Front Row Washington

Mondays at 9:00 pm on Classical WETA 90.9 FM

Tune in on Mondays at 9:00 pm for classical performances by top local musicians and ensembles, recorded at venues throughout the Washington area.

This month we celebrate the National Gallery of Art and their concert series that began in World War 2. Now in their 78th season, they have presented more than 3,000 free concerts featuring some of the most prominent names in classical music in the United States and abroad.

Upcoming Broadcasts

Parker Quartet and musicians from the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Presented by Bender JCC of Greater Washington in Rockville, Maryland

Monday, September 21, 2020 - 9:00pm

Inspiring performances, luminous sound, and exceptional musicianship are the hallmarks of the Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet. Renowned for its dynamic interpretations and polished, expansive colors, the group has rapidly distinguished itself as one of the preeminent ensembles of its generation, dedicated purely to the sound and depth of their music. The Quartet has appeared at the world’s most important venues since its founding in 2002.

In the second half of the concert, the Parker Quartet is joined by guest artists from the Boston Symphony Orchestra for Mendelssohn's Octet in Eb Major, Op. 20.

BSO guest artists: Xin Ding, Sheila Fiekowsky, Daniel Getz, and Oliver Aldort.

Featured performances:

Beethoven - String Quartet in Bb Major, Op. 18 No. 6

Parker Quartet
Mendelssohn - Octet in Eb Major, Op. 20

Parker Quartet with guest artists from the BSO

ZOFO plays Casella, Debussy, and Stravinsky

Presented by Dumbarton Oaks

Monday, September 28, 2020 - 9:00pm

In this program we'll enjoy the first half of ZOFO's February 2020 concert at Dumbarton Oaks.

Since joining forces as a professional duo in 2009, internationally acclaimed solo pianists Eva-Maria Zimmerman and Keisuke Nakagoshi - ZOFO - have electrified audiences from Carnegie Hall to Tokyo Japan with their dazzling artistry and outside-the-box thematic programming for piano-four-hands. This GRAMMY-nominated, prize-winning Steinway Artist Ensemble - one of only a handful of duos worldwide devoted exclusively to piano duets - is blazing a bold new path for four-hands groups by focusing on 20th and 21st century repertoire and by commissioning new works from noted composers each year.

ZOFO is shorthand for 20-finger orchestra (ZO=20 and FO=finger orchestra).

Alexander Kobrin plays Beethoven

Presented by Downtown Piano Works

Monday, October 5, 2020 - 9:00pm

Called the “Van Cliburn of today” by the BBC, pianist Alexander Kobrin has placed himself at the forefront of today's performing musicians. His prize-winning performances have been praised for their brilliant technique, musicality, and emotional engagement with the audience.

He continues his Beethoven project, performing every piano sonata composed by Beethoven.

Recent Broadcasts

NSO Musician spotlight!

Presented by Washington Conservatory and Episcopal High School

Monday, September 14, 2020 - 9:00pm

We shine a light on NSO musicians from two different concerts. First we'll enjoy a performance of NSO Principal Horn Abel Pereira with pianist Audrey Andrist at the Washington Conservatory. Then we move to Episcopal High School for a concert of Cellists from the NSO.

Cellists: David Hardy, James Lee, Eugena Chang, Steven Honigberg, Rachel Young, Loewi Lin, David Teie, Mark Evans, Britton Riley.

Bees and Cellos

"My name is Martin and I have a cello full of bees"pic.twitter.com/KpWph1MGvc

— BBC Radio Nottingham (@BBCNottingham) June 26, 2019

The Harlem Quartet plays Debussy and Gillespie

Presented by Dumbarton Concerts

Monday, September 7, 2020 - 9:00pm

Front Row Washington returns with an exciting concert of the Grammy award winning Harlem Quartet from Dumbarton Concerts. We'll listen to the first half of their concert in this program.

Harlem Quartet has three distinctive characteristics: diverse programming that combines music from the standard string quartet canon with jazz, Latin, and contemporary works; a collaborative approach to performance that is continually broadening the ensemble’s repertoire and audience reach through artistic partnerships with other musicians from the classical and jazz worlds; and an ongoing commitment to residency activity and other forms of educational outreach.

Trio Valtorna

Presented by the National Gallery of Art

Monday, June 29, 2020 - 9:00pm

Bringing together the gifts of three internationally recognized artists, Trio Valtorna formed in 2011. After performing together at “Music from Angel Fire” Chamber Music Festival, renowned violinist Ida Kavafian and French horn player extraordinaire David Jolley decided to continue in collaboration, adding the young pianist Gilles Vonsattel to complete the ensemble. Fred Kirshnit, writing in the New York Sun, called Ms. Kavafian’s artistry “meaningful and affecting”, while the New Yorker has praised Mr. Jolley’s “richly melancholy horn solos”, and David Weininger in the Boston Globe observed the “clarity and light touch” of Gilles Vonsattel. The ensemble promises to offer chamber music par excellence to audiences across the United States.