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SHIFT
April 9-15, 2018
Co-presented by Washington Performing Arts and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2018 SHIFT Festival
SHIFT celebrates the vitality, identity, and extraordinary artistry of orchestras and chamber orchestras by creating an immersive festival experience in the nation's capital. The week-long festival is composed of mini-residencies, with each participating orchestra presenting education events, symposia, and community events in venues around Washington, D.C., along with full-orchestra performances in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.
SHIFT Orchestra Concerts — All seats just $25!
The following events will take place in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (part of SHIFT)
Conducted by music director Miguel Harth-Bedoya and featuring guest soloists Augustin Hadelich on violin and dancers from Texas Ballet Theater, this fascinating program celebrates the vibrant Latin American communities of Fort Worth as well as Harth-Bedoya's South American heritage.
- Tuesday, April 10, 2018 8:00 PM
- Concert Hall
Albany Symphony (part of SHIFT)
This concert, “The River Flows Through Us,” explores how bodies of water connect and influence their surrounding communities, examined through the history of the waterways of upstate New York. Conductor David Alan Miller welcomes soloists Joyce Yang on piano, Carol Jantsch on tuba, and D.C.-area youth choruses.
- Wednesday, April 11, 2018 8:00 PM
- Concert Hall
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (part of SHIFT)
This program reflects the ISO’s mission to engage all ages and introduce Polish works inspired by music director Krzysztof Urbański's heritage. Superstar cellist Alisa Weilerstein joins for Lutoslawski’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, while Penderecki's Credo features five singers and two Indianapolis choirs.
- Friday, April 13, 2018 8:00 PM
- Concert Hall
National Symphony Orchestra (part of SHIFT)
This program filled with Russian and Italian inspirations reflects new NSO Music Director Gianandrea Noseda’s Italian heritage as well as his experience at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, where he held his first important conducting post.
- Saturday, April 14, 2018 8:00 PM
- Concert Hall
LIVESTREAM
ArtChangeUS@
SHIFT Festival of American Orchestras
A forum to advance cultural equity and explore innovative practices in the orchestral field
April 10, 2018
3:00 - 5:00 PM EST
Stay tuned here
Residency Events
The following events will take place throughout D.C.
OFFSITE EVENT: Caminos del Inka: A Musical Journey (part of SHIFT)
FREE, open to the public. Miguel Harth-Bedoya, the Peruvian-born music director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, leads this chamber ensemble dedicated to exploring the rich tradition of South American music. Please note this event does NOT take place at the Kennedy Center.
- Monday, April 9, 2018 2:00 PM
- National Museum of the American Indian
OFFSITE EVENT: NSO In Your Neighborhood Chamber Music (part of SHIFT)
FREE, open to the public. National Symphony Orchestra musicians perform chamber music at the Congressional Cemetery, a 206-year-old National Historic Landmark. Please note this event does NOT take place at the Kennedy Center.
- Monday, April 9, 2018 7:00 PM
- Congressional Cemetery
OFFSITE EVENT: NSO Full Orchestra Pop-Up Concert (part of SHIFT)
FREE, open to the public. Led by Music Director Gianandrea Noseda, the entire National Symphony Orchestra performs a free lunch-time “Pop-Up” concert in the Main Hall of D.C.’s iconic Union Station. Please note this event does NOT take place at the Kennedy Center.
- Wednesday, April 11, 2018 1:00 PM
- Union Station
OFFSITE EVENT: Dogs of Desire & Theo Bleckmann (part of SHIFT)
FREE, reservations required. Albany Symphony’s own new music ensemble Dogs of Desire performs new works by America's best young composers, exploring all that is wild and wonderful in American pop culture. Please note this event does NOT take place at the Kennedy Center.
- Thursday, April 12, 2018 7:30 PM
- Blind Whino SW Arts Club
OFFSITE EVENT: NSO In Your Neighborhood Late-Night Concert (part of SHIFT)
FREE, open to the public. National Symphony Orchestra musicians perform a late-night concert at the Loft bar of the Hamilton restaurant. Please note this event does NOT take place at the Kennedy Center.
- Thursday, April 12, 2018 10:30 PM
- The Hamilton
OFFSITE EVENT: Teddy Bear Concert: The Garden Symphony (part of SHIFT)
FREE, open to the public. The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra introduces preschool and kindergarten students to the orchestra through an interactive performance featuring story, movement, and live music. Please note this event does NOT take place at the Kennedy Center.
- Saturday, April 14, 2018 9:30 AM
- Busboys and Poets (Brookland)
OFFSITE EVENT: NSO In Your Neighborhood Chamber Concert (part of SHIFT)
FREE, open to the public. A trio of National Symphony Orchestra hornists perform a chamber concert at the Anacostia Community Museum. Please note this event does NOT take place at the Kennedy Center.
- Saturday, April 14, 2018 2:00 PM
- Anacostia Community Museum
OFFSITE EVENT: Pop-Up Concert with Time for Three (part of SHIFT)
FREE, open to the public. The high-energy string trio and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra resident ensemble performs in a pop-up concert at Adams-Morgan’s new LINE Hotel. Please note this event does NOT take place at the Kennedy Center.
- Saturday, April 14, 2018 5:00 PM
- The LINE Hotel
OFFSITE EVENT: NSO In Your Neighborhood Day at the Zoo (part of SHIFT)
FREE, open to the public. National Symphony Orchestra musicians perform an animal-themed program, and the Volunteer Council for the NSO hosts a Musical Instrument “Petting Zoo” for a Day of Music at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Please note this event does NOT take place at the Kennedy Center.
- Sunday, April 15, 2018 1:00 PM
- Smithsonian National Zoological Park
Highlights from last year's festival
Second Annual SHIFT Festival – 2018
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Washington Performing Arts announces the four orchestras selected to participate in the second annual SHIFT: A Festival of American Orchestras, taking place at the Kennedy Center and other locations around D.C. from April 9 – 15, 2018.
Chosen from a pool of applicants from across the country, the selected orchestras— each of which will offer a Kennedy Center Concert Hall performance and city-wide residency—are Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Albany Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and National Symphony Orchestra. Collectively, the participating orchestras will spotlight repertoire that has been influenced and inspired by literature, history, geography, varied cultures, and nature and will encompass collaborations with vocalists and choirs, dancers, star solo instrumentalists, and six living composers.
Generous support of the SHIFT Festival is provided through a matching grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; by the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts; by Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; and by Michael F. and Noémi K. Neidorff and The Centene Charitable Foundation.
Additional support is provided by Abramson Family Foundation, Betsy and Robert Feinberg, and Morton and Norma Lee Funger.
SHIFT is presented in cooperation with the League of American Orchestras.
SHIFT is also made possible by the Amphion Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. John V. Thomas, and Mr. and Mrs. Harry M. Linowes.