Heal
Capital City Symphony and Cantate Concert Choir unite in the final concert of their seasons. Together, they share a musical meditation on times of trouble in our human experience, and the path to healing. Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms” depicts life-affirming hope for brotherhood and peace, and Carlos Simon’s “Brea(d)th” provides a “moving, yearning, admonition for repair” in response to the death of George Floyd - almost five years earlier to the day. The powerful spoken words - performed with the ensembles by librettist and spoken word artist Marc Bamuthi Joseph - span centuries and genres, serving as a reflection on sacrifice, loss, strength, and a call to action for a better tomorrow.
Reflect & Revive
Capital City Symphony continues its tradition of presenting outstanding young classical solo artists. We are thrilled to present Sophia Lin, 2024 winner of the Ylda Novik Memorial Concerto Competition on piano, performing Mozart, Concerto No. 20 in D minor.
As one young woman breathes new life into the future of music, we also remember powerful, promising young people who were robbed of breath far too soon. Composed in 1963, Margaret Bonds' "Montgomery Variations" is a set of orchestral meditations on the spiritual "I Want Jesus to Walk with Me." Each variation reflects on the Civil Rights Movement, from tributes to Martin Luther King Jr., to the pivotal citizens and events in Montgomery, Alabama, to the deep undercurrent of faith in the march for justice.
Atlas INTERSECTIONS 2025
Art and music, as a language – an expression of the human experience – take many different forms. It may be a way to express the traditions unique to a particular culture. Or it can tell a story through the sonic realizations of a composer’s emotions. It can highlight and celebrate that which is wonderful in our world. Or it can bring awareness and attention to that which is not. Music cannot be separated from human life; if anything, it exists because of it. Curated and led by CCS Assistant Conductor and South African Composer Johannes Visser, this program explores the intersections between music and life and features an original composition by Visser.
Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances shimmer with life and excitement. It elevates and celebrates the dance traditions of the Transylvanian culture in which he grew up. Visser’s “A Winter’s Night in Palestine” considers life in Gaza in the broadly relatable context of winter but brings attention to the atrocious pain and suffering that has come from the short-sightedness of politics, divisiveness, and genuine evil. Walker’s Lyric for Strings is a moving expression of his feelings and emotions when he thinks about his grandmother’s life in slavery. Finally, Elgar’s Enigma Variations celebrates the beauty and joy that can come from human interaction and the profound impact that people can have on one another’s lives.
Sing! Holiday Concerts - 5:30pm
The Capital City Symphony’s annual holiday concert fills the air with joyous music once again, featuring the dynamic sounds of The Capital Hearings! Bring your family & friends and sing along, as the orchestra takes you on a whirlwind tour of seasonal favorites.
Sing! Holiday Concerts - 3pm
The Capital City Symphony’s annual holiday concert fills the air with joyous music once again, featuring the dynamic sounds of The Capital Hearings! Bring your family & friends and sing along, as the orchestra takes you on a whirlwind tour of seasonal favorites.
Inspire: CCS Family Concert - 5pm (with Instrument Petting Zoo at 4:30pm)
Join CCS and celebrated performer Erika Rose for a symphonic adventure that will make you gasp with delight! The lively Brahms “Hungarian Dance No. 5” draws you in, then *join the performance* in Bruce Adolphe’s “Three Pieces for Kids In The Audience & Chamber Orchestra.” As the grand finale, Jessie Montgomery's "Because" (based on the beloved story by Mo Willems) tells the tale of a curious girl who discovers the magic of music through the power of community. As the stage comes to life with narration, colorful illustrations, and a full orchestra, the playful melodies of Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony mingle with Montgomery's original music as the girl moves from exploration to discovery.
Prepare to be surprised, laugh along – and maybe find your own inspiration at our Instrument Petting Zoo!
