The Agenda News
January, 2021
A Guide to Places to Go & Things to Do inBethesda, Chevy Chase, Northwest DC & Northern Virginia©® 2020 Bob Joiner
PO Box 71024 Chevy Chase, MD 20813-1024
For more information, seE About US following the Television column
looking ahead
WETA Channel 26 will present INSIDE THE MIND OF AGATHA CHRISTIE on January 17 @ 10 p.m. Christie expert Dr. John Curran pored over the celebrated writer’s personal archives & interviewed those who knew her best to paint an unprecedented portrait of the world's most successful crime writer.
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The Kennedy Center has canceled all scheduled live performances through April 25 but is now presenting Digital Stage +. For information about Digital Stage +, visit
https://www.kennedy-center.org/digitalstage/plus/
Washington National Opera productions planned for May and June have been canceled, as have Broadway touring shows scheduled for next summer.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performances which were planned for February 2-7 have been moved to June 22 -27.
The 43rd annual Kennedy Center Honors will be held March 7, 2021 (normally, they're held in December) and the 23rd annual Mark Twain Prize will now be held June 20, 2021 (it's usually held in October).
Washington Performing Arts (WPA) has expanded its all-online subscription series titled Home Delivery Plus. The series features paid-admission performances and companion experiences.
The expanded series offers more than a dozen week-long packages of pre-recorded performances in high-quality audio/video with complementary components such as artist interviews, panel discussions, and behind-the-scenes artist footage—all custom-created for this new series.
The program includes free-to-the-public artist conversations hosted by jazz trumpet icon Wynton Marsalis.
The Smithsonian National Zoo and all Smithsonian galleries and museums are closed - at least through January.
The Zoo Panda Cam, where viewers may see live videos of the new baby panda Xiao Qi Jin - "Little Miracle" - is at https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/panda-cam.
LOCAL NEWS FEATURING
CHEVY CHASE & BETHESDA
REDEVELOPMENT: World Market and Old Navy closed their stores in the Chevy Chase Pavilion in December, and the owners of the building are marketing the Pavilion with a new concept.
The former retail spaces would be transformed into a medical center to be named Chevy Chase Health. The only one of the previous retailers/restaurants depicted in the video is Starbucks, which has, in fact, been closed since the beginning of the pandemic. The architectural structure of the spaces in the Pavilion, including the atrium, would remain basically unchanged.
Residential construction continues apace in the Chevy Chase/Bethesda area, and plans for even more are in the works. For example the company and architect who plan to redevelop the Fox 5 site at 5151 Wisconsin Ave. in Friendship Heights presented their latest plans for the project to the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission in the Fall. A hearing is scheduled before the D.C. Board of Zoning Adjustment on January 27. The apartment building as designed will have 179 units, with 10% of the square footage reserved for income-restricted units (Lower income residents would pay lower rent).
In Bethesda, the Montgomery County Planning Board has approved early plans to replace a private residence at 4702 Chevy Chase Drive - now used as an office - with a multifamily building housing 70 new condominiums. The new building – near the Bethesda Fire Department - would have a fitness center, a “wellness area” and a rooftop deck, plus below-ground parking.
The Planning Board has also approved the construction of an assisted living facility in Bethesda’s Westbard neighborhood just off River Road. The 155-bed facility would be one phase of a larger project that also includes redeveloping the Westwood Shopping Center.
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JBG Smith's 18-story mixed-use development now under construction at 7900 Wisconsin Avenue will include 323 residential apartment units, commercial retail space on the ground floor and much more. Orange Theory Fitness, which has a branch in Tenleytown, leased the retail space that fronts the Woodmont Avenue side of the property. Trader Joe’s will, reportedly, open a second Bethesda location in 7900 Wisconsin as a retail anchor.
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The Wisconsin Place Development Application with the Park & Planning Commission for the potential conversion of several thousand square feet of retail to medical clinic and medical/general office use was accepted on October 22. The Board considered the Wisconsin Place Preliminary Plan Amendment requesting on January 14. The Board’s Staff recommended Approval with Conditions and Adoption of Resolutions. It is expected that the Planning Board will make a decision on the application on February 4, 2021.
