Events/Things To Do

The Adams Morgan Partnership Business Improvement District (AMPBID) is excited to announce the return of Adams Morgan Fall PorchFest on Saturday, October 14th from 2-6pm! With approximately 100 bands, this event will showcase some of DC’s best local musical talent featuring nearly every musical genre, including classic rock, funk, go-go, rap, reggae, blue grass, classical, and pop. Twenty porches, business patios, parks, and the closed 18th Street will become stages for the day, drawing music-lovers from around the region into the tree-lined streets and small businesses of Adams Morgan. And for the first time during PorchFest, 18th Street NW (between Columbia and Kalorama Roads NW) will be closed to vehicular traffic creating additional safe space for people, performances, and fun! This road closure is part of an ongoing initiative, the Adams Morgan Pedestrian Zone funded by the DC Office of Planning’s Streets for People grant program.

Event patrons can pick up a music map and wristband at two different event headquarters locations. The first location is in the plaza in front of Truist Bank at the corner of Columbia and Adams Mill Roads NW. The second location is in front of 2424 18th Street NW inside the road closure. Event wristbands are FREE and provide attendees with dozens of discounts at various Adams Morgan businesses. After picking up a wristband and event map, guests can stroll through the neighborhood for nonstop musical performances from 2-6pm, enjoy lunch, dinner, or drinks at a neighborhood hangout, and shop for unique gifts at local boutiques.

Each PorchFest location will host up to four 45-minute sets, all of which are free and open for all to enjoy. Due to overwhelming success over the last few years, we are excited to announce that we will have TWO main stages this year – the Plaza Main Stage (in front of Truist Bank) and the Aetna Main Stage (in Hoffman Alley next to Van Leeuwen Ice Cream). And, that’s not all! More stages means more extra-special local talent including headliner, Mark Bryan of Hootie & The Blowfish with the Screaming Trojans. Lead guitarist of the wildly successful 20 million-album-selling, two-time Grammy®-winning rock band, Hootie and the Blowfish, Mark Bryan, is from nearby Montgomery County, MD and plans to deliver a stellar performance featuring original songs off his solo albums plus classic Hootie and the Blowfish songs that we all know and love.

Additional main stage performers include The Experience Band & Show, Airport 77s, Controlled Chaos, Flex Matthews Band, Ari Voxx, Jordan Curls, and a DJ courtesy of Le Mont Royal. The full lineup of performers can be found at AdMoPorchFest.com. 

The Adams Morgan Partnership BID is currently recruiting volunteers to assist with staffing Fall PorchFest. Volunteers will receive a free t-shirt, Adams Morgan swag, and complimentary food and beverages the day of the event. Click here to sign up.

“We’re so excited for our Fall edition of PorchFest! This past Spring, we had more than 40,000 people attend the event,” said Kristen Barden, Executive Director of the Adams Morgan Partnership Business Improvement District. “We anticipate another big turnout in October which will ultimately support our neighborhood businesses. We hope the community will join us for this incredible event. We also appreciate our incredible porch hosts, bands, sponsors, volunteers, and small businesses for their contributions – we couldn’t do it without them.”

Adams Morgan PorchFest is brought to you by the Adams Morgan Partnership BID. This event is generously sponsored by Aetna, a health care company that is working to build a healthier world and is contributing to all of the fun, healthy ways to move throughout the pedestrian zone. Aetna is committed to providing individuals, employers, health care professionals and producers with innovative benefits, products and services. Additional supporting Fall PorchFest sponsors include Events DC, Tattoo Paradise, Colonial Parking, Gifted Curators, Lars Etzkorn Law PLLC, and Catoctin Creek.

Saturday, October 14, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore

Gershwin, Price & Beethoven
Piotr Gajewski, conductor

Michelle Cann, piano

NatPhil’s 2023-2024 Season begins with a trio of enchanting works conducted by Maestro Piotr Gajewski, transporting listeners from the height of the Jazz Age to a pastoral countryside. Sensational pianist Michelle Cann opens the concert with Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin’s iconic fusion of classical and jazz styles, followed by the rich melodies and rhythms of Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement, which beautifully blends classical and African American musical traditions.

