Wednesday, May 8th
Book event
The Friends of the Tenley-Friendship Library will sponsor a talk by Washington Post senior editor Steve Luxenberg about his book “Separate: The Story of Plessy v. Ferguson, and America’s Journey from Slavery to Segregation.” 7 p.m. at the Tenley-Friendship Library, 4450 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Free.
Musical event
Džambo Aguševi Orchestra represents the apex of the younger generation of Balkan Romani brass performers. Aguševi’s band includes his father, brother, and other relatives. They have toured around the world and have performed at many Romani community events. 6 p.m. on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, 2700 F Street NW. Free.
Join National Museum for Women in the Arts in welcoming the Amaranth Quartet for their D.C. debut featuring world premieres by composers Sahba Aminikia and Alyssa Weinberg. The Amaranth Quartet is committed to presenting music of all eras with equal enthusiasm and artistry. Comprising violinists Emily Botel and Abigail Shiman, violist Julie Michael and cellist Helen Newby, the group was founded in 2014. 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. at NMWA, 1250 New York Avenue, NW Free .https://nmwa.org/events/shenson-chamber-music-concert-amaranth-quartet
Thursday, May 9th
Cultural event
Keepin’ The Funk Alive – Funk Parade Preview. Funk Parade is D.C.’s largest all day celebration of music dance and culture taking place along the historic U Street Corridor. The festival is made up of the mighty Funk Parade itself that winds through the neighborhood and over 30 stages throughout the neighborhood hosting musical performances all day. Funk Parade is a celebration for everyone: all ages, races, cultural backgrounds, sexual identities and walks of life. 6 p.m. on the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, 2700 F Street NW. Free.
Arts event
Join in for the opening of artist Regina Miele’s latest exhibition, whose new works follow a journey in the company of Rachel Carson’s writings, an ode to nature’s resilience. For the past decade, Miele’s principal subject has been the physicality of an ever-changing and gentrifying District of Columbia, along with the surrounding natural landscapes of the Potomac and Anacostia River, Rock Creek, and Chesapeake Bay. Miele has exhibited both nationally and internationally at such venues as the Florence Biennale, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, The Newington Cropsey Museum, and several reputable art galleries in New York City. 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at the Women’s National Democratic Club, 1526 New Hampshire Avenue, NW. Free, registration recommended. https://democraticwoman.org/regina-miele/
Friday, May 10th
Musical event
One More Time Experience is a multi-city tour, which includes concerts, that bring the music and celebration of Tom Joyner’s daily Party With a Purpose from the Tom Joyner Morning Show. Joyner, a huge fan favorite who changed the radio landscape, launches this tour with a routing that allows his audience to join the celebration and toast Tom for his longtime commitment to entertain, inform and empower. Joyner will bring musical performances that include Maze featuring Frankie Beverly. 8:00 p.m. at MGM National Harbor, 101 MGM National Ave. Oxon Hill, MD. Tickets $154+ www.mymajicdc.com
Gala event
The 2019 Annual Gala, Mexico: A Land of Beauty, celebrates the art and culture of Mexico. This summer The Phillips Collection will present The Warmth of Other Suns: Stories of Global Displacement, which features the work of 60 artists including many from Mexico. The evening coincides with the Contemporaries Bash, Maravillas de México—inspired by Mexico’s vibrancy and beauty, a sensational night of creative cocktails, magnetic music, fantastic food, and dazzling dancing, that brings the art and culture of Mexico to Dock 5 at Union Market. The Bash is a sell-out event that attracts over 500 of the city’s most well connected and philanthropic young professionals. 8:30 pm. – 1:00 a.m. at Dock 5 at Union Market, 1309 5th Street NE. Tickets $125 – 165. http://www.phillipscollection.org/bash2019
Performance event
Lee Narae presents A cursed woman, Ong-nyeo which focuses on the perspective of the character Ong-nyeo, who had once been regarded as an unchaste woman from Byeonganseo-ga. Although the narrative has been passed down, the musical pansori performance had been discontinued in the modern era due to the censoring opinion that the work was lewd and grotesque. This performance recreates the work’s major scenes and condenses its impact through the creative music of traditional instruments and a sorigun (singer). Presented in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Center and the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center. 6 p.m. on the Kenned yCenter Millennium Stage, 2700 F Street NW. Free.
