The Kennedy Center, NSO, Bignamini/Grimaud, October 2025
Don Juan & Romeo and Juliet Grimaud plays Gershwin
Daniel Stupar
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THE JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
OCTOBER 30, 2025 AT 7 P.M.; OCTOBER 31, 2025 AT 11:30 A.M.; NOVEMBER 1, 2025 AT 8 P.M. | CONCERT HALL
Jader Bignamini, conductor
Hélène Grimaud, piano
WYNTON MARSALIS
GEORGE GERSHWIN
Herald, Holler and Hallelujah!
Piano Concerto in F
i. Allegro
ii. Adagio - Andante con moto
iii. Allegro agitato
Hélène Grimaud, piano
INTERMISSION
RICHARD STRAUSS Don Juan
PIOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY Romeo and Juliet
THANK YOU TO OUR SEASON SPONSORS
The NSO Music Director Chair is generously endowed by Roger Sant and Congresswoman Doris Matsui
Noseda Era Fund Supporters
The Amici di Gianandrea
Hélène Grimaud records exclusively for Deutsche Grammophon
Patrons are requested to turn off cell phones and other electronic devices during the performance. Any video and/or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.
Welcome
Dear Friends,
As we open the National Symphony Orchestra’s 95th season, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt thanks to you—our devoted patrons, supporters, and friends. Your presence this evening, and your unwavering support throughout the year, mean more than words can convey. It is your love of music, your generosity, and your steadfast belief in the arts that delight this remarkable orchestra.
In 1931, Hans Kindler founded the NSO with a bold vision: to build a world-class symphony orchestra in the heart of our nation’s capital. Nearly a century later, that vision continues to be our driving force. Today, under the dynamic artistic leadership of Gianandrea Noseda, we are more inspired than ever to share powerful performances with our audiences. The NSO is not simply an orchestra; it is a family of artists joined together through a shared love of music, unity of purpose, and commitment to something greater than us.
The NSO is more than what you see on stage—it is a living, breathing institution devoted to enriching lives. Our robust education and community engagement programs reach thousands of students, educators, and families each year. Between our Youth Fellowship Program and Summer Music Institute, to Young People’s Concerts, we strive to make music accessible to everyone—especially the next generation.
This commitment to connect with broader audiences is also seen through our vibrant, genre-defying series, led by the remarkable Steven Reineke, our Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor. Steven brings a wide-reaching musical vision to the NSO, bridging genres and generations. His programming has opened the door for new audiences to discover a love for orchestral music, while continuing to captivate longtime fans with the highest levels of artistry.
As we embark on this milestone season, we are reminded that our journey would not be possible without you. Thank you for being an essential part of this vibrant and enduring musical community.
With deepest gratitude and warmest regards,
Executive Director National Symphony Orchestra
From the Music Director
Cari amici,
It is with immense joy and anticipation that I welcome you to the National Symphony Orchestra’s 95th anniversary season. This moment is more than a milest one—it is a celebration of our deep musical legacy and a renewed commitment to bringing powerful, moving performances to our community and beyond. This is only the beginning. The 95th season is filled with musical discovery, celebrated artists, and unforgettable experiences.
I am deeply grateful to share this journey with you. Your presence in the Concert Hall is what brings our music fully to life. Thank you for being a part of the NSO family—for your passion, your applause, and your unwavering support.
Con tutto il cuore,
Gianandrea Noseda Music Director, National Symphony Orchestra
Che la musica vi porti gioia e ispirazione—may music bring you joy and inspiration.
Stefano Pasqualetti
Notes on the Program
Herald, Holler and Hallelujah!
WYNTON MARSALIS
Born October 18, 1961, in New Orleans, Louisiana
Sarina Benezra Bell
As much as trumpeter Wynton Marsalis has made a career playing and promoting jazz— winning the first Pulitzer Prize for a jazz composition, serving as arti tic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, and shouldering the title “The Conscience of Jazz”—he has devoted a similarly impressive amount of energy to explaining jazz. A PBS educational broadcast, a 26-week series on NPR, a collaboration with documentarian Ken Burns, and a half shelf of books, from Moving to Higher Ground: How Jazz Can Change Your Life to Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp!: A Sonic Adventure for Kids—few people have focused as much time, care, and eloquence on welcoming others into their craft. To Marsalis, jazz is “difficulto maintain.” As he posed in a recent interview with the BBC, “Do we want to be in balance with other people, or do we want to just tell them what to do?”
Such a guiding question proves helpful when listening to Marsalis’ 2022 piece Herald, Holler and Hallelujah! The fusion jazz-classical work takes up the fanfare form: a lively, ceremonial song, often played on brass and percussion. The audience must decide for themselves to what extent the elements of jazz can really be, as Marsalis describes, “maintained” within a classical framework, especially such a regimented one.
For Marsalis, jazz can be boiled down to three basic elements. The first is improvisation: the “I,” the freedom of self-expression. The second is swing: the “us,” a coordinated, compelling rhythm. The final element is the blues aesthetic: what Marsalis calls “optimism in the face of adversity.” “If you’re out here, you are paying dues. How do you deal with those dues, … deepen your humanity through the tragedy and the struggle?”
Despite its classical form, Herald, Holler and Hallelujah! incorporates these elements, if not through extended improvisation, then through snippets of a descending scale or the spontaneity with which Marsalis’ opening chorus turns from eerie and alien to spirited and celebratory. As quickly as Marsalis sets this unnerving scene, he turns to a syncopated swing. A soft cymbal pattern with tuba accompaniment signals the beginning of the piece's closing section: a joyous, boisterous allusion to the jazz funeral tradition of Marsalis’ hometown, New Orleans, Louisiana.
