In the Gianandrea Noseda era the NSO has already shown a preference for more serious fare on these holiday concerts. This arrangement limited the number of musicians who could perform. In their summer attire of white tops and black slacks, the chamber orchestra sat spaced apart at safe distances. Real concerts will return one day, and until then events like this will have to do.įollowing health department guidance, the musicians wore masks, except for the small number of brass and woodwind players, who appeared only toward the end of the program. The sound, heard by tuning the car radio to a certain frequency, did not approach the thrill of the live experience, but seeing the familiar faces of the NSO musicians and actually watching them play on their accustomed stage brought comfort as well as pleasure. The experience was more comfortable than standing outdoors, protected from the heat and the mosquitoes inside one’s car. Across town listeners watched on the big screen set up in the parking lot of RFK Stadium. A slimmed-down assortment of musicians played the annual Labor Day concert in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, led by guest conductor Michelle Merrill, former associate conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Photo: Kennedy CenterĬlassical music presenters continue to search for innovative ways to present live concerts during the pandemic.Īfter taking part in outdoor garden concerts, the National Symphony Orchestra tried a drive-in simulcast on Sunday evening. The NSO’s socially distanced Labor Day concert was simulcast to the parking lot of RFK Stadium Sunday night.

Granted by Michelle Merrill