Hosted by NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater, this year’s 24th annual Jazz Festival festival includes two nights of sensational music curated by Terri Lyne Carrington. The program on this date is Feed the Fire, a night dedicated to prolific pianist and composer Geri Allen featuring bassist and NEA Jazz Master Dave Holland, tap dancer Maurice Chestnut, Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz Jason Moran, and more stellar artists. 7 p.m. in the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater, 2700 F Street NW.Tickets: $40-$45 http://www.kennedy-center.org
Discussion event
Seneca and Stoicism: An Ancient Philosophy’s Modern Relevance: Can Stoicism’s guiding emphasis on emotional moderation and the importance of moral choices provide us with some guideposts for navigating today’s world? Classicist James Romm examines the philosophy transmitted by Seneca the Younger with an eye to whether we can benefit from borrowing his Stoic outlook. 6:45 p.m. at S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Dr SW. Tickets $20-$30. https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/244876
Workshop event
Draw Like Tiepolo: In a two-session workshop, students begin by drawing from the master’s works to help them grasp the idea of gesture, movement and the grouping of figures. They end by applying their new Tiepolo-inspired skills to contemporary images. The workshops comprise lecture, demonstration and one-on-one instruction. All skill levels welcome. 2 p.m. at S. Dillon Ripley Center, Room 3038/39, 1100 Jefferson Dr SW Tickets $75-$95. https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/draw-like-tiepolo
Saturday, May 11th
Family event
Grammy®–nominated artists Alphabet Rockers make music that makes change. Based in Oakland, California, this Hip Hop group invites children and families to interrupt their biases and spark a true commitment to social justice with Rise Shine #Woke. 6:00 p.m. on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, 2700 F Street NW. Free.
Workshop event
Confidence with Color in Quilting: This two-session class offer quilters of all levels an opportunity to become familiar with the vocabulary of color and to learn how to use printed fabric to create spectacular color combinations. 10:15 a.m. at S. Dillon Ripley Center, Room 3031, 1100 Jefferson Dr SW. Tickets $75-$95. https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/confidence-with-color-in-quilting
Musical event
Masterworks of Five Centuries 2018-2019 Concert Series: The Smithsonian Chamber Music Society features musical masterpieces from the 17th to the early 21st century, played on some of the world’s most highly prized musical instruments at the American History Museum. This concert features works of Bach, Haydn and Mozart. Pre-concert lecture: 6:30 p.m. Concert: 7:30 p.m. at National Museum of American History, Nicholas and Eugenia Taubman Hall of Music, 14th St & Constitution Ave NW. Tickets $25-$35. https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/masterworks-of-five-centuries-2018-2019-saturday-concert-series-1P0647
Cultural event
Taste a variety of Polish vodka and learn more about how it is produced. Join in for a fun evening of camaraderie while sharing toasts and indulging in delicious Polish food. There will also be a karaoke machine! 6:00 p.m. at The Kosciuszko Foundation, 2025 O Street, NW. Tickets $30. RSVP at [email protected]
The Embassy of Belgium is hosting its very popular annual Embassy Open House. Along with the usual Belgian fare including free beers and chocolates, there will be a Tomorrowland and Brussels Airlines sponsored DJ booth. This will feature celebrity DJs Neekola, Daniel Duffin and Enamour. 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m at the Embassy of Belgium, 3330 Garfield Street, NW. https://events.euintheus.org/events/embassy-of-belgium-eu-open-house/
Lecture event
Rug and Textile Appreciation Mornings bring together textile experts and enthusiasts for a thematic show and tell of personal pieces. Andrea Gallelli Huezo analyzes textiles as decipherable art objects and modes of exploring identity in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Latin America. By analyzing a variety of garments such as the rebozo, the mantón de manila, and the huipil, among others, Professor Gallelli Huezo places particular emphasis on the evolution of both native and European textiles and garments as a result of the Spanish conquest. The museum’s Arthur D. Jenkins library will be open for special Saturday hours following this program. 10:30 a.m. at The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, 701 21st Street, NW. https://museum.gwu.edu/latin-american-textiles
Arts event
