Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress

The problem with some Washington venues is that standards of architecture and acoustics don’t always match—with monumental structures yielding muffled sound. But this auditorium in the Jefferson Building rises to the occasion on both counts. Programming is intriguing and intimate, running from classical to country to world music, with recent bookings ranging from the Moscow Sretensky Monastery Choir to folksters Noel Stookey, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and Jimmy LaFave, performing for the Woodie Guthrie centennial celebration.