National Symphony Orchestra to Tour Europe in February 2024

The tour will take place from February 16–28, 2024.

By: Chloe Rabinowitz Nov. 28, 2023

National Symphony Orchestra to Tour Europe in February 2024

Music Director Gianandrea Noseda will lead the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) on its European tour, February 16–28, 2024. The two-week international tour will mark Noseda's first with the Orchestra and includes 10 concerts across nine cities in three countries, a highlight being a homecoming performance in Noseda's hometown of Milan, Italy, at Teatro alla Scala. Noseda and the Orchestra's Asia Tour 2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic. The tour soloists include violinist Hilary Hahn performing Korngold's Violin Concerto and pianist Seong-Jin Cho performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, and the NSO will perform the European premiere of the NSO co-commission, Wake Up! Concerto for Orchestra by Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence Carlos Simon.

Before embarking on its European tour, the NSO will perform its tour programs at home at the Kennedy Center in the Concert Hall, January 25–February 9, 2024. The NSO will also present one of the tour programs at Carnegie Hall on February 12, 2024, with special guest James Ehnes performing the Korngold Violin Concerto.

The National Symphony Orchestra is partnering with American Forests, the oldest conservation organization in the U.S., to restore forests burned by wildfire in Oregon. The initiative will help return climate-adapted forests to the region, while recovering biodiverse habitat, protecting clean waterways, and bringing recreation back to local communities. The project will help reduce the climate impact of the Orchestra's 2024 Europe tour by advancing natural climate solutions – restoring damaged forest ecosystems and their ability to capture carbon dioxide. This is one of many ways the NSO has changed its business practices to reduce its impact on the environment. [See Commitment to Change.]

This is the NSO's first European tour since 2016, which was led by former Music Director Christoph Eschenbach, and the 12th tour to Europe in its 92-year history. On this tour, the Orchestra visits Zaragoza, Spain for the first time and will make its debut at Spain's Auditorio de Zaragoza, Milan's Teatro alla Scala and Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie. It will also make appearances at Berliner Philharmonie, Nuremberg's Meistersingerhalle, Frankfurt's Alte Oper, Cologne's Philharmonie, Barcelona's Palau de la Música Catalana, and Madrid's Auditorio Nacional de Música.

Music Director Gianandrea Noseda said: “This first international tour of my tenure will give the artists of the National Symphony Orchestra and me the opportunity to showcase what we have been achieving at the Kennedy Center, including works we are adding to our recording legacy. We will tour throughout Europe in our role as musical ambassadors and I'm proud that Carlos Simon, the Kennedy Center's Composer-in-Residence, will be with us as well as violinist Hilary Hahn and pianist Seong-Jin Cho. One of my personal highlights will be appearing with the NSO on the stage of Teatro alla Scala in my hometown of Milan. I'm excited for this tour and everyone who will have the opportunity to experience our performances.”

Executive Director Jean Davidson said: “Bringing the National Symphony Orchestra to these international stages builds on our rich history of touring and serving as a cultural ambassador. We are looking forward to returning to Europe with Music Director Gianandrea Noseda and sharing American composer Carlos Simon's new work with audiences. We also acknowledge that touring places a burden on our environment and are pleased to partner with American Forests as part of our commitment to reducing our environmental impact."

American Forests President and CEO Jad Daley said: “American Forests is thrilled to partner with the National Symphony Orchestra to advance reforestation through the power of music. Our forests are one of the best tools we have in the fight against climate change, and it's going to take all of us in the public and private sectors to restore our forests and ensure they can continue to remove carbon and support these invaluable ecosystems now and for future generations.”

SPAIN: Barcelona, Zaragoza, Madrid
Music Director Gianandrea Noseda and the National Symphony Orchestra will perform the first four performances of its European tour in Spain. The program in all three cities—Barcelona, Zaragoza, and Madrid—will feature Hilary Hahn performing Korngold's Violin Concerto, the European Premiere of Wake Up! A Concerto for Orchestra (NSO co-commission), and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5. A second performance in Madrid at the Auditorio Nacional de Música will feature Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 with Seong-Jin Cho as soloist, Berg's Three Pieces for String Orchestra from the Lyric Suite, and Schubert's Symphony No. 9, “The Great.” This trip to Spain also marks the Orchestra's first visit to Zaragoza and the Auditorio de Zaragoza.

Music Director Gianandrea Noseda has a deep connection to Spain. He held the position of principal conductor of the Orquestra de Cadaqués from 1994 to 2020, after winning the Cadaqués Orchestra International Conducting Competition. The Orquestra de Cadaqués is based in Catalonia, Spain and performs regularly in both Madrid's Auditorio Nacional and Zaragoza's Auditorio de Zaragoza.

GERMANY: Berlin, Nuremberg, Frankfurt, Cologne, Hamburg
Noseda will lead the NSO and Seong-Jin Cho in a performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 in Berlin. Also on the program is Berg's Three Pieces for String Orchestra from the Lyric Suite, and Schubert's Symphony No. 9, “The Great.” Cho also performs the same piano concerto in Hamburg, with a program that includes Carlos Simon's Wake Up! Concerto for Orchestra and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5.

Hilary Hahn joins Noseda and the Orchestra with Korngold's Violin Concerto in Nuremberg, Frankfurt, and Cologne. Also on that program is Berg's Three Pieces for String Orchestra from the Lyric Suite. In Nuremburg and Frankfurt the orchestra will end the programs with Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, “Eroica.” In Cologne, the orchestra will conclude the concert with Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5.

This is the orchestra's fourth appearance at the Berliner Philharmonie (1985, 2002, 2016), the second visit to Meistersingerhalle Nuremberg (2013), the fourth appearance at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt (1985, 1997, 2013), and the third time performing at the Kölner Philharmonie (1990, 1997). This will mark the Orchestra's first visit to the Elbphilharmonie.

ITALY: Milan
Gianandrea Noseda will lead the orchestra in a homecoming performance at his hometown venue, the historic Teatro alla Scala. Noseda will present an NSO co-commission by Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence Carlos Simon, Wake Up! Concerto for Orchestra. Also on the program is Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 with Seong-Jin Cho as soloist, and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5. This performance will mark the Orchestra's first visit to La Scala.

RADIO BROADCASTS
WQXR-FM, New York's Classical Music Radio Station, will broadcast the National Symphony Orchestra's concert at Carnegie Hall live on February 12, 2024. This is the NSO's Carnegie Hall Live series debut.

The Orchestra's performance in Milan will be broadcast on RAI.

COMMITMENT TO CHANGE
The National Symphony Orchestra is committed to changing its business practices to reduce its impact on the environment.

Careful review of equipment needs and identified modifications resulting in a 20% reduction to air and ground freight volume.
As part of a Kennedy Center–wide initiative, the NSO no longer prints program books, helping the Center save 250 tons of paper a year.
This summer, the NSO replaced its onstage canopy lighting in the Concert Hall with 60 LED lighting fixtures, reducing its wattage by 95% from 54,000 watts to 2,700 watts.

This is the beginning of the NSO's commitment to doing business differently, being mindful of its carbon footprint, and approaching operations with more sustainably.

Learn more about the NSO Europe Tour 2024 at https://www.kennedy-center.org/nso/tour.