As just one descendant of the renowned Marsalis family, the composer grew up surrounded by jazz music; his first trumpet was given o him by bandleader Al Hirt. In addition to homages to Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland and Black, Brown and Beige by Duke Ellington—two composers who similarly meshed classical forms with jazz influencesMarsalis takes inspiration from his city’s artistic legacy. Jazz funerals reflect ew Orleans’ combination of colonial military influence and est African spirituality. Traditionally, they begin with a somber feel—slow and dirgelike. The mood then rises to a swinging stomp, as in the final moments of Herald, Holler and Hallelujah! Thus, when the piece concludes, it is with sustained yet peaceful momentum —a march towards something truly great, a forward motion even after death.
Piano Concerto in F
GEORGE GERSHWIN
Born September 26, 1898, in New York, New York
Died July 11, 1937, in Los Angeles, California
There is something of an urban legend surrounding the writing of George Gershwin’s Concerto in F, all to do with that crucial element of symphonic music: orchestration. While a composer sketches out the melodies, harmonies, and rhythms of a piece, an orchestrator builds that sketch into a playable score for a group of musicians. In the classical world, composers and orchestrators are generally one and the same. In more commercial music—film scores, musical theatre, ec.—the roles continue to be divided: one person to write the piece, another to actualize it. Hailing from Broadway, Gershwin was already a prominent commercial composer by 1924, the year he premiered what would become his most esteemed classical work, Rhapsody in Blue.
Walter Damrosch, director of the New York Symphony Society, had been in attendance that afternoon in Midtown, Manhattan, when Gershwin himself sat down at the piano to play what was supposed to be a concerto—a piece written for a soloist with ensemble accompaniment. Despite some notable criticism—Lawrence Gilman at the New York Tribune instructed, “weep over the lifelessness of the melody and harmony, so derivative, so stale, so inexpressive!”— Rhapsody pleased Damrosch immensely. He reached out to Gershwin the very next day to commission a stricter concerto, orchestrated by Gershwin himself.
The myth, therefore, is that after receiving the commission for the Concerto in F, Gershwin went out and bought himself a how-to book on orchestration. In fact, Gershwin had practiced orchestration for a number of years, both formally and informally. Raised in New York’s Yiddish Theater District near today’s East Village, Gershwin left school at 15 to become a song plugger—a pianist who plays purchasable sheet music—during his teenage years. His studies grew stricter under the instruction of pianist Charles Hambitzer, his most prominent teacher. In later years, when Gershwin visited France on what would become his An American in Paris trip, Maurice Ravel refused to tutor him. Ravel worried he might dampen Gershwin’s jazz influence
The Concerto was the first among several successful examples of sel-orchestration in Gershwin’s rise to celebrity status. As in Marsalis’ piece, the work represents a formal attempt to weave Gershwin’s bright, syncopated style into the stately tweed of a classical form; the keen listener will even note quotes from Rhapsody itself. Gershwin’s work follows the traditional three-movement concerto structure. The capricious first movement pulses from mood to mood, featuring, at times, string melodies and, at others, blaring trombone slurs. As Gershwin described, the movement tracks “the young enthusiastic spirit of American life,” with a wistful principal theme on bassoon. The more lyrical second movement takes after Marsalis’ third element of jazz, the blues, while the last movement presents a hurrying rondo. When the piano and the ensemble finally arrive in sep with one another, it is a swanky strut, striding past any lingering heartbreak.
To quote Damrosch’s introduction to the premiere, regardless of whether one might agree, “Various composers have been walking around jazz like a cat around a plate of hot soup, waiting for it to cool off, so that they could enjoy it without burning their ongues, hitherto accustomed only to the more tepid liquid distilled by books of the classical school. Lady Jazz, adorned with her intriguing rhythms, has danced her way around the world…. But for all her travels and her sweeping popularity, she has encountered no knight who could lift her to a level that would enable her to be received as a respectable member in musical circles. George Gershwin seems to have accomplished this miracle…. He is the Prince who has taken Cinderella by the hand and openly proclaimed her a princess to the astonished world, no doubt to the fury of her envious sisters.”
Notes on the Program
Don Juan RICHARD STRAUSS
Born June 11, 1864, in Munich, Germany
Died September 8, 1949, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
The journey of Don Juan is a much-traveled one, not just by modern-day womanizers but by a host of eager adaptors, hoping to put their own salacious spin on the time-worn tale. Lord Byron, Mozart, and even the titular hermit in The Phantom of the Opera all attempted to rework the myth. Based on Austrian poet Nikolaus Lenau’s own unfinished adaptation of the story, Strauss’ version stands apart for its quiet, unheroic ending—dark introspectiveness in place of dramatic catharsis.
The original legend takes place in southern Spain, where a wealthy Casanova passes his youth charming women. When he seduces the daughter of a noble family, Don Juan must duel her vengeful father. After defeating the man, he receives his karmic punishment—usually his own death—though the details vary from story to story. In Lenau’s interpretation, Don Juan confronts the failure and tiresomeness of his search for the so-called ‘perfect’ woman, and he allows himself to be killed, resigned. Where so many iterations of Don Juan dramatize his descent to Hell—or narrow escape from it— Strauss’ work stresses the smallness of Don Juan’s story, revealing the pitiful sadness of a life lived against one’s better instincts.