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6—the “Pastoral Symphony”—celebrates the beauty of the natural world in five movements that usher audiences through the countryside, painting vivid imagery of a babbling brook, a crashing thunderstorm, and the people that coexist with nature.

Program:

George Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue

Florence Price, Piano Concerto in One Movement

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral)

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation – the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization – and prominent food writer David Hagedorn announce the return of Chefs for Equality on Monday, October 30, 2023, at the National Building Museum. Now in its 10th year, the evening of extraordinary food, drink, and entertainment, in addition to live and silent auctions, supports the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s nationwide educational work and its fight for full LGBTQ+ equality.

“At Chefs for Equality, over 150 of Washington D.C.’s greatest chefs, bakers and mixologists create spectacular food and drinks in the name of full LGBTQ+ equality. This year’s theme, Plate of Emergency, calls attention to the state of emergency that the Human Rights Campaign has officially declared because of intensified attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, particularly transgender and non-binary people. The chef community stands at the ready to turn up the heat and fight even harder to protect and promote equality,” said David Hagedorn.

“It is so exciting to have DC’s top culinary and mixology talents come together in support of HRC Foundation’s work,” said Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson. “LGBTQ+ Americans are navigating a national state of emergency, facing an all out assault on our basic rights. From access to necessary health care to feeling safe and supported at work and in our communities, anti-LGBTQ+ extremists are working to limit our freedoms and push us back into the closet. We need to fight back with full force against these injustices and continue to support impactful initiatives that expand equity and equality for all.”

As they have since the event’s inception in 2012, Christopher Vazquez and Rick Davis of Amaryllis Floral + Event Design will transform the Chefs for Equality venue into a wonderland that will feature 40 savory tasting stations and 20 crafted cocktail bars headed by renowned chefs and mixologists from the Greater D.C. area. The jewels of the Chefs for Equality crown are the 13 personal chef tables — each decorated to the hilt with a unique theme and providing an opportunity to dine with celebrity chefs for a lavish five-course meal in the middle of the action. The DMV area’s top pastry chefs prepare stunning show-piece cakes that will adorn the museum, and guests can sample these delectable pastries towards the end of the evening before heading out with a curated limited-edition goody bag chock-full of culinary goodies. In addition to impressive fare, live and silent auctions are also held.

New additions this year:

• Speed Diner meets Drag Brunch – An interactive entertainment experience where guests can purchase a time slot for a seat at the diner where they’ll enjoy brunch-inspired bites, a specialty cocktail, and an exclusive drag performance curated by Crazy Aunt Helen’s.

• Queerlada Shop – A cafe in the middle of the action featuring Latin-inspired savory dishes, pastries and libations curated by the popular D.C.-based Colada Shop Cuban Cafe & Bar.

• Private Upper Tier Champagne & Caviar Lounge – This exclusive Chefs for Equality activation, on the second floor of the Building Museum, features select restaurant partners, Champagne, caviar, lounge seating and more.

All proceeds will benefit the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s nationwide educational work for LGBTQ+ equality. The HRC Foundation works to educate the public and provides training and model policies that alter the fundamental nature of the institutions governing the everyday lives of LGBTQ+ people everywhere.

Tickets for Chefs for Equality can be purchased at hrc.im/ChefsTickets. The full list of participating chefs, pastry chefs, bakers, and mixologists can be found at ChefsForEquality.org.

Sunday, November 5, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore

Universal Longings | Anhelos Universales
Eugene Rogers, conductor

In partnership with The Washington Chorus

Scott Piper, tenor

Juantomás Martínez Yépez, baritone

National Philharmonic and The Washington Chorus join forces for a concert of universal proportions conducted by TWC Artistic Director Eugene Rogers, including the Washington-area premiere of composer James Lee III’s Breaths of Universal Longings. “He’s a composer who has what it takes,” says the Baltimore Sun, and his works have been commissioned, premiered, and performed by prominent symphonies throughout the country.

