Vienna, VA’s Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts has announced its plan to welcome audiences back to its two performance spaces for live concerts and events this summer. The newly announced 2021 summer season will help celebrate the 50th anniversary season of Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts with the venue’s first live performances since December 2019.
Notable performers set to take the stage at Wolf Trap this summer include Americana-folk duo Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange) (7/7); an interactive concert with The E Street Band’s Max Weinberg for Max Weinberg’s Jukebox (7/10, 7/11); New Orleans jazz legends Preservation Hall Jazz Band (7/17); D.C.’s best-seen-live, go-go music icons Big Tony and Trouble Funk (7/18); An Evening with Amos Lee (7/21, 7/22); a solo appearance by internationally-renowned mandolinist Chris Thile (7/24, 7/25); Grammy Award-winning Americana singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan, with members of The Knights (7/28), and the exhilarating musical fusion of The War and Treaty (7/29). Wolf Trap has also promised additional concert announcements as the summer draws closer.
The season will kick off with an anniversary gala on July 1st billed as Fifty Years Together: A Celebration of Wolf Trap. The event will feature the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by JoAnn Falletta, and an all-female cast of special guests including Broadway and film star Cynthia Erivo, world-renowned soprano and Wolf Trap Opera alumna Christine Goerke, and award-winning pianist Joyce Yang.
In the days leading up to the anniversary gala concert, and in recognition of the heroic efforts of community healthcare workers and educators over the past year, Wolf Trap will offer four free concerts for area frontline healthcare and education workers and volunteers beginning with the Wolf Trap debut of Marin Alsop conducting the National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic (6/24) followed by three different performances by “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band‘s ensemble Free Country (6/25), Big Band (6/26), and more.
As Wolf Trap President and CEO Arvind Manocha said in a press release, “Since opening in 1971, concerts at Wolf Trap have helped define the summer for generations of music lovers. Our pandemic intermission is nearing its end, and the resumption of concerts can finally begin – an important first step forward for us all. We couldn’t be happier to welcome patrons back to Wolf Trap this summer, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary. For our initial summer 2021 shows, we celebrate 50 years of being part of the community, 50 years of uniquely broad programming, 50 years of partnership with the National Symphony Orchestra, and 50 years of nurturing the next generation of artists and audiences. As we look toward the future, we will continue to serve as a place where the public can gather together to enjoy nature, experience the arts, and build special memories – a place where everyone is welcome.”
Wolf Trap Foundation and the National Park Service have worked closely with local, state, and federal government and health officials to ensure the re-opening follows all current health and safety guidelines in order to welcome the public back to the Park for live performances as safely as possible. This summer, the Filene Center will operate at a reduced capacity with socially distanced pod seating, a federal mask requirement, and other measures for everyone’s safety. Health and safety guidelines are subject to updates and change. Check Wolf Trap’s 2021 Health and Safety Policies and Guidelines for the most current and up-to-date information.
Summer 2021 Wolf Trap tickets will go on sale to the public on Friday, May 7th at 10:00 a.m. via the Wolf Trap website.
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