National Chamber Orchestra Earns Standing Ovations with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons

The National Chamber Orchestra recently earned standing ovations for its performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” at Holy Trinity, a historic church in Washington, D.C. The concert, held under the church’s dome and surrounded by beautiful stained-glass windows, offered a setting steeped in Washington history. The sacred surroundings lent the evening a sense of reflection, while the immediacy of the playing brought the audience close to the changing moods of the music.

Conductor Julien Benichou led the ensemble with mesmerizing gestures, drawing the musicians through moments of tenderness, urgency, and exuberance. The audience’s response made clear how strongly the performance resonated. Violinist Joshua Brown took center stage for Vivaldi’s four concertos, performing on the historic “Lord Newlands” Stradivarius. His interpretation combined technical command with expressive intensity, making the journey through spring, summer, autumn, and winter feel personal as well as dramatic.

In “Spring,” the music suggested birdsong, flowing streams, and the freshness of a landscape awakening. Brown’s violin lines moved within the orchestra’s bright textures, giving the familiar concerto a sense of discovery. The performance invited listeners into Vivaldi’s vivid musical scenes, from the smallest gestures to the full sweep of the ensemble, while JaLynn Prince’s narration deepened their understanding of the imagery and stories woven into the music.

“Summer” brought a different atmosphere, with languor giving way to gathering tension and the force of a storm. Benichou guided the changing pace and intensity, while Brown brought urgency to the solo writing. The contrast between stillness and turbulence made the music’s weather feel immediate, as the orchestra moved from suspended anticipation into thunderous activity.

“Autumn” carried the energy of harvest, celebration, and the hunt. The ensemble’s rhythmic vitality gave the concerto forward motion, and the solo violin brought character to its changing episodes. In “Winter,” sharper musical contours evoked cold and exposure, while the quieter passages offered warmth and repose. Together, the four concertos formed an unfolding narrative of nature and human experience.

The performance showed why “The Four Seasons” continues to reach audiences across generations. Its images are recognizable, but its emotional range extends beyond description. Joy, fatigue, anticipation, and relief all find a place in the music. Brown and Benichou made those contrasts central to the evening, allowing the audience to experience the year as a sequence of changing feelings.

Following intermission, the orchestra performed Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48. The program moved from the four seasonal concertos to a work that places the collective voice of the strings at its center. Its opening movement, waltz, elegy, and finale offered a broad emotional arc, with expansive melodies and shifting colors throughout. Benichou drew warmth and continuity from the ensemble, shaping the serenade’s longer phrases while preserving the distinct character of each movement. The waltz brought grace and buoyancy; the elegy gave the evening a more inward atmosphere. The finale restored momentum, carrying the performance toward an energetic conclusion and another standing ovation.

The orchestra’s musicians were central to that impact. Concertmaster Kelly Cho led the first violins, with Ryan Huo serving as principal second violin. Amanda Kellman led the violas, Igor Zubkovsky the cellos, and Victor Holmes the basses. Harpsichordist Caleb Bates contributed to the Vivaldi performance. Their work, together with the full string ensemble, supported the evening’s balance of individual expression and shared musical purpose.

The concert program identified Brown’s instrument as the “Lord Newlands” Stradivarius, provided through a long-term loan from the Sasakawa Music Foundation in Japan. Named for Lord Newlands, formerly William Hozier, the violin carries a history of collectors and custodians extending through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Its appearance in Georgetown connected that history with a new audience through live performance.

Brown’s career has also drawn international recognition. The program notes his 2025 Avery Fisher Career Grant and his Second Prize and both Audience Awards at the 2024 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. At Holy Trinity, those credentials found their practical expression in a performance that brought precision, character, and emotional engagement to one of the most familiar works in the violin repertoire.

The evening offered a space for shared attention in a world marked by conflict and division. Under the sanctuary’s cross and stained glass, musicians and listeners gathered around an experience that required no common nationality or language. The orchestra’s collaboration made harmony tangible: distinct voices listened and responded, creating something none could achieve alone.

That theme also connects with the orchestra’s recent presentation of a separate, Mozart-linked Stainer violin at its September 27 recital. While the October concert featured the “Lord Newlands” Stradivarius, both events demonstrate how historic instruments gain new meaning when musicians bring them into the present. The story continues through performance and through audiences willing to listen.

On December 5, 2026, the National Chamber Orchestra and Choir will return to Holy Trinity Catholic Church for Handel’s Messiah. Featuring the triumphant “Hallelujah Chorus,” the concert will invite audiences into an enduring musical expression of hope and renewal. Following an October evening filled with seasonal drama and heartfelt applause, the December performance offers another opportunity to experience voices joined in harmony.