Finding the hottest show in town on July 1, 1971, required a trek out of the District and into the woods. We’re talking deep into the woods, at a national park turned performing arts enclave in Vienna where pianist Van Cliburn and the National Symphony Orchestra played the Filene Center’s grand opening show at Wolf Trap.
“People weren’t sure what to make of [Wolf Trap],” says Anthony Rudel, whose father, esteemed orchestra conductor Julius Rudel, led the NSO’s performance that night. “Only people who lived out in that area knew the area. But other than that, it was the road to Dulles Airport.”
That 1971 concert was also a defining moment for Rudel’s father, who was Wolf Trap’s first music director.
“He was the immigrant from Austria who came from nothing in 1938,” says Rudel, who is the general manager of music at WCRB in Boston. “This Austrian immigrant is now opening up the national concert hall in the park, Wolf Trap, and then, three months later, is opening up the Kennedy Center.”
Wolf Trap’s beginnings tie back to philanthropist Catherine Filene Shouse, who in 1966 donated money and the land that would become Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts to the National Park Service. She had a fondness for music, specifically opera, which still has a visible presence at Wolf Trap through several programs and initiatives. But over the years, Wolf Trap has played host to virtually every type of performer on the planet.
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Wolf Trap “is a national park, it literally belongs to all Americans,” says Arvind Manocha, president and CEO of Wolf Trap. “That is what we think about all the time, that everybody should feel like there’s something that happens at Wolf Trap that speaks to them, that appeals to them, that reflects them.”
That means, in a span of a week, you could see Train, Harry Connick Jr. and Yacht Rock Revue play at the Filene Center. And that’s not an exaggeration — it’s the actual schedule for late August. As Wolf Trap approaches its 50th anniversary, here are five fast facts about the sprawling 117-acre park’s history.
Wolf Trap holds the unique distinction as the only national park in the United States solely devoted to the arts. “I tell people that you can come to Wolf Trap, go hiking for two hours, have a beautiful picnic, and then go see a show,” Manocha says. Wolf Trap’s nonprofit foundation manages the programming, while the National Park Service maintains the park’s lush grounds. One way to explore the area is through Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ellen Reid’s “Soundwalk,” a public art project that involves hikers using a GPS-enabled app that triggers music specifically tailored for certain locations around the park.
The Filene Center has caught on fire — twice. The first one caused partial damage just before its opening in 1971, and another in 1982 completely destroyed the venue. According to Mary Knowles, daughter of one of the original Filene Center architects Edward Knowles, musicians who played at the wood-clad venue in the early days raved about the acoustics. “My father said musicians described how the entire theater resonated like an instrument,” she says. “I think the wood related to its surroundings, but it was actually part of why the acoustics were so good. Also, the dancers really appreciated the softness and the spring of the wooden stage floor.” The original Filene Center was constructed from Oregon red cedar, while the current structure is made from Douglas fir and southern yellow pine.
The National Symphony Orchestra has held a summer residency at Wolf Trap for the past 50 years. The NSO is one of Wolf Trap’s mainstay performers, and has reached out to new fans with its summer programming, such as its 2015 “Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions” show where the orchestra played music from Pokémon video games, and its live soundtracking of popular films including “Back to the Future” and “Jurassic Park.” The NSO also frequently partners with outside collaborators for shows: Actress and singer Cynthia Erivo (July 1), Broadway veteran Norm Lewis (July 30-31) and soprano Renée Fleming (Aug. 6) are among the stars slated to perform with the orchestra this summer.
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Opera is intricately woven in Wolf Trap’s DNA. Since its beginnings, Wolf Trap has been a major hub for opera in the United States, offering numerous initiatives including the Studio Artists program, which provides training to up-and-coming musicians. As a participant in the program over the past year, New Orleans mezzo-soprano Emily Treigle got to live out a family legacy. “Last year, we all had a number of opera scenes that we were able to perform in, which was super incredible,” she says. “I was in a scene from Robert Ward’s ‘The Crucible,’ which was funny because that’s actually an opera that my grandfather was in the world premiere of.” Treigle’s family ties run deep: Her grandfather sang in the inaugural show at the Filene Center in 1971 and her mother was also a part of a Wolf Trap opera training program in the ’80s.
Lyle Lovett, Judy Collins and Mary Chapin Carpenter have played the venue more than 20 times. Those three artists are some of the acts that have performed the most at Wolf Trap. Others that played at the park frequently include John Prine (19 times), Emmylou Harris (19), the Beach Boys (18), Tony Bennett (18) and Bonnie Raitt (18). The Indigo Girls return to Wolf Trap on Sept. 22 for their 19th appearance, in concert with Ani DiFranco.
What to see at Wolf Trap this summer
Wolf Trap’s summer schedule looks similar to how it did in pre-pandemic times, with featured headliners running the gamut of musical styles. But one notable difference is the venue’s covid-19 policies: Through the end of July, the Filene Center will seat guests in socially distanced “pods,” including on the lawn, before returning to full capacity in August.
Fifty Years Together: A Celebration of Wolf Trap, July 1
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Wolf Trap has invited the National Symphony Orchestra to perform at its 50th anniversary celebration, bringing things full circle. The orchestra will be joined by other decorated performers including Cynthia Erivo and pianist Joyce Yang. 8 p.m. $47.
Big Tony and Trouble Funk, July 18
There isn’t a more perfect soundtrack to celebrate the end of pandemic restrictions than the buoyant sounds of go-go. D.C. luminaries Big Tony and Trouble Funk will light up the park with special guests (and local music legends in their own right) Sugar Bear and DJ Kool. 8 p.m. $22.
Lindsey Stirling, Aug. 5
Stirling brings her boundless violin sound and high-energy dance moves to Wolf Trap to promote her latest album, “Artemis,” which was released shortly before the pandemic in September 2019. 8 p.m. $37.
Pink Martini featuring China Forbes, Aug. 11
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Pink Martini is a multilingual band that can perform songs in more than 25 languages. The group bills itself as a “little orchestra” that crosses numerous styles and genres including jazz, pop and Latin. 8 p.m. $37.
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Sept. 14
Jason Isbell released his seventh album, “Reunions,” near the start of the pandemic, so it’s only now that the world gets to hear the poignant Americana offerings in a live setting. You’ll also want to get there early to see opening act Waxahatchee, whose recent release, the sunny Americana record “Saint Cloud,” pivots from her lo-fi catalogue. 7:30 p.m. $47.
Wolf Trap, 1645 Trap Rd., Vienna. wolftrap.org.
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