Trombone Concerto—performed by NSO Principal Trombone Craig Mulcahy—and Decisamente allegro by Nicola Campogrande.

Recommended for grades 8-12

Since Riverdance first emerged onto the world stage, its Grammy Award®–winning fusion of Irish and international dance and music has captured the hearts of millions. Now the show is embarking on a special anniversary tour, bringing its magic to audiences worldwide.

Recommended for grades 6-12

Bring the whole family to enjoy smart, crafty lyrics with irresistibly fresh pop beats. Performing in Spanish and English, the award-winning Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band is on the pulse of all things kids’ music.

Recommended for grades K-5

Critics call Leonidas Kavakos’ interpretations of Shostakovich “utterly compelling.” Witness the magic live as the superstar Greek violinist returns to perform Shostakovich’s explosive, unpredictable Violin Concerto No. 2. To close, Stravinsky’s striking ballet score Petrushka dazzles with vivid colors, irresistible rhythms, incandescent brass and winds…a rich bouquet of assorted, ear-rousing moments!

Recommended for grades 6-12

Wildly relevant and bitingly funny, Eureka Day comes to the Kennedy Center in an exclusive engagement direct from the Manhattan Theatre Club on Broadway! Eureka Day has been hailed by the Guardian as an “impeccably polished satire” and an “engrossing and textured show.”

Recommended for grades 9-12

Watch what happens when a terrible, not-so-scary monster meets the most scaredy-cat kid. Using hundreds of illustrated paper puppets, book pages, two-dimensional props, furry monster puppets, and songs, Manual Cinema brings Mo Willems’ books to life.

Recommended for grades K-6

Through this dance educative session, a younger audience will get a unique opportunity to see in real time Malavika Sarukkai, one of the legends of Indian classical dance, perform and speak. The artist will present with two performing musicians on stage excerpts from the production BEEJA - EARTH SEED, to be premiered as a full production at the Kennedy Center as part of the festival.

Recommended for grades 8-12

Students will enjoy a dynamic presentation by 5th grade students from different parts of the world who spent the past year becoming “mission experts” on NASA’s Earth-observing missions. Learn how they used technology in space to make observations about our earth’s climate and weather and how they exchanged their research findings across continents.

Recommended for grade 5

Seeing our species within this grand landscape—a brief but brilliant moment in the cosmic unfolding—instills a deep appreciation for all we’ve accomplished so far, as well as a renewed sense of unity and excitement as we contemplate the future. Starry Night: A Voyage Across Space and Time is a dramatic and paradigm-shifting journey across the cosmos.

Recommended for grades 7-12

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

Grammy Award®–winning and internationally recognized artist Falu introduces children to the wonders of the world. Her “ethereal and transcendent” (Billboard) songs take families on musical journeys through South Asia and the day-to-day of a child’s wonder.

Recommended for grades K-5

Enjoy an insider’s look at our companies as they prepare onstage for performance. The Grammy®–winning opera explores the life, death, and obsession of an innovator.

Recommended for grades 9-12

Help a stranded astronaut find her way home in this innovative new puppet show. Internationally acclaimed company Alex and Olmsted presents this Jim Henson Foundation grant-awarded production with music from the Voyager Golden Record.

Recommended for grades 2-12

With Noseda at the helm, Lisa Batiashvili’s performances of Schnittke’s postmodern, genre-defying Violin Concerto No. 1 are “full of fire, imbued with the spirit of discovery…” evoking “the sense that anything could happen.” Now, D.C. audiences have a chance to experience the “fantasy and fury… a performance to cherish” (Classical Explorer). To close, Shostakovich’s revolutionary Symphony No. 4 unleashes a wild, riveting, glorious assault on the senses.

Recommended for grades 6-12

What happens when a book character won’t stay in their place? Come find out in this fun and exciting nonverbal puppet show by Terrapin Puppet Theatre from Tasmania. With striking visuals, brilliant puppetry, dynamic music, and playful sound effects, Terrapin weaves a heartwarming tale of determination, friendship, and the courage to follow your own path.

Recommended for grades K-3

With an Afro-futuristic vibe and a steam-punk look, Minty Fresh Circus celebrates the power of Black music and movement. Witness a range of spectacular circus and dance skills sourced from the African Diaspora, including vernacular dance, Lindy, hip hop, and more.

Recommended for all ages

Enjoy an insider’s look at our companies as they prepare onstage for performance. Gershwin’s “Great American Opera” marries jazz, blues, and gospel.

Recommended for grades 10-12

Interested in other teaching and learning materials?

Check out the Kennedy Center’s extensive Digital Resources Library for art-related classroom lessons, media, and activities.

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.

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. 

KCTYA on Tour productions reveals new worlds of excitement, education, and entertainment.

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 another season of free opera broadcasts by joining Washington National Opera at Nationals Park for Puccini’s Turandot on Saturday, August 24 at 6:30 p.m. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. for pre-opera activities!

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.