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Wolf Trap announced its 2024 summer performances at the Filene Center. The star-studded acts range from Brittany Howard to Gladys Knight. Many of your favorites will return, including John Legend, Lyle Lovett, and Wynton Marsalis.

Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, February 16. Additional summer artists and the Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods performances will be announced in the spring.

Here’s some of what the lineup looks like, so far:

June 2

Sing and dance along to iconic summer songs like “Fun, Fun, Fun” and “Good Vibrations” with The Beach Boys, led by Mike Love.

June 4–6

You see him as a coach on The Voice. Now see the multi-platinum singer, songwriter, and producer who has 12 Grammy awards as he comes back to Wolf Trap for three shows with his band and the Wolf Trap Orchestra. Last year, he regaled the audience with poignant stories about himself.

June 8

The friendship between the legendary duo has spanned more than six decades. They’ve taken the stage together many times before. See them belt some of their best R&B classics during this special show.

June 9

The Austin, Texas, blues guitarist who released four new songs in January makes a debut at Wolf Trap’s Filene Center. Expect to hear music from his newest album, JPEG Raw, which his bio said picks up where his last album, This Land, left off. This Land earned Clark three Grammys and a fourth nomination.

June 15

Big brass sounds will be in the air as Trombone Shorty brings the language of the Big Easy to Wolf Trap for one night. Of course, if you really want to see him sooner as well, he’s playing Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in March and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in May.

June 16

Over the years the pop-flamenco group from the south of France has added a little bit of everything from Cuban music to reggae to jazz to its work. There’s no doubt that lead singer Nicolás Reyes will have you wanting to dance.

June 18–19

Last year, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were supposed to play Wolf Trap, but poor air quality from the Canadian wildfires postponed the show until this summer. Expect the former lead singer for Led Zeppelin and the bluegrass queen to bring together some harmonies you’ll never forget for two nights.

June 20

A little over a week before Wilco’s Sound Solid three-day concert festival begins in Massachusetts, lead singer Jeff Tweedy and the rest of the Chicago alt-rock band take the stage at Wolf Trap.

June 21, 23, 27, & 29

Enjoy Mozart’s whimsical opera about two sisters and their soldier boyfriends as they play a complicated game of gender versus gender.

June 22

Brittany Howard, the Alabama Shakes lead singer who’s now a solo artist, brings her soulful vocals to Wolf Trap’s Out & About Festival that celebrates Pride on three stages. Set to play the festival with Howard are indie icon Jenny Lewis, alternative rocker Kim Gordon, Quinn Christopherson, Tiny Habits, Okan, Be Steadwell, and Laura Doherty & The Heartbreakers. Howard’s new single “Prove It To You” just came out, and hers is the voice you will hear in the upcoming Netflix movie, Thelma the Unicorn, out on May 17.

June 28

Indian singer and Bollywood megastar Shreya Ghoshal brings her music to Wolf Trap for one night. Expect to hear some romantic ballads from the now Indian Idol judge.

July 13

The National Symphony Orchestra plays John Williams’ Oscar-winning score to the 1977 film Star Wars: A New Hope.

July 19

Giacomo Puccini’s tribute to bohemian Paris comes to the Filene Center as the Wolf Trap opera presents La bohème with the National Symphony Orchestra.

July 20

Bestselling author Neil Gaiman describes what he does as: “I make things up and write them down.” He returns to the Filene Center. The English writer, known for Good Omen and the award-winning comic book series, The Sandman, was one of Time Magazine‘s most influential people of 2023.

June 26

This singer-songwriter will perform a powerful tribute concert to the career of Tony Bennett, accompanied by The Carnegie Hall Big Band. Together, Feinstein and the band will perform interpretations of songs like “Rags to Riches” and “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

July 28

The psychedelic soul duo of singer-songwriter Eric Burton and guitarist-producer Adrian Quesada makes a debut appearance at the Filene Center, just a day after playing at FloydFest in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

August 1

National Public Radio’s Peabody Award–winning news quiz takes the stage for an entertaining evening that will keep you laughing.

