National Symphony Orchestra: Serenades & Simple Songs

Grammy Award winner and Musical America’s 2022 Conductor of the Year Teddy Abrams leads the National Symphony Orchestra in a program spanning works by Igor Stravinsky, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and Kennedy Center Honoree Michael Tilson Thomas. Bass-baritone Will Liverman joins the orchestra for the world premiere of Snider’s *Urge*, an NSO co-commission featuring texts by poet Tracy K. Smith.

The program also includes Stravinsky’s *Symphonies of Wind Instruments*, known for its spare and haunting phrases; Thomas’s *Street Song*, which draws on urban rhythms and sounds; and Tchaikovsky’s *Serenade for Strings*, which concludes the evening with a warm, celebratory character.

When: Thursday, November 12, 2026

Showtime: 7:00 p.m. EST

Venue: Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20052

Tickets: 31.35+

Ticket limit: A maximum of eight tickets may be purchased per person and per credit card.

Conductor: Teddy Abrams

Featured performer: Will Liverman, bass-baritone

Program: Works by Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and Michael Tilson Thomas, including the world premiere of Snider’s *Urge*

Audience: General public

Event type: Arts and Culture; Performance

Contact: GW Venues at gwticket@gwu.edu