Music

Meet the Cast of Victorian Lyric Opera Company’s ‘Ruddigore’: Part 2: Carla Rountree‏

In Part 2 of a series of interviews with the cast of Victorian Lyric Opera’s Ruddigore, meet Carla Rountree. Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have seen you in the past...

Guitarist Orlando Roman on The National Chamber Ensemble’s ‘Musical Gems of Mexico’ on Sat May 9th at 7:30 PM

This Saturday, May 9th at 7:30 PM The National Chamber Ensemble will be hosting Guitarist Orlando Roman talks about the concert. What is your relationship with Mexican classical music? Mexican music...

Eddie Money at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club

Approximately 37 years after launching his career in the late 70’s and becoming an early MTV luminary in the 80’s, iconic rock star Eddie Money rolled back the clock for an hour at the Bethesda Blues...

2015 Kennedy Center Spring Gala: ‘It Don’t Mean a Thing… A Celebration of Swing’ at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts rolled out the red carpet on Sunday evening with a star-studded salute to the swing era of the 1930s and ‘40s. Under the direction of Grammy-winning...

‘The Great American Songbook’ by Columbia Pro Cantare at the Jim Rouse Theater

On Saturday May 2, 2015 the Columbia Pro Cantare choral group, lead by Conductor Frances Motyca Dawson, ended their 38th Season with The Great American Songbook performed at the Jim Rouse Theater of...

In the Moment: Meet the Encore Chorale

Ideas for this column can come from unexpected encounters. This column was sparked over a dinner with some good friends a few nights ago. Let’s call them Rayna and Ed. We were at the neighborhood...

‘Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival’ at Wolf Trap

There was a lovefest last night at Wolf Trap with the traveling Hawaiian Slack Guitar performance in front of a full-house of aficionados many of whom could sing along in Hawaiian due to their...

Washington Performing Arts Presents Ute Lemper Performing ‘Forever: The Love Poems of Pablo Neruda’ to the Sixth and I Street Historic Synagogue This Saturday at 8 PM by Gary Tischler

Ute Lemper contains worlds, and moons, and each time she comes to Washington, she brings a different world, a different song with her. Lemper is in most circles considered a cabaret singer, that ever...

‘Murder Ballad’ at The Studio Theatre (Review) by David Siegel

Let yourself be seduced into a dark reverie as a love triangle, or perhaps a rectangle, goes way wrong. Musical pulp-fiction has come to 14th and P Streets pushed forward by electric guitar power...

‘From Moscow to Hollywood: Songs from the Movies” at Russian Chamber Art Society

Even today, a trip from Moscow to Hollywood is not one to be taken on the spur of the moment. What must it have meant for those in the early years of the last century, artists and musicians seeking...

Rosanne Cash: The River & The Thread at Strathmore

The smoky, soulful singer knows how to make an entrance and how to keep an audience mesmerized. Rosanne Cash played at The Music Center at Strathmore on Friday, April 17, 2015. Her two-hour set...

Eileen Ivers at Wolf Trap

Eileen Ivers returned to the Barns at Wolf Trap for a rollicking good show filled with her unique brand of Celtic fiddle and traditional roots music like bluegrass, Cajun, French Canadian, and...

Pianist Martin Kasik with the Embassy Series at the Czech Embassy

Czech pianist Martin Kasik has an important historic connection with Washington despite relatively infrequent visits here. He was a 1999 winner of the Young Concert Artists series, which launches...

A Q&A with Mezzo-Soprano Magdalena Wór on Her Training in Washington and Return This Weekend to Strathmore

Mezzo-soprano Magdalena Wór pretty much creates an unforgettable impression everywhere she performs. Her strikingly rich voice – it’s been called “plush,” “chocolatey” and other adjectives redolent of...

‘Gone Country’ at Signature Theatre

Three accomplished performers are singing their hearts out in a real crowd-pleaser at Signature Theatre’s Gone Country cabaret, a short engagement conceived and directed by Walter Ware II. Maria...

The Philadelphia Orchestra with Washington Performing Arts at the Kennedy Center

Subtext abounded as the Philadelphia Orchestra arrived at The Kennedy Center Tuesday night. In Washington, rising politicians are “mentioned for president.” In classical music, rising conductors are...

Interview with Musician and Contestant on ‘The Voice’ Jack Gregori

DC based musician Jack Gregori is a self-described “singer-songwriter, guitar picker, and the creator of Human Country Jukebox” whose music focuses on “rabble-rousing outlaw country bands from the...

