NSO at the Center for the Arts

National Symphony Orchestra at the Center for the Arts at George Mason University

The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), marking its 96th season and Music Director Gianandrea Noseda’s 10th season, will bring its 2026–27 Classical Season directly into communities across the National Capital Region with performances at six regional venues, including the Center for the Arts at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.

Presales begin August 21 for applicable groups and tickets go on sale to the general public for fall performances at the Center for the Arts on August 28.

Gianandrea Noseda, conductor (Photo by Missa Solemnis)

Fall 2026 NSO performances at the Center for the Arts will include the following.

Noseda conducts Exotic Tales
Gianandrea Noseda, conductor

Thu., Oct. 1, 2026 at 7 p.m.
Center for the Arts at George Mason University

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade
Modest Mussorgsky (orch. Maurice Ravel): Pictures at an Exhibition
Maurice Ravel: Boléro

Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade spins an opulent tale of adventure and intrigue, while Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition—brilliantly orchestrated by Ravel—guides us through a gallery of strange and fantastical art. In Ravel’s Boléro, a single, insistent rhythm grows ever more intense, building toward a rapturous finale. Join us as Gianandrea Noseda conducts three iconic works showcasing the orchestra at its most cinematic—evoking distant lands, mysterious figures, and unforgettable scenes.

Josefowicz & Adams: Scheherazade Two Point Oh!
John Adams, conductor
Leila Josefowicz, violin

Thu., Oct. 15, 2026 at 7 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 16, 2026 at 8 p.m.
Center for the Arts at George Mason University

Astor Piazzolla (arr. John Adams): Three Tangos
Sergei Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kijé – Suite
John Adams: Scheherazade.2

Some stories belong to the outsiders. Violinist Leila Josefowicz joins composer and conductor John Adams for a program of rebels, heroes, and characters who defy convention. Adams puts his own twist on the tangos of Piazzolla, while Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kijé gives a fictional military hero unexpected life through satire. The music culminates in Adams’ Scheherazade.2, a fierce reimagining of Rimsky-Korsakov’s legendary heroine. Here, Scheherazade is no longer simply a storyteller, but a woman fighting for her own survival—with Josefowicz as her fearless musical voice.

Visit the National Symphony Orchestra website for the full season of NSO concerts across the DMV.

Tickets for the following 2027 performances at the Center for the Arts will go on sale at a later date:

Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2
Stanislav Kochanovsky, conductor
Nikolai Lugansky, piano

Friday, January 15, 2027 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, January 16, 2027 at 8 p.m.
Center for the Arts at George Mason University

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2
Zoltán Kodály: Concerto for Orchestra
Béla Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin – Suite

Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 unfolds in melodies that linger long after they first appear—tender, yearning, and full of desire. Pianist Nikolai Lugansky, renowned for his interpretations of Rachmaninoff, joins conductor Stanislav Kochanovsky for this famous concerto, which has served as the emotional soundtrack to film, television, and popular culture for generations.

The evening continues with Kodály’s vibrant, too-rarely-heard Concerto for Orchestra and music from The Miraculous Mandarin, a ferocious, expressionist concert suite derived from Bartók’s 1919 pantomime ballet.

Noseda conducts Rachmaninoff & Respighi
Gianandrea Noseda, conductor
Francesco Piemontesi, piano

Thursday, February 18, 2027 at 7 p.m.
Center for the Arts at George Mason University

Antonín Dvořák: Piano Concerto
Sergei Rachmaninoff (arr. Alexander Raskatov): Corelli Variations (NSO co-commission, World Premiere)**
Ottorino Respighi: Gli Uccelli

Gianandrea Noseda leads a program connecting the rich musical traditions of Russia and Italy with music inspired by older European forms and styles. Rachmaninoff’s Corelli Variations, in an arrangement by Alexander Raskatov, receives its world premiere as an NSO co-commission, while Respighi’s Gli Uccelli draws on Baroque music blended with unmistakable Italian flair. Francesco Piemontesi, who “combines stunning technique with an intellectual capacity that few can match” (Spectator), completes the evening with Dvořák’s expansive Piano Concerto.

Go for Baroque
Bernard Labadie, conductor
Joélle Harvey, soprano

Friday, March 12, 2027 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 13, 2027 at 8 p.m.
Center for the Arts at George Mason University

George Frideric Handel: Water Music – Suite No. 1
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Exsultate, jubilate K. 165
Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 103 “Drumroll”

Go for Baroque at this festive program celebrating the splendor and sophistication of the Baroque and Classical eras. First, Bernard Labadie conducts Handel’s Water Music Suite No. 1—originally written for royal revelries. Soprano Joélle Harvey joins the NSO for Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate, a work overflowing with joy. Haydn’s Symphony No. 103, “Drumroll,” rounds out the program with moments of majestic drama. Join us for an evening encompassing everything from the waters of Handel’s London to the refined brilliance of Mozart and Haydn.

Ω NSO musician
* NSO debut
** First performance by the NSO