BRUCE HORNSBY & yMUSIC
Friday, March 6, 2020
8PM
Tickets: $38-$88
Innovators and recent collaborators Bruce Hornsby and yMusic obliterate barriers, crossing and combining genres in wildly imaginative ways. Hornsby mines his vast catalog performing beloved songs like “The Way It Is” and “The Valley Road” alongside tracks from Absolute Zero, his new album recorded with the Brooklyn-based chamber ensemble. yMusic (featuring string trio, flute, clarinet, and trumpet) have attracted many high-profile collaborators before—from Paul Simon to Ben Folds. Tonight, Hornsby and yMusic share the stage, performing both solo and joint sets. These are artists who are ever-evolving, and as pioneers on the scene they offer a glimpse into the future of music.
TONY BENNETT
THE I LEFT MY HEART TOUR
WITH SPECIAL GUEST ANTONIA BENNETT
Sunday, March 15, 2020
8PM
Tickets: $76-$156
A cornerstone of the Great American Songbook, beloved crooner Tony Bennett is a living legend. As a Kennedy Center Honoree, NEA Jazz Master, and the winner of 19 Grammy Awards and 2 Emmy Awards, Bennett’s career as the pre-eminent singer of the 20th and 21st centuries is unprecedented. During this special evening, Bennett will sing his timeless hits like “Rags to Riches,” “I Got Rhythm,” and of course “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” Fans marvel at the resilience of his trademark vocals which New York Magazine raves, “is still a technical marvel. . . and no one else on Earth can make a lyric written eight decades ago sound as natural as a conversation at a coffee shop.” His daughter and jazz singer Antonia Bennett will open the night with her angelic and powerful voice.
Maryta de Humahuaca in Concert
Saturday, March 21, 3 p.m.
Rasmuson Theater
Maryta de Humahuaca (Kolla) is an Indigenous performing artist from the small city of Humahuaca in the province of Jujuy, Argentina. Her music is a fusion of contemporary and traditional Andean music. This program is presented in collaboration with the Embassy of the Argentine Republic.
GEORGE WINSTON
Monday, March 23, 2020
8PM
Tickets: $35-$65
Iconic pianist George Winston has inspired fans and musicians alike with his singular solo acoustic piano songs for more than 40 years while selling 15 million albums. A tireless road warrior playing nearly 100 concerts annually, live performance for Winston is akin to breathing. Winston’s music is evocative, offering us all a chance to take a step back from our perpetually busy lives and let our minds adventurously wander. In 2019 he released his 15th solo album, Restless Wind, a portrayal of Winston’s place in a chaotic world. His compositions extend solace with an idiosyncratic grace.
Jacksonville Symphony (part of SHIFT Festival of American Orchestras)
March 24, 2020 at 8 p.m.
Concert Hall
COURTNEY LEWIS, conductor
ANTHONY MCGILL, clarinet
Dutilleux Métaboles
Copland Clarinet Concerto
Ellington Celebration (written for the Jacksonville Symphony)
Courtney Bryan Bridges (Jacksonville Symphony Commission)
Stravinsky Symphony in C
Tickets: $25
Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Producer Edgar Dobie are pleased to announce the presentation of the fifth annual Beth Newburger Schwartz Award to Melanne Verveer, with actor and performer Heather Headley headlining the 2020 Arena Stage Annual Gala. The Gala will be held on Wednesday, May 13, 2020 at The Anthem (901 Wharf Street, SW).
The evening kicks off with a cocktail reception, followed by the award presentation, a three-course seated dinner and performance. The dinner will feature the presentation of the Beth Newburger Schwartz Award to Melanne Verveer, in recognition of her efforts for women’s rights and her continual support of the arts. She is currently the executive director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. Verveer served as the first United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues to which she was nominated by President Obama in 2009. Previously, she was the chair and CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international NGO that she founded to invest in emerging women leaders. She also served as assistant to the president and chief of staff to the first lady during the Clinton administration.
“Arena Stage, under the exceptional leadership of Molly Smith, has become a national hub for the best in American theater in our nation’s capital. The theater company has made it possible for the public to access innovative, engaging and transformative productions that not only entertain, but also inspire and even move us to action,” shares Verveer. “It is an honor to receive the Beth Newburger Schwartz Award as Beth has set a high and exemplary standard throughout her life as an entrepreneur and civic leader. We owe her an enormous debt of gratitude for her many contributions to our community.”
