Our Mission

The Capital City Symphony strives to make great orchestral music approachable by presenting affordable concerts to the public, performing creative programs in a relaxed concert format, and providing a musical outlet for talented amateur as well as professional players.

About CCS

The Capital City Symphony (CCS) is a community orchestra based in Washington, D.C. It is one of the founding arts partners in the Atlas Performing Arts Center, located in Northeast DC’s Atlas District. The Capital City Symphony relies on grants, corporate sponsorships and individual donations.

The orchestra was founded in 1967 as the Georgetown Symphony Orchestra. In 2005 the orchestra chose to relocate to H Street, NE and rename itself the Capital City Symphony in order to better reflect its new location and city-wide focus. This move has given the symphony an opportunity to make classical music performances accessible to an area of the city that has been traditionally underserved, both economically and culturally. The 2006-07 concert season marked the orchestra’s first season fully in residence as an Arts Partner at the new Atlas Performing Arts Center, which is the cornerstone of the H Street NE corridor revitalization project.

The Conductor and Artistic Director is Victoria Gau, who is also the associate conductor of the National Philharmonic. Previous conductors: Louis Fantasia, Daniel Hornstein, and John Welsh.

The Capital City Symphony performs standard symphonic repertoire and explores the best of 20th and 21st-century music. The orchestra consists of approximately 100 volunteer musicians of all ages. For all performances, informative introductions to the pieces and program notes are provided for the audience, creating a relaxed and educational atmosphere that makes classical musical accessible to all. A typical Capital City Symphony season offers four full orchestral programs (five to six performances), a chamber concert, and a free community carol sing (two performances).

Collaborations

CCS has collaborated with the Capitol Hill Chorale and Congressional Chorus to enhance its traditional instrumental format with a diverse offering of choral works. CCS has also presented both instrumental and vocal soloists on its concert programs. In addition, CCS has pushed the boundaries of traditional orchestral music, collaborating twice with contemporary composers Charlie Barnett and David Matthews, incorporating jazz, pop, and funk elements and instruments.

In December the Capital City Symphony, in partnership with the Congressional Chorus and the Atlas Performing Arts Center, provides free admission to a concert of holiday music and sing-along carols. This event continues to grow in popularity, so to meet the needs and interest of the community the orchestra began offering two performances of this event during the 2008-09 concert season.

The Next Generation

Encouraging young musicians, and young audience members, is also important to the Capital City Symphony. Every two years the Capital City Symphony performs a piano concerto with the winner of the Novik Piano Competition, a competition open to young pianists living in the Washington area. In alternate years, the orchestra provides a performance opportunity for the winner of another youth concerto competition, such as those held by the DC-based Levine School of Music.

Children aged 16 and under are admitted free to all Capital City Symphony concerts. In particular, the annual Family Concert offers a program specifically geared for young listeners, with an “instrument petting zoo,” special children's program book, and a narrated, interactive performance. Due to high community interest, CCS has offered two performances of this program since the 2008-2009 concert season.

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CCS is currently looking for new board members. If you are interested in joining this exciting organization, contact us.