DC Charity Spotlight: Capital City Symphony

WISH LIST $100: tickets to a Family Concert for 5 children; $500: a new conductor’s music stand; $1000: concert-master’s salary for 1 quarter

Capital City Symphony, once in residence at Georgetown University, now calls H Street NE its home. Three formal concerts at the Atlas Performing Arts Center explore classical repertoire along with the best of 20th century music; two or three chamber concerts make music available in smaller venues; and in alternating years a concerto features the winner of the Novik Piano Competition or the Levine School of Music competition – often the first time a teenage soloist plays with a full orchestra. A family concert introduces young audiences to classical music (an instrument ‘petting zoo’ lets children mingle with musicians, see instruments up close, and get a chance to play); and the annual carol singalong (free) is especially popular with local residents. Children under the age of 16 are admitted free to all CCS concerts. Of course, free performances, and nearly free ones like the children’s concert, are not free to the orchestra, which already operates on a shoestring. But CCS is committed to these rewarding experiences. Artistic excellence, imaginative programming, and community engagement: now isn’t that worth supporting?

Victoria Gau,

Music Director 1333 H Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 capitalcitysymphony.org