The Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center, located on NOVA's Alexandria Campus, is the home of the 981-seat Mary Collier Baker Theater and the Margaret W. and Joseph L. Fisher Art Gallery.
Please see our Events Calendar for a listing of upcoming performances and the Galleries page for news about art exhibits. Our Blog also features the latest information about events at the Schlesinger Center.
4915 East Campus Drive, Alexandria, VA 22311
NOTE: The Center is NOT accessible from 5000 Dawes Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22311, the address of the upper campus.
There is a four-level parking garage adjacent to the Schlesinger Center with two entrances -- one from North Beauregard Street and one from West Braddock Road. Organizations presenting at the Schlesinger Center provide courtesy visitor parking, otherwise, parking is $2 per hour. Parking Pay Stations are located at levels 1, 2 and 3 in the garage lobby. The Pay Stations accept quarters, one-dollar bills and five-dollar bills and credit/debit cards. We recommend that you arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the start of an event to avoid lines at the meters.
Handicapped Parking spaces are available at no charge to vehicles designated for handicapped persons in the parking garage and in the faculty lot adjacent to the Tyler Building.
Note: Parking Services actively patrols all of NOVA's parking facilities. Parking rules are in effect 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Unlawfully parked vehicles in the Beauregard Street garage or in the Faculty lots are subject to a fine of $75. There is absolutely NO parking available on the road behind the Schlesinger Center or at the Loading Dock.
Take the NOVA Shuttle to the Alexandria campus. All NOVA students, staff or faculty can ride FREE by showing their NOVA Card! Shuttle tracking and updates are available in real time through the b You can now text "NOVA Shuttles" to 1.800.546.6141 to receive emergency alerts about the shuttle via text message.
Please take a look at the most recent NOVA Shuttle schedules.
The Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center opened in September 2001. Community-wide discussions between the College and local art groups in the early 1990s led to the concept for a premier performing arts center on the Virginia side of the Potomac River. As plans for the Center developed, design details were added for the building to accommodate large performance groups, yet remain affordable to local nonprofit groups.
Fundraising for the Schlesinger Center began in 1993 and was led by the Campaign Management Committee for the Alexandria/Arlington Cultural Center. One of the leaders of the Campaign committee was Rachel M. Schlesinger, a violinist and board member of the Arlington Symphony. Mrs. Schlesinger's love for music began at an early age and continued through her years at Radcliffe College in Cambridge, her marriage to former Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Energy, Dr. James R. Schlesinger and the birth of her eight children. Mrs. Schlesinger worked tirelessly to raise money for the Center, but never saw the dream become a reality. She died in October 1995.
In 1996, Dr. Schlesinger donated $1 million to name the Center in his wife's memory. Dozens of local corporations, foundations and individual donors generously contributed additional funds to build the kind of first-rate facility that audiences in this area have come to expect.
If you would like to make a donation, please contact Kelly Persons at 703.323.3263 or via email at kpersons@nvcc.edu.