The star of Gianandrea Noseda will now shine over Washington through 2025. The National Symphony Orchestra has extended the existing contract of its Italian music director four more years. The announcement came midway through the NSO’s season-opening gala concert in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Saturday night. Underscoring the good cheer all around was a new record in NSO gala fundraising of $2 million, plus another $10 million in special funding in support of new artistic initiatives.

Many things are improving at the NSO under Noseda, not least the quality of programming for gala and holiday concerts. Out with the pops and crossover gala concerts of recent years, and in with more serious repertoire. The theme this year and throughout the upcoming season is space, chosen to honor the 60th anniversary of NASA and the 50th anniversary of that agency’s first landing on the moon, coming up next summer.