Venezuelan composer Antonio Estévez’s Cantata Criolla retells the legend of Faust’s deal with the Devil, set to text from the mythic poem Florentino y El Diablo by Alberto Avelo Torrealbas. As Florentino battles for his soul in a singing contest against El Diablo, his story evolves through the rich textures of Estévez’s music. Spoiler alert: our hero prevails.

Program:

James Lee III, Breaths of Universal Longings

Antonio Estévez, Cantata Criolla

Capital Food Fight returns to The Anthem on Thursday, November 9th for the 19th installment of DC Central Kitchen’s raucous night of fighting hunger. Tickets to this year’s event, presented by Instacart, at capitalfoodfight.org.

First hosted in 2004 by DC Central Kitchen’s long-time volunteer and Board Chair Emeritus José Andrés, Capital Food Fight has long been the must-attend event of food lovers, TV stars, and philanthropists alike. Executive Chef & Co-Owner of Money Muscle BBQ/All Set/Fryer’s Roadside Ed Reavis, Chef Rachel Bindel of 101 Hospitality Group (Michele’s, Gravitas, Bakers Daughter), Executive Chef of dLeña Carlos Camacho, and Estuary’s Chef de Cuisine Ria Montes join a storied list of notable chefs who have faced off in head-to-head culinary challenge on the main stage featuring a spotlighted ingredient. Each dish will be judged by a panel of culinary icons, including Top Chef’s lead judge, restaurateur, and James Beard award-winning chef Tom Colicchio; restaurateur, Iron Chef America champion, and star of truTV’s Fast Foodies Justin Sutherland, retired Washington Nationals All-Star Ryan Zimmerman, and more!

Celebrity chef and DC-based restaurateur, Spike Mendelsohn, Chef Andrés, and local media personality Tommy McFly return as the evening’s hosts and emcee, respectively, to keep things rocking from the main stage with one of DC’s most in-demand performers, DJ Neekola, on the decks all night long as attendees feast on delicious bites from more than 80 of the DMV’s best restaurants.

Tickets are available for purchase at www.capitalfoodfight.org  General admission tickets are $325, with VIP access going for $550. VIP ticket holders will have exclusive access to the second floor with balcony seating and full open bar. All proceeds from the event, including donations and silent auction, go to support DC Central Kitchen’s award-winning solutions to hunger and poverty in Washington, DC, from providing culinary job training to serving scratch-cooked school meals to delivering fresh fruits and vegetables at deep discounts to small corner stores across city.

Special thanks to the 2023 Capital Food Fight Presenting Sponsor, Instacart, along with Showcase Sponsors CoBank, Lineage Logistics, and Wegmans, which will also be stocking this year’s on-stage pantry. The battling chefs will be highlighting special ingredients provided by Wegmans, Keany Produce, and AUI Fine Foods. Further appreciation goes to our Executive Chef Sponsors Bloomberg Philanthropies, Clark Construction, RTX, Wells Fargo, Vox Media, and Appliances A Better Way (ABW), and Sous Chef Sponsors Bank of America, DoorDash and Geico. For a full list of 2023 sponsors and information on remaining availability, please visit capitalfoodfight.org/sponsors.

Capital Food Fight is a 21 and older event. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.capitalfoodfight.org

National Philharmonic (NatPhil) presents its annual Messiah performances, conducted by Music Director Piotr Gajewski for the first time at Strathmore and Capital One Hall. The holiday program features four outstanding singers—soprano Aundi Marie Moore, mezzo soprano Lucia Bradford, tenor Norman Shankle, and baritone Jorell Williams—and the Baltimore Choral Arts Society, all of whom are returning to share the stage with the NatPhil Orchestra. Continuing a tradition established last year, a portion of the proceeds from the performances at Strathmore will be donated to the 2nd Century Project to aid in the restoration of the neighboring Scotland African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Zion Church.

