About the Festival

Music Celebrations International is pleased to present the 8th Capital Orchestra Festival, an exclusive musical event held February 21, 2022 in the Concert Hall at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Four select orchestras will be featured in performance at this historic concert venue. Each orchestra will also take part in a clinic with Colonel Dennis M. Layendecker, University Heritage Chair in Music at George Mason University.

From its celebrated symbols of patriotism to its undiscovered neighborhoods, the sights and sounds of the nation’s capital inspire millions of visitors every year. Packed with famous sights, free attractions, and an endless calendar of special events, Washington, D.C. offers year-round inspiring experiences.   Washington, D.C. is a town of much renown: it is a government town, a company town, a scandalous town and the political capital of the world. But Washington also has another significant distinction – it is a musical town. In a city that claims Duke Ellington, Pearl Bailey, Jelly Roll Morton, and Shirley Horn, it is expected that jazz not only is appreciated but showcased. John Philip Sousa, “The March King,” was a native of D.C. and conducted the U.S. Marine Band for a number of years. The city’s proximity to the Appalachian Mountains led to bluegrass and country first finding a large forum in the Washington, D.C. area. The first nationally televised country music concert was broadcast from Constitution Hall in 1948. Opera and classical music is the entertainment for dignitaries, diplomats, the sophisticated and the romantic. Washington, D.C. is home to one of the best opera companies in the world, the Washington National Opera. The Washington, D.C. area is also the capital of choral music, with more than 70 choral groups throughout the region.