National Symphony Orchestra: 2012-2013 Season

NSO Teddy Bear Concert
Violins, and Trombones, and Bears, Oh My!
 
Back by popular demand! A delicate violin and a brassy trombone... playing together?! How can two instruments that are so different fit into one piece of music? Find out in this show from NSO violinist Marissa Regni, the "mother" of the Teddy Bear Concerts. Joined by trombonist Barry Hearn, musical compatibility is put to the test in a program that moves between classical and popular music with some ragtime and Spanish tunes thrown into the mix. As it turns out, we can be as different as trombones and violins, and still play together in harmony! What's more, these performances also feature the unique sounds of a garden hose and funnel horn, a grownup violin as well as a baby one, and trombones in three different sizes! For ages 3 to 5.
 
Kids can bring their favorite stuffed animal to these interactive programs and have their teddy bear friend join in all the fun! Lasting approximately 45 minutes, they're perfect for even the youngest music lovers in your family.
 
Come early for "Musical Playtime." Starting 45 minutes before each Teddy Bear Concert, enjoy music and movement activities especially designed for small children. A project of the Women's Committee for the NSO.

NSO Kinderkonzert
Peter and the Wolf
 
Those wonderful wind instruments give voice to a little boy named Peter and a wolf on the prowl in Prokofiev's beloved musical tale. A woodwind quintet of NSO musicians--Alice Weinreb, flute; Nicholas Stovall, oboe; Loren Kitt, clarinet; Truman Harris, bassoon; and Laurel Ohlson, horn--introduces young audiences to the storytelling magic of music in this family favorite. For age 4 and up.
 
Come early for the Musical Instrument "Petting Zoo." Starting one hour before each Kinderkonzert, this hands-on activity in the Kennedy Center Hall of States gives children a chance to get up close with the instruments they'll see played on stage--from violins and trumpets to oboes and flutes. A project of the Women's Committee for the NSO.

Note: The 11 a.m. performance on Sat., June 22 is Sensory-Friendly.

Sensory-Friendly Performances are designed to create a theater experience that is welcoming to all families with children on the autism spectrum or with other disabilities that create sensory sensitivities.

Accommodations for these performances include:
* Lower volume and consistent sound levels (no jarring sounds);
* Lights remaining at a low level in the theater during the performance;
* A reduction of strobe lighting focused on the audience;
* An understanding that patrons are free to talk and leave their seats during the performance;
* Short performance times, lasting 60-75 minutes with no intermission;
* Designated quiet areas within the theater;
* Space throughout the theater for standing and movement;
* Smaller crowds and a limited number of visitors at the Kennedy Center during the day and timing of the performance; and
* Trained Kennedy Center staff members who are inviting and accommodating to families' needs.

Families will also have access to resource materials to prepare for their visit. Please contact the Accessibility Office at 202-416-8727 (voice/relay) or access@kennedy-center.org for more information.

Halloween Spooktacular
Ankush Kumar Bahl, conductor

Is it ever cool to "boo" the orchestra? It is on Halloween! And during their Halloween Spooktacular, NSO musicians dressed up as ghosts, ghouls, and goblins just might peek out from behind their instruments to go "BOO" back at you!

Come early outfitted in your spookiest 'ween wear for pre-concert trick-or-treating and a special Haunted Hall Musical Instrument "Petting Zoo." A project of the Women's Committee for the NSO.

Then take your seats for a "spirited" performance as an incognito Ankush Kumar Bahl conducts selections from Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique, John Williams's Imperial March from Star Wars, Dukas's Sorcerer's Apprentice with narration, Prokofiev's Cinderella Suite No. 1, and more. For age 5 and up.

Stay after the 3 p.m. concerts for a Kids' Chat. Following the 3 p.m. concert, young audience members can ask questions and hear engaging stories in an up-close-and-personal talk with the concert artists.

Join internationally renowned pianist Lang Lang and 100 young pianists for what promises to be a life-changing (for them) and thrilling (for all) music-making event. DC-area pianists ages 8–18 join Lang Lang on the Concert Hall stage for a performance that will entertain and educate both young audience members and experienced concertgoers. This unique program is part master class, part concert, and includes arrangements of Franz Schubert's Marche Militaire No. 1 and Johannes Brahms's Hungarian Dance No. 5. Who knows, you may see the Kennedy Center Concert Hall debut of tomorrow's piano superstar!  Performance Timing:  1 hour

NOTE: The NSO does not perform in this event.

