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January 6, 2016 · 10:38 am

NSO in Your Neighborhood Brings Free Music to Downtown & Penn Quarter

The National Symphony Orchestra has brought back its wonderful NSO in Your Neighborhood initiative. From January 5-11, Downtown DC and Penn Quarter will be a hive of musical activity as the NSO presents a week’s worth of free events for the entire family.

The American Art Museum, International Spy Museum, MLK Library, community churches, local theatres, and more venues around the Downtown/Penn Quarter area will host a variety of presentations, including chamber music performances, orchestral concerts, and educational events.

The performances highlighted below will likely appeal to families with young children most, but just about all of the events can be appreciated by any age. You can view the complete schedule on the Kennedy Center website.

Saturday, January 9
The Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th & F Streets NW
All day & 7pm
There will be pop-up performances throughout the day, including the NSO Family Concert: Inspiration! at 2-3pm, plus instrument petting zoos. And the entire National Symphony Orchestra will perform a special evening concert in the Kogod Courtyard.

Calvary Baptist Church, 755 8th Street NW
Master Class, 10:3am – 12:30pm
Audiences are invited to observe NSO musician Holly Hamilton (violin) leading a master class for Symphony Kids of the Prince George’s Philharmonic.

Sunday, January 10
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G Street NW
Artistic Exchange: Music and Spoken Word, 2-4pm
NSO musician Glenn Donnellan (violin) performs with spoken word artists from Words, Beats & Life and members of the Hip Hop Orchestra of UMD.

International Spy Museum , 800 F Street NW
Spy-themed music 3-4pm
NSO musicians Nurit Bar-Josef (concertmaster), Natasha Bogachek (violin), Eric deWaardt (viola), and James Lee (cello) perform an espionage-themed program for this family-friendly event. Patrons who attend the performance will also receive a coupon for $5 off the price of admission to visit the museum’s exhibits.

“NSO in Your Neighborhood” Brings a Week of Free Programs to Capitol Hill

The National Symphony Orchestra is bringing back its NSO in Your Neighborhood initiative, this year to Capitol Hill. From January 7-13, the NSO will present a variety of activities, with an emphasis on chamber performances, education, and community engagement programs for audiences of all ages.

Union Station, public libraries, the Marine Barracks, coffee shops, and art centers on Capitol Hill will host everything from Shakespeare-inspired shows to violin ensembles to youth orchestra performances to instrument petting zoos to chamber music — and even more in between. And all of the events are free and open to the public.

The performances highlighted below are geared especially toward young audiences, but all of them can be appreciated by any age. You can view the complete schedule on the Kennedy Center website.

ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
Viva Violins: From Baby Talk to Mozart
10–11am | EBENEZERS COFFEEHOUSE, 201 F ST., NE
The violin grows up in the spotlight in this program which tells the tale of three little violins and how their mother teaches them to “sing.” Join violinists Elisabeth Adkins, Paula Akbar, Holly Hamilton, and Jane Bowyer Stewart as they grow the musical experience from sweet lullabies like “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” all the way to breathtaking Bach. Immediately following the performance, young people will enjoy the Musical Instrument “Petting Zoo,” a project of the Women’s Committee for the NSO.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT PETTING ZOO
1:30–2:30pm | UNION STATION, 50 MASSACHUSETTS AVE., NE
Hands-on fun with instruments! Children (and their parents) have the chance to get up close and personal with the orchestral instruments they will see professionally played on stage. The musical instrument “petting zoo” is a project of the Women’s Committee for the NSO.

NSO AT UNION STATION
3 & 7pm | UNION STATION, EAST HALL,
50 MASSACHUSETTS AVE., NE
Led by NSO Assistant Conductor Ankush Kumar Bahl and featuring WUSA Channel 9’s Andrea Roane as host, the National Symphony performs two full “train-themed” concerts at Union Station.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT PETTING ZOO
10:30am–12:30pm | DC SOUTHEAST LIBRARY, 403 7TH ST., SE
Hands-on fun with instruments! Children (and their parents) have the chance to get up close and personal with the orchestral instruments they see professionally played on stage. The musical instrument “petting zoo” is a project of the Women’s Committee for the NSO.