NatPhil’s Messiah takes place on Saturday, December 16 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, December 17 at 3:00 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore and on Wednesday, December 20 at 7:30 p.m. at Capital One Hall in Tysons, Virginia. Tickets are currently on sale at nationalphilharmonic.org.

While Messiah has been a holiday tradition at NatPhil for many seasons, this year’s performances are being reimagined by Maestro Gajewski. The novel rendering envisioned by him will include simple staging in which the soloists move about freely in front of the orchestra and interact with the audience as they tell stories contained within the oratorio.

NatPhil’s Messiah performances will again feature educational and community engagement activities. The Scotland A.M.E. Zion Mass Choir and its director Michael Terry return to perform pre-concert sets on December 16 and 17. These sets are free to enjoy and will begin one hour prior to the Messiah performances in Strathmore’s lobby area. Also in the lobby, patrons will find a learning table with resources from the Library of Congress to continue discussions and reflection around Handel’s link to the slave economy.

In the spirit of the season, NatPhil is committed to using the success of this program to give back. As such, the Scotland A.M.E. Zion Church in Potomac, Maryland will receive a portion of the proceeds from the two performances at Strathmore. The historic church, which has been a center of community for Black congregants since 1924, was nearly destroyed by a flood in 2019 and victim of a burglary in 2022. Several partners in Montgomery County, including NatPhil, are supporting ongoing efforts to repair and safeguard the building.

Full Concert Details:

Saturday, December 16, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore

Sunday, December 17, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore

Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. at Capital One Hall

Handel’s Messiah

Piotr Gajewski, conductor

            with the Baltimore Choral Arts Society

Aundi Marie Moore, soprano

Lucia Bradford, mezzo soprano

Norman Shankle, tenor

Jorell Williams, baritone

National Philharmonic presents a new and novel semi-staged dramatic rendering of Handel’s Messiah, reimagined by Maestro Piotr Gajewski to usher in the start of your holiday season. From the triumphant “Hallelujah” chorus to the hauntingly beautiful “He Shall Feed His Flock,” this timeless oratorio has captivated audiences for over 250 years.

This season, NatPhil reenvisions Handel’s masterpiece, drawing on the storytelling of all-star soloists soprano Aundi Marie Moore, mezzo soprano Lucia Bradford, tenor Norman Shankle, and baritone Jorell Williams, under the direction of Maestro Piotr Gajewski, who takes over conducting duties for this annual NatPhil presentation. The four outstanding soloists will move about freely in front of the orchestra and interact with the audience as they tell the story of the Messiah. 

NatPhil acknowledges the recent discovery of Handel’s involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade and is dedicated to continuing the conversation around the performance of his works. A portion of ticket sales revenue will be dedicated to benefiting African American charities in our community.

Program:

George Frideric Handel, Messiah, HWV 56 (with intermission)

Ticket Information

Tickets ($19–$109) are available online at nationalphilharmonic.org. Kids 17 and under can attend National Philharmonic performances for free through the All Kids. All Free. All the Time. initiative.

National Philharmonic (NatPhil) presents its annual Messiah performances, conducted by Music Director Piotr Gajewski for the first time at Strathmore and Capital One Hall. The holiday program features four outstanding singers—soprano Aundi Marie Moore, mezzo soprano Lucia Bradford, tenor Norman Shankle, and baritone Jorell Williams—and the Baltimore Choral Arts Society, all of whom are returning to share the stage with the NatPhil Orchestra. Continuing a tradition established last year, a portion of the proceeds from the performances at Strathmore will be donated to the 2nd Century Project to aid in the restoration of the neighboring Scotland African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Zion Church.

NatPhil’s Messiah takes place on Saturday, December 16 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, December 17 at 3:00 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore and on Wednesday, December 20 at 7:30 p.m. at Capital One Hall in Tysons, Virginia. Tickets are currently on sale at nationalphilharmonic.org.

While Messiah has been a holiday tradition at NatPhil for many seasons, this year’s performances are being reimagined by Maestro Gajewski. The novel rendering envisioned by him will include simple staging in which the soloists move about freely in front of the orchestra and interact with the audience as they tell stories contained within the oratorio.

