Eclipse Chamber Orchestra Offers Arts to Everyone

Eclipse Chamber Orchestra seeks to bring world-class performances of great music to people of all ages – and it brings its rich tapestry of notes right to Alexandria.

“You have here in Alexandria one of the cultural gems of Washington, DC with top quality musicians,” Eclipse President Seth Arenstein told Patch before a concert last week at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial.

“We believe the beauty and richness of live, classical music must be made available to all people, regardless of their station in life,” reads the group’s mission statement.

The group, made up of 23 members mostly from the National Symphony Orchestra, presents three concerts a season at the Masonic Memorial and at the Lyceum in Old Town.

It also created an “Adopt a School” program, allowing students to interact with the musicians, learn and attend a working rehearsal of the orchestra in their auditorium.

George Washington Middle School in Del Ray was the program’s most recent participant.

“The musicians want to inspire students to play a musical instrument and expose them to different kinds of music,” Arenstein said.

A music critic for The Washington Post called the group’s recent appearance beautiful, captivating and impressive as well as providing a “deeply integrated performance, full of subtle nuances and great beauty.”

Eclipse Chamber's next performance will be April 21 with cellist David Teie conducting at the Masonic Memorial.

Tickets for those performances are $25 for an adult, $20 for seniors, veterans and families. Students and children are always free.

The group also performs a series of scaled-down free performances at the Lyceum throughout the year. The next Lyceum appearance is March 10.

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