Story thread · 10 reports / 10 sources

National Symphony Orchestra to play 6 other DMV venues during Kennedy Center construction

nbcwashington.com · 5h · first reportShare

Forced from the Kennedy Center following approval of a reconstruction project by allies of President Donald Trump, the National Symphony Orchestra will split its 2026-27 season among six venues in Washington, D.C., and the capital’s suburbs. The NSO made its delayed 2026-27 season announcement Tuesday, 5 1/2 weeks before its opening concert on Sept. 26 and five months later than the release of its 2025-26 schedule. The Kennedy Center, named by Congress after President John F. Kennedy, was taken over in 2025 by a board of Trump loyalists who added his name to the complex , only to be ordered to remove it by a federal judge . The board said last week it intends to close the complex for a two-year renovation and add Trump’s name to the building’s facade so it would read “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump.” NSO tickets sales declined from 72% of capacity in 2024 to 58% in 2025 to 41% last season, The Washington Post repor