Premiering in 1889, Don Juan was an early entrant in what would become Strauss’ legendary line of tone poems—orchestral pieces meant to convey non-musical topics. Other symphonic subjects for Strauss include Friedrich Nietzsche, Macbeth, a trip to the Alps, and death itself. Because his father, a professional horn player for Munich’s court orchestra, spurned modern musical forms, it was only in early adulthood that the young Strauss had appreciable exposure to the thinkers and movements of his time. (The elder Strauss’ disapproval of such influence was so strong that, during one ommemorative moment following the death of Richard Wagner, he refused to stand up.) Taking inspiration from Wagner and the symphonic poems of Franz Liszt, Strauss set out to search beyond the abstract sonata form into the representational waters of the tone poem.
Don Juan opens with chipper grandiosity; a brass hero’s theme confidently n vigates away from brief moments of dissonance. As the violin introduces a fragile humanism to the piece, the strings swell to welcome a tender, near waltz-like section. Timpani strikes signal a central conflict in the mood of the piece: dark, individualisti masculinity vying against dreamy earnestness. So emerges a dreamy oboe solo, announcing the start of an evening affai. Once the harps, bassoons, and clarinets have had their chance to interpret this love—if it is love—the horn returns triumphant. Yet, as the father of Don Juan’s lover arrives to duel him, the mood darkens, the oboe turns solemn, and the hero’s theme travels throughout the orchestra, as if trying to escape.
In the silence after one final crescendo, it becomes clear that these fantasies of heroism and hedonism can go no further. Ominous chords and two final beats convey Don Juan’s last breaths. His end is unfamiliar, his boisterousness absent—the curse of an unmemorable death.
Romeo and Juliet
PIOTR ILYICH
TCHAIKOVSKY
Born May 7, 1840, in Votkinsk, Russia
Died November 6, 1893, in Saint Petersburg, Russia
Sections of Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s 1870 overture Romeo and Juliet have become ubiquitous in pop culture, particularly its swelling ‘love’ theme. From Sesame Street to A Christmas Story, the piece’s billowing strings convey warmth, beauty, and wonder with immediate, recognizable efficiey.
How did Tchaikovsky compose such a universal emblem of love, a piece so pure in its emotion that even comedies, in their parody of reality, depend on it as a reference point? The answer begins with the source text, itself a near constant heightening of emotion. William Shakespeare’s 16th-century stage play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet follows the two lovers, roughly ages 17 and 13, as they fall deeply in love, at tempt to reconcile their warring families, turn to Friar Laurence, wed, and eventually commit suicide when they cannot be together. The personal inspiration for Romeo and Juliet remains a source of scholarly speculation. Tchaikovsky wrote the work while a teacher at the Moscow Conservatory, where he fell in love with the young Eduard Zak, who later committed suicide. With Tchaikovsky living as a gay man in 19th-century Russia, the star-crossed— to say the least—circumstances of his own love life provide ample emotional parallels to the forbidden desire at the center of Shakespeare’s work.
Like Strauss’ Don Juan, Romeo and Juliet seeks to represent an existing story, but Tchaikovsky favors a slightly more abstract approach to the source material. The piece takes from the sonata form, which contains three movements: exposition, development, and recapitulation. Yet, Tchaikovsky’s work adds both an introduction and an epilogue section, not dissimilar to how the lines of the chorus (“Two households, both alike in dignity…”) and the Prince (“For never was a story of more woe / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo”) bookend the original text. Instead of a chorus, Tchaikovsky opens Romeo and Juliet with a chorale—a harmonized version of a hymn—supported predominantly by the woodwinds and brass.
Plucked strings then announce the first of three major themes: the ‘riar Laurence’ theme. Stately and even-handed, fragments of the Friar’s theme move throughout the orchestra like echoes in a cave. A stark shift in tempo introduces the ‘feud’ theme, representing the rivalry between the Montagues and the Capulets. As cymbals crash—a reference to the play’s swordfighting—and hurried arpeggios tae over the string sections, the English horn rises up, introducing the ‘love’ them e. Flutes and violas complement this flutering, optimistic melody, fluidly nvigating away from the arising tension of the piece. Though these themes gain strength and dimension in the development section, the final movement of the piece briefly tes on the solemnity of a dirge. Woodwinds and high strings interrupt, softly and sweetly paying homage to the innocence of young love. There is no darkness within the work’s final moments
In this program’s third explicit discussion of death, Tchaikovsky reflects neither the disappointment of Don Juan nor the excitement of Herald, Holler and Hallelujah! Instead, Tchaikovsky allows his audience to find peace in the fae of Romeo and Juliet, who might be together in death, if not in life.
Meet the Artists
Jader Bignamini, conductor
Jader Bignamini was introduced as Music Director of the Detroit Symphony in January 2020. His tenure has already included a highly successful tour to Florida, commissions and premieres of new work, audience growth in and around Detroit, and the release of a brand new recording of Wynton Marsalis’ Blues Symphony, Jader’s first commercial release with the DSO.
Recent highlights include concerts with The Cleveland Orchestra; Houston, Dallas, Milwaukee, National, and New Jersey Symphonies; and the Minnesota Orchestra. Internationally, he has conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, and Residentie Orkest at The Hague. Opera highlights include productions with the Metropolitan Opera, Opéra de Paris, Vienna State Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bavarian State Opera, Dutch National Opera, Oper Frankfurt, and Canadian Opera Company. Bignamini led an extensive tour across Asia in August 2024 with the Asian Youth Orchestra.
