NSO Youth Fellows
NSO Youth Fellows presents chamber music performed by students in the National Symphony Orchestra Youth Fellowship Program as part of the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage series. The program features works by Penderecki, Sheng, Chopin, Strauss, Bach, and Montgomery, showcasing a range of styles and instrumental performances.
The Youth Fellowship Program is an orchestral training opportunity for high school musicians from the Washington metropolitan area who plan to pursue professional music careers through conservatory or university study. Since the 1980–81 season, fellows have received full scholarships for private study with National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera musicians, along with access to rehearsals, concerts, seminars, discussions, masterclasses, chamber-music coaching, and side-by-side rehearsals with the NSO.
When: November 5, 2026
Venue: The REACH at the Kennedy Center
Series: Millennium Stage
Program: Krzysztof Penderecki’s “Viola Cadenza”; Bright Sheng’s “Seven Tunes Heard in China, VII. Tibetan Dance”; Frédéric Chopin’s “Ballade No. 1 in G Minor”; Richard Strauss’s “Violin Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 18”; Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Cello Suite No. 3, Prelude”; and Jessie Montgomery’s “Rhapsody No. 1”
Performers: Students in the National Symphony Orchestra Youth Fellowship Program
Tickets: Price not available
Entry: No tickets or registration are required for Millennium Stage performances at the REACH. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Showtimes: No performance time is listed. Check the Kennedy Center website on the day of the performance for updates.
Program background: Fellows receive private instruction from NSO and WNO musicians and participate in educational activities including rehearsals, concerts, seminars, discussions, masterclasses, chamber-music coaching, and side-by-side work with the National Symphony Orchestra.
Venue information: Visitors may bring picnics to the REACH’s outdoor areas when no event is taking place. On-site concessions and beverages are available. Coolers must be 16 quarts or smaller, and personal chairs must be no more than 36 inches high.
Accessibility and pets: Service animals are permitted indoors and outdoors. Pets are allowed in the REACH’s outdoor areas when leashed, but pets are not permitted inside Kennedy Center buildings.
Note: The event and its artists are subject to change without prior notice.