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Hallelujah—Washington, D.C.’s favorite holiday tradition returns! Since its debut nearly three centuries ago, Handel’s Messiah reigns unchallenged as the ultimate celebration of holiday joy. This year, experience the larger-than-life oratorio in all its splendor as Masaaki Suzuki conducts the NSO, a stellar cast of soloists, and the University of Maryland Concert Choir in this always-daring, beloved classic.

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 comes alive under the baton of Carlos Miguel Prieto—who returns following his “high-octane” 2018 NSO debut (Washington Classical Review).

Comprising titled musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra, this acclaimed ensemble presents chamber music classics.

Immerse yourself in the passion of Samuel Barber’s tour de force in the hands of NSO Music Director and renowned opera conductor Gianandrea Noseda. Presented as part of the NSO’s annual Opera in Concert series, Vanessa is a tale of self-discovery, longing, and the raw pursuit of love. Nicole Heaston, J’Nai Bridges, Matthew Polenzani, Susan Graham, and Thomas Hampson join the orchestra as special guests.

Two phenomenal French stars return for a spirited evening of Russian masterworks. Stéphane Denève opens the program conducting Connesson’s Maslenitsa, written in celebration of the sunny Slavic folk festival. Then, powerhouse pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet performs Khachaturian’s pyrotechnic Piano Concerto. To close, Ravel’s majestic orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition carries us through a gallery of soul-stirring emotion.

Experience the torment and colorful beauty of Tchaikovsky’s four-movement symphony inspired by Lord Byron’s poem under the baton of Vasily Petrenko. Award-winning young virtuoso Edgar Moreau joins the program for Saint-Saëns’ First Cello Concerto—an impassioned departure from the standard concerto form.

Exceptional all-female vocal group Lorelei Ensemble joins the NSO to perform Her Story, Julia Wolfe’s large-scale theatrical work incorporating text from throughout the history of women’s fight for equality. Marin Alsop closes the concert with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, an exotic journey of love, peril, and intrigue inspired by the famous folktale about a clever young queen who spins 1,001 fantastical stories to outwit a murderous sultan.

Don’t miss a rare opportunity to experience the sublime synergy of two musical superstars, live! For one night only, violinist Leonidas Kavakos and pianist Daniil Trifonov join forces to perform masterworks of their instruments’ repertoire. Bask in the transcendent beauty of Beethoven, the drama of Poulenc, the depth of Brahms, and the avant-garde spirit of Bartók… all in the hands of these extraordinary artists.

Discover Debussy’s delightful Images for orchestra, a series of musical postcards inspired by England, Spain, and France; 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 and Decisamente allegro by Nicola Campogrande, “one of the most interesting Italian composers of the young generation” (OperaWire).

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!

Comprising titled musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra, this acclaimed ensemble presents chamber music classics.

Comprising titled musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra, this acclaimed ensemble presents chamber music classics.

Under the baton of Fabio Biondi, Mendelssohn’s vivacious Symphony No. 4 captures the zest and exhilaration of Italy’s sun-soaked vistas, bustling cities, and idyllic countryside. But first, Mao Fujita—described by The Times as “a musician of tremendous versatility and taste”—performs one of the grandest of Mozart’s piano concertos: No. 25.

Karina Canellakis takes on feats of musical storytelling in this visionary program. Excerpts from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde capture a passion more powerful than death itself; Scriabin’s symphonic Poem of Ecstasy intoxicates listeners with a whirlwind of color and perfume. Alban Gerhardt opens the concert with a performance of DvoÅ™ák’s famous Cello Concerto.

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.

Growling marches. Nostalgic lullabies. Thunderous hammer blows of fate. Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 seizes audiences from its very first notes, taking us on a dream-like journey through the composer’s concepts of dark destiny, heroic struggle, and quiet bliss. Don’t miss this tragic masterpiece conducted by Noseda, whose Mahler performances are celebrated as “devilishly good” (Bachtrack).

Comprising titled musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra, this acclaimed ensemble presents chamber music classics.

“From the heart, may it again go to the heart,” an inspired Beethoven wrote above the opening “Kyrie” in the manuscript of his greatest choral work, the Missa Solemnis. The Washington Chorus and remarkable guest soloists Erika Grimaldi, Rihab Chaieb, Saimir Pirgu, and Marko Mimica join the NSO for this infrequently performed epic mass—a vast symphonic statement of mysticism,  drama, and sacred intimacy.

The NSO brings you William Dawson’s stirring Negro Folk Symphony—a work one New York critic called “the most distinctive and promising American symphonic proclamation which has so far been achieved.” Joshua Weilerstein completes the program with Bernstein’s ever-popular Symphonic Dances from West Side Story and Gershwin’s jazz-infused Rhapsody in Blue.

Experience the opulent period epic as the NSO performs the score live-to-picture! Winner of eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, Amadeus tells the story of vindictive composer Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham), who is consumed by jealousy for his rival—the petulant genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce).

Join us for an evening filled with wonder and nostalgia as the NSO brings to life timeless melodies that have underscored some of the greatest moments in cinematic history. This classic program—led by Musical America’s 2022 Conductor of the Year Teddy Abrams—features music by Max Steiner, Franz Waxman, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Bernard Herrmann, Alfred Newman, and others.

Surreal, sprawling, and operatic, Fritz Lang’s 1927 science-fiction silent film depicts a world in which the privileged live in luxury on the surface, while deep in the bowels of the city an unseen underclass labors on machinery that supports the Metropolis. Grammy–nominated organist Cameron Carpenter performs his original score perfectly suited to the industrial, stylistic backdrop of this deeply influential pulp masterpiece. Please note: the NSO does not perform on this program.

NSO favorite James Gaffigan conducts film music by classical composers—including Leonard Bernstein’s On the Waterfront and Nino Rota’s The Godfather—in a program that spotlights concertos by three of today's greatest film composers. On Thursday, Grammy winner James Ehnes plays Violin Concerto No. 2 by James Newton Howard. Friday’s concert features Delights and Dances by Michael Abels. Abel Pereira takes center stage Saturday in the Horn Concerto by Academy Award–winning legend John Williams.

Academy Award–winning director, composer, and pianist Kris Bowers (Bridgerton, King Richard, The Color Purple) curates and performs in a program of contemporary film music led by American conductor Anthony Parnther.