Concerts

‘Melissa Etheridge’ at The Music Center at Strathmore

Melissa Etheridge rocked the The Music Center at Strathmore last night for over two and a half hours. Her fans packed the venue leaving very few empty seats. Etheridge showed her musical talent...

‘Dr. John & The Blind Boys of Alabama’ at George Mason University by Dr. Cheryl Paulhus

The ‘Dr. of funk’ left no doubt that, decades after being known as “The Night Tripper,” he can still stir up a mean musical brew. Dr. John got the party started Saturday night at George Mason...

‘Fortas Chamber Music Concert: Midori in Recital: 30th Anniversary Concert’ at The Kennedy Center by Francine Schwartz

Violinist Midori celebrated thirty years in music at The Kennedy Center by performing Beethoven Sonatas and works by Webern and Crumb. She was expertly accompanied by pianist Özgür Aydin. The duo are...

Inside the Music: An Interview With Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster Jonathan Carney by Jane Coyne

I caught up with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Jonathan Carney at the Music Center at Strathmore over the weekend. Along with the BSO principal cellist Dariusz Skoraczewski, he is...

‘Beethoven: The Power of Three’ at National Philharmonic at Strathmore by Tiffany Draut

I was fortunate enough to attend “Beethoven: the Power of Three” by the National Philharmonic, under the expert baton of Piotr Gajewski, at the Music Center at Strathmore. The night began with the...

‘Patti LuPone: Matters of the Heart’ at The Music Center at Strathmore by Joel Markowitz

When you think you know someone, all of a sudden you are introduced to another side of that person you didn’t know about – and you are thrilled! That’s what happened last night when Broadway legend...

Pat McGee Band with Special Guest Ari Hest at The Music Center at Strathmore by Mike Spain

The Washington area music scene was well represented at the Pat McGee Band concert at the The Music Center at Strathmore on Friday, September 29, 2012. Members from Edie from Ohio and The Potato...

‘Hemispheric Dysfunctionalism and the Cortical Titanic’ to Sail From October 4-28, 2012 at Fort Fringe by Shawn Nelson

The 100th anniversary sinking of the RMS Titanic is being commemorated all year with museum exhibits, movies and documentaries, but an original production by local playwright and Fringe Festival...

Joe Jackson at The Music Center at Strathmore by Mike Spain

Joe Jackson performed a seamless mix of Duke Ellington classics and Jackson’s own songs at Strathmore on Sunday night. He began his set solo walking out to his electric piano and playing a Duke...

Ben Harper and Rickie Lee Jones at Wolf Trap by Grace Kim

The night at Wolf Trap belonged to Ben Harper. Debuting his first solo performance in a career that spans two decades, fans were treated to an acoustic jam that was pure ecstasy for the ears. Ben...

Interview with ‘TRIPTYCH’ Composer Robert Sirota and Collaborating Artist Deborah Patterson by Jane Coyne

Composer Robert Sirota will be in Baltimore next Sunday, September 9, 2012, to attend a concert featuring a performance of his work, TRIPTYCH, a hauntingly beautiful piece commemorating the victims of...

‘Straight No Chaser’ at Wolf Trap by Teal Ruland

Bond likes his a cappella shaken, not stirred, Santa likes his cold and with warm cookies, and a few presidents in South Dakota like theirs (and their faces) on the rocks. Me? None of the above. But...

Young Artists of America (YAA) Announces its 2012-2013 Season

Today, Young Artists of America (YAA) announced its 2012-2013 season. After an impressive season that included sold out performances of their VILLAINS! concert, a world-class premiere of THE PHANTOM...

‘Iron Cross’ at University of Maryland’s Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center by Mike Spain

Great music transcends language barriers. Saturday night I wished I understood Burmese when I went to University of Maryland to see Iron Cross. I know I would have enjoyed the show even more. Iron...

UrbanArias Presents ‘Blind Dates’ including ‘Craigslistlieder’ at IOTA on August 5th at 7 PM by Robert Wood

UrbanArias, the DC-area’s purveyor of high-quality, short contemporary opera is performing at Arlington’s IOTA Club and Cafe this coming weekend, on August 5th at 7 p.m.. Our program includes a set of...

‘Erin Driscoll: Get Happy! The Songs of Harold Arlen’ at Signature Theatre by Kim Moeller

I spent a wonderful evening last night going back in time at Signature Theatre’s ‘Sizzlin’ Summer Cabaret’s’ Erin Driscoll: Get Happy! The Songs of Harold Arlen. It wasn’t just the music of Harold...

