Kennedy Center board member says families are welcome again as gala breaks fundraising records

The Kennedy Center celebrated The National Symphony Orchestra’s (NSO) 95th anniversary season with a gala on Saturday, and one official praised the center for creating an environment where families are “welcome” again.Featured works at Saturday’s concert included Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Capriccio Espagnol” and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Piano Concerto No.1.” Joan Bialek, chair of the NSO board of directors, said she was particularly excited to hear the iconic piano piece.“My favorite composer is Tchaikovsky and that’s what Yuja Wang is playing tonight, so I’m very excited about that,” Bialek told Fox News Digital on the red carpet before the show.Wang’s performance did not disappoint, earning her multiple standing ovations and an encore.The NSO’s leadership also includes executive director Jean Davidson, music director Gianandrea Noseda and principal conductor and artistic advisor Steven Reineke. “It was a highlight of my year to open the 95th season of the National Symphony Orchestra last night, which also marked the beginning of my ninth season as Music Director,” Noseda said in a press release following the performance.

“Seeing the full hall with our dedicated audience and donors gave the artists of the National Symphony Orchestra and me confidence in our future.We are thankful to both our audience and donors for the historic level of support and look forward to welcoming everyone to the Concert Hall at the Kennedy Center this season.” While plenty of longtime supporters filled the seats, Kennedy Center and NSO officials who walked the red carpet said it’s important to make a concerted effort to bring more young people to the symphony.“Well, I think the public is going to make that decision and I think that in order to attract some of the younger people, younger generation, we’re probably going to have to have a little more of that,” Bialek told Fox News D...