August 3

Another artist appearing for the first time at Wolf Trap is contemporary Christian pop star Lauren Daigle. The two-time Grammy winner’s most recent self-titled double album that came out last fall infuses a little hip-hop, soul, and acoustic ballads into the mix.

August 9

Lyle Lovett and his Large Band never disappoint as Wolf Trap regulars. The Americana singer-songwriter from Texas offers up witty lyrics and a fun night of music. Lovett, who has a total of four Grammys and 18 nominations overall, most recently won the Americana performance category in 2023.

August 9, 11, 15, & 17

Kevin Puts’ Pulitzer Prize–winning opera comes to The Barns at Wolf Trap for four performances. It recounts a spontaneous cease-fire that occurred during World War I among Scottish, French, and German troops.

August 15

Expect a wide-ranging repertoire as the world-renowned jazz musician, trumpeter, and composer directs the orchestra.

August 17–18

Boyz II Men brings “Motownphilly” to Vienna. The iconic 1990s group from Philadelphia returns with smooth harmonies and soulful ballads. And with the band will be Bell Biv Devoe, the hip-hop and R&B group that came out of New Edition.

August 21

Look for indie rock artist Andrew Bird to wow the crowd with his ability to play multiple instruments, sing, and whistle. The music of husband-and-wife duo, Amadou & Mariam, music mixes rock, blues, and influences from their native Mali.

August 25

The Indigo Girls of “Closer to Fine” fame and Melissa Etheridge, known for “Come to My Window,” are on a joint summer tour. Expect an evening of memorable tunes as they take the stage.

August 28–29

Grateful Dead founding member Bobby Weir plays with the Wolf Bros — Don Was, Jay Lane, and Jeff Chimenti. They’re bringing The Wolfpack, a string and brass quintet, to the two-night party, where they’ll also be joined by the NSO.

September 6

The indie rocker Katie Crutchfield, aka Waxahatchee, makes her Wolf Trap debut, joined by Snail Mail and Tim Heidecker, a comedian and musician. Waxahatchee describes her songs as two Katies in conflict. Her next album, Tigers Blood, comes out March 22.

September 7

Pop-rock vocalist Julieta Venegas is an American-born Mexican singer who sings in Spanish. Last year, she won best pop vocal album for Tu Historia at the Latin Grammys.

September 11

The renowned Alabama-born songwriter and award-winning musicians will bring their brand of Americana and Southern music back to Wolf Trap.

September 12, 14, 15

James Taylor brings his All-Star Band back for three September shows that will have you singing along all night.

September 13

Broadway stars Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming take to the stage. Chenoweth always delights with her honest humor and vocal range.

Editor’s Note: The original version of this story misidentified which orchestra would play with John Legend.

Feature image courtesy Wolf Trap

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In an interview with Northern Virginia Magazine, Wolf Trap CEO Arvind Manocha sheds light on his experience running the arts and culture institution.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, our focus really shifted to survival mode. We put the campaign to the side for a moment. In September of 2021, we had our 50th Anniversary Gala. We announced, at that point, the $50 million for 50 years campaign.

Our point with the campaign is to invest in the organization for its long-term success, whether it be in amenities that make the experiences better, or an endowment, which is a permanently protected source of programmatic funding.

Losing that entire 12 months prior only underscored just how important a strong financial underpinning is to an organization like ours. I think a lot of people in our sector felt the same way. We saw organizations that had the strongest foundations weather the storm better than those who didn’t. It just reminded everybody that things can change in an instant.

When we finally started to come out of the pandemic in the fall of ’21, things were open again and we were back to putting on concerts and celebrating our 50th, it felt like the moment to announce this campaign because we really need to make sure that Wolf Trap and other civic resources that we care about are going to be here for the next generation. … I’m very happy to say that we announced that we not only completed our goal but in fact surpassed it, ultimately raising $75 million to support Wolf Trap’s progress.

I’ve learned in this business over many, many years that the day you start talking about that holy grail or the fish, that tends to be the fish that got away.

Lauryn Hill was a favorite of mine. It was nice to have Sting back, too. The first two John Legend concerts were great because he was debuting a new production format. It was a very intimate show, with a lot of storytelling about his life.

