Review: Gregory Alan Isakov at Wolf Trap on August 26
- Grace Guernsey
- 13 hours ago
- 3 min read
For a man so small in stature, Gregory Alan Isakov had a mighty presence when he performed at Wolf Trap on August 26. Despite wearing clothes only in soft earth tones, Isakov was hard to miss. The South African-born folk singer’s signature wide, flat-brimmed fedora helped with this. Clutching his acoustic guitar—or, at times, a twangier banjo—Isakov serenaded the crowd with quiet, atmospheric melodies and his gentle baritone voice.
Though he headlined the concert on Wednesday night, Isakov was just one body on a packed stage. Performing with the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO)—in one of only thirteen shows on his 2026 Symphony Tour, on which he is travelling the country to perform with local orchestras—Gregory Alan Isakov was far from the star of the show. Isakov even acknowledged this himself. Though he spoke very few words throughout the night, when he did stop to engage with the crowd, it was only to make self-deprecating remarks. With charisma so gentle and humble you’d miss it if you weren’t paying attention—though, with the venue’s no-phone policy, everyone was—Gregory joked that he was certainly “the least talented musician up here” on the stage. The orchestra’s talent, clearly, was a source of both awe and anxiety for Isakov.
The concert was a night of reverence: reverence from the concertgoers and performers alike for the artistry and sonic depth of the performance; reverence for the mindfulness of a phoneless venue; and reverence for the NSO. While Gregory’s aforementioned verbal show of respect for the NSO did not go unnoticed, he, more notably, created this show to respect the orchestra, a welcome event given the turmoil faced by the group in recent months. The city of D.C., and with it, the National Symphony Orchestra, have been yanked around by the despotic whims of the Trump administration over the last two years. Since President Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center, the orchestra’s primary artistic affiliate since 1986, the NSO has been in the midst of an operational and financial crisis. The National Symphony Orchestra, like many other D.C. institutions, has shifted strategies with remarkable political acumen, performing at local concerts, like Isakov’s show at Wolf Trap, as they prepare to embark on a national tour, much like the one Isakov is on now.
As Isakov performed both with the National Symphony Orchestra and just outside of D.C., political baggage weighed heavy on the night. While music, arguably, is always political, Isakov’s show at Wolf Trap demonstrated that politics does not always belong in music. Politics so often gives rise to the “mischiefs of faction.” Faction, though, is antithetical to music. Harmony is paramount. The presence of nearly 100 professional musicians on stage at once proved this. Each musician drew their bow across their instrument’s strings or blew air through their buzzing lips into a mouthpiece at precisely the right moment—not to steal the show but to blend the sounds of their instruments, and, consequently, themselves, into it.
The orchestra, alongside Isakov, showcased unity and, through unity, they offered transcendence, leaving behind the wood-covered paneling of Wolf Trap’s amphitheater for a place much less earthy and much more unearthly. NSO conductor Giandandrea Noseda—a bald, animated Italian man who jumped and spun around as he made sweeping arm gestures with his baton—is to thank for this. He served as a foil to the galericulate, reserved South African Isakov, who moved only enough to change chords on his guitar. In collaborating to bring this concert at Wolf Trap to life, Noseda and Isakov proved that styles of leadership matter far less than quality of leadership—a lesson many others in D.C. could stand to learn.
Though there may be few photos or videos to serve as evidence of the concert, there are, certainly, plenty of takeaways. Live music, after all, should fill our hearts—and, if we’re even luckier, our minds—not our camera rolls.
Grace Guernsey is a senior in the SFS studying Culture & Politics and minoring in Spanish. Before attending Gregory Alan Isakov’s 2025 concert in Indianapolis, she described his music to her mom as “what you would want to serenade you to your death.” Her mom both thought that wasn’t a normal thing to say and was converted into an Isakov fan.
Comments