To track the status of the application, visit https://mcatlas.org/Development_Info/GanttChart.aspx?apno=11999030C
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Voorthuis Opticians has opened their new branch in the low-rise building next to The Barlow Building in Chevy Chase. The space was formerly occupied by a branch of Santa Maria Novella - a shop which specialized in scents.
Visit https://voorthuis.com/
Lord & Taylor continued the going-out-of-business sale at their store, including the beauty salon & spa, in Friendship Heights in January.
Ferguson Bath, Kitchen and Lighting Gallery at 5225 Wisconsin Ave. was closed temporarily in December while the showroom was being remodeled. The part of the space that had extended into the sidewalk for the use of a previous tenant has been removed.
DINING:
Restaurants in Friendship Heights and Bethesda are dealing with the pandemic in various ways. Some, like Clyde’s and Capital Grille, are installing heated tents to encourage alfresco dining. Clyde’s has also enclosed their outdoor bar.
Pete’s Pizza has two separate tents!
Sushiko, in The Collection, offers only curbside pickup.
Lia’s expanded their patio dining space.
Elsewhere, several long-time restaurants have closed including Jaleo Bethesda, Le Vieux Logis, and Mrs. K’s Toll House.
As construction of a new grocery store proceeds at the former Giant food store site in Friendship Heights, changes are evident in the facade of the main building and on the part of the building on Wisconsin Circle.
Whole Foods Market was the busiest venue in Friendship Heights during the holidays, as shoppers waited to enter the store in lines extending down the block.
arts & crafts
The National Gallery of Art is closed due to the pandemic. The closure includes the Sculpture Garden as well as the ground-floor galleries which had been open with limitations. It is expected that all of the venues will remain closed through January. Visit
https://www.nga.gov/
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The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery remains temporarily closed due to COVID-19. All events and programs are presented virtually. For more information about the gallery's remote programs, explore the “Visit at Home” page of the museum’s website at npg.si.edu
The Phillips Collection closed temporarily to visitors in December and is preparing for the upcoming exhibition described below. The collection continues to present digital offerings, and all public programs are virtual. To learn more, please visit https://www.phillipscollection.org/
The Phillips Collection will celebrate their centennial year with an exhibition titled Seeing Differently: The Phillips Collects for a New Century, February 20–September 12, 2021. The exhibition “will offer many fresh perspectives on over 200 major works by artists from the 19th century to the present, including paintings, works on paper, photographs, quilts, sculptures, and film."
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The Phillips Collection will present a series of 20+ live-streamed performances between January-May, 2021. The series will introduce new artists, return performances, and a series of commissions from some of the brightest voices in new music, including Benjamin Attahir, Nathalie Joachim, Outi Tarkiainen, inti figgis-vizueta, and Marcos Balter. Visit https://www.phillipscollection.org/music?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=publicity&utm_content=Music+2021+Announcement+press+release
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A&A @ Hillyer, a nonprofit arts service organization dedicated to promoting cross-cultural understanding and exposure to the arts internationally, is displaying an online exhibition titled There, There through January 21. The exhibition is curated by Adriel Luis and features works by artists Julia Kwon, Nara Park, Lisa Park, and Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries.
IA&A is located at 9 Hillyer Court NW – near the Phillips Collection and Dupont Circle. Visit
The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) is closed thru March 2, 2021.
Mary Ellen Mark: Girlhood will open on March 3-July 11, 2021. Mark (1940–2015) “documented people around the world who would otherwise be unknown or forgotten. The exhibition presents some 30 images Mark made throughout her career depicting girls and young women. Her photographs reflect her wondrous and uncanny vision of girlhood.” Visit https://nmwa.org/exhibitions/mary-ellen-mark-girlhood/
Sonya Clark: Tatter, Bristle, and Mend will open at NMWA March 3- July 11, 2021 and is the first survey of textile artist Sonya Clark’s 25-year career. The exhibition includes the artist’s well-known mixed-media sculptures that address race and visibility, explore Blackness, and redress history. Visit
https://nmwa.org/exhibitions/sonya-clark-tatter-bristle-and-mend/
Reclamation: Recipes, Remedies, and Rituals, an innovative online exhibition, will open at NMWA January 18-December 31, 2021 and will “examine food as a creative medium for visual art and a connective tool for exploring intergenerational and intercultural experiences."