I’ve found that the community here is truly a community. People care about each other, and people care about the world around them. Even as Northern Virginia continues to grow and become a new version of itself, it feels like even in the 10 years I’ve lived here, you can see the changes. With all that change, I think there’s still a core characteristic, which is that I think this community of people really cares about each other. I think that that’s what makes living here great.

Feature image of Arvind Manocha by Angelina Namkung

This story originally ran in our January issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.

Grammy Award–winner Jason Mraz, famous for hits like “The Remedy” and “I’m Yours,” returns to his home state to play at Wolf Trap for the first time.

Two-time Grammy Award winner and Virginia native Jason Mraz is currently on tour, promoting his new album Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride. Mraz, who won Grammys for “Make it Mine” and “Lucky” with Colbie Caillet performs for the first time at Wolf Trap on August 6.

Mraz talks to Northern Virginia Magazine about his new album, the Jason Mraz Foundation that supports arts education and the advancement of equality, and what it will be like coming back to his home state.

Congrats on your new album. Tell us more about the vibe you were going for.

Touring last summer was quite insightful because we were able to test out new songs and get a feel for what songs the audience was not into. What they were telling us was that they wanted to stay on their feet and dance. So, we went into the studio to try and make a dance album. It’s been a bucket list item of mine for years. I knew it wasn’t going to be electronic dance music. I had to still figure out how my band and I could pull it off. I’ve made pop music my whole life, I’ll admit that. I stayed in that lane. Looking for new experiences, still, we’d never attempted to do something so up. We set out to make something you could dance to.

I’m always writing from wherever I am in life. I’m in my mid-40s, and it’s long enough to look back and see that I’ve been on a ride. I’m still optimistic about how much of that ride and time I have left, even though time is no guarantee. There’s a preciousness to the optimism on this record. I love this record and how it came out. There’s a freedom to it, and still a fresh naivete to it, but there’s also a little more learned experience and maturity inside of it as well.

What can people who go to your Wolf Trap concert expect to see?

It’s a Technicolor dream show. I’ve got all my best friends with me, 12 of us on stage including me. It’s a colorful recollection of my songs but celebrating the new album, too. We don’t play the new album in its own entirety. The way the new album feels and sounds is how we dress up the old songs as well. We’re also able to play some old songs I’ve never been able to play before because I didn’t have the personnel to help me recreate the song the way it’s recorded on the album. It’s a sonically big and beautiful and fun show. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, so it’s relaxed, too, with audience interaction, whimsy, and a whole lot of dancing.

Are you looking forward to getting back to your home state? Do you have any favorite places to visit in Virginia?

I would go see shows at Wolf Trap growing up in my high school years. In those formative years, I was going to concerts and daydreaming about your life. My daydreaming about my life was being on a big stage one day. I’ve never performed at Wolf Trap, so for me it’s quite exciting because I’ve seen so many shows there as a kid. Specifically, Ani DiFranco and Bob Dylan were big ones for me. I was a fan of both, guitar for Ani and, of course, Bob Dylan for his legendary songwriting.

When I saw Wolf Trap was on the tour schedule, I was very excited about coming back because it gives my family the chance to come up from Richmond to see me and have a bit of a reunion that day. It will be an extra special day on tour.

It seems like you are very dedicated to a lot of important causes. Can you tell us more about the Jason Mraz Foundation or other issues you’re passionate about?

I am sensitive to all the issues. It’s kind of hard to live in this world because everything from climate to equality, social justice, criminal justice, they all need our constant attention and help. I feel like unfortunately this country has been kind of bought and sold and far from the people.

Where I feel like I succeed because I’m an entertainer and performer is the arts education lane. I feel like I can connect with young people and help give them resources and great opportunities for them to pursue not just the arts but an experience of inclusion, acceptance, and compassion, which I think the arts are great at.

The foundation provides grants and scholarships to programs all around the country to help young people get involved in local arts programs. I feel like my superpowers really work best when they’re connected to the arts, so that’s where I tend to do my work.

You just released Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride. What are your plans for the rest of the year?

We have a program in schools from October to February in San Diego at eight different participating schools. After this tour, I won’t be touring for the rest of the year. I’ll be spending more time doing the foundation program and a television project that I can’t mention much about yet, unfortunately.

