National Symphony Orchestra to utilize Alexandria venue amid Kennedy Center shutdown plans

Key Points:

• The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) will perform its 2026-27 season across six venues in the Washington, D.C. area, including Alexandria’s Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall, due to the Kennedy Center’s planned two-year closure for renovations.
• The NSO’s season will feature 24 concerts at George Washington’s Lisner Auditorium, 13 at Strathmore, and nine at Schlesinger Concert Hall, among others, with all venues having smaller seating capacities than the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall.
• Ticket sales for the NSO have declined significantly in recent years, a trend attributed to audience and artist opposition to the Kennedy Center’s takeover by Trump loyalists, though summer residency performances at Wolf Trap have been successful.
• Despite the Kennedy Center board’s controversial plans to add Donald Trump’s name to the building, the NSO plans to continue rehearsing and maintaining its offices and music library at the Kennedy Center during renovations.
• NSO Music Director Gianandrea Noseda expressed hope that performing outside the Kennedy Center will help rebuild the orchestra’s audience and potentially attract new attendees.