Inspire: CCS Family Concert - 2:30 pm (with Instrument Petting Zoo at 2pm)
Join CCS and celebrated performer Erika Rose for a symphonic adventure that will make you gasp with delight! The lively Brahms “Hungarian Dance No. 5” draws you in, then *join the performance* in Bruce Adolphe’s “Three Pieces for Kids In The Audience & Chamber Orchestra.” As the grand finale, Jessie Montgomery's "Because" (based on the beloved story by Mo Willems) tells the tale of a curious girl who discovers the magic of music through the power of community. As the stage comes to life with narration, colorful illustrations, and a full orchestra, the playful melodies of Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony mingle with Montgomery's original music as the girl moves from exploration to discovery.
Prepare to be surprised, laugh along – and maybe find your own inspiration at our Instrument Petting Zoo!
Renew
We bring in our season with an invitation to “stay put for a spell” in a musical evening of rebirth, rest, and resilience. Carlos Simon's "Breathe" sets the scene, inviting a moment of introspective calm. Centered, we move into the exuberance and abandon of Beethoven's Symphony No. 7. Finally, Stravinsky's Firebird Suite ignites the program's conclusion, depicting a renewal fueled with primal energy. Together, these pieces remind us to find peace within, awaken our sense of joy, and celebrate the transformative power of starting anew.
One Week - Cocktail Concert
Travel with CCS to the golden era of silent films with a live performance of Andrew Earle Simpson’s original score accompanying a screening of famed comedian Buster Keaton’s hilarious – but silent – romp One Week. Ideal for audiences of all ages, One Week chronicles the comedic misadventures of a newly-wed couple’s attempt to build a DIY house they were given as a wedding gift – all in 22 minutes.
Join us as we celebrate CCS with a rollicking performance, One Week, with an original orchestral score by acclaimed silent film composer Andrew Earle Simpson. This evening will include a conversation with composer Andrew Earle Simpson. This event is created with our grown-up audience members in mind. Plan to arrive 30 minutes before the concert to enjoy a cocktail and to get to know our artists and their instruments at our instrument petting zoo!
5:00 PM: Cocktails and Instrument Petting Zoo in the Lobby
5:30 PM: Concert in the Lang Theatre
Our Journey Begins
Our season begins with the powerful and emotional Concert Overture No. 1 in E minor by groundbreaking 19th-century composer, Louise Farrenc, launching our adventures into places known and unknown. Next, CCS teams up with “lyrical soprano of ravishing quality,” Laura Choi Stuart, to carry us into the enchanting world of Canteloube’s Chants d’Auvergne rich with folk-inspired melodies and lush harmonies that transport us to the idyllic landscapes of rural France. Our journey continues with a musical expedition to Hovhannes’ Mysterious Mountain inspired by the American Southwest. This leg of our travels concludes in Norway, where Grieg’s iconic Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 brings legendary Scandinavian folk hero Peer Gynt to life through a collection of four vibrant movements.
Of Sight and Sound
Imagination abounds as we wrap up our season. The performance begins with grammy-nominated Chinese-American composer Zhou Tian’s lush Broken Ink, which evokes the melodies and tones of Chinese poetry. We close the season with Jocelyn Hagen’s ingenious multimedia choral-orchestral work, The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci. This captivating piece uses the latest in video syncing technology to bring da Vinci’s work to life through his words and drawings in an unforgettable concert experience. CCS is thrilled to welcome our inspiring friends from Congressional Chorus as our partners in this performance.
Did you know?!
Since Chinese is a tonal language, with pitch impacting meaning, Chinese poetry is melodic. In the Song dynasty - the period from which Tian’s poetic inspiration comes - there was no system of notation, leaving current readers no insight into how to perform poetry of that era.
Songs of Hiawatha
Based in his reimagining of Native American folklore, Longfellow’s Songs of Hiawatha has inspired music across time and place, each composer and piece offering a unique perspective on the theme. Our journey begins with Delius’s passionate Hiawatha, which transports us through longing, fulfillment, loss, and hope. Afro-British composer Coleridge Taylor’s “luscious, rich, and sensual” Hiawatha Overture follows, paving the way for Dvorak’s beloved New World Symphony which tantalizes us with influences from spirituals and indigenous music, as well as Longfellow’s poem.