In Summer 2021, Bignamini conducted triumphant performances of Turandot at the Arena di Verona with Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov, as well as a staged production of Rossini’s Stabat Mater at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro. Other highlights include Cavalleria rusticana with Detroit Opera; La bohème at Santa Fe Opera; La Traviata in Tokyo directed by Sofia Coppola; Manon Lescaut at the Bolshoi; La Traviata at Bayerische Staatsoper; Eugene Onegin at Stadttheater Klagenfurt; Turandot at the Teatro Filarmonica; Il Trovatore at Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera; the opening concert of the Filarmonica del Teatro Comunale di Bologna conducting Carmina Burana; La bohème at the Theatro Municipal de São Paulo and La Fenice; L’elisir d’amore in Ancona; Tosca at the Comunale di Bologna;
La forza del destino at the Verdi Festival in Parma; La bohème, Cavalleria rusticana, and El amor brujo at Teatro Filarmonico di Verona; Aida at Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera; Madama Butterfly at La Fenice; and engagements with Maggio Musicale in Florence, the Festival della Valle d’Itria in Martina Franca, and the MITO Festival conducting Berlioz’ Messe solennelle. He made his concert debut at La Scala in 2015. Bignamini began his conducting career as Assistant and then Resident Conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica la Verdi, having been appointed by Riccardo Chailly in 2010. He was born in Crema and studied at the Piacenza Music Conservatory.
Hélène Grimaud, piano
Renaissance woman Hélène Grimaud is not just a deeply passionate and committed musical artist whose pianistic accomplishments play a central role in her life. Her multiple talents extend far beyond the instrument she plays with such poetic expression and technical control: Grimaud has established herself as a wildlife conservationist, a human rights activist, and a writer, her deep dedication to her musical career refleced in and amplified by the scope and depth of her environmental, literary, and artistic interests.
Hélène Grimaud was born in 1969 in Aixen-Provence and began her piano studies at the local conservatory with Jacqueline Courtin before going on to work with Pierre Barbizet in Marseille. She was accepted into the Paris Conservatoire at just 13. Just a few years later, in 1987, she gave her well-received debut recital in Tokyo. That same year, renowned conductor Daniel Barenboim invited her to perform with the Orchestre de Paris: this marked the launch of Grimaud’s musical career, characterized ever since by concerts with most of the world’s major orchestras and many celebrated conductors.
Between her debut in 1995 with the Berliner Philharmoniker under Claudio Abbado and her first performance with the New York Philharmonic under Kurt Masur in 1999—just two of many notable musical milestones—Grimaud made a wholly different kind of debut: in upper New York State, she established the Wolf Conservation Center. Her love for the endangered species was sparked by a chance encounter with a wolf in northern Florida. “Few things are more fulfilling than being involved in field conservation efforts and helping put animals back where they belong,” she says. But Grimaud’s engagement doesn’t end there; she is also a member of the organization Musicians for Human Rights. Beyond that, for a number of years, she also found time to pursue a writing career, publishing four books that have appeared in various languages. It is, however, through her thoughtful and tenderly expressive music-making that Hélène Grimaud most deeply touches the emotions of audiences. In addition to collaborating with the world’s leading orchestras, Grimaud delights her audiences with numerous recitals around the globe and performs chamber music at the highest level.
Since 2002, Hélène Grimaud has been an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist. Her recordings have been critically acclaimed and awarded numerous accolades, among them the Cannes Classical Recording of the Year, Choc du Monde de la musique, Diapason d’or, Grand Prix du Disque, Record Academy Prize (Tokyo), Midem Classic Award, and ECHO Klassik.
The pianist’s latest project, “For Clara,” focuses on her long relationship with the German Romantics, and on the ties that bound both Robert Schumann and his protégé Brahms to pianist-composer Clara Schumann. Grimaud has revisited Robert Schumann’s Kreisleriana, and pairs it on her new album with Brahms’s Op. 117 Intermezzi and his Op. 32 set of songs, in which she is joined by Konstantin Krimmel. Her prodigious contribution to the world of classical music was recognized by the French government, which appointed her “Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur.”
National Symphony Orchestra
The 2025–2026 season is the National Symphony Orchestra’s 95th and Music Director Gianandrea Noseda’s ninth season. Gianandrea Noseda serves as the orchestra’s seventh music director, joining the NSO’s legacy of distinguished leaders: Christoph Eschenbach, Leonard Slatkin, Mstislav Rostropovich, Antal Doráti, Howard Mitchell, and Hans Kindler. Its artistic leadership also includes Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor Steven Reineke.
Since its founding in 1931, the NSO has been committed to performances that enrich the lives of its audience and community members. In 1986, the National Symphony became an artistic affilie of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where it has performed since the Center opened in 1971. The 96-member NSO participates in events of national and international importance, including the annual nationally televised concerts on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol, live-streamed performances on medici.tv, and local radio broadcasts on WETA Classical 90.9 FM. Since launching its eponymous recording label in 2020, the NSO has embarked on ambitious recording projects, including its first complee Beethoven Symphony cycle and the release of the firs-ever cycle of George Walker’s Sinfonias, both led by Noseda. Recent projects include Four Symphonic Works by Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence Carlos Simon conducted by Noseda, and William Shatner’s So Fragile, So Blue , recorded live in the Concert Hall with the NSO under Steven Reineke. Forthcoming releases with Gianandrea Noseda include music by Gustav Mahler, William Grant Still, and Samuel Barber’s opera Vanessa. The NSO’s community engagement and education projects are nationally recognized, and career development opportunities for young musicians include the NSO Youth Fellowship Program and its acclaimed, tuition-free Summer Music Institute.
Loud and Clear
Nine terms to know in the Concert Hall.
