WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Kennedy Center celebrated The National Symphony Orchestra's (NSO) 95th anniversary season with a gala on Saturday, and one official praised the center for creating an environment where families are "welcome" again.

Featured works at Saturday's concert included Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man," Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's "Capriccio Espagnol" and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Piano Concerto No. 1." 

Joan Bialek, chair of the NSO board of directors, said she was particularly excited to hear the iconic piano piece.

"My favorite composer is Tchaikovsky and that’s what Yuja Wang is playing tonight, so I’m very excited about that," Bialek told Fox News Digital on the red carpet before the show.

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Wang’s performance did not disappoint, earning her multiple standing ovations and an encore.

The NSO's leadership also includes executive director Jean Davidson, music director Gianandrea Noseda and principal conductor and artistic advisor Steven Reineke. 

"It was a highlight of my year to open the 95th season of the National Symphony Orchestra last night, which also marked the beginning of my ninth season as Music Director," Noseda said in a press release following the performance. "Seeing the full hall with our dedicated audience and donors gave the artists of the National Symphony Orchestra and me confidence in our future. We are thankful to both our audience and donors for the historic level of support and look forward to welcoming everyone to the Concert Hall at the Kennedy Center this season." 

While plenty of longtime supporters filled the seats, Kennedy Center and NSO officials who walked the red carpet said it's important to make a concerted effort to bring more young people to the symphony.

"Well, I think the public is going to make that decision and I think that in order to attract some of the younger people, younger generation, we’re probably going to have to have a little more of that," Bialek told Fox News Digital.

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Davidson said they had a few ideas about how to attract more youth.

"So we have a classical season, and then we have a pop season," she told Fox News Digital. "And the pop season runs the gamut from films in concert – like we just did 'The Princess Bride’ last week – which was a lot of fun. To artists of every field, so rock, pop, gospel, country. You name it, we’ve probably done it."

The symphony, she said, has something for everyone.

"People come for the artists that they love, so that is a way of introducing people to an orchestra that maybe wouldn’t think that they were orchestra lovers," Davidson said. "The idea is that anybody can come to hear an orchestra play. You don’t have to be an expert. It’s like going to a contemporary art museum. You don’t know what to think about the art. It doesn’t matter. Just come, let it speak to your soul. There might be pieces that you hate, there might be pieces that you love. You might be in tears. It’s the whole human experience you can have with this music."

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Mary Helen Bowers, a member of the board of trustees who joined in 2020 under President Donald Trump, said the new leadership, including Kennedy Center President Ambassador Richard Grenell, is focusing on "making the arts great again." 

"We’re here now. The focus is on pleasing the audience," Bowers told Fox News Digital. "And that’s what the arts is really about. It’s about creating beauty and creating a great experience, but with Grenell’s leadership, he’s very focused on the bottom line and the financial health of the center, which is tremendously important, especially in this time."

Asked about the artists who have pulled out of performances since the so-called "Trump takeover," Bowers was blunt.

"I think it’s disgraceful," she said. "I think it’s a major mistake when you politicize the arts and I think a lot of the former leadership of the Kennedy Center was doing exactly that, and we’re thrilled to have President Trump, who’s a great leader and supporter of the arts, come in and focus on putting on performances that people want to be at, inviting families back into the Kennedy Center because I think a lot of families felt very unwelcome previously, largely because of some of the programming that was going on, which were intentional choices. So I’m thrilled to see the celebration of arts and kind of we’re inviting everyone back to this great center."

The Kennedy Center gala raised $3.45 million in funds for the NSO’s performances, education and community engagement initiatives, nearly triple what the NSO has raised in previous years. About half of those in attendance were first-time Gala guests.

"President Trump’s vision to make the Kennedy Center available to more people is clearly working. Half the attendees were first-time guests, and their enthusiasm shattered fundraising expectations, nearly triple what had ever been done before," Grenell said in a press release. "The energy in the room was inspiring; it reflects the incredible future of the NSO and how deeply the arts matter to our nation." 

Fox News' Kristine Parks contributed to this report.