NSO to stage 2026-27 season across six DC-area venues amid Kennedy Center renovation

Facing a planned two-year Kennedy Center shutdown for renovation (and a leadership controversy), the National Symphony Orchestra will spread its 2026-27 season across six DC-area venues, including nine concerts at Alexandria’s Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall. The rest of the slate includes 24 performances at Lisner Auditorium, 13 at the Music Center at Strathmore, 8 at George Mason’s Center for the Arts in Fairfax, and 2 each at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and the Lincoln Theatre, with capacities smaller than the Kennedy Center’s 2,465 seats. The NSO will rehearse and keep offices at the Kennedy Center during construction; ticket sales have declined in recent years, though the Wolf Trap residency drew strong crowds. Tickets go on sale Aug. 28.