Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings & more

Grammy Award-winning conductor Teddy Abrams leads the National Symphony Orchestra in a program that moves between intimate, atmospheric writing and expansive orchestral sound. The concert pairs Stravinsky’s spare *Symphonies of Wind Instruments* and Tchaikovsky’s warmly celebratory *Serenade for Strings* with Michael Tilson Thomas’s city-inspired *Street Song* and Sarah Kirkland Snider’s *Urge*, receiving its world premiere in an NSO co-commission.

Bass-baritone Will Liverman, praised by *The Washington Post* as “a voice for this historic moment,” joins the orchestra for *Urge*, which sets texts by poet Tracy K. Smith. The program brings different sections and colors of the orchestra into focus, from haunting winds and strings to the full ensemble.

When: November 12–14, 2026

Showtimes: Thursday, November 12 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, November 14 at 8 p.m.

Program: Igor Stravinsky, *Symphonies of Wind Instruments*; Sarah Kirkland Snider, *Urge* (NSO co-commission and world premiere); Michael Tilson Thomas, *Street Song*; Pyotr Tchaikovsky, *Serenade for Strings*

Conductor: Teddy Abrams, Grammy Award winner and Musical America’s 2022 Conductor of the Year

Featured performer: Will Liverman, bass-baritone

Venue: Lisner Auditorium at the George Washington University, 730 21st St. NW, Washington, DC 20037

Tickets: Price not available

Genre: Classical music

Note: The program and artists are subject to change without prior notice, and ticket prices may vary with demand.