It gives me the ability to work from home and still contribute to society. I’ll resume touring probably next summer.

Feature image of Jason Mraz by Shervin Lainez courtesy Ashley White PR

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VIENNA, VA — The summer season unofficially begins over Memorial Day weekend, and so does the summer concert season at Wolf Trap.

Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts is a popular destination for summer concerts at its Filene Center, an outdoor amphitheater. Summer concerts kick off Thursday as The Avett Brothers perform on three nights.

Families can then enjoy a free concert with fireworks. On Sunday at 8 p.m., the popular Blast Off! with "The President’s Own" United States Marine Band returns. The band will perform concert band favorites, including tunes from "The Music Man," a medley of the Armed Forces’ service songs and more.

A fireworks display will be held after the concert around 9:45 p.m. Fireworks viewing areas will open around 9:30 p.m. This free event is open to all, but seating is offered first come, first served.

Wolf Trap's Filene Center has a packed season with big-name performers. Some shows have already sold out, including Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Charlie Puth and Sting.

Other concerts have limited ticket availability, including John Legend, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Steve Miller Band, KIDZ BOP, Train and James Taylor & His All-Star Band.

One other summer highlight will be the Out & About Festival headlined by Brandi Carlile and featuring 11 LBGTQ+ artists and allies to celebrate Pride month. The festival will be held June 24 and 25.

Beyond the Filene Center, the Wolf Trap Opera will perform its summer residency program at The Barns at Wolf Trap. The season includes three full scale productions, as well as recitals and concerts throughout the community.

For younger audiences, Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods performances will be held over seven weeks. The performances from June 20 to Aug. 5 range from music and dance to theater and puppetry. Children will stay engaged as the performances encourage audience interactions.

Those attending Filene Center performances can bring their own food and drinks, including alcohol, to enjoy at the new Meadow Overlook picnic areas or on the Filene Center lawn during performances. Another option is the returning The Fermented Pig at Ovations' farm-to-table barbecue buffet before Filene Center performances. New this year is a quick service bar with drinks and bites. Picnic boxes can also be preordered. Concession stands are also available during performances, providing meals, snacks and drinks.

Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts is located at 1551 Trap Rd., Vienna, VA. Parking is free but limited. A Wolf Trap Express Shuttle is available roundtrip from the McLean Metro station during all Filene Center summer performances.

To see the full calendar for Wolf Trap's summer season, visit www.wolftrap.org/calendar.

Bob Weir & Wolf Bros will get their tuxedos back from the cleaners for another run of orchestral shows with the National Symphony Orchestra. The two-night run is set for August 28th and 29th at The Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA.

The pair of shows will once again see the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Steven Reineke. Each night will feature unique sets filled with orchestral arrangements of classics from the Grateful Dead songbook, Bobby’s solo works, and other time-honored covers. Stanford professor and composer Dr. Giancarlo Aquilanti will once again provide the original arrangements.

An artist pre-sale for tickets to the Bob Weir & Wolf Bros run with the National Symphony Orchestra in Virginia will begin on Friday, February 9th at 10 a.m. ET followed by the public on-sale Friday, February 16th at 10 a.m. ET. Fans can sign up for access here.

Related: Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir Works The 49ers Sideline At NFC Championship Game [Photos]

This will mark the Grateful Dead guitarist’s fourth engagement of orchestral shows. Weir originally debuted the venture back in 2011 for a one-off benefit concert with the Marin Symphony Orchestra and then reprised the concept in 2022 for a four-night residency with the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Then last October, Weir brought the orchestral program back to the West Coast for a show with the Stanford Symphony Orchestra, working once again with Dr. Aquilanti who has provided the arrangements for all of Bobby’s orchestra shows.

“These songs are visitors,” Weir told NPR in a 2022 interview about the effort to translate his music for an 80-piece orchestra. “[They’re] living critters and they’re visitors from another world, another dimension or whatever you want to call it, that come through the artists to visit this world, have a look around, tell their stories,” Weir said. “I don’t know exactly how that works, but I do know that it’s real.”