It’s a new year, and the winter and spring half of the season is getting under way. There are some excellent concerts planned in Washington over the next several months. We’ll be letting you know more about them week by week, every Sunday. SYMPHONY: >> Why is DCist headlining the Baltimore Symphony? The incoming music director of the BSO — Marin Alsop, the first woman to hold that position with a major American orchestra —…

On Monday, one of the great modernist composers, Dmitri Shostakovich, would have been 100 years old. All around the world, classical musicians and audiences will be celebrating with performances of his music. The major Washington concerts in honor of the Shostakovich centennial, with the National Symphony Orchestra, are scheduled for November. However, there are a few concerts, Shostakovich and otherwise, to tell you about this week. DSCH: >> If you really love Shostakovich, you might…

The Washington National Opera, because of the “national” in its new name, is supposed to stage at least one American opera per season. It is apparently fulfilling that obligation this year with a recent opera by Nicholas Maw, a British composer who has for several years been living here in the Washington area and teaching at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. This new production of Maw’s tragic opera, Sophie’s Choice, is the American premiere of…

This DCist loves opera, but we understand that it is not for everyone and that the cost can be prohibitive. If your mood turns operatic, however, it’s a good month for you. This is the final week for Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess with Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center, with sold-out performances on Tuesday (November 15, 7:30 p.m.), Friday (November 18, 7:30 p.m.), and Saturday (November 19, 7 p.m.). If you still want to…