Founded in the mid-1980s as the Montgomery Chamber Orchestra by principal conductor Piotr Gajewski, it became the National Philharmonic in 2003 after merging with the Masterworks Chorus.
[1] Originally based in the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater in Rockville, Maryland, it became the Music Center at Strathmore's ensemble-in-residence when that facility opened in 2005.
[2] In 2021, the orchestra began performing at the newly-opened Capital One Hall in Tysons, Virginia.
[3] The largest and most active orchestra in Montgomery County, Maryland, it gives over thirty performances a year[3] often accompanied by world-renowned guest artists like Brian Ganz, Sarah Chang, and Zuill Bailey,[4][5] or by leading musicians with the elite orchestras in the area, like concertmaster Nurit Bar-Joseph of the National Symphony Orchestra.
[7] The orchestra threatened to close in July 2019, citing increased costs and reduced funding from the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County,[8] but reorganization and a fundraising effort that brought in $500,000 enabled it to continue operating.