The participatory exhibition will feature nine interdisciplinary artists. RECLAMATION will also feature content submitted by the public, interwoven with the artists’ work. Visit https://nmwa.org/exhibitions/reclamation-recipes-remedies-rituals/
NMWA will continue to offer virtual programming and exhibitions via NMWA @ Home.
The Kreeger Museum in Northwest D.C. is closed temporarily.
Visit https://www.kreegermuseum.org/visit/COVID-19
books
The National Archives will stream on Youtube a conversation with professor and author Kenneth M. Price about his book titled Whitman in Washington: Becoming the National Poet in the Federal City on January 19. Price “analyses Walt Whitman's life, writings, and government work to reevaluate the writer and the nation's capital.
"Drawing on an expanded Whitman corpus, including nearly 3,000 Whitman documents the author recently identified in the National Archives, Price demonstrates that the power of Whitman's Civil War and Reconstruction writing more fully emerges from his intimate knowledge of the capital city, its bureaucracies, and its tumultuous postwar history.” Visit https://youtu.be/eWb1XebL3Vc
George Washington's Mount Vernon will present a discussion with Dr. Donald Johnson ONLINE on January 19 about his new book titled Occupied America: British Military Rule and the Experience of Revolution. He is an Assistant Professor of History at North Dakota State University, where he specializes in the history of colonial America and the early Republic, with particular interests in popular politics, social history, imperial history, and the development of cities in the early modern Atlantic World.
Visit https://www.mountvernon.org/plan-your-visit/calendar/events/occupied-america-a-conversation-with-donald-johnson/
*DANCE
The Washington Ballet winter edition of the company's Create in Place series will stream newly-commissioned works by the Studio Company Dance and emerging choreographer Helga Paris-Morales, and company dancer and choreographer Andile Ndlovu beginning February 5 via Marquee TV. Visit https://www.marquee.tv/series/thewashingtonballet
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Bowen McCauley Dance Company has tentatively announced their Silver Anniversary Season - observing COVID-19 social distancing protocol.
Tentatively, the first performance of the new year will be presented with the National Chamber Ensemble at Gunston Arts Center in Arlington, Virginia on February 13, 2021. The Russian Valentine concert highlights the great romantic music of Russia. The website for the performance is @ http://culturecapital.com/organization/32/gunston-arts-center
The full tentative schedule for the season can be seen @ https://www.bmdc.org/events
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performances which the Kennedy Center had scheduled for February 2-7 have been moved to June 22 -27.
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The Robert. E. Parilla Performing Arts Center at Montgomery College in Rockville, MD will present, virtually, FLEX AVE., the new creation from FLEXN dance pioneer Reggie “Regg Roc” Gray, on February 6 at 7p.m. With roots in Jamaican dancehall and Bruk Up, FLEX AVE. will feature group choreography and solo improvisational works all set to a continuous mix of reggae, hip hop, and pop music.
The performance will feature dancers and a DJ, all from Brooklyn, NY, who represent the best of the high-energy FLEXN dance culture. The performance will be followed by a pre-recorded 25-minute performance, a live Q&A, and a movement segment.
Tickets are free, but patrons need to reserve a ticket for each film. Visit https://mcblogs.montgomerycollege.edu/reppac/flex-ave/
Washington Performing Arts (WPA) is launching a new free series of online events titled Fall 2020 Mars Arts DC: Virtual, which spotlights a diverse group of artists with roots in the D.C. area, plus a variety of businesses that enrich the city, in innovative digital formats.
The programs are being curated by C. Lorenzo Evans III, a longtime dancer/choreographer who also serves as WPA's Chief Operating Officer and Director of Finance.