‘How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular’ by Joel Markowitz

DreamWork Animations’ How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular has landed at The Verizon Center until Sunday with its fire-breathing dragons, wall-to-floor projections, stunning costumes, and...

Cabaret Review: Carolyn Cole’s ‘Born to Take the BELTway’ at Signature Theatre

Some time ago, I went to see a No Rules Theatre Company production of The Stephen Schwartz Project and I remember being impressed by a petite brunette with a really, really fierce belt. That brunette,...

Wilco at Wolf Trap by Mike Spain

The Lee Ranaldo Band opened for Wilco on Tuesday, July 17, 2012. Ranaldo is best known for his time spent with Sonic Youth – a band he founded and spent three decades as the band’s lead guitarist. I...

‘Sandy Bainum: Something to Sing About’ at Signature Theatre by Kim Moeller

In an age of big splashy music-based reality contest shows, concerts as multimedia extravaganzas, technically-altered recordings, and TV shows manufactured around large musical ensembles, it’s a...

National Symphony Orchestra at Wolf Trap: ‘Hamlisch Goes Gershwin ‘ by Jane Coyne

’S always wonderful and marvelous to spend an evening at Wolf Trap, especially when the most wonderful and marvelous Marvin Hamlisch shows up and devotes the entire evening to George Gershwin....

Matthew Scott and Kirsten Scott at ‘Sizzlin’ Summer Cabarets’ at Signature Theatre by Eric Denver

Last night, Signature Theatre opened its annual ‘Sizzlin’ Summer Cabaret’ series with a smashing performance by Matthew and Kirsten Scott. This is the first cabaret out of the batting cage of 16...

‘California Guitar Trio’ at All Saints Episcopal Church by Mike Spain

The sanctuary at All Saints Episcopal Church in Frederick, Maryland was once again turned into a concert hall for the amazing California Guitar Trio. It is the 11th time in 21 years that the ensemble...

‘Yoni Gras’ at Maryland Ensemble Theatre by Mike Spain

Yoni Gras shows the Maryland Ensemble Theatre likes their music like their theatre productions daring. The event consisted of six independent bands over two nights and about six hours of music. The...

Barbara Cook at Barbara Cook’s Spotlight at The Kennedy Center by David Friscic

Who is Barbara Cook? Kennedy Center Honoree, peerless Broadway, concert and cabaret star —or simply a legendary icon? Barbara Cook stepped out on the stage of the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater...

National Festival Orchestra with Leonard Slatkin at University of MD

From the first notes of the violins at tonight’s concert by the National Festival Orchestra with Leonard Slatkin conducting, the audience knew they were in for a delightful night, with a first-rate...

‘Gavin DeGraw and Colbie Caillat’ at Wolf Trap by Julia L. Exline

On Saturday, June 9, 2012, I had the pleasure of seeing Gavin DeGraw and Colbie Caillat perform at Wolf Trap. With their fun energy and optimistic beats, this was a perfect event to start out the...

‘Valhella’ at Baltimore Rock Opera Society by Andrew L. Baughman

Great Odin’s Raven! Nothing – and I mean NOTHING – can prepare you for the rock SPECTACLE that is the BROS production of Valhella,now playing at The Autograph Playhouse in Baltimore. From the electric...

Barbara Cook’s Spotlight: Aaron Lazar by David Friscic

Broadway star, Aaron Lazar (Phantom of the Opera, revivals of Les Miserables and A Little Night Music) casually sauntered into the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater and slowly started singing -“I’m...

‘Miss Havisham’s Fire’ At Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center by Tiffany Draut

There are certain characters in literature that, for whatever reason, capture the imagination, whether for good or ill. Miss Havisham, with her decaying wedding dress and moldering wedding feast, has...

‘Pure Tango’ at Gala Hispanic Theatre by Amanda Gunther

Tango es la pasiòn del alma. Tango is the passion of the soul. Tango is many things; it can be a man, a woman, a feeling, a dance…all these things and more. And all these discoveries of tango are...

‘The Music of Bill Monroe with Rowan, Rice, McCourys’ at The Music Center at Strathmore by Mike Spain

Peter Rowan, Tony Rice, and The Travelin’ McCourys, who are some of the biggest names in Bluegrass came together to honor Bill Monroe at The Music Center at Strathmore in a program called The Music of...

