On March 7, 1941, the Marine Band performed at the dedication of the National Gallery of Art, and regular concerts took place there during World War II when the first director, David E. Finley, kept the Gallery open on Sunday nights to accommodate the armed forces personnel who were in Washington at the time. This performance highlights the connections between music and art as well as works from that important time in American history. Addinsell’s Warsaw Concerto was penned for the 1941 British film Dangerous Moonlight and Copland’s masterpiece Appalachian Spring was composed just a few years later and premiered at the nearby Library of Congress. One of the three classic Botticelli paintings that inspired Respighi’s Trittico botticelliano presently hangs just a few feet away from where the Marine Chamber Orchestra will perform this special concert at the National Gallery.

Concerts at the National Gallery are open to the public, free of charge. Audience is admitted on a first-come, first-served basis 30 minutes before the concert begins. Limited seating is provided for those who cannot stand. For further information, call (202) 842-6941. The National Gallery of Art is located at 6th Street and Constitution Avenue NW Washington, DC. For parking information, visit www.nga.gov or call (202) 842-6450.

Click here for the program.