DECLASSIFIED®: Ben Folds Presents BANKS, Julien Baker & Tiffany Choe
BANKS, Julien Baker, and Tiffany Choe join NSO Artistic Advisor Ben Folds at his next late-night DECLASSIFIED® concert celebrating Pride Month! This Kennedy Center-exclusive “part concert, part party” event defies the traditional symphony presentation by offering great live music—both classical and contemporary—in a laid-back, casual setting. Come early and stay late for a live Drag Salute to Divas, drink specials, and more!
Come early and stay late for a live Drag Salute to Divas, drink specials, and more!
DECLASSIFIED® host and NSO Artistic Advisor Ben Folds welcomes dynamic pop artist BANKS, indie rock star Julien Baker, and acclaimed soprano Tiffany Choe for the next concert in his popular late-night series!
Led by Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke, this Pride-themed “part concert, part party” defies the traditional symphony presentation by offering great live music—both classical and contemporary—in a laid-back, casual setting.
Britten: Theme from The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Britten: “Storm” from Four Sea Interludes Bernstein: “Somewhere” from West Side Story (featuring Tiffany Choe, vocals) Higdon: Blue Cathedral Julien Baker: “Ziptie” (arr. for orchestra by Rob Moose) “Sprained Ankle” (arr. Alex Jacobsen) “Claws in Your Back” (arr. Eric Allen) Tchaikovsky: Theme and Waltz from Swan Lake Banks: “Misunderstood” “Waiting Game” “I Still Love You” “Gemini Feed” (arr. Alex Turley)
Explore BANKS on
BANKS is an American singer, songwriter, producer, poet and director. Her highly anticipated fourth album SERPENTINA, released April 2022, sees the musician enter previously uncharted territory in every sense—from sound to lyrics to visuals, and everything in-between. Releasing her debut album Goddess in September 2014 to critical acclaim and commercial success (the record charted in the top 20 in seven countries including North America) firmly established her sonic signatures: alternative pop inflected with touches of the off- kilter R&B she grew up with.
BANKS returned in 2016 with The Altar, a darker and more intense refraction of the themes she explored on Goddess, also released to widespread praise and multiple top 20 placings in both the U.S. and abroad. For her third album in 2019, she unveiled the exhilarating, synth-heavy lead single “Gimme,” produced by Hudson Mohawke, as the lead single for the aptly titled III, marking yet another step in her progression as an artist with its more experimental production flourishes and more mature lyrical themes.
Following the success of III, she embarked on her biggest tour yet in support of the record, spanning 33 sold-out dates in nine countries. A muse for fashion houses such as Chanel and Dior, she has graced front-row seats at fashion shows and the covers of multiple high-end publications around the world. She has performed at many of the world’s biggest festivals (Coachella, Lollapalooza), at the prestigious Guggenheim in NYC, as well as on multiple late night television shows over the years (Colbert, Kimmel, Meyers).
Explore Julien Baker on
Julien Baker released her third studio album Little Oblivions—featuring the single —on February 26. She says, “Put most simply, I think that ‘Faith Healer’ is a song about vices, both the obvious and the more insidious ways that they show up in the human experience. I started writing this song two years ago and it began as a very literal examination of addiction. For a while, I only had the first verse, which is just a really candid confrontation of the cognitive dissonance a person who struggles with substance abuse can feel—the overwhelming evidence that this substance is harming you, and the counterintuitive but very real craving for the relief it provides. When I revisited the song, I started thinking about the parallels between the escapism of substance abuse and the other various means of escapism that had occupied a similar, if less easily identifiable, space in my psyche.”
“There are so many channels and behaviors that we use to placate discomfort unhealthily which exist outside the formal definition of addiction. I (and so many other people) are willing to believe whomever—a political pundit, a preacher, a drug dealer, an energy healer—when they promise healing, and how that willingness, however genuine, might actually impede healing.”
“Faith Healer” introduces the exhilarating, widescreen musical palette and infectious spirit of risk-taking found on Little Oblivions, a transformative sonic shift from Baker’s more spare and intimate previous work. Baker’s tactile guitar and piano playing are enriched with newfound textures encompassing bass, drums, synthesizers, banjo and mandolin, with nearly all of the instruments performed by Baker. The album weaves unflinching autobiography with assimilated experience and often hard-won observations from the past few years, taking Baker’s capacity for starkly galvanizing storytelling to breathtaking new heights.
Korean-American soprano Tiffany Choe was born and raised in Southern California. A 2023–2024 Cafritz Young Artist has most recently been seen in the American Opera Initiative as Esther in Hairpiece. Earlier in the season she was also seen as The Flamingo in The Lion Unicorn and Me and Juliet in the Young Artist performance of Romeo and Juliet. In 2022–2023, she was an Arizona Opera Pullin Studio Artist. With Arizona Opera she sang Pamina in The Magic Flute and has performed the roles of Najad (Ariadne auf Naxos) and Sister Margaretta (The Sound of Music). Choe was also seen with Indiana University (IU) Opera Theater as Mimì (La bohème) and Magda (La rondine).
PRESHOW! A Drag Salute to Divas
Featuring
Shi-Queeta-Lee Delila B. Lee Kabuki B. Lee Capri Bloomingdale Dorselle Phinn
A Drag Salute to Divas is a revue showcasing the impersonations of the world’s top musical legends including Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Jill Scott, Taylor Swift, and Dolly Parton. The company also produces lip sync stage plays and movie short films to include “The Wiz Twisted,” “Eba- Queeta Scrooge,” Dreamgirls,” and "Waiting To Exhale.” Salute to Divas celebrates diversity and individuality in hopes of inspiring millions to embrace their differences.
Terms and Conditions
All events and artists subject to change without prior notice.
All ticket prices are subject to change based on demand. Purchase early to lock in prices and the best seats!
Strap in for the psychedelic rollercoaster of Symphonie fantastique, Berlioz’s epic fever dream of obsession, ecstasy, tantrums, and wild ambition. The NSO also performs Bryce Dessner’s Mari and Liszt’s scintillating Piano Concerto No. 1 performed by the “one in a million giant of solo piano” Benjamin Grosvenor (The Independent).
Classical music loves a prodigy. Fresh off his multi-album deal with Decca Records, Randall Goosby makes his NSO debut performing Mendelssohn’s masterpiece. Led by Thomas Wilkins, the program also features an inspiring, meditative new work by Anna Clyne and Elgar’s ever-popular Enigma Variations.
Join Gianandrea Noseda on a wild journey into twilight... Composed in a furious burst of inspiration, the Seventh is Mahler at his most mysterious. Indulgent, elusive, and delightfully raw, the Seventh is a problem child for some conductors, but not Noseda. From clanging cowbells and titanic brass to intimate midnight mandolin, Mahler’s glamorous, dusk-to-dawn universe is far beyond this world.
Join us for Sound Health Fridays at The REACH for activities prior to 11:30 a.m. NSO coffee concerts. Arrive at 9:30 a.m. and purchase coffee at the Hyannis Port Coffee Bar, and wander the REACH. At 10 a.m., participate in a Morning Sing, attend a health-inspired talk and performance, or join a wellness-inspired workshop.
