The only good thing about the end of summer for this DCist (sniff) is that we can hear more good music this week, and that means that your Classical Music Agenda finally has something to report. Unfortunately, if your budget is limited, most of the city’s free concert series, but not all, do not begin their fall seasons until October. Nevertheless, thanks to our tireless searching on your behalf, we still have a few free concerts to tell you about, too.

NATIONAL SYMPHONY:
>> This Thursday (September 8 at 7 p.m.) and Friday (September 9 at 8 p.m.) the National Symphony Orchestra comes out of its brief hibernation, to play two concerts as part of the Kennedy Center Prelude Festival. This is the NSO’s 75th anniversary season, and they are going to give some great concerts this year, with some excellent guest artists. This week, they welcome 23-year-old American cellist Alisa Weilerstein, who will play Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous Variations on a Rococo Theme for Cello and Orchestra, op. 33. Guest conductor Peter Oundjian, newly appointed Music Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, will also lead performances of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnol, op. 34, and Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony. Tickets are available to everyone at lower prices, from $15 to $35, so take a friend.

>> This Saturday (September 10, from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.) is the 21st Annual Kennedy Center Open House Arts Festival, an event that draws big crowds and is a lot of fun. There are more than 30 free performances and activities for families, including performances by the National Symphony Orchestra, the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, and a troupe of Chinese lion dancers, plus the ever popular Instrument Petting Zoo for kids.