Did you know?!
Neil Armstrong took a recording of Dvorak’s New World Symphony on the Apollo 11 mission to the moon!
CCS Creates
Delight in the original compositions of some of Capital City Symphony’s talented musicians during our third annual CCS Creates Chamber Music Concert. The program celebrates unique perspectives and rich talent from within our own Capital City Symphony Composer’s League. You won’t want to miss this unforgettable performance created by your neighbors for you - our neighbors!
Intersections Festival
We are thrilled to be participating in the Atlas Performing Arts Center Intersections Festival!
The Atlas INTERSECTIONS Festival is a performing arts festival that presents work that impacts our society, culture, and world by informing, inspiring, educating, and entertaining. INTERSECTIONS is about presenting excellent art that inspires a connected community, engages artists and audiences alike, and creates a vibrant neighborhood, city, and world.
Capital City Symphony and Assistant Conductor Ingrid Lestrud explore musical confluence where art imitates life, and sometimes life imitates art. From Beethoven’s sounds of a summer storm, to Hovhannes imitating nature, and the sounds of Paris from Gershwin, join us for an exploration of sound.
Featuring Washington National Opera Cafritz Young Artist, Amber Monroe singing Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915.
Annual Holiday Concert and Sing Along
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Come celebrate the holiday season with Capital City Symphony and Potomac Fever, a close-knit harmony a cappella group made up of members of the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC. Grab your family, friends, and neighbors for a fun-filled concert and sing along featuring your favorite holiday classics. We can’t wait to revel in the spirit of the holiday season with you!
Did you know?!
Potomac Fever was formed over thirty years ago! The 14-voice a cappella pop ensemble has performed all over the country and released several albums.
Annual Holiday Concert and Sing Along
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Come celebrate the holiday season with Capital City Symphony and Potomac Fever, a close-knit harmony a cappella group made up of members of the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC. Grab your family, friends, and neighbors for a fun-filled concert and sing along featuring your favorite holiday classics. We can’t wait to revel in the spirit of the holiday season with you!
Did you know?!
Potomac Fever was formed over thirty years ago! The 14-voice a cappella pop ensemble has performed all over the country and released several albums.
What is a Composer?
Jump into the fun during our annual interactive family concert! Kids and grown-ups alike will be in on the action during every piece of this exciting and vibrant concert, which is designed with our youngest audience members in mind.
We’ll begin with Mexican composer Arturo Marquez’s rhythmic and playful Conga del Fuego Nuevo. Activist and Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence Carlos Simon’s The Block, inspired by the art of Romare Bearden and vibrant scenes of Harlem, follows. Valerie Coleman’s Umoja will harness the voices of our whole community through call and response and memorable melodies that invite us to create beautiful music together. And finally, we’ll wrap-up this hour-long performance with Bruce Adolphe’s highly interactive Three Pieces for Kids and Chamber Orchestra.
Plan to arrive early! Thirty minutes before the concert starts, an instrument petting zoo will be held throughout the concert hall and lobby giving your whole family a hands-on opportunity to get to know our artists and their instruments!
Did you know?!
The conga is a Cuban carnival dance - and a drum!- brought by Black enslaved people from the West Indies.
Umoja is a Swahili word that means “unity.” It is also the first principle of Kwanzaa!
What is a Composer?
Jump into the fun during our annual interactive family concert! Kids and grown-ups alike will be in on the action during every piece of this exciting and vibrant concert, which is designed with our youngest audience members in mind.
We’ll begin with Mexican composer Arturo Marquez’s rhythmic and playful Conga del Fuego Nuevo. Activist and Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence Carlos Simon’s The Block, inspired by the art of Romare Bearden and vibrant scenes of Harlem, follows. Valerie Coleman’s Umoja will harness the voices of our whole community through call and response and memorable melodies that invite us to create beautiful music together. And finally, we’ll wrap-up this hour-long performance with Bruce Adolphe’s highly interactive Three Pieces for Kids and Chamber Orchestra.