Symphony
An extended work with multiple sections—typically four movements.
A “symphonic” piece is a long piece with multiple interpretations of a musical idea. A repeated, transformed musical idea is called a theme.
Orchestra
A group of musicians who play together.
In the Western European tradition, an orchestra often includes the four major instrument families—brass, woodwinds, strings, and percussion. An especially large orchestra is called a symphony orchestra. A smaller orchestra is called a chamber orchestra.
Movement
A section of a musical work. Movements are often separated by silences, and they typically differ in tempo—speed.
Concerto
A piece pairing a technically advanced soloist with the support of an orchestra, usually in three movements. Though there may be multiple soloists, the contrast between a larger ensemble and a soloing group defines a concerto.
Suite
Multiple pieces intended to be performed together. Suites may take from larger works such as an opera or a ballet. For 17th- and 18th-century works, “suite” often refers to a sequence of dances in the same key.
Romantic music
Works associated with the 19th-century Romantic period. Building off of the intellectual innovation of the Romanticism movement, Romantic music emphasizes self-expression, emotion, and experimentation.
Uppercase-“C” Classical music
Works associated with the 18th-century Classical period. Characteristics include an emphasis on formal structures, balance, and clear-cut melodies. Lowercase-“c” classical music may also refer to formal compositions invested in technical depth, usually derived from the European tradition.
Fanfare
A brief piece, typically played on brass instruments with percussion accompaniment. Fanfares are often lively and ceremonial.
Tone poem
An orchestral piece meant to convey a non-musical subject such as an art piece, landscape, story, or mood.
National Symphony Orchestra
GIANANDREA NOSEDA , MUSIC DIRECTOR
The Roger Sant and Congresswoman Doris Matsui Chair
STEVEN REINEKE , PRINCIPAL
VIOLINS
Nurit Bar-Josef, Concertmaster
Ying Fu, Associate Concertmaster, The Jeanne Weaver Ruesch Chair
Ricardo Cyncynates, Assistant Concertmaster
Xiaoxuan Shi, Second Assistant Concertmaster
Jane Bowyer Stewart
Heather LeDoux Green
Lisa-Beth Lambert
Jing Qiao
Marina Aikawa
Peiming Lin
Derek Powell
Regino Madrid**
Meredith Riley**
Marissa Regni, Principal
Dayna Hepler, Assistant Principal
Cynthia R. Finks
Deanna Lee Bien
Glenn Donnellan
Natasha Bogachek
Carole Tafoya Evans
Jae-Yeon Kim
Wanzhen Li
Hanna Lee
Benjamin Scott
Malorie Blake Shin
Angelia Cho
Kei Sugiyama**
VIOLAS
Daniel Foster, Principal, The Mrs. John Dimick Chair
Dana Kelley, Assistant Principal
Denise Wilkinson
Nancy Thomas
Jennifer Mondie
Tsuna Sakamoto
Ruth Wicker
Mahoko Eguchi
Abigail Evans Kreuzer
Rebecca Epperson
Chiara Dieguez**
Jacob Shack**
CELLOS
David Hardy, Principal, The Hans Kindler Chair, The Strong Family and the Hattie M. Strong Foundation
Raymond Tsai, Assistant Principal
David Teie
James Lee
CONDUCTOR AND ARTISTIC ADVISOR
Rachel Young
Mark Evans
Eugena Chang Riley
Loewi Lin
Britton Riley
Noah Krauss
BASSES
Robert Oppelt, Principal
Richard Barber, Assistant Principal
Jeffey Weisner
Ira Gold
Paul DeNola
Charles Nilles
Alexander Jacobsen
Michael Marks
HARP
Adriana Horne, Principal
FLUTES
Aaron Goldman, Principal
Leah Arsenault Barrick, Assistant Principal
Matthew Ross
Carole Bean, Piccolo
OBOES
Nicholas Stovall, Principal, The Volunteer Council Chair
Jamie Roberts, Assistant Principal
Harrison Linsey***
Kathryn Meany Wilson***, English Horn
CLARINETS
Lin Ma, Principal
Eugene Mondie, Assistant Principal
Paul Cigan
Peter Cain, Bass Clarinet
BASSOONS
Sue Heineman, Principal
David Young, Assistant Principal
Steven Wilson
Sean Gordon, Contrabassoon
HORNS
Abel Pereira, Principal, The National Trustees’ Chair
James Nickel, Acting Associate Principal
Markus Osterlund***
Scott Fearing
Robert Rearden
Geoffey Pilkington**
TRUMPETS
William Gerlach, Principal, The Howard Mitchell Chair, The Strong Family and the Hattie M. Strong Foundation
Michael Harper, Assistant Principal
Michail Thompson
Tom Cupples
TROMBONES
Craig Mulcahy, Principal
Evan Williams, Assistant Principal
David Murray
Matthew Guilford, Bass Trombone
TUBA
Stephen Dumaine, Principal, The James V. Kimsey Chair
TIMPANI
Jauvon Gilliam, Principal, The Marion E. Glover Chair
Scott Christian, Assistant Principal
PERCUSSION
Eric Shin, Principal, The Hechinger Foundation Chair
Erin Dowrey, Assistant Principal
Scott Christian
Jason Niehoff
KEYBOARD
Lambert Orkis, Principal
Lisa Emenheiser*
ORGAN
William Neil*
LIBRARIANS
Elizabeth Cusato Schnobrick, Principal
Zen Stokdyk, Associate
Karen Lee, Assistant
PERSONNEL
Karyn Garvin, Director
Sufyan Naaman**, Coordinator
STAGE MANAGERS
David Langrell, Manager
N. Christian Bottorff Assistant Manager
The National Symphony Orchestra uses a system of revolving strings. In each string section, untitled members are listed in order of length of service.
