As America's National Park for the Performing Arts, Wolf Trap plays a valuable leadership role in both the local and national performing arts communities. Through a wide range of artistic and education programs, Wolf Trap enhances our nation's cultural life and ensures that the arts remain accessible and affordable to the broadest possible audience.

A typical season at Wolf Trap includes something for everyone with performances ranging from pop, country, folk, and blues to orchestra, dance, theater, and opera, as well as innovative performance art and multimedia presentations.

The Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts

The late Catherine Filene Shouse founded Wolf Trap through a donation of 100 acres of her Vienna, Virginia farmland (near Washington, DC) to the U.S. Government, as well as funds for construction of a 6,800-seat indoor/outdoor theater. The gift was accepted by an Act of Congress in 1966 and Wolf Trap's larger venue, the Filene Center, opened in 1971. The Filene Center season usually runs from the end of May to the beginning of September with an average of 90 performances each year.
Learn about the Filene Center

The Barns at Wolf Trap

In 1981, Mrs. Shouse also donated the land and funds for an indoor theater constructed of two adjacent 18th century barns, each moved from upstate New York and rebuilt on their present site. The addition of this 382-seat indoor venue created a year-round center for the performing arts.
Learn about The Barns at Wolf Trap

The Foundation and National Park Partnership

Wolf Trap is run through a public/private partnership between the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts and the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. The Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, creates and selects programming; develops education programs; handles ticket sales, marketing, publicity, and public relations; and raises funds to support these programs while keeping ticket prices affordable. The National Park Service maintains the grounds and buildings of Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts and provides technical theater assistance for the Filene Center.

Wolf Trap Education Programs

In addition to year-round performances, Wolf Trap offers a variety of education programs both locally and nationwide. Its primary education program, the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, places professional performing artists in preschool classrooms nationwide. In classroom residencies, these artists use drama, music, and movement to teach basic skills and encourage active participation and self-esteem in the earliest stages of learning. Wolf Trap Institute Artists also conduct workshops and presentations throughout the country to demonstrate to teachers and parents how the arts can bring new life to learning and literature.

Wolf Trap also presents scholarships for instruction leading to high school-level student performance. In addition, Wolf Trap's nationally recognized internship program provides year-round administrative and technical support to the Foundation, while offering meaningful hands-on experience to college students that hope to work in the performing arts or arts administration.
Learn about Wolf Trap Education Programs  

Wolf Trap Opera Company

Wolf Trap has also gained worldwide recognition for its summer residency program for young opera singers-the Wolf Trap Opera Company. This highly selective program provides invaluable experience for young singers at the start of their professional careers, while producing some of the finest and most critically acclaimed operatic performances in the country.
Learn about the Wolf Trap Opera Company

Wolf Trap is committed to building upon its efforts to present the highest quality artistic performances and arts-in-education programs for people of all ages. For more information, call (703) 255-1900.