Two separate series of free events - the Rhythm & Motion Series and the Dance in DC Series - will showcase dance and music across multiple genres, including hip-hop, Afrobeats, Latinx and South Asian styles, and more—all in high-quality digital productions.
family
Alexandria, Virginia Restaurant Week To-Go will take place January 22-February 7, 2021. Participants can enjoy the event at home for the extended two-week period and show support for the city’s large community of locally-owned restaurants.
More than 60 restaurants will offer a $49 takeout dinner for two. New this winter, more than half of the restaurants will also offer a $25 takeout dinner for one. Visit https://www.visitalexandriava.com/restaurants/restaurant-week/
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The Smithsonian National Zoo and all Smithsonian galleries and museums are closed - at least through January.
The Zoo Panda Cam, where viewers may see live videos of the new baby panda Xiao Qi Jin - "Little Miracle" - is at https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/panda-cam
Imagination Stage is presenting The Snow Queen - an At-Home Theatre Experience, thru February 28, 2021. The virtual show was written by Mike Kenny, adapted from the story by Hans Christian Andersen and directed by Janet Stanford. The show is considered best for ages 5+. Visit https://patrons.imaginationstage.org/single/PSDetail.aspx?psn=7958
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FILM
Cinema Art Bethesda is streaming the Argentinian film, The Weasels’ Tale (El Cuento de las Comadrejas) on January 14. The stream will be available to purchase until noon Sunday, January 17 (you will have 48 hours to watch it once you’ve purchased it). There will be an $8.00 charge to view the film.
The film is in Spanish with English subtitles. It was released in 2019 and received four nominations for Platino Awards for Iberoamerican Cinema and Audience Awards at AFI Latin American and Chicago Latino Film Festivals. It was also a Miami Film Festival Official Selection. To access the film, visit https://vimeo.com/r/33J0/WHdaVE45VX
gardens & homes
Washington National Cathedral has launched an online Garden Tour. It’s now possible to enjoy the beautiful spaces with a musical background and helpful narration. Meanwhile, the gardens are open to the public. See the online Garden Tour at https://allhallowsguild.org/visit-us/cathedral-gardens-virtual-tour/
Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens have closed temporarily. The next exhibit is listed as June 2021.
Visit www.hillwoodmuseum.org/
The Kreeger Museum in Northwest D.C. has closed temporarily. Visit https://www.kreegermuseum.org/visit/COVID-19
George Washington's Mount Vernon will celebrate his 289th birthday with a virtual fund-raising event on February 22. The online program will feature performances and stories from actors, musicians, and historians.
There will be appearances by the winner of the 2020 George Washington Prize, Rick Atkinson, multi-Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell, opera singer Denyce Graves, Grammy Award-winner Juanes, and more. Proceeds from the event will support the restoration and preservation of George Washington's Mount Vernon.
George Washington's Mount Vernon now offers tours of the first floor of the mansion. A timed ticket is required. In addition, guests can visit museum exhibits, the gardens and grounds of the estate.
Visit https://www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/the-mansion/
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Dumbarton House in Georgetown, DC offers self-guided tours Friday through Sunday. Tours must be booked online or by phone. Reservations are required. Dumbarton House is owned by The Colonial Dames and is not to be confused with Dumbarton Oaks. For information about Dumbarton House, visit
Heurich House Museum and gardens near Dupont Circle in D.C. are closed through January 31.
Visit http://heurichhouse.org
The U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory (USBG) remains closed. The gated outdoor gardens are also closed, while Bartholdi Park and the Conservatory Terrace Gardens remain open to the public.
Virtual tours of the Conservatory and Park can be seen at https://www.usbg.gov/take-virtual-tour
MUSEUMS
The National Geographic Museum, Museum Store, and campus are temporarily closed, but you can visit the highly-regarded exhibition titled “WOMEN: A Century of Change” virtually.
The exhibition celebrates the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage by exploring images from National Geographic's historic archives that depict women from around the world.
You can also read more about the historic efforts to pass the 19th amendment in the August issue of National Geographic magazine, which is online at
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As mentioned above, The Smithsonian Institution has closed the National Zoo, and all galleries and museums at least through January.
