Center for the Arts

National Symphony Orchestra to play at GMU in Fairfax amid Kennedy Center uncertainty

Published August 18, 2026 at 12:05PM | Updated August 18, 2026 at 7:23PM

FILE - Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) Gianandrea Noseda conducts the orchestra during a rehearsal at Milan's La Scala theatre, Italy, on Feb. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)

George Mason University’s Center for the Arts is one of six D.C.-area venues that will host the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) during its upcoming season.

Faced with an uncertain future due to a potential two-year closure of the Kennedy Center, its long-established home, the NSO made its delayed 2026-27 season announcement today (Tuesday), 5 1/2 weeks before its opening concert on Sept. 26 and five months later than the release of its 2025-26 schedule.

Around Town

Dance company that canceled Kennedy Center visit to offer free show at GMU

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 3, 2026 at 1:45PM

Doug Varone and Dancers will perform at George Mason University's Center for the Arts on April 25, 2026 (photo by John Landry)

A New York dance company that recently nixed scheduled appearances at the Kennedy Center is coming to George Mason University’s Center for the Arts instead.

Doug Varone and Dancers will visit the Fairfax performing arts venue (4373 Mason Pond Drive) on Saturday, April 25 for a free show in the concert hall, the Center for the Arts announced today.