Plan to arrive early! Thirty minutes before the concert starts, an instrument petting zoo will be held throughout the concert hall and lobby giving your whole family a hands-on opportunity to get to know our artists and their instruments!
Did you know?!
The conga is a Cuban carnival dance - and a drum!- brought by Black enslaved people from the West Indies.
Umoja is a Swahili word that means “unity.” It is also the first principle of Kwanzaa!
An Artist in the World
Our season begins with the exhilarating Fanfare on Amazing Grace, a short “explosion of joyous sound” by living African-American composer Adolphus Hailstork. Next, internationally renowned “spitfire” Romanian violinist, Irina Muresanu, and “ebullient” UMD Professor of Cello, Eric Kutz, join forces with CCS to bring Brahms’ sweeping Double Concerto for Violin and Cello, Op. 102, in A minor to life. Finally, we bring you Hindemith’s vivid and energetic imagining of artist Mathias Grunewald’s paintings in the Mathis der Maler Symphony, a work that emerges from Hindemith’s poignant opera exploring the artist’s role and voice within society.
Did you know?!
An arrangement of Hailstork’s Fanfare on Amazing Grace was performed as a part of the Presidential Inaugural Prelude in 2021.
Hindemith’s Mathis der Maler Symphony was banned by the German government a month after its 1934 premiere because the composer had allegedly been critical of Hitler. Indeed, Hindemith was notably anti-Nazi.
Brahms’ Double Concerto was written, in part, to pursue reconciliation with his dear, estranged friend, violinist Joseph Joachim.
Symphonic Women
The final concert of our Who Are We, D.C.? season, exploring composers as diverse as our city, features three female composers from the 1800s to today. The program opens with Concert Overture No. 2 by Florence Price, the first African American woman to have a composition played by a major orchestra. This will be followed by Louise Farrenc’s Symphony No. 3 and we close the season with Howard University alum, Mary D. Watkins’ Five Movements in Color.
Click Here For Tickets!
CCS Creates
Join musicians of Capital City Symphony for our second annual afternoon of extraordinary chamber music. This special program celebrates the rich talent in our very own orchestra, and features original musical compositions by four of our multi-talented musicians. Don't miss this beautiful afternoon of music!
Original chamber music compositions by:
Andrew Acquaviva ~ Eric Hall ~ Daniel Lu ~ Karl Meyer
Birds and Cathedrals
Capital City Symphony continues its tradition of presenting outstanding young classical solo artists. We are thrilled to present Alexander Suh, 2020 winner of the Ylda Novik Memorial Concerto Competition on piano, performing Shostakovich Piano Concerto No.2.
The world premiere of Adirondack Autumn, by one of our own members, Daniel Lu, follows, featuring flutist David Lonkevich. This lively concert includes Lili Boulanger’s D’un matin de printemps and Tan Dun’s interactive Passacaglia: Secret of Wind and Birds, “creating a poetic forest of digital birds.” We close the evening with Jennifer Higdon’s transcendent blue cathedral.
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Intersections: Convergence: When East Meets West
Join us for an evening of saxophone and bansuri (Indian bamboo flute) as we join musicians Deepak Ram and Noah Getz in this genre and culture crossing performance.
Mozart - Magic Flute Overture
Deepak Ram - Ishkar, for Saxophone, Bansuri, and String Orchestra (world premiere)
Villa Lobos - Fantasia
Borodin - In the Steppes of Central Asia
Noah Getz - Concerto for Bansuri, Saxophone, and Orchestra (world premiere)
Click here For Tickets!
Family Program: Instrument Petting Zoom
Join our host, CCS Conductor and Artistic Director Victoria Gau, as we introduce the whole family to the instruments of the orchestra through virtual musical instrument petting zooms.
This event is designed for our youngest audience members (3 and up) to see and hear instruments up close from the comfort of home.
Capital City Symphony thanks our loyal patrons and first-time viewers for joining us! CCS is delighted to offer this virtual event free of charge to provide enriching entertainment for our community and their families.
