Life in the National Symphony Orchestra
The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) has remained committed to its mission of artistic excellence and music education since its founding in 1931, and has continued to pursue this mission as an artistic affiliate of the Kennedy Center since 1986, boosting it to become one of the most-heard orchestras in the country. The NSO, under the leadership of Music Director Gianandrea Noseda, performs a full season of subscription concerts—around 150 concerts per year—at the Kennedy Center, summer programs at Wolf Trap I, and participates annually in the National Memorial Day Concert and A Capitol Fourth concert from the West Lawn of the United States Capitol, concerts that are televised nationally on PBS.
Gianandrea Noseda
Music Director for the National Symphony Orchestra
Team Mission
The mission of the NSO is to engage audiences locally, across the country, and around the world through excellence in performance, education, and engagement.
Fun Facts
- Ben Folds serves as the NSO’s music advisor and curates an annual series called “Declassified”, aimed at attracting new audiences to the orchestral experience.
- The NSO has a long history of commissioning; over 125 new works have been commissioned since 1956.
- The NSO recently launched its own recording label and has plans to release all nine Beethoven symphonies and all of George Walker’s five sinfonias.