The Hirshhorn Museum's sculpture garden and the Smithsonian gardens surrounding its administration building - including the Enid A. Haupt Garden - remain open.
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The Museum of the Bible in Southwest D.C. is closed through January 15. When closed in December, the museum had been featuring a new exhibition, titled "Light of Hope: The Corrie Ten Boom Story." Corrie Ten Boom was 48 years old when Nazi troops stormed her hometown of Haarlem in the Netherlands in 1940. She and her network titled “God’s Underground” helped 800 people escape Nazi persecution.
Visit www.museumofthebible.org/
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The International Spy Museum is closed. The museum offers virtual visits at https://www.spymuseum.org/host-an-event/virtual-opportunities/
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music & More
The Kennedy Center has canceled all scheduled live performances through April 25, but is now presenting Digital Stage +. For information about Digital Stage +, visit
https://www.kennedy-center.org/digitalstage/plus/
Washington National Opera productions planned for May and June have been canceled, as have Broadway touring shows scheduled for next summer.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performances which were planned for February 2-7 have been moved to June 22 -27.
The 43rd annual Kennedy Center Honors will be held March 7, 2021 (normally, they're held in December) and the 23rd annual Mark Twain Prize will now be held June 20, 2021 (it's usually held in October).
Washington Performing Arts (WPA) has expanded its all-online subscription series titled Home Delivery Plus. The series features paid-admission performances and companion experiences.
The expanded series offers more than a dozen week-long packages of pre-recorded performances in high-quality audio/video with complementary components such as artist interviews, panel discussions, and behind-the-scenes artist footage—all custom-created for this new series.
The program includes free-to-the-public artist conversations hosted by jazz trumpet icon Wynton Marsalis.
Choral Arts will present a virtual experience titled Living the Dream…Singing the Dream - the 33rd Annual Choral Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on February 19. The concert will be co-presented with Washington Performing Arts, Choral Arts Symphonic Chorus and Washington Performing Arts Gospel Choirs.
The concert will be conducted by Scott Tucker, Michele Fowlin, and Theodore Thorpe III and will feature a collaboration of styles, music, ages, and cultures. Visit https://choralarts.org/living-the-dream-singing-the-dream/
Washington National Cathedral will host The King’s Singers New Music Prize celebration event as a webcast performance featuring the world premieres of the winning compositions on February 28 at 4PM ET. Some 347 compositions were submitted, from which there were 4 winners, 4 honorable mentions & 11 commended compositions.
The winning composers were Eli Hooker Reese, Parker Kitterman, Jeremy Beck and Geert D’hollander. Visit https://www.kingssingers.com/new-music-prize-winners-announced/
PostClassical Ensemble, led by Music Director Angel Gil-Ordóñez, has released a new film titled Aaron Copland - American Populist in their More Than Music series. "The film includes a remarkable re-enactment of Copland’s 1953 grilling by U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy and chief counsel Roy Cohn before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations – with one of DC’s foremost stage actors, Edward Gero, playing the controversial Wisconsin senator.
The film also features clips from the classic 1939 documentary film The City, with a newly recorded soundtrack by PostClassical Ensemble conducted by Angel Gil-Ordóñez. Visit https://postclassical.com/performances/postclassical-more-than-music/
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The Phillips Collection will mark the 80th anniversary year of the Collection’s acclaimed concert series, by presenting 20+ live-streamed performances between January-May, 2021. The series will introduce new artists, return performances, and a series of commissions from some of the brightest voices in new music, including Benjamin Attahir, Nathalie Joachim, Outi Tarkiainen, inti figgis-vizueta, and Marcos Balter. Visit https://www.phillipscollection.org/music?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=publicity&utm_content=Music+2021+Announcement+press+release
Alexandria Symphony Orchestra (ASO), led by James Ross, Music Director, presents live music in outdoor venues around Alexandria with small ensembles and limited, socially-distanced audiences. If conditions permit, indoor venues may be opened in Spring 2021.
