Release Date: August 25, 2014

Seventy-third Concert Season at the National Gallery of Art Introduces Sculpture Garden Concerts, New "Encounter" Performances, the 66th American Music Festival, Concerts in Honor of Exhibitions, and More

US Air Force Strings performs music by Chadwick and Fauré on Sunday, September 7 at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden in honor of Degas/Cassatt.

Washington, DC—The National Gallery of Art commences the 73rd season of the longest-running free Sunday concert series in the nation's capital on October 5, 2014. Evening concerts will be presented on the second and fourth Sunday of each month, October 2014 through May 2015. In addition, musical "encounters" will take place at the Gallery on most other Sundays at 3:30 p.m. On Sundays in September, outdoor lunchtime concerts will be presented in the Sculpture Garden as a prelude to the new season.

Sculpture Garden Concerts

Inspired by the beloved summer tradition of Jazz in the Garden, the Gallery presents concerts at noon and 1:00 p.m. on Sundays during the month of September. On September 7, the U.S. Air Force Strings will play 19th-century French and American music in honor of Degas/Cassatt; on September 14, Ricardo Marlow and Ensemble will entertain with Flamenco music and dance; on September 21, Seldom Scene provides lively strains of bluegrass; and on September 28, the National Gallery of Art Wind Ensemble plays music by Andrew Wyeth's favorite composers in honor of Andrew Wyeth: Looking Out, Looking In.

Musical Encounters

Weekend visitors to the Gallery will discover musical performances at 3:30 p.m., usually on Sundays, but also on occasional Fridays and Saturdays. These programs are designed to appeal to listeners of all ages. The first to appear in this new format, on October 5 at 3:30 p.m., will be the Senegal Gospel Choir, blending African and American musical traditions. Other outstanding ensembles include the Prague Philharmonic Choir (October 31), the Alexandria Kleztet (December 21), and the Momenta String Quartet (January 9).

Sixty-sixth American Music Festival

The Gallery presents five concerts in mid-March as part of the longest-running American music festival. Under the guest artistic directorship of composer Roger Reynolds, the festival will include Washington premieres of works by Robert Ashley, Mark Dresser, Felipe Padilla de Leon, David Felder, and Augusta Reed Thomas, as well as Aaron Copland, Charles Ives, and Reynolds himself. In addition to concerts, the festival will include afternoon lectures and panel discussions on March 8, 9, and 16.

Concerts in Honor of Exhibitions

In addition to Sculpture Garden concerts in honor of exhibitions, the Gallery will present special programs in honor of Degas's Little Dancer (National Gallery Orchestra with guest conductor Philippe Entremont and clarinetist Michel Lethiec on October 12; Kirov Ballet Academy on November 23); El Greco in the National Gallery of Art and Washington-Area Collections: A 400th Anniversary Celebration (guitarist Francisco Bernier on November 9 and the Baltimore Consort on December 14); and Piero di Cosimo: The Poetry of Painting in Renaissance Florence (NGA Chamber Players on  February 1).

Special Occasions and Anniversaries

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Ricardo Marlow and Ensemble will perform music and dance from the Flamenco tradition on September 14; in honor of African American History Month, Marlissa Hudson, soprano, and Alan Mandel, pianist, perform music by Mandel (February 8) and the Marian Anderson String Quartet plays music by African American composers (February 22) in honor of African American History Month. Celebrating Women's History Month, pianist Irina Nuzova will perform music by women composers on March 29. In honor of the 100th birth anniversary of Richard Bales, the Gallery's first assistant to the director for music, The Voices of Canton, Inc. (VOCI) will sing his cantatas, The Union and The Confederacy, on April 12.

NGA Resident Ensembles

The Gallery's resident ensembles will present musical encounters on the third Sunday of most months at 3:30 p.m., beginning on October 19 with the NGA Piano Trio. The NGA New Music Ensemble continues its groundbreaking work with concerts on November 19 and February 15, the NGA String Quartet plays on April 19, and the NGA Chamber Players perform on January 18 and May 17.

Holiday Concerts and Caroling

A wide variety of music for the holiday season is available to Gallery visitors in December. Performances include Empire Brass on December 6; Spanish Brass on December 13; audience caroling with a local choir on December 20; and the Alexandria Kleztet celebrates Hanukkah on Sunday, December 21.

Concert Information          

Concerts at the National Gallery of Art are free of charge and open to the public on a first-come, first-seated basis. For the 6:30 p.m. concerts on Sundays, seating begins 30 minutes prior to the concert. The entrance to the West Building at Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW remains open until 6:30 p.m., but no late entry is permitted after that time. For lunchtime and mid-afternoon performances, seating begins ten minutes prior to the concert. Information about concert programs may be obtained by calling (202) 842-6941 or by visiting the Gallery's website at www.nga.gov/music.