We would be grateful for any donations to help keep our organization running. Select a donation option during the registration process, or visit capitalcitysymphony.org/support to contribute.
Our Favorite Things: A Holiday Concert featuring The String Queens
Capital City Symphony is pleased to be presenting The String Queens alongside our orchestra in a concert of "Our Favorite Things," featuring works from their second album, which premiered in November 2020.
Praised for its “authentic, soulful, and orchestral sound,” The String Queens is a dynamic trio that creates stimulating musical experiences that inspire diverse audiences to love, hope, feel, and imagine!
Recognized by D.C.’s leading news network WUSA9 as “school teachers by day and concert performers by night,” The String Queens have been featured in famed performance venues across four continents, including Carnegie Hall, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Howard Theatre, Royal Festival Hall, Radio City Music Hall, Shanghai Grand Theatre, The Moscow Conservatory, and Blues Alley.
This concert is made possible thanks to the Jeanne Phil and Meg Team at Compass.
Click Here For Tickets!
Our Favorite Things: A Holiday Concert featuring The String Queens
Capital City Symphony is pleased to be presenting The String Queens alongside our orchestra in a concert of "Our Favorite Things," featuring works from their second album, which premiered in November 2020.
Praised for its “authentic, soulful, and orchestral sound,” The String Queens is a dynamic trio that creates stimulating musical experiences that inspire diverse audiences to love, hope, feel, and imagine!
Recognized by D.C.’s leading news network WUSA9 as “school teachers by day and concert performers by night,” The String Queens have been featured in famed performance venues across four continents, including Carnegie Hall, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Howard Theatre, Royal Festival Hall, Radio City Music Hall, Shanghai Grand Theatre, The Moscow Conservatory, and Blues Alley.
This concert is possible thanks to the generous support from the Jeanne Phil and Meg Team at Compass.
Click Here For Tickets!
Elegy
We open our season - Who Are We, D.C.? - with Carlos Simon’s Elegy, A Cry from the Grave “dedicated to those who have been murdered wrongfully by an oppressive power,” followed by his piece This Land, lifting hope and unity. Howard University alum, Adolphus Hailstork’s Sonata da Chiesa follows and we close the program with Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges’ charming Symphony No. 2.
Click Here For Tickets!
Season Finale Online Concert!
Celebrate our musicians and preview next season!
Join CCS Artistic Director Victoria Gau and composer Scott Pender for the grand finale of this unique, extraordinary season. The program will include newly recorded chamber music performances by CCS musicians along with an encore performance of Oedipus the King!
This is an online event.
A Taste of Handel's Messiah: A Fundraiser for Capital City Symphony
You're invited to a special holiday fundraiser for Capital City Symphony!
CCS invites you and your family to cozy up to the fire and enjoy "A Taste of Handel's Messiah: A Fundraiser for Capital City Symphony". Although we can't be together, CCS would be delighted to share in the holiday spirit with you and yours. Relax at home and gain a deeper appreciation of this beloved holiday classic as Maestra Gau presents the history behind Handel's Messiah. Favorite drink and Christmas cookie recipes from CCS staff and Board will be shared ahead of the event so we can eat, drink, and be merry together!
This is an online event.
FREE Virtual Family Concert - Get Out of This World
There's never been a better time for the entire family to Get Out of This World with Capital City Symphony!
Zoom into outer space and Get Out of This World from the safety and comfort of your home! Join your host, CCS Conductor and Artistic Director Victoria Gau, to explore "My Own Personal Rocketship" by Charlie Barnett and accept our mission to introduce the whole family to the instruments of the orchestra through virtual Musical Instrument Petting Zooms. It's guaranteed to be out of this world!
Space is limited, so reserve your seat on the shuttle today!
CCS Thanks You!
Capital City Symphony thanks our loyal patrons and first-time viewers for joining us on this adventure into space! CCS is delighted to offer this virtual event free of charge to provide enriching entertainment for our community and their families. During these uncertain times, we would be grateful for any donations to help keep our organization running. Select a donation option during the registration process, or visit capitalcitysymphony.org/support to contribute.