See below under the "Resources" section for more information on how to apply to participate as one of the 100 on-stage young pianists.

NSO Kinderkonzert
Musical Opposites
 
The Kennedy String Quartet--violinists Holly Hamilton and Jane Bowyer Stewart, violist James Deighan, cellist David Teie--demonstrates many types of musical contrasts, from the technical to the emotional. The four NSO musicians engage the audience as they explore simple musical building blocks such as high and low, loud and soft, fast and slow and musical opposites like arco and pizzicato. Then, playing excerpts by string quartet masters Haydn, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, and Shostakovich, the quartet shows how composers use opposites to express a stunning variety of musical moods and emotions. For age 4 and up.
 
Come early for the Musical Instrument "Petting Zoo." Starting one hour before each Kinderkonzert, this hands-on activity in the Kennedy Center Hall of States gives children a chance to get up close with the instruments they'll see played on stage--from violins and trumpets to oboes and flutes. A project of the Women's Committee for the NSO.

Note: This performance is Sensory-Friendly.

Sensory-Friendly Performances are designed to create a theater experience that is welcoming to all families with children on the autism spectrum or with other disabilities that create sensory sensitivities.

Accommodations for these performances include:
* Lower volume and consistent sound levels (no jarring sounds);
* Lights remaining at a low level in the theater during the performance;
* A reduction of strobe lighting focused on the audience;
* An understanding that patrons are free to talk and leave their seats during the performance;
* Short performance times, lasting 60-75 minutes with no intermission;
* Designated quiet areas within the theater;
* Space throughout the theater for standing and movement;
* Smaller crowds and a limited number of visitors at the Kennedy Center during the day and timing of the performance; and
* Trained Kennedy Center staff members who are inviting and accommodating to families' needs.

Families will also have access to resource materials to prepare for their visit. Please contact the Accessibility Office at 202-416-8727 (voice/relay) or access@kennedy-center.org for more information.

NSO Teddy Bear Concert
Bears, Bears Everywhere!
 
It's a big bear world out there, and every sort of bear has its own look and growl. This Teddy Bear Concert takes a peek at these adorable creatures and the sounds of their homelands--music that is as unique as they are. With NSO musicians Elisabeth Adkins and Paula Akbar, violins; Lewis Lipnick, bassoon and contrabassoon; and guest percussionist Joe Connell, with storyteller Lynn-Jane Foreman, this performance assembles a wild combination of instruments in order to create music from around the world. Children will also be introduced to an out-of-this-world instrument, the theremin, which is used to create the crazy sounds in a lot of classic films. For ages 3 to 5.
 
Kids can bring their favorite stuffed animal to these interactive programs and have their teddy bear friend join in all the fun! Lasting approximately 45 minutes, they're perfect for even the youngest music lovers in your family.
 
Come early for "Musical Playtime." Starting 45 minutes before each Teddy Bear Concert, enjoy music and movement activities especially designed for small children. A project of the Women's Committee for the NSO.

NSO Ensemble Concert
Connections: Science and Music
 
Endangered species, synapses and neurons, condensation and precipitation-- are these terms from a science course or a music class? In this fast-paced, multimedia performance by NSO cellist Yvonne Caruthers with her NSO colleagues Natasha Bogachek, violin and Stephen Dumaine, tuba, students hear and see how a melody can be played on a laundry hose (or a tuba); how instrument makers are responding to the near-extinction of their favorite trees; and whether a violinist can break a world speed record... don't miss it! For age 9 and up.

NSO Kinderkonzert
Break It Down!
 
An exciting look at music makers and making music! This energetic program delights in dissecting the pieces and parts of music and musical instruments. Children will be amazed by the way in which instruments from the wind and percussion family (and some interesting "outsiders") are taken apart and put back together again. Instruments will even "transform" before their very eyes into other instruments, and a variety of useful objects! This highly engaging program is also an introduction to some of the basic structures of music. Watch, listen, and lend a helping hand as this dynamic duo of Paul Fadoul on marimba and Zara Lawler on flute build music from the ground up! For age 4 and up.
 
Come early for the Musical Instrument "Petting Zoo." Starting one hour before each Kinderkonzert, this hands-on activity in the Kennedy Center Hall of States gives children a chance to get up close with the instruments they'll see played on stage--from violins and trumpets to oboes and flutes. A project of the Women's Committee for the NSO.