Today, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is proud to announce the legendary Vienna Philharmonic will come to the Concert Hall for an exclusive show on March 4, 2026, at 8:00 PM ET. The magnificent one-night-only performance is set to be led by Grammy Award®–winning conductor Andris Nelsons, marking his Kennedy Center debut. The program will excite audiences as Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra opens the concert—its iconic rising horns ushering in the dawn of a new world. Then, Sibelius’ majestic Symphony No. 2 brings us lush, arching melodies on the verge of chaos.

“We are honored to welcome the Vienna Philharmonic to the Kennedy Center,” said Kennedy Center President Ambassador Richard Grenell. “Audiences will experience iconic works performed with the orchestra’s legendary artistry and Viennese sound with Andris Nelsons at the helm.”

This performance marks the first time the ensemble has been presented by the Kennedy Center. The Vienna Philharmonic last appeared in Washington, D.C., in 2012 and their return provides a rare opportunity for local audiences and classical music enthusiasts to experience one of the world’s most prestigious orchestras. The performance is part of a U.S. tour, with other appearances New York’s Carnegie Hall, Boston’s Symphony Hall, and several stops in Florida.

This special production resonates with the Kennedy Center’s historic connection to European cultural excellence. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy attended a gala at Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace during their historic meeting with Nikita Khrushchev. While the Vienna Philharmonic may not have performed at that event, Austrian media confirms the presence of the Vienna Ballet, reflecting the Kennedys’ longstanding admiration for European masters. This is a legacy the Kennedy Center proudly continues today.

PROGRAM

Andris Nelsons, conductor
Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra 
Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 2

ABOUT ANDRIS NELSONS

Andris Nelsons is Music Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Gewandhauskapellmeister of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, where he leads an acclaimed alliance between the two ensembles. A Grammy Award–winning conductor, he appears regularly with the world’s leading orchestras and opera houses. His recordings for Deutsche Grammophon include celebrated cycles of Shostakovich, Bruckner, and Beethoven. Born in Riga in 1978 into a family of musicians, Nelsons began his career as a trumpeter before turning to conducting and has since earned numerous international honors, including an OBE for services to music.

TICKET INFORMATION

Please direct questions to the Advance Sales Box Office at 202-416-8540. Box Office hours are 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

For more information, please visit the Kennedy Center website.

About The Author

Dean Rogers

Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter

I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias, to books, to dictionaries, to magazines. I’m also an avid consumer of television, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!

My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.

Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.

As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my life-long journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

All of this has led me here, giving you the latest entertainment news for the DMV and the entire nation, and I am truly excited for whatever will come next.

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