*Regularly Engaged Extra Musician
** Temporary Position
***Leave of Absence
National Symphony Orchestra Staff
ADMINISTRATION
Jean Davidson, Executive Director
Sabryn McDonald, Executive Assistant
EXECUTIVE TEAM
Kasama Apfelbaum, Vice President, Financial Planning & Analysis
Nigel Boon, Vice President, Artistic Planning
John Roloff, Vice resident, Orchestra Operations
ARTISTIC PLANNING
Justin Ellis, Senior Producing Director
Ana Vashakmadze, Artistic Assistant Administrator
DEVELOPMENT
Kate Baker, Assistant Manager, NSO Board and Leadership Campaigns
Laney Pleasanton, Manager, NSO Individual Giving
Pamela Wardell, Senior Director of Development
EDUCATION
Stephanie Baker, Manager, Career and Development Programs
FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
Eric Rubio, Director of Finance & Administration
HUMAN RESOURCES
Tony Amato, Director, Total Rewards
Chanel Kemp, Talent Acquisition Manager
Patrice McNeill, Director, HR Operations
Lisa Motti, HRIS Coordinator
Ericka Parham, Benefits Analys
John Sanford, Senior Business Partner
MARKETING & ADVERTISING
Scott Bushnell, Senior Director, Creative and Brand Strategy
Sufyan Naaman, Personnel and Auditions Coordinator
Ava Yap, Operations Assistant
Kennedy Center Staff
Kennedy Center Staff
KENNEDY CENTER EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
KENNEDY CENTER EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
The National Symphony Orchestra also warmly acknowledges the work of the following Kennedy Center partners and their teams:
The National Symphony Orchestra also warmly acknowledges the work of the following Kennedy Center partners and their teams:
President, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Ambassador Richard Grenell
President, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Ambassador Richard Grenell
Chief Financial Offir
Donna Arduin
Chief Financial Offir Donna Arduin
General Counsel Elliot Berke
General Counsel Elliot Berke
Vice President of Human Resources
LaTa’sha M. Bowens
Senior Vice President, Development Lisa Dale
Senior Vice President, Special Events
Bronagh Donlon
Senior Vice President, Marketing Kimberly J. Cooper
Vice President, Human Resources
Ta’Sha Bowens
Senior Vice President, Development Lisa Dale
Vice President, Public Relations
Roma Daravi
Vice President, Operations Matt Floca
Vice President, Special Events Bronagh Donlon
Vice President, Education Jordan LaSalle
Vice President, Public Relations
Roma Daravi
Vice President, Facilities Matt Floca
Director, Office of theresident Rick James
Chief Information Offir Bob Sellappan
Vice President, Education
Jordan LaSalle
Executive Director, National Symphony Orchestra Jean Davidson
General Director, Washington National Opera
Timothy O’Leary
General Director, Washington National Opera Timothy O’Leary
Chief Information Offir Bob Sellappan
Concert Hall Staff
Concert Hall Staff
Theater Manager
Theater Manager Allen V. McCallum Jr.
Allen V. McCallum Jr. Box Officereasurer Deborah Glover
Box OfficTreasurer
Deborah Glover
Head Usher Cathy Crocker
Head Usher
Stage Crew
Stage Crew
*Represented by ATPAM, the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers.
The technicians at the Kennedy Center are represented by Local #22, Local #772, and Local #798 I.A.T.S.E.
AFL-CIO-CLC, the professional union of theatrical technicians.
Cathy Crocker
Zach Boutilier, Michael Buchman, Paul Johannes, April King, John Ottaviano, and Arielle Qorb
Steinway Piano Gallery is the exclusive area representative of Steinway & Sons and Boston pianos, the official piano of the Kennedy Center.
The American Guild of Musical Artists, the union of professional singers, dancers and production personnel in opera, ballet and concert, affilied with the AFL-CIO, represents the Artists and Staging Staff for the purposes of collective bargaining.
The box office at the Kennedy Center is represented by I.A.T.S.E, Local #868.
National Symphony Orchestra musicians are represented by the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Federation of Musicians, AFM Local 161-710.
Orchestrated Lives
Each month, the National Symphony Orchestra spotlights a different member of the Orchestra. For this program, Principal Horn Abel Pereira talks about offstage memories, the particular love affair between the cello and the horn, and the open sea.
Name: Abel Pereira
Hometown: Porto, Portugal
Instrument: Horn
Years with the NSO: 11
How did you find your way into the world of professional musicianship? When I was 14, before I went to art school, I thought I was going to become a fisherman just like my dad. Then I met this horn teacher, and he said, “You have two options. One is you spend the week fishing—going to the ocean and taking risks and being on a boat. Then you can come on weekends and play some music with the community band. Or you practice, practice, practice, and one da y you will spend the whole week playing music. Then on weekends you can go on a boat and enjoy yourself.” I thought, “Well, I guess [the second’s] a better option for me,” and that's basically what I've been doing.
Have you been able to get out to the water much during your tenure? I have a boat that I like to take out. I spend the weekend days enjoying the water, because I miss that part of my life. There’s a good complement between music and the ocean. We don't have the ocean, unfortunately, but we have the bay. We have the river. It’s fine.
