If you work in the D.C. area, the National Symphony Orchestra will likely come to you.
That’s the goal of the NSO’s “In Your Neighborhood” series, which resumes this Friday.
“This is actually the 11th annual edition,” Executive Director Gary Ginstling told WTOP. “We take the National Symphony Orchestra — as a whole orchestra and in small groups — out of the Kennedy Center and into neighborhoods around D.C. We choose a corner of D.C. and just immerse that neighborhood in music.”
This September, those neighborhoods include Petworth, Brightwood, Brightwood Park, Shepherd Park, Takoma, Takoma Park and for the first time in Downtown Silver Spring, Maryland.
“The goal is to share music with as many people and make a social impact on these communities by using music to better people’s lives,” Ginstling said.
The series kicks off Friday at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center with a music and mandala-making workshop from 6:15 to 7 p.m. and a full orchestra concert at 7:30 p.m.
“We are going to be joined by conductor Lina Gonzalez-Granados,” Ginstling said. “We’re so excited to have a chance to work with Lina. She serves as a conducting fellow at the Philadelphia Orchestra, she was a winner of the 2021 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, so a real up-and-coming conductor. She’s going to lead the full orchestra in a performance.”
After a private event Sept. 7 at the D.C. International School from 12 to 1 p.m., the free public shows continue Sept. 8 at Fort Stevens Recreational Park with an outdoor chamber performance from 12 to 1 p.m., followed by a masterclass at Potter Violins in Takoma Park from 5 to 6 p.m.
The NSO next swings by La Coop Coffee Company in Northwest D.C. on Sept. 11 from 3 to 4 p.m., The Parks at Walter Reed from 6 to 7 p.m., then Takoma Station Tavern from 7 to 8 p.m.
Sept. 12 brings a chamber performance at AFI Silver Theatre & Cultural Center from 12 to 1 p.m. and an outdoor show at Rock Creek Nature Park Center in Northwest D.C. from 12 to 1 p.m.
Sept. 15 brings a chamber performance to Levine Music Silver Spring from 7 to 8 p.m.
Sept. 16 includes a show at Roosevelt High School in Northwest from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., Fort Slocum Park Picnic Pavilion from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and Money Muscle BBQ from 7 to 8 p.m.
The NSO next plays Rhizome DC in Northwest on Sept. 17 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
It all culminates Sept. 22 at Emery Recreation Center in Northwest with mural painting from 5:30 to 7:15 p.m., a composer workshop from 6 to 7 p.m. and a full orchestra concert at 7:30 p.m.
“It’s really important that all of our ‘In Your Neighborhood’ activities are free to the public,” Ginstling said. “We are committed to bringing music, from the full orchestra down to small ensembles, into the neighborhoods and giving people a chance to experience great music at no charge.”
Listen to our full conversation here.
