Alexandria Symphony Orchestra

(This might be closer to 3.5 stars to me, but I’m rounding up because they are thoroughly enjoyable.) The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra is a very enjoyable group that plays a wide variety of programs throughout the year. Very capable musicians make up the surprisingly good and very versatile orchestra. («Surprisingly» in that I haven’t had much luck previously with finding ‘small-​city’ orchestras that I’ve enjoyed.) This is a solid, less expensive alternative to the National Symphony Orchestra.
During concerts, the conductors do much more talking to the audience than I enjoy, but it’s generally informative and always good natured (frequently with groan-​inducing jokes). ASO concerts are most often held in the Northern VA Community College’s Schlesinger Music Hall, which is intimate but impressive — very pretty, with wonderful acoustics. On occasion, concerts are also held in an awkwardly small performance hall in the George Washington Masonic Temple — this is an ‘interesting’ experience, but I found the acoustics for a full orchestra to be less enjoyable here, and the orchestra itself is crammed onto the floor between the seats and a small stage, literally at the feet of the audience.