What attracted you to the horn? The sound of the horn can be powerful, but it can also be very mellow. It can be soft and kind, but it can also be harsh and aggressive. Some people say that the cello is the closest instrument to the human voice, but I would say it’s the horn as well as the cello. In a lot of the symphonic repertoire, the horn passages are together with the celli and violas. I think it's because the composers realized that the sound of the horn can match very, very well with the cello. It can also match very well with the woodwinds, but, curiously, it's a brass instrument. We are kind of amphibious.
What is one favorite memory from your time with the NSO? I have many great memories, right from the start during my trial year. In April of that first season, I was offered the job, which is unusual because usually it takes at least one entire season. I remember that was the week of Mahler [Symphony No.] 5, which is a big, big piece for the horn. I have a great memory of being on stage and being told by the orchestra manager that I got the job. I got very excited.
And offstage? You know, whenever we go on tour, we play in different halls every night, and it's always very, very exciting to bring our music to other cultures and let them know what we're doing here. Offstage, too. During the tours, we have more opportunities to hang out with other colleagues and friends—go out for dinner, have a drink, or just walk around visiting. Those memories will stay forever.
Support your ORCHESTRA
The mission of the National Symphony Orchestra, an affilie of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, is to engage audiences locally, across the country, and around the world through excellence in performance and education. Each year, the NSO offrs approximately 150 concerts as well as some of the country’s most extensive community and educational programming. It regularly participates in events of national and international importance, including performances for state occasions, high-level government events, and regularly televised holiday appearances for Capitol Concerts and local radio broadcasts on WETA, making the NSO one of the most-heard orchestras in the country.
Give your support in this 95th season by becoming a Member, joining the NSO Circles, or pledging a Legacy Gift. Visit tkc.co/SupportNSO or scan the QR code.
Thank You to Kennedy Center Supporters
The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees
National Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors
Washington National Opera Board of Trustees
The Kennedy Center President’s Council
The Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts
President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts
National Committee for the Performing Arts
National Symphony Orchestra National Trustees
The Kennedy Center Circles Board
The Kennedy Center Community Advisory Board
The Kennedy Center Corporate Fund Board
The Kennedy Center 50th Anniversary Committee
Corporate Donors
Individual and Foundation Donors
Endowment Gifts, Bequests, and Legacy Donors
Building the Future Campaign Donors
Visit tkc.co/Support for a full listing of donors and to learn how you can join us by becoming a Member.
Andrew Geraci
Steven’s Classical Mixtape
NSO Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor Steven Reineke brings the playlist of his dreams to life! Steven’s Classical Mixtape is packed with unforgettable melodies—from Boléro to Clair de Lune, Nimrod, and Pines of Rome, plus a few surprises along the way.
November 7 & 8, 2025 at 8 p.m.
Saint-Saëns’
“Organ Symphony” | Ohlsson plays Beethoven
Beethoven’s joyful wit and lyricism make his Piano Concerto No. 1 a perfect showcase for pianist Garrick Ohlsson. Louis Langrée conducts Saint-Saëns’, the mighty “Organ Symphony.”
November 13, 2025 at 7 p.m.
November 14, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.
November 15, 2025 at 8 p.m.
Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Ferrández plays Lutosławski
With soaring melodies, roaring brass, and balletic grace, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 is a wild ride of emotions. Led by Conductor Edward Gardner, Pablo Ferrández makes his NSO debut in Lutosławski’s Cello Concerto.
November 20, 2025 at 7 p.m.
November 22, 2025 at 8 p.m.
November 23, 2025 at 3 p.m.
2025–2026 CLASSICAL SEASON PERFORMANCE CALENDAR
NSO Presents*
Alexandre Kantorow
Sat., Nov. 1, 2025 at 3 p.m.
Saint-Saëns’ “Organ Symphony”
Ohlsson plays Beethoven
Thu., Nov. 13, 2025 at 7 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 14, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.
Sat., Nov. 15, 2025 at 8 p.m.
Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Ferrández plays Lutosławski
Thu., Nov. 20, 2025 at 7 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 22, 2025 at 8 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 23, 2025 at 3 p.m.
Mahler’s Tenth, Adagio Lyric Symphony
Thu., Dec. 4, 2025 at 7 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 5, 2025 at 8 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 6, 2025 at 8 p.m.
Handel’s Messiah
Thu., Dec. 18, 2025 at 7 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 19, 2025 at 8 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 20, 2025 at 8 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 21, 2025 at 1 p.m.
The Rite of Spring Trifonov plays Brahms
Thu., Jan. 15, 2026 at 7 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 16, 2026 at 8 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 17, 2026 at 8 p.m.
Songs of Destiny & Fate
Thu., Jan. 22, 2026 at 7 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 23, 2026 at 8 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 24, 2026 at 8 p.m.
Le Poème Divin
Brahms’ Double Concerto
Thu., Jan. 29, 2026 at 7 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 30, 2026 at 11:30 a.m.
Sat., Jan. 31, 2026 at 8 p.m.
Shostakovich’s Eighth Abduraimov plays Tchaikovsky
Thu., Feb. 5, 2026 at 7 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 6, 2026 at 11:30 a.m.
Sat., Feb. 7, 2026 at 8 p.m.
American Mosaic
Thu., Feb. 19, 2026 at 7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 21, 2026 at 8 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 22, 2026 at 3 p.m.
Shaham & Shaham play Reena Esmail
Robertson conducts Sibelius’ Fifth
Thu., Feb. 26, 2026 at 7 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 27, 2026 at 11:30 a.m.
Sat., Feb. 28, 2026 at 8 p.m.
Winter Daydreams: Noseda conducts Tchaikovsky’s First Trpčeski plays Saint-Saëns
Fri., Mar. 6 at 11:30 a.m.