The award was first presented to Arena Stage board chair Beth Newburger Schwartz in 2016. Other recipients include Arlene Kogod in 2017, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in 2018 and Nina Totenberg in 2019. The award celebrates a female leader who strives to better the community in which she lives through her own unique strengths and talents.
“Melanne Verveer is an international champion for girls and women. She is dynamic, she is brave and she is unabashedly driven about creating a better world with women, girls and vital voices,” says Smith. “A collaborative leader, Ambassador Verveer has been successful in changing attitudes and building bridges while promoting the critical role of women in establishing peace internationally. She is a huge proponent of the arts and we are thrilled to honor her with the Beth Newburger Schwartz Award.”
All proceeds will benefit all Arena Stage artistic and educational programs.
The 70th Anniversary Gala is presented by Ourisman Automotive Group and generously sponsored by Diamond Sponsors AT&T and Hoffman & Associates and Platinum Sponsor Exelon.
Event Schedule
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
6 p.m. Cocktail reception
7 p.m. Award presentation and seated dinner
8:30 p.m. One-night-only performance with Heather Headley
For additional event details, visit: arenastage.org/gala.
Christopher Tin’s To Shiver the Sky: An Inside Look
Saturday August 29, 2020 • 7 p.m. ET • YouTube Live
An online event exploring the call of the heavens, the history of flight, exploration, courage, and the birth of an oratorio: To Shiver the Sky
Danielle de Niese
soprano
Christopher Tin
conductor
The United States Air Force Band
Colonel Don Schofield, Commander and Conductor
Charlie Blackwell-Thompson
Launch Director, John F. Kennedy Space Center
Dr. Michelle Thaller
Astrophysicist and Astronomer – NASA
Jenny Bilfield
President & CEO, Washington Performing Arts
Originally scheduled as a live, world premiere concert in Washington, D.C. in May 2020, the event has been re-imagined and re-shaped into a new online format of music, interviews and live Q&A. No payment or advance registration is required for the event on Saturday, August 29 at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT, 6 p.m. CT). Viewers can bookmark and watch it here.
To Shiver the Sky is an oratorio about humankind’s quest to conquer the heavens and the history of flight. Told through the words of 11 of our greatest astronomers, inventors, visionaries and pilots, the work offers the chance to hear from Christopher Tin (in words, music and film) his inspiration for setting to music our relentless need to explore the universe, defy our earthly bonds and ultimately claim our place among the stars.
Tin joins forces with soprano Danielle de Niese and the United States Air Force Band in a world-premiere performance of “Courage”—a filmed movement from To Shiver the Sky created especially for this event—setting to music the words of Amelia Earhart, American aviation pioneer, author, and equal-rights advocate.
The program also includes contributions from two major figures in aviation and exploration: Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Launch Director (NASA) at John F. Kennedy Space Center; and Dr Michelle Thaller, Astrophysicist and Astronomer (NASA), Goddard Space Flight Center.
The event continues with a live interview between Tin and Washington Performing Arts President & CEO Jenny Bilfield, reflecting on the themes of To Shiver the Sky and the reimagining of this event from a traditional concert to a novel online experience, and concludes with a live Q&A.
“I’d like this music, and the album, to be a reminder of an era when humanity could pull together to achieve the incredible. We believed in our own greatness. We believed in our ability to solve the scourge of World Wars, to cure diseases, and to break the bonds of Earth. We were once great, and we can be great again.
“It’s awful that live music isn’t possible at the moment but, true to our nature, we find ways to overcome obstacles. And we hope that the internet can democratize the viewing experience for all to share.” (Christopher Tin)
The Tea: Tamika Love Jones
In this new online series, women musicians perform original work on the first Friday of the month. Each session includes a short interview, conducted over a cup of tea, which explores the artist’s creative process. The series kicks off with Tamika Love Jones, a versatile vocalist, actress, mother of two and a sought after Teaching Artist in Washington, D.C. She has released three albums of original music incorporating soul, hip-hop, jazz, funk, blues and classical influences. Jones’s dramatic stage presence, acrobatic vocals and fluidity between genres has put her in a class of her own.
WHERE
Online, streaming on Facebook and nmwa.org
WHEN
Friday, September 4, 12–1 p.m.
PRICE
Free. No reservations required. Add to your calendar here.