Audra McDonald at the Music Center at Strathmore

The amazing vocal talent of Audra McDonald was a like a breath of the most enchanting spring air and perhaps the first real sign of spring in the DC area as Audra sang from the “Great American Song...

Barbara Cook Spotlight Series: ‘Malcolm Gets: Come A Little Closer’ at The Kennedy Center

Malcolm Gets is one of the most underrated stars in musical theater today. Fortunately, he got a well-deserved chance to display his exceptional talents during his solo cabaret show, Come a Little...

Cassandra Wilson-Coming Forth by Day: A Tribute to Billie Holiday at The Kennedy Center

The legacy of the brilliant and iconic jazz legend, Billie Holiday, coupled with the cool, classic styling of the very contemporary and experimentally-inclined jazz artistry of Cassandra Wilson fused...

‘See Jane Sing! An Evening With Jane Lynch’ at The Birchmere

The crowd that came to The Birchmere last night to See Jane Sing! got a great big ol’ cabaret show full of offbeat tunes and upbeat fun. Jane Lynch wowed ‘em with her artful blend of agile song...

‘Man of La Mancha’ at Shakespeare Theatre Company

“Too much sanity is madness!” This counterintuitive declaration is made by Don Quixote, the iconic lead character in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s current production of Man of La Mancha. Portrayed...

Remembering Billie Holiday on Her 100th Birthday

On April 7, 2015 serious jazz fans celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of incomparable vocalist Billie Holiday, who died in 1959 at age 44 but lives on in her music as a legend in a trio...

‘Hexagon 2015: The Spoof, the Whole Spoof, and Nothing but the Spoof!’ at Woodrow Wilson High School Auditorium

If fast-paced apps, tweets, and glowing screens have your eyes abnormally a-glaze (yes, millennials, you can admit this, too) trade Facebook for good-feeling farce and be sure to pop over to Hexagon’s...

Interview with DC-Area Musician Paul Pfau and Contestant on ‘The Voice’

I’ve seen Paul Pfau play locally at Gypsy Sally’s and with The Nine Songwriter Series with Justin Trawick. He is a well-respected musician in the DC area. In 2011, Paul was nominated Best New Artist...

UrbanAria’s ‘Blue Viola’ at Artisphere

Feelin’ Blue? Are you a violist who’s feeling unwanted and underappreciated? Then run down to UrbanArias‘ entertaining and high-strung English sung short opera Blue Viola, and you’ll be playing more...

Focus Events: Susan Greenbaum and John Flynn

Welcome to Focus‘ 100th birthday party where over 60 folk music fanatics were in the audience to help celebrate the group’s centennial concert in Alexandria, VA. This is DCMTA’s first review of Focus...

Pianist András Schiff at Washington Performing Arts at Strathmore

One of the most charming moments I’ve seen at a concert in years occurred yesterday at The Music Center at Strathmore. András Schiff, one of the world’s leading pianists, brought a program of the...

‘Mozart’s Great Mass’ with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at Strathmore

If I told you that the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra may be the most dynamic classical music organization in our region, you’d probably expect me to prove it with a report on a daring program featuring...

Magic Time!: ‘A Fan Chat with Jane Lynch’ Who is Birchmere-Bound on March 24 and 25th

Jane Lynch is an award-winning actor on stage, in movies, and on TV. She plays Sue Sylvester on Glee. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And gosh darn it, she’s really fun to talk with on...

The National Chamber Ensemble Presents ‘Bach, Beethoven and Brahms’ on Saturday, March 14, 2015 at 7:30 pm at Artisphere’s Spectrum Theatre

The National Chamber Ensemble, celebrates the great works of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms on Saturday, March 14, 2015 at 7:30 pm at Artisphere’s Spectrum Theatre. Praised by the Washington Post for...

Fantasy & Fate: Tchaikovsky Masterworks: Lang Lang in Recital at The Kennedy Center

Virtuosity of the highest caliber graced The Kennedy Center Concert Hall this past Saturday afternoon as renowned piano superstar Lang Lang returned to perform at the established Washington venue for...

Meet the Soloists of ‘West Side Story + Roméo et Juliette’ Part 1: Alex Stone

This Sunday, March 8, 2015 at 4 PM, Young Artists of America and Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras will present West Side Story + Roméo et Juliette at The Music Center at Strathmore. In Part 1 of 3...

