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

M5 Mexican Brass plays McKee, Bach, and more!

Presented by the National Gallery of Art

Monday, March 8, 2021 - 9:00pm

Since its founding in 2005, M5 Mexican Brass has established itself as Latin America’s most successful Brass Quintet. Their recipe is a mix of high-class music-making and humor. Combining their skills at virtuosic chamber music in all styles, non-stop interaction with the audience, inborn showmanship, inimitable Latin American charm, and their very own sound, M5 concerts are unique musical-theatrical experiences.

They are as comfortable in renowned venues as the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, the Qintai Concert Hall in Wuhan/ China, the Sala Nezahualcoyotl in Mexico City, or in High School Auditoriums, Community Concert Series, and Universities. M5 Mexican Brass has performed with worldwide renowned musicians like Fred Mills and Jens Lindemann.

Featured performances:

Kevin McKee – Vuelta del Fuego
JS Bach – Concerto In D Major, BWV 972

Allegro
Gioachino Rossini – Barber of Seville Overture
Engelbert Humperdinck – Evening Prayer from Hansel and Gretel
Variations on “Der Alte Peter,” a German folk song (JS Bach, Mozart, Wagner, Strauss, Orff, and Stockhausen medley)

Stephen Kovacevich plays Berg and Bach

Presented by the Phillips Collection

Monday, March 15, 2021 - 9:00pm

Stephen Kovacevich has had a long and distinguished career as a pianist, having toured as a soloist throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. He's also collaborated with artists like Jacqueline du Pre, Sarah Chang, and Steven Isserlis.

Kibbey and Kenney play JS Bach

Presented by the Phillips Collection

Monday, March 22, 2021 - 9:00pm

We continue our Bach month celebration with harp virtuoso Bridget Kibbey and violin virtuoso Alexi Kenney from the Phillips Collection. Kibbey is one the most praised musicians of her generation and has won numerous awards, including an Avery Fisher Career Grant. Kenney stands on equal footing with numerous awards and has also received an Avery Fisher Career Grant.

Steven Beck plays JS Bach's Goldberg Variations

Presented by Dumbarton Concerts

Monday, March 29, 2021 - 9:00pm

Steinway Artist, Steven Beck, has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, the Mariinsky Orchestra, and the Orpheus Chamber Ensemble among others. Beck is also a member of the NYC based chamber ensemble, The Knights.

Recent Broadcasts

Trio con Brio Copenhagen plays Tchaikovsky

Presented by Dumbarton Concerts

Monday, March 1, 2021 - 9:00pm

The Trio con Brio Copenhagen was born out of an idea of the coming together of ‘musical pairs’ – of the two Korean-born sisters, Soo-Kyung Hong (cello) and Soo-Jin Hong (violin), with Soo-Kyung and her husband, Danish pianist Jens Elvekjaer. They quickly gained a reputation for their fresh and contemporary approach to the core repertoire.

Goldstein-Peled-Fiterstein Trio

Presented by the Phillips Collection

Monday, February 22, 2021 - 9:00pm

Bound by their Israeli roots, pianist Alon Goldstein, cellist Amit Peled, and clarinetist Alex Fiterstein formed the Goldstein-Peled-Fiterstein Trio in 2005. Today, the ensemble’s performances reflect both the special gifts and originality of the three artists as soloists as well as their marvelous sense of ensemble and love of chamber music.

Performances in recent and upcoming seasons include appearances at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan, Peoples’ Symphony Concerts in New York, the University of Chicago, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, the Schubert Club International Artist Series in St. Paul, Pro Musica Joplin, the Saint Cloud Chamber Music Society, and at the Rose Theatre in Lincoln Center. The New York Times praised the ensemble for displaying “the kind of spotless technique that keeps the attention focused on the score rather than the vagaries of the performance.”

New Zealand String Quartet

Presented by Dumbarton Concerts

Monday, February 15, 2021 - 9:00pm

Celebrating its 30th season in 2017, the New Zealand String Quartet has established an international reputation for its insightful interpretations, compelling communication, and dynamic performing style. The Quartet is known for its imaginative programming and for its powerful connection with audiences of all kinds.

Over the decades the Quartet has cultivated a rich repertoire, including a wide variety of New Zealand music, composers' cycles from Beethoven to Bartok, Mozart to Berg, in addition to theatrical presentations on musical topics ranging from Haydn’s “Seven Last Words” to Janacek's "Kreutzer Sonata".