Visit: https://alexsym.org/
Washington Bach Consort has planned a concert series titled Bach Interactions to be presented by resident Bach scholars Michael Marissen and Daniel R. Melamed via YouTube & Facebook on January 14, 21, 28, & February 4. The new digital concert experience will offer "the expressive heights of Bach’s musical language as well as the story behind its creation."
The series features 3 renowned cantatas, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140, Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir, BWV 131, & Nun komm der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61, followed by all 6 parts of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248.
Visit https://bachconsort.org/bach-interactions-christmas-oratorio/
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The National Chamber Ensemble, led by Leonid Sushansky, will perform a concert titled A Russian Valentine on February 31. The concert will be virtual - unless a live event is possible, in which case the performance will be at Gunston Arts Center.
The concert will highlight the great romantic music of Russia, including Borodin's String Quartet No.2, featuring some of the most lush and famous melodies of all Russian music, Tchaikovsky's Overture Fantasy "Romeo and Juliet" as well as his popular Serenade For Strings. Visit https://www.nationalchamberensemble.org/performances.htm
Dumbarton Concerts will stream a virtual concert titled DUMBARTON ONSTAGE - CHAMBER SINGERS FROM THE HERITAGE SIGNATURE CHORALE on January 16. The company’s founder and artistic director, Stanley J. Thurston, has led the ensemble for 20 seasons with uninterrupted service to the community and will bring some of Heritage’s finest vocalists to the Dumbarton stage for a special 20 year anniversary program.
Dumbarton Concerts will stream a virtual concert titled NOTES FROM HOME - PUBLIQUARTET: GROOVE ON on January 30. The string players will offer “an engaging demonstration of Bach’s improvisational solo cello suites juxtaposed with modern composition influenced by the Baroque master’s concepts of groove and drone." Visit https://www.dumbartonconcerts.org
Dumbarton Concerts will stream a performance by Julien Labro titled The Big Squeeze virtually on February 13, 2021, followed by an opportunity to "Meet the Artist." Labro is the foremost accordion and bandoneón player in both the classical and jazz genres. He has been called “a triple threat: brilliant technician, poetic melodist and cunning arranger,”
"The French-born Labro draws from his diverse background and eclectic musical influences for this program of music inspired by Astor Piazzolla."
The program will be available for 7 days after the streaming date. Visit https://www.dumbartonconcerts.org/concerts-and-tickets
Young Concert Artists (YCA), led by President Daniel Kellogg, has reserved three dates at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater for the spring: February 25, March 24, & April 26 and they will make an announcement soon whether they can present a spring concert season for 2021 in DC. Visit https://yca.org/concerts/
The National Philharmonic streams concerts every two weeks thru May, 2021. Audiences can tune in on Sundays at 2pm via the Philharmonic’s website to enjoy a live concert with musicians playing in a socially-distanced setting.
The performances will rotate between orchestra and chamber concerts. The orchestra concerts will be held at Strathmore and will be led by Music Director & Conductor Piotr Gajewski, while the chamber concerts will take place at AMP by Strathmore and will be led by newly-appointed Concertmaster Laura Colgate.
Each of the 15 concerts will be accompanied by talks contextualizing the music, interspersed throughout each one-hour virtual stream. The performances will be available entirely online and for free.
Visit https://nationalphilharmonic.org/
The Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Association, led by Ulysses S. James, broadcasts concerts virtually at 3 pm on select Sundays on the WMPA YouTube Channel.
New Dominion Chorale (NDC), led by Thomas Beveridge, Artistic Director, has rescheduled concerts that were planned for October & December. The concerts will now become the first two concerts of NDC’s 2021/22 season.
NDC’s performance of Mendelssohn’s powerful oratorio Elijah is planned for April 25, 2021. Visit www.newdominion.org/
The Hylton Performing Arts Center on George Mason University's Science and Technology Campus in Manassas, Virginia has delayed all in-person programming until at least March 2021.
