Review: STAGE, SCREEN, AND SYMPHONY with Josh Groban and the NSO, Sean O’Loughlin Conductor at Wolf Trap
An evening of songs from stage and screen with once in a lifetime vocals and musicianship.
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It is not often that a singer can enter a stage with a full symphony orchestra playing behind him and hold a sold out crowd of 7,028 people spellbound. This past Saturday evening at Wolf Trap’s Filene Center, Grammy nominated singer/actor Josh Groban did just that while being backed by YOUR National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in a program called Stage, Screen, and Symphony.
Under the baton of Maestro Sean O’Loughlin, Groban started things off with a stellar rendition of “Pure Imagination” from Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Featuring an arrangement by William Ross, Groban’s vocal set the standard for the rest of the evening with his smooth baritone sound.
Another highlight of many from the evening was the Broadway standard “Old Devil Moon” from Burton Lane and E.Y. Harburg’s Finian’s Rainbow. Besides Groban’s superb vocal styling and expert arrangement by Chris Walden, the song also featured two fine trumpet solos by Joshua Kauffman.
As you might know, Groban has appeared on Broadway in both Sweeney Todd and Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812. Hearing a pairing of Stephen Sondheim’s “There was a Barber and His Wife” and Dave Malloy’s “Dust and Ashes” performed by Groban reminded us of the commanding vocal presence he had in both of those shows. The pairing was orchestrated by the living legend of Broadway orchestration Jonathan Tunick.
Photo by Karl Magnuson.
Josh Groban is a big proponent of arts education. He has hosted the Jimmy Awards, the Tony Awards for high schools, twice now. Groban introduced us to 2026 Jimmy Award recipient for Best Performance by an Actress 18 year-old Samia Posadas who took “On My Own” from Les Misérables and elevated it to a whole new level of excellence. Posadas was accompanied on piano by Groban’s longtime pianist Danae Greenfield.
Posades and Groban then dueted on “All I Ask of You” from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of The Opera. Just remember the name Samia Posadas because when that song was over, it was definitely clear she has a promising future. This killer duet was arranged by Bernie Herms with Herms and William Ross co- orchestrating.
Also featured was Groban’s longtime violinist Lucia Micarelli. She started off her section with a beautiful violin solo and then blended with Groban on Ennio Morricone’s title song from Cinema Paradiso as arranged by William Ross. As if that wasn’t enough, she then vocally dueted with Groban on Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová’s “Falling Slowly” from Once, showing her versatility as a performer.
Photo by Karl Magnuson.
As if all of this musical greatness wasn’t enough, Groban also performed a few songs with the local Voce Chamber Choir. My favorite hands down was definitely a soaring (no pun intended) version of Adele’s “Skyfall” from the film of the same name. Hearing Groban with the choir and the mighty NSO playing Callum Au’s epic arrangement just proved that certain moments are meant to be witnessed live. The 7,000 plus attendees at Wolf Trap were extremely lucky to have done so.
I would also like to mention the fine work of Groban’s principal guitarist and musical director Tariqh Akoni.
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Josh Groban and the NSO put on a concert that is going to be hard to beat because, let’s face it, you can never have too many stage and screen songs in your life. Even with an encore of “Over The Rainbow, from The Wizard of Oz, no one would have complained if Groban sang a few more songs.
Please support YOUR National Symphony Orchestra in the upcoming season and for years to come. It doesn’t matter where you attend one of their performances, it just matters THAT you attend.
Running Time: Two hours including one intermission.
Stage, Screen, and Symphony was a one-night-only engagement at The Filene Center at Wolf Trap on August 22nd, 2026.
Lead photo credit: Josh Groban with Maestro Sean O'Loughlin and the Natioanl Symphony Orchestra.
Photo by Karl Magnuson.
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