National Symphony Orchestra

The 96-member National Symphony Orchestra is known for serving the nation as a cultural ambassador, representing the U.S. on tours around the world, and for performing regularly at events and celebrations of national and international importance.

For Notre Dame's DeBartolo Performing Arts Center (DPAC), under the baton of Music Director Gianandrea Noseda, the National Symphony Orchestra's selections masterfully balance American spirit with Romantic era brilliance. The concert opens with Monuments: Suite for D.C., a tribute to the physical and artistic landmarks of the capital, by Composer-in-Residence Carlos Simon. Transitioning from the modern to the virtuosic, the remarkable Ray Chen joins the stage for Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, much loved for its freshness and gorgeous melody. The night concludes with Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 8, a sun-drenched masterpiece brimming with the folk-inspired melodies and natural wonder of the Bohemian countryside. Experience the concert's carefully crafted musical journey, moving from the local significance of Washington to the universal appeal of the European masters.

Credits

National Symphony Orchestra

Founded in 1931, the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) has always been firmly committed to artistic excellence and music education. The 96-member NSO regularly participates in events of national and international importance, including official holiday celebrations through its regularly televised appearances for Capitol Concerts, and local radio broadcasts on Classical WETA 90.9FM, making the NSO one of the most-heard orchestras in the country. The NSO performs approximately 150 concerts each year, including classical and popular concerts at the Kennedy Center, at Wolf Trap in the summer, and on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol.

National Symphony Orchestra

Gianandrea Noseda

Gianandrea Noseda is one of the world's most sought-after conductors, equally recognized for his artistry in both the concert hall and opera house. Noseda is in his ninth season as music director of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., where his leadership has renewed the orchestra's artistic and critical acclaim.

Gianandrea Noseda

Ray Chen

Violinist and online personality, Ray Chen, redefines what it means to be a classical musician in the 21st century. He has appeared with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, the Munich Philharmonic, the Filarmonica della Scala, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and more. He plays the 1714 "Dolphin" Stradivarius violin on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation. The famed violinist Jascha Heifetz once owned this instrument.

Ray Chen

DeBartolo Performing Arts Center

Welcoming over 100,000 patrons annually, the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center (DPAC) is Notre Dame's primary presenter of cinematic and performing arts programming. In addition to hosting hundreds of performances and events across its multiple venues each year, DPAC curates an annual Presenting Series that brings world-class touring performers to the region. As an academic space, the center is also home to the Department of Film, Television, and Theatre and also regularly hosts student and faculty performers from the Department of Music and Sacred Music at Notre Dame.

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Funding & Support

National Symphony Orchestra is a signature program of the 2027 Notre Dame Arts Biennial and part of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center's Presenting Series.