Visit HyltonCenter.org/preview
Wolf Trap streams a wide selection of performances, some of which can be seen free. To see the full list of offerings, visit https://www.wolftrap.org/calendar.aspx
*OPERA
Classical WETA 90.9 FM Radio broadcasts Metropolitan Opera concerts on Saturdays at 1 p.m. Broadcasts are scheduled on:
January 16: Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata
January 23: Verdi's Il Trovatore
January 30: Charles Gounod’s Faust
Visit www.classicalweta.org
Washington National Opera (WNO) productions planned for the Kennedy Center in May and June have been canceled, as have Broadway touring shows scheduled for next summer.
WNO is streaming a video titled Come Hope, which is the first installment in a series titled Monuments of Hope. The initiative takes its title from an aria in Fidelio, an opera that celebrates the triumph of the human spirit. Mezzo J’Nai Bridges and bass-baritone Ryan McKinny perform in front of D.C.’s most iconic monuments—representing our collective memories and shared hope for a more perfect future. Visit https://www.kennedy-center.org/wno/home/
Washington Concert Opera's next live performance at Lisner Auditorium will be Vincenzo Bellini’s I Puritani on May 23, 2021. A performance that had been planned for March 14 has been canceled.
The Thirteen, led by Matthew Robertson, Artistic Director, will present Cassandra in the Temples virtually on February 6. Elena Ruehr and Gretchen Henderson’s choral opera tells the story of the ancient Greek princess of the same name.
Librettist Gretchen Henderson described Cassandra as a "memory palace…, blurring memory and prophecy, past and future, to erect the temples that house Cassandra’s buzzing brain." Visit
https://www.thethirteenchoir.org/preview-cassandra
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Virginia Opera, which normally performs at The Hylton Performing Arts Center, has canceled all scheduled 2020–2021 Season productions due to the pandemic. Visit https://vaopera.org/venues/fairfax/
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THEATRE
Arena Stage is screening memorable films and stories that reveal "the fears, anxieties and hopes for the future and the work that is still to be done."
Visit
https://www.arenastage.org/tickets/arena-stage-films/
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Constellation Theatre, which in normal times performs at Source in the U Street Corridor, is releasing never-before-seen footage from past Constellation shows so that viewers can enjoy epic larger-than-life virtual theatre from the comfort of home.
They’re “digging into the vault to offer videos from the STARchives!” and they suggest that audiences check back every Friday for the latest release online. Visit https://www.constellationtheatre.org/starchives
Folger Theatre has announced their 2020/21 Season, which will begin with William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Robert Richmond, and will be performed at the National Building Museum, July 13-August 29, 2021. Visit https://www.folger.edu/folger-theatre
Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site is closed to the public but virtual programming continues. Visit
https://www.fords.org/
Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia is presenting SigWorks: A Monday Night New Play Reading Series completely online. The series provides an opportunity for local playwrights, actors, directors, and patrons to explore new plays.
Each reading includes a post-show Q&A with the playwright and Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner.
The readings are free and are made available on Signature Theatre’s YouTube Channel. Visit https://www.youtube.com/user/sigtheatre
Signature Theatre’s 2021 Signature Features season will include five fully-staged plays and musicals, made exclusively for the screen and professionally filmed on set in HD - following multiple safety protocols. Subscriptions for all five shows are on sale now for $200.
The shows will be available to stream on demand in HD on Marquee TV, an on-demand streaming platform dedicated to global arts and culture.
The announced shows, under the leadership of Managing Director Maggie Boland and Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner, will include:
Simply Sondheim directed by Matthew Gardiner
The Jam: Only Child by Daniel J. Watts
Midnight at The Never Get by Mark Sonnenblick
After Midnight: Celebrating the Duke Ellington Years - Directed/choreographed by Jared Grimes
Detroit ’67 by Dominique Morisseau
Visit SigTheatre.org/Subscribe
Studio Theatre, led by Artistic Director David Muse, is presenting the world premiere of Ike Holter's audio play I Hate It Here now live on the theatre's website.
Written during and about the pandemic, the play explores a world on the brink through a series of vignettes.
The production is available to stream for free through March 7, 2021 at www.studiotheatre.org/
Studio Theatre will present their 2020-2021 season - titled Studio in the Moment - entirely digital. The productions will be on:
Rorschach Theatre is presenting "a visceral piece of immersive storytelling" titled "Distance Frequencies" through Summer 2021. Each month participants receive a map, a box of artifacts, and instructions to travel to a new curated location in the DC area. The ongoing story will culminate in a full production of a site-specific show in the summer of 2021.
