National Philharmonic Announces 2026-27 Season at Strathmore, Featuring Hagen Premiere

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The season features guest artists Inon Barnatan and Aundi Marie Moore.

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ational Philharmonic has unveiled its 2026-27 season, a seven-program journey spanning contemporary voices and timeless masterworks. The season features the East Coast premiere of Jocelyn Hagen's What the Soul Already Knows. All concerts will take place at The Music Center at Strathmore, the Orchestra's longstanding home in Montgomery County.

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"Our concerts are rooted in community and designed to inspire and belong to those we serve," says Jim Kelly, President and CEO of National Philharmonic and a member of its Artistic Leadership Committee. "We are sharing music that we find instills a lifelong love of classical music. We are proud to present these compelling artists and composers who continually remind us why this art form matters. We know our audiences will have a wonderful time," he adds.

In 2026-27, NatPhil welcomes a roster of accomplished artists, including pianist Inon Barnatan, violinist Ava Pakiam, and vocal artists Aundi Marie Moore, Danielle Talamantes, and Jorell Williams. Concerts will be led by distinguished guest conductors David Charles Abell, Anthony Blake Clark, Daniel Hege, Carolyn Kuan, Chia-Hsuan Lin, and Eugene Rogers.

Conceived as the ultimate love letter to classical music, NatPhil's Artistic Leadership Committee selected beloved cornerstone repertoire and compelling contemporary works for the season. The season opens with Inon Barnatan performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3. The programming continues with music by Aaron Copland, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Felix Mendelssohn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Laura Karpman's All American - propelled by a percussion battery of baking sheet, butcher block, Le Creuset 5-quart braiser and other kitchen tools - calls attention to the pervasive invisibility of women composers, quoting the melodies of three of them: Emily Wood Bower, Mildred J. Hill, and Anita Owen. In Made in America, Joan Tower draws from America the Beautiful as a main theme to survey American promise through the eyes of an expat.

The May program spotlights NatPhil's partnership with The Washington Chorus under the direction of Dr. Eugene Rogers. The two ensembles will collaborate on the East Coast premiere of Jocelyn Hagen's What the Soul Already Knows, co-commissioned with Pacific Chorale under the direction of Robert Istad. The performance features Soprano Rabihah Dunn, Mezzo-Soprano Ashley Dixon, Tenor Brian Giebler, and Bass-Baritone Alan Williams. The libretto is anchored by "The Circle," an expansive poem by Ty Defoe, a Two-Spirit Native American writer and interdisciplinary artist.

In December, Baltimore Choral Arts Society joins NatPhil in its annual holiday tradition of performing George Frideric Handel's Messiah, HWV 56, conducted by Anthony Blake Clark and featuring Soprano Sarah Hayashi, Mezzo-Soprano Lucia Bradford, Tenor Allan Palacios Chan, and Bass-Baritone Edmund Milly.

Building on the landmark "Extreme Chopin" project with NatPhil at Strathmore, in which pianist Brian Ganz played all 250+ works by Frédéric Chopin, Ganz launches a new multi-year cycle of the Beethoven piano sonatas, further deepening NatPhil's commitment to immersive, long-term artistic exploration.

National Philharmonic 2026-2027 Season Schedule:

The Music Center at Strathmore Carolyn Kuan, Conductor Inon Barnatan, Piano

Laura Karpman: All American

Ludwig van Beethoven: Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37

Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No.9, op.95, B.178, E minor "From the New World"

The Music Center at Strathmore Daniel Hege, Conductor Danielle Talamantes, Soprano

Joan Tower: Made in America

Samuel Barber: Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Op. 24

George Gershwin: The Man I Love

George Gershwin: Love Is Here to Stay

Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring Suite

Arturo Márquez: Danzón No. 2

The Music Center at Strathmore Anthony Blake Clark, Conductor Sarah Hayashi, Soprano Lucia Bradford, Mezzo-Soprano Allan Palacios Chan, Tenor Edmund Milly, Bass-Baritone

with Baltimore Choral Arts Society

George Frideric Handel: Messiah, HWV 56 (abridged with intermission)

The Music Center at Strathmore David Charles Abell, Conductor Aundi Marie Moore, Soprano Ginger Costa-Jackson, Mezzo-Soprano Andres Acosta, Tenor Jorell Williams, Baritone

Great moments from opera

The Music Center at Strathmore Chia-Hsuan Lin, Conductor Ava Pakiam, Violin

Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel: Overture, C major

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Concerto, Violin, Op.35, TH 59, D major

Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3, Op. 56, A Minor (Scottish)

The Music Center at Strathmore Brian Ganz, Piano

The Music Center at Strathmore In partnership with The Washington Chorus

Eugene Rogers, Conductor Rabihah Dunn, Soprano Ashley Dixon, Mezzo Soprano Brian Giebler, Tenor Alan Williams, Bass-baritone

Jocelyn Hagen: What the Soul Already Knows, East Coast Premiere

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Requiem in D minor, K. 626 (completed by Süssmayr)

Programs, artists, dates, and times are subject to change.

Subscriptions and packages to National Philharmonic's 2026-2027 season are on sale now at nationalphilharmonic.org . Single tickets will go on sale in July.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwclassical/article/National-Philharmonic-Unveils-2026-27-Season-at-The-Music-Center-at-Strathmore-20260512)._