Strathmore is matching strangers who love live music but don't have someone to go with.

The North Bethesda performing arts center's Meet Me at Strathmore program gives solo concertgoers a pre-show reception with complimentary snacks and conversation starters, then seats them together in a reserved section of the concert hall. Tickets come at a 10% discount, typically $35 to $50 after the reduction, according to Strathmore's program page.

The gatherings have drawn between 20 and 40 people at a time, and several attendees have returned for a second or third event, Faith Ring, Strathmore's group sales and audience development manager, said in a Strathmore announcement published Nov. 3.

"It's fun to see the connection that these strangers have. They don't know each other at all when they walk through our doors, and by the time they go into the concert hall, they're sitting together, and I see them connecting throughout the night," Ring said.

Jan Augustine, a retired international management consultant who recently moved to Bethesda, attended a gathering in June before a cappella group Straight No Chaser performed. The reception was held in the Mansion, where attendees mingled and viewed a quilt exhibition on display.

The concept is working.

Ring said the program is the only performing arts initiative of its kind in the area. Linda Herman, a former Strathmore board member who helped conceive the program, said organizers originally hoped to make concerts more welcoming. The result, she said, has been "a deeper and more enduring impact."

The program arrives as loneliness draws growing attention from health leaders. Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a 2023 advisory titled "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation," warning that loneliness carries greater risks of cardiovascular disease, dementia, depression and premature death, as Maryland Matters reported Nov. 2. According to that reporting, an AARP study with NORC at the University of Chicago found that almost 29% of Marylanders aged 50 and older had a high loneliness score, trailing only Washington, D.C., at 33.3%.

Strathmore has scheduled several Meet Me at Strathmore events for the 2026–2027 season and plans to add more. Upcoming dates include:

  • Nov. 8 — Las Migas
  • Dec. 18 — Strathmore Jazz Orchestra Christmas
  • Feb. 27, 2027 — Strathmore Jazz Orchestra featuring Anat Cohen and Camille Thurman
  • March 6, 2027 — Matthew Whitaker's UPLIFT!
  • June 25, 2027 — The Orchestral Qawwali Project

Receptions take place in the Mansion or the Music Center's Lockheed Martin Lobby, depending on the event. Attendees who already have a ticket and want to join the pre-concert gathering can email [email protected].