Tenor Jesús Daniel Hernández on ‘De Mi Corazón Latino [From My Latin Heart]’ at The In Series by Joel Markowitz

Not only does Jesús Daniel Hernández posses a beautiful tenor voice, he also has a remarkable story to tell about his life, his training, being discovered, and his career. Jesús tells us about De Mi...

Strathmore Presents: ‘Joshua Bell and Academy of St. Martin in the Fields’ by Jane Coyne

(Actually, 5 stars muliplied to infinity) Joshua Bell and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields came to Strathmore on Friday April 13, 2012 at 8pm. They were so fabulously pure and good that the...

‘Emily Skinner’ at The Barbara Cook Spotlight Series at The Kennedy Center by David Friscic

Broadway musical singer and stage actress Emily Skinner dazzled the crowd at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theatre Friday evening, April 13th, for a scintillating set of 13 songs interspersed with...

Anna Caterina Antonacci at The Kennedy Center by Simon Chin

If Anna Caterina Antonacci had taken a more conventional path, the Italian soprano would likely be enjoying the peak of a major international career. She possesses a remarkable vocal instrument,...

Introducing ‘Capital Sound’ on DC Theater Arts by Mike Spain

Welcome to Capital Sound! My new column will focus on covering the music scene in the local area around Washington,, DC. Any night one can hear the rhythms and beats seeping out of the countless...

Strathmore Presents: ‘Kevin Costner and Modern West’ on Thursday, April 5, 2012 by Jane Coyne

Kevin Costner brought his band Modern West to Strathmore on Thursday night. Kevin Costner … as in Academy and Golden Globe Award winning actor, as in Dances with Wolves, The Body Guard, Field of...

‘Hopa Tropa Kukerica!’ at Ambassador Theater by Julia Exline

Under the patronage of the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria, Ambassador Theater presents Hopa Tropa Kukerica!, an authentic celebration of Bulgarian culture! Lilia Slavova wrote and directedhis...

‘Strathmore Presents: Patti LaBelle’ on Friday, March 30, 2012 by Jane Coyne

The one and only Patti LaBelle returned to The Music Center at Strathmore on Friday, March 30, 2012, where she promptly and proudly announced that she was 67 years old and “in it to win.” She wasn’t...

Strathmore Presents: ‘Ethan Bortnick and His Musical Time Machine’ by Jane Coyne

A delightful and engagingly “humble” young boy by the name of Ethan Bortnick, just eleven years old, headlined a concert at The Music Center at Strathmore on Friday, March 23, 2012. He is clearly...

Will Gartshore in ‘All the King’s Men: Broken Ballads with a Stiff Upper Lip’ at Round House Theatre by Jane Coyne

On Monday night, I got an unexpected chance to catch two-time Helen Hayes Award winner Will Gartshore in a very enjoyable review-type performance at Round House Theatre in Silver Spring. Will is a...

‘Experience Hendrix 2012 Tribute Tour’ at The Music Center at Strathmore by Mike Spain

The ground breaking, innovating, guitarist Jimi Hendrix became a legend of rock and blues music in his brief life. Forty years after his death his legacy lives on with the Experience Hendrix tour. The...

‘An Evening with Smokey Robinson’ at The Kennedy Center by Mike Spain

Saturday, March 3, 2012 was declared ‘Smokey Robinson Day’ in Washington, D.C. by Mayor Vincent C. Gray shortly before the legendary musician took the stage at the sold out Kennedy Center Concert...

‘Angela Gheorghiu’ at Washington National Opera by Simon Chin

Angela Gheorghiu almost lives up to the hype. At a time when many of opera’s reigning stars are relentlessly overpraised by the public relations machine, Gheorghiu represents the genuine article: a...

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at The Music Center at Strathmore ‘Voices of Light – The Passion of Joan of Arc.” Saturday, March 3 2012 by Jane Coyne

I’m not totally sure I can write this review, and regardless of what I write, I’m not sure anybody who was not at Strathmore last night will be able to understand what happened there. I left in tears....

‘Yefim Bronfman: WPAS Piano Masters Series’ on Friday, March 2, 2012, at The Music Center at Strathmore by Jane Coyne

Yefim Bronfman performed a solo recital program at Strathmoreon Friday night that was stunningly beautiful in its simplicity. There was nothing on the stage save a black Steinway concert grand piano....