Opening Reception for Hedieh Javanshir Ilchi: I surrender to you, ashen lands and blue skies. The exhibition features new paintings and is on view through June 29, 2019. Hedieh Javanshir Ilchi was born in 1981 in Tehran, Iran; she received a BFA with honors from the Corcoran College of Art + Design in 2006 and an MFA in Studio Art from the American University in 2011. HEDIEH JAVANSHIR ILCHI: I surrender to you, ashen lands and blue skies is the artist’s second exhibition at Hemphill Fine Arts. 6:00pm – 8:00 p.m. at Hamphill, 1515 14th St NW. hemphillfinearts.com
Sunday, May 12th
Musical event
Quatuor Danel (violinists Marc Danel and Gilles Millet, violist Vlad Bogdanas, and cellist Yovan Markovitch) was founded in 1991 and was quickly recognized for the quality of its performances of a repertoire ranging from Haydn to contemporary composers. Quatuor Danel has performed the two great 20th-century Russian string quartet cycles. The Phillips Collection is delighted to offer the rare opportunity to hear the whole cycle of Weinberg’s Quartets played in a series of five concerts. 1:00 p.m. at Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St NW. Tickets $45. https://www.phillipscollection.org/events/2019-05-12-sunday-concerts-danel-1pm?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=publicity&utm_content=May+2019+Media+Calendar+SL
Pan American Symphony Orchestra presents Eternal Tango. The PASO presents its signature show, thrilling audiences with the seductive combination of passion and elegance of Argentine tango. 7:30 p.m. in the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater, 2700 F Street NW. Tickets: $55-65. http://www.kennedy-center.org
Family event
Join in to toast the exceptional women in our lives! Bring your mother, sister, aunt, daughter or friend to enjoy a grand buffet, welcoming mimosa, lots of laughter, plus live music. This year, 10 year old Sarah Ramson, a multi-talented whiz on the piano and harp, will play. 11:30 a.m to 2:00 p.m. at the Women’s National Democratic Club, 1526 New Hampshire Ave. NW. Tickets $45. https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07eg7ab30d8fe64eec&oseq&c&ch&fbclid=IwAR0AOvYogH3iBWC3bxHSthoQf-skBO6Q4zgDKLx0KerB5DJ9QiF6LJsR8M8
Monday, May 13th
Musical event
Vladivojna Ia Chia is a Czech composer, singer, text writer, producer, and artist. She was born in Ostrava in 1983 and came to contact with music in her early childhood through drawings where she would depict her imaginary bands, composing fictional songs for them. She created her first band with a friend of hers when she was nine. 6 p.m. on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, 2700 F Street NW. Free.
Science event
The Global Grocery Store: How Your Food Gets From Farm to Table: Food historian Robyn Metcalfe explores an often-overlooked aspect of the global food system: how food moves from producer to consumer. She finds that the food supply chain is adapting to our increasingly complex demands for both personalization and convenience. But the future, she says, may bring changes to how we think about our food and our relationship to it. 6:45 p.m. at S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Dr SW. Tickets $20-$30. https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/global-grocery-store-how-your-food-gets-from-farm-to-table
Discussion event
Hiking the Jordan Trail: A path that Moses, Jesus and Mohammed all walked finds a new incarnation in the 400-mile Jordan Trail. Explorer Andrew Evans, one of the first Americans to hike its complete length, narrates the experience of his 40-day journey, showcasing his encounters with the nature, people, history and culture of Jordan. 6:45 p.m. at Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Marion & Gustave Ring Auditorium, 7th St & Independence Ave SW. Tickets $30-$45. https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/hiking-jordan-trail
Tuesday, May 14th
Musical event
Founded as one of the first multi-racial choirs in Washington D.C., the All Souls Church Unitarian Choir, joined by poets and spoken word artists from Split This Rock, will honor America’s first great poet, Walt Whitman, through stories and songs of revolution, resistance, and radical self-love. 6:00 p.m. on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, 2700 F Street NW. Free.
Book event
Here It Comes: The Future Is Asian: From investment portfolios to trade wars, Hollywood movies to holiday travels, the influence of Asia on our lives—and the world’s economy—continues to grow. Shanghai-based global strategy advisor Parag Khanna examines why the Asian Century is a phenomenon far larger than we thought, and why there’s no more important region for us to better understand now. 6:45 p.m. at S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Dr SW. Tickets $20-$30. https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/here-it-comes-future-is-asian