Sat., Mar. 7 at 8 p.m.
Hahn & Woods play
Carlos Simon
Brahms’ Third
Thu., Mar. 12, 2026 at 7 p.m.
Fri., Mar. 13, 2026 at 8 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 14, 2026 at 8 p.m.
NSO Presents*
Alexandra Dovgan
Sat., Mar. 14, 2026 at 3 p.m.
Death and Transfiguation
Khachatryan plays Sibelius
Thu., Apr. 2, 2026 at 7 p.m.
Fri., Apr. 3, 2026 at 11:30 a.m.
Sat., Apr. 4, 2026 at 8 p.m.
Bruckner’s Seventh Gerlach plays Haydn Fri., Apr. 10, 2026 at 8 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 11, 2026 at 8 p.m.
*Please note: The National Symphony Orchestra does not perform in these concerts.
Mozart’s “Jupiter” & Bach’s Brandenburg No. 1
Wed., Apr. 15, 2026 at 7 p.m.
Thu., Apr. 16, 2026 at 7 p.m.
Fri., Apr. 17, 2026 at 8 p.m.
NSO Presents*
Khatia Buniatishvili
Fri., Apr. 24, 2026 at 8 p.m.
Opera in Concert
Puccini’s Il trittico
Wed., Apr. 29, 2026 at 7 p.m.
Fri., May 1, 2026 at 7 p.m.
Renée Fleming’s Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene
Fri., May 29, 2026 at 8 p.m.
Sat., May 30, 2026 at 8 p.m.
Cann plays Coleman
Fri., June 5, 2026 at 8 p.m.
Sat., June 6, 2026 at 8 p.m.
Philip Glass’ “Lincoln” Dalene plays Barber
Fri., June 12, 2026 at 8 p.m.
Sat., June 13, 2026 at 8 p.m.
Concerts for Families
A Holiday Pops! with Melinda Doolittle
Washington, D.C.’s most dazzling holiday concert returns! This year, soul–stirring songstress Melinda Doolittle—celebrated for her irresistible, Gospel/R&B sound—lights up the festively decorated Concert Hall as special guest.
December 12, 2025 at 8 p.m.
December 13, 2025 at 2 p.m.
December 13, 2025 at 8 p.m.
Musical Tails
A National Symphony Orchestra piano quintet takes you on a journey through the timeless tales of the Mother Goose Suite by Maurice Ravel and the magical world of tails from Camille Saint-Saëns’ The Carnival of the Animals. The young and young-at-heart are invited to listen and experience these playful stories narrated in English and Spanish and performed through chamber music. Most enjoyed by ages 5+
January 24 & 25, Family Theater
Told through a mesmerizing hybrid of animated and live action filmin, a magical Sprite embarks on a musical journey through the inner workings of an orchestra! Violin strings vibrate, brass valves slice air, and drumheads resonate like you’ve never seen before—all set to live music from the National Symphony Orchestra.
March 29, Concert Hall
A look back at our history
1939
NSO Music Director Hans Kindler leads the Orchestra in a summer outdoor concert on a floating barge anchored at the foot of the sone steps below the Lincoln Memorial.
Harris & Ewing Collection, Library of Congress
1958 A look back at our history
Music Director Howard Mitchell conducts the NSO at Constitution Hall. Photographer unknown, Courtesy of the Kennedy Center Archives
A look back at our history
1970s
NSO Music Director Antal Doráti conducts the NSO.
Photo by Richard Braaten, Courtesy of the Kennedy Center Archives
1987 A look back at our history
NSO Music Director Mstislav Rostropovich conducts the NSO with guest soloist soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, his wife.
Photo by Joan Marcus, Courtesy of the Kennedy Center Archives
A look back at our history
1996
man Bobby
wowed Washingtonians when he conducted the National Symphony Orchestra concerts for families and school children.
Music
McFerrin
Photo by Carol Pratt, Courtesy of the Kennedy Center Archives
2000 A look back at our history
Pianists John Browning, Sara Davis Buechner, Brian Ganz, Joseph Kalichstein, Lambert Orkis, and Jeffrey Siegel ply Franz Liszt’s Hexameron with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Music Director Leonard Slatkin for the Piano 2000 festival.
Photo by Carol Pratt, Courtesy of the Kennedy Center Archives
2015 A look back at our history
Kendrick Lamar and the NSO led by Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke delivered a one-night-only performance featuring some of Lamar’s biggest hits and the firs-ever live performances of music from his lyrical masterpiece “To Pimp a Butterfl.”
Photo by Elman Studio, Courtesy of the Kennedy Center Archives
2022 A look back at our history
As the concluding event of Kennedy Center’s 50th Anniversary celebration, Leonard Bernstein’s MASS returned 51 years after its world premiere at the Center in a dynamic staging featuring the NSO, guest conductor James Gaffigan, and barone Will Liverman in the role of Celebrant.
Scott Suchman,
Photo by
Courtesy of the Kennedy Center Archives
Take home... a musical memory.
Mozart Magic Flute Earrings
These exquisite earrings bring Mozart’s masterpiece to life with flueinspired details that create a visual symphony. $42
NSO Cap and T-shirt
Our new National Symphony Orchestra cap and tee let you show your pride in our world-class symphony. $30 each
Make Your Own Music Mug
No better way to start your day than with a coffee mug imprined with blank sheet music and sticker notes so you can compose your own melody. $20
Visit our two gift shops on Level A and in the Hall of States. Shop online 24/7 at tkc.co/shop
