Performance Venues at GW Move into the Spotlight

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The George Washington University is raising its profile as a prestigious place for concerts and other events in Washington, D.C., thanks to renovations at Lisner Auditorium and Hammer Auditorium. These refurbished venues, along with the uncertainty surrounding renovation and closure of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, will bring the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) and the Fortas Chamber Music Concerts to campus this year. Discounted tickets are available for members of the GW community for all events through Ticketmaster.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of Lisner Auditorium, which was recently renovated. Hammer Auditorium in the Flagg Building of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, part of GW's Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, was recently upgraded as well.

New seats were installed at Lisner, which also boasts new carpeting and a fresh paint job in the entire auditorium. The heating and air-conditioning system has been overhauled, and an elevator is under construction, projected to be operational beginning in March. New aisle lighting and new back-of-house technical equipment have also been installed.

According to Laura Schiavo, director of the Corcoran, acoustics have been improved at Hammer Auditorium as a result of recent renovations, making it a superior intimate space for musical performance. New seating and new carpeting have been installed, along with new set curtains, theatrical lights and a new sound console.

"We are delighted to be able to host Fortas Chamber Music Concerts performances at the Corcoran this fall," Schiavo said. "The concerts are well aligned with our own program in music and our overall commitment to being a dedicated space for the arts and culture in Washington."

Two Fortas Chamber Music Concerts have been presented at Hammer Auditorium already this season. A third, featuring PUBLIquartet in "Rhythm Nation," a program of works by contemporary composers such as Daniel Bernard Roumain and Henry Threadgill, will be presented Nov. 15. It includes tributes to Janet Jackson's album "Rhythm Nation" and draws on various traditions, such as jazz, hip-hop and Afro-Cuban music.

The NSO will be returning to Lisner, where it previously performed before moving into residence at the Kennedy Center. Music director Gianandrea Noseda has said that the NSO will perform in six Washington-area venues this season as well as in several states, combining features of resident and touring ensembles. Nearly half of their performances this season, 24 out of 60, will be held at GW.

On Halloween, the NSO will present its afternoon Spooktacular for families of young audiences aged five and up, with musicians in costume and spooky music selections on the program. Lisner will also host the NSO on Nov. 12 and Nov. 14 for a program including Stravinsky's "Symphonies of Wind Instruments" and Tchaikovsky's "Serenade for Strings," among other works. On Nov. 21 and Nov. 22, Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" and Prokofiev's "Cinderella" will be popular family programs during the holiday season. Handel's "Messiah" will be performed in December.

In January, a Beethoven program will feature with "Symphony No. 8." In February, Noseda will conduct Shostakovich's "Symphony No. 10" and other works celebrating the legacy of Mstislav Rostropovich, a renowned cellist and former NSO music director. Also in February, works by Rachmaninoff and Respighi will be presented.

In March, Tchaikovsky's "Piano Concerto No. 2" will be performed with Sibelius' "Symphony No. 2." In April, works by Dvořák ("Symphony No. 8") and Rodrigo ("Concierto Pastoral") will be performed, along with selections from "Iberia" by Albéniz. Noseda will conduct Brahms' "Symphony No. 2" in May. Later in May, Schumann's "Symphony No. 3" will evoke the Rhine and scenes along its banks. For a complete list of the works scheduled to be performed, visit the NSO website.

In addition to Lisner Auditorium and Hammer Auditorium, venues available for public use at GW include Jack Morton Auditorium, in the School of Media and Public Affairs, and the City View Room and State Room at 1957 E St. NW.

Kelvin Redmond is the venue lead at Lisner Auditorium, where he oversees day-to-day operations and general upkeep. He and the other GW venues managers act as the main points of contact for clients, helping them realize their vision for the event. A large part of the job, Redmond said, involves working with partners across campus such as GWPD, facilities, housekeeping and others.

"We connect all of those dots," Redmond said. "All of these events are kind of like puzzles to me. You've got the client's vision and then you have what we can offer as a venue. Clients like the National Symphony Orchestra, coming from a long-standing, consistent venue, have certain expectations. We're trying to make sure that we align with their vision for as seamless a transition as possible when their patrons come to see them at a venue they may not be used to."

Colin McGee, production manager at Lisner Auditorium, has been at Lisner since 1995. He is the point of contact for everything related to stage and backstage requirements, such as sound, lighting, video and other elements, and also connects clients with front-of-house staff when the time comes to open the auditorium to the audience and start the show.

"So far it has been a pleasure working with the folks from the Kennedy Center," McGee said. "We are glad and honored that they chose us as one of their venues. It has been very rewarding being able to share the different ways we approach doing the same kinds of events."

Redmond said he has found working with NSO rewarding as well.

"I take a lot of pride in this venue and I love to see big names come here. Lisner has a very rich history. We're currently celebrating our 80th anniversary. It was built before the Kennedy Center, and so many amazing acts have been here through the years," Redmond said.

"We've been building up through renovations and just growing our team to once again become a premier venue for the D.C. area. We're centrally located, and we've got a top-of-the-line technical team and technical specs, so now it's all about showing everyone that Lisner is one of the area's top venues."

Discounted tickets are available to members of the GW community through Ticketmasterand are included on the Lisner page of the University Calendar. The discount code for 20% off NSO tickets is GWStudents, while the code for Fortas Chamber Music at Hammer Auditorium is Studfortas. (Tickets are available for $25 instead of the regular price of $77.)