Music Programs at the National Gallery

Enjoy local, national, and international performers from a broad range of ensembles, genres, and styles throughout the year.

We invite you to explore our past performances online.

About the Music Department

In an effort to increase wartime morale in the spring of 1942, the National Gallery of Art’s first director, David E. Finley, began to offer concerts as part of the Gallery’s Sunday evening programs. Since then, the Gallery’s music department has continued to present local, national, and international performers.

Continuing our mission to inspire and uplift our visitors’ spirits, provide opportunities for innovative musicians, and highlight the intersection of the visual and performing arts, we present a broad range of ensembles, genres, and styles, from medieval through 21st-century classical music throughout the year in the Gallery’s iconic spaces. In 1999 the Gallery inaugurated Jazz in the Garden, an annual summer series that has become one of Washington’s most beloved events.