Today: Sunday, March 8th at 4 PM at Strathmore: Young Artists of America And MCYO Philharmonic & Symphony Orchestras Present ‘West Side Story and Romeo et Juliette’

THIS SUNDAY, MARCH 8TH AT 4 PM AT STRATHMORE!! Shakespeare’s great love story is transported to modern-day New York City and Verona, Italy through a unique pairing of the timeless music of Bernstein’s...

Russian Chamber Art Society: ‘Ballades, Fantasies, & Satires’

The Russian Chamber Art Society (RCAS) has become the go-to organization for those in the know in the DC area when it comes to rarely heard—and rewardingly performed—works from the Russian classical...

The President’s Own United States Marine Band: ‘Time Capsule 1945: The 70th Anniversary of the End of WWII’ at Strathmore

The main emotion I felt last night at Strathmore, while I watched The President’s Own United States Marine Band, was pride. These very talented musicians gave up the chance for a professional career...

A Look at The Staged Reading of ‘A Family Reunion at Maryland Opera Studio

It can be hard for a modern audience to relate to opera. It’s not often in our lives that we encounter a countess, death by consumption or a lover in disguise. But almost every day, we encounter...

Valentine’s Day Concert: ‘The Thrill of Tchaikovsky!’ at The National Chamber Ensemble

What a wonderful way to spend Valentine’s Day! The National Chamber Ensemble presented a colorful concert for Valentine’s Day with music by Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky, one of the greatest composers of...

Duke Ellington Orchestra at Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club

Once Charlie Young, conductor of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, invited the audience to the dance floor last night, they needn’t be asked twice. The band played to a packed house at the Bethesda Blues...

Kurt Elling’s ‘Passion World’ at The Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater

On the most romantic night of the year, Grammy Award- winning jazz vocalist, Kurt Elling’s Passion World concert at The Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater was a warm toddy to take the chill off the...

‘Love Rocks!’ at The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington‘s (GMCW) swinging, rhythmic, acapella-oriented Potomac Fever Musical Group and the stellar more traditionally chorale group, the Rock Creek Singers, have offered up...

Meet the Cast of Clandestine Arts’ ‘Bare: A Pop Opera’ Opening Next Thursday, February 19th at DCAC by Tyler Everett Adams and Joel Markowitz

Clandestine Arts’ Bare: A Pop Opera, opens on Thursday, February 19, 2015 at The District of Columbia Arts Center (DCAC)- 2438 18th Street, in Washington, DC. Bare: A Pop Opera is a moving story about...

The Duke Ellington Orchestra Comes to Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club on Saturday and Sunday February 14th and 15th

What better way to set the mood than swaying with your sweetheart to the tune of “Prelude to a Kiss”? Just in time for a weekend of love, the Duke Ellington Orchestra swings into town for two shows at...

‘Juiced’ at The Clarice

Tia Nina’s Juiced rocked the Dance Theatre at The Clarice for a solid hour on Saturday, February 7, 2015. This trio of fearless performers, Leah Curran Moon as J Van Stone, Ilana Silverstein as Sammy...

Savion Glover’s ‘STePz’ at The Music Center at Strathmore

Friday night an enthusiastic and sold-out crowd voraciously devoured Savion Glover’s show STePz featuring American tap dancing icon Savion Glover, Marshall Davis, Jr, and the 3 Controversial Woman aka...

Wynton Marsalis’ ‘Blues Symphony’ at Washington Performing Arts at Strathmore

Last night, thanks to the generosity of Washington Performing Arts, DC audiences had the rare opportunity to see Wynton Marsalis in the fullest sense – as consummate performer, as bandleader, and as...

Director of Artistic Programming at Arena Stage Robert Barry Fleming on ‘Blue Viola’ Playing Tomorrow and Sunday

Michael: Introduce yourself to our readers, and tell us the kind of work that you do. Robert: I work to realize the artistic vision and mission of Arena Stage in our practical day-to-day business and...

Motion City Soundtrack at The Fillmore Silver Spring

Sometimes, if you’re lucky, an artist comes along who changes your life in an immeasurable way: their art shapes you, comforts you, inspires and excites you…for me, these artists are the members of...

‘Raisin’ Cane: A Harlem Renaissance Odyssey’ at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts

Inspired by the 1923 novel, Cane, by Jean Toomer, and the work of other renaissance artists, this multimedia presentation fronted by Jasmine Guy provided a look into the general trends and opposing...

‘Dizzy Gillespie™ Afro-Cuban Experience’ at The Kennedy Center

I write about theatre because I know theatre, intimately and over many years. I’m writing about Jazz because I love Jazz, the way a man might love a goddess, fleetingly and in hot pursuit. If you have...