National Symphony Orchestra will play at 6 DC-area venues next season as Kennedy Center shuts
The orchestra will stage 64 concerts at smaller halls and on tour as ticket sales fell to 41% last season, The Washington Post reported.
- On Tuesday, the National Symphony Orchestra announced it will split its 2026–27 season among six D.C.-area venues, including the Lincoln Theatre and Strathmore, following Kennedy Center's renovation closure.
- The Kennedy Center board, comprised of allies of President Donald Trump, mandated a two-year closure for renovation and cited his 'strategic direction' as Kennedy Center chair while planning to add his name to the building's facade.
- Music director Gianandrea Noseda confirmed that stage constraints forced program changes, substituting Franz Schubert's Symphony No. for Gioachino Rossini's 'William Tell' overture to accommodate smaller venues.
- Tickets for the 64-concert season go on sale Aug. 28, leaving compressed time to reverse a downward trend that saw attendance fall from 72% in 2024 to 41% last season.
- With his contract extending through the NSO's 100th anniversary season in 2030-31, Noseda envisions operating as a 'regional touring orchestra' to engage audiences where they live rather than invite them to traditional venues.
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21 Articles
National Symphony Orchestra Won’t Perform at the Kennedy Center This Season
Rahmat Gul/AP Photo/Rahmat GulThe National Symphony Orchestra will not perform at the Kennedy Center this upcoming season, breaking more than 55 years of tradition with the embattled performing arts center.The announcement comes less than a week after the Kennedy Center’s board voted to inscribe President Donald Trump’s name into the storied building’s white marble facade — their second attempt to honor him by name — and proceed with a lengthy s…
Los Angeles Times
Independent EspañolAfter being forced to leave the Kennedy Center after President Donald Trump's allies approved a reconstruction project, the National Symphony Orchestra will divide its 2026-27 season between six headquarters in Washington and the capital's suburbs.
District Links: Kennedy Center renovations prompt NSO concert season at Lisner, other area venues; judge derails FBI move to Reagan Building; and more
The National Symphony Orchestra made headlines today with its long-awaited season announcement, which includes concerts scattered across six regional venues as the Kennedy Center undertakes a two-year renovation that will shutter most of the Foggy Bottom complex.
National Symphony Orchestra bails on Trump's Kennedy Center after half-century run
The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) just announced its first season away from the Kennedy Center in more than half a century — a scattered, six-venue exile that comes as ticket sales at its former home have cratered.The orchestra will split 64 concerts across venues including George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium, the Music Center at Strathmore, George Mason University's performing arts center, and D.C.'s Lincoln Theatre, after bein…
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