“Chapters” were sent to audiences beginning in October, 2020. However, additional participants can join at any time and will be sent any missed chapters. The final piece – a full site-specific production – will run for 4 weeks in the summer of 2021. Visit https://rorschachtheatre.thundertix.com/events/176287
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Synetic Theatre plans to launch SYNETIC STREAMING - a new on-demand digital web and app suite which will let you stream singular Synetic-curated content right to your TV or Lap Site. Tickets for the first volume will be on sale January 18.
Synetic Theatre also plans to launch SYNETIC MOTION PICTURES, which will be a new programming arm dedicated to creating art films in Synetic's unique style by their network of artists. Visit
https://synetictheater.org/synetic-motion-pictures/
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Woolly Mammoth has named Zack Lynch as the new Director of Development. He has had a wide-ranging career in fundraising throughout the D.C. area and will lead the creation and implementation of annual and long-term fundraising strategies at Woolly Mammoth.
Managing Director Emika Abe commented that “Not only is Zack a skilled, experienced fundraiser, but he also began as a theatre artist, so he brings a deep appreciation for the art form and the role that theatre can play in our community and society.” Visit Visit https://www.woollymammoth.net/
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, in association with IAMA will stream on demand Ryan J. Haddad's play Hi, Are You Single? directed by Laura Savia and Jess McLeod. It's about a gay man with a high sex drive and cerebral palsy on his search to find love.........January 25-February 21. Visit https://www.woollymammoth.net/current-season/2020-2021-season
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Public Television
WETA Channel 26
WETA is introducing WETA Metro, a new public television channel - 26.5 - for viewers in the
Washington, D.C. metro area. Like other WETA channels, WETA Metro is accessible to all, available free over the air via HD antenna & is WETA’s first television channel to livestream via the internet.
Each month, The Agenda News suggests Public Television programs that will be broadcast - mostly in the evening - on WETA, WETA UK & WETA WORLD Channel 26.
Upcoming program suggestions are:
January 17 @ 8:00 MISS SCARLET & THE DUKE ON MASTERPIECE — Private eye Eliza Scarlet, Victorian England’s first-ever female sleuth solves crimes with her partner/childhood friend, Detective Inspector William “The Duke” Wellington. Kate Phillips and Stuart Martin star.
Part 1 of 6.
January 17 @ 10:00 INSIDE THE MIND OF AGATHA CHRISTIE — Christie expert Dr. John Curran pored over the celebrated writer’s personal archives & interviewed those who knew her best to paint an unprecedented portrait of the world's most successful crime writer.
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January 22 @ 9:00 IN CONCERT AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL: HECHO EN MEXICO (MADE IN MEXICO) — Mexican and Mexican American artists Rodrigo y Gabriela, Natalia Lafourcade and La Santa Cecilia, Los Angeles Azules with YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) and Paolo Bortolameolli perform with Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic.
January 22 @ 10:00 GREAT PERFORMANCES: THE MAGIC OF HOROWITZ - The legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz’s 1986 Russian homecoming for a sold-out concert of personal favorites, featuring commentary from former manager Peter Gelb and virtuoso pianists Martha Argerich and Daniil Trifonov.
January 29 @ 9:00 IN CONCERT AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL: JAZZ AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL — featuring Dianne Reeves, Brazilian musician Ivan Lins, Chucho Valdes, Kamasi Washington & Cecile McLorin Salvant, Herbie Hancock, Carlos Santana, Wayne Shorter, Marcus Miller and Cindy Blackman Santana (a.k.a. Mega Nova) jam.
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January 31 @ 10:00 THE LONG SONG ON MASTERPIECE — A drama based on the novel by Andrea Levy, follows the hardships & survival of plantation slave July (Tamara Lawrance) & her odious mistress Caroline (Hayley Atwell) during the final days of slavery in Jamaica in the early 1800s. Part 1 of 3.
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