NatPhil’s Messiah performances will again feature educational and community engagement activities. The Scotland A.M.E. Zion Mass Choir and its director Michael Terry return to perform pre-concert sets on December 16 and 17. These sets are free to enjoy and will begin one hour prior to the Messiah performances in Strathmore’s lobby area. Also in the lobby, patrons will find a learning table with resources from the Library of Congress to continue discussions and reflection around Handel’s link to the slave economy.

In the spirit of the season, NatPhil is committed to using the success of this program to give back. As such, the Scotland A.M.E. Zion Church in Potomac, Maryland will receive a portion of the proceeds from the two performances at Strathmore. The historic church, which has been a center of community for Black congregants since 1924, was nearly destroyed by a flood in 2019 and victim of a burglary in 2022. Several partners in Montgomery County, including NatPhil, are supporting ongoing efforts to repair and safeguard the building.

Full Concert Details:

Saturday, December 16, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore

Sunday, December 17, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore

Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. at Capital One Hall

Handel’s Messiah

Piotr Gajewski, conductor

            with the Baltimore Choral Arts Society

Aundi Marie Moore, soprano

Lucia Bradford, mezzo soprano

Norman Shankle, tenor

Jorell Williams, baritone

National Philharmonic presents a new and novel semi-staged dramatic rendering of Handel’s Messiah, reimagined by Maestro Piotr Gajewski to usher in the start of your holiday season. From the triumphant “Hallelujah” chorus to the hauntingly beautiful “He Shall Feed His Flock,” this timeless oratorio has captivated audiences for over 250 years.

This season, NatPhil reenvisions Handel’s masterpiece, drawing on the storytelling of all-star soloists soprano Aundi Marie Moore, mezzo soprano Lucia Bradford, tenor Norman Shankle, and baritone Jorell Williams, under the direction of Maestro Piotr Gajewski, who takes over conducting duties for this annual NatPhil presentation. The four outstanding soloists will move about freely in front of the orchestra and interact with the audience as they tell the story of the Messiah. 

NatPhil acknowledges the recent discovery of Handel’s involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade and is dedicated to continuing the conversation around the performance of his works. A portion of ticket sales revenue will be dedicated to benefiting African American charities in our community.

Program:

George Frideric Handel, Messiah, HWV 56 (with intermission)

Ticket Information

Tickets ($19–$109) are available online at nationalphilharmonic.org. Kids 17 and under can attend National Philharmonic performances for free through the All Kids. All Free. All the Time. initiative.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces Grammy Award®–winning singer-songwriter Gregory Porter—who today announced the release of his first-ever holiday album, Christmas Wish—will play a special concert at the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2023, at 8 p.m.

The concert will feature Porter’s longtime pianist Chip Crawford on piano, Emmanuel Harrold on drums and percussion, Gregoire Maret on harmonica, Jahmal Nichols on bass, Ondre Pivec on Hammond organ, Tivon Pennicott on flute, soprano saxophone, and tenor saxphone.

Christmas Wish is a loving tribute to Porter’s favorite time of year—and to great songwriters, singers, and interpreters including Stevie Wonder, Ella Fitzgerald, Marvin Gaye, Dinah Washington, and Nat King Cole. In addition to this list of world class names, Porter himself has added to the Christmas songbook with three original tracks, soon to be favorites for the festive season, including the first single “Everything’s Not Lost” which is out now.

Backed by his long-time band and produced by repeat collaborator Troy Miller, the album features inspired interpretations of carols, standards, and soulful sixties deep-cuts including “Silent Night,” “Little Drummer Boy,” Marvin Gaye’s “Purple Snowflakes,” Stevie Wonder’s “Someday At Christmas,” and Frank Loesser’s “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?,” which features a special guest appearance by Grammy®–winning vocalist Samara Joy.

The theme of sharing and caring at Christmas, and the sense of renewal and revival that comes when the year draws to a close, is all here in Porter’s most personal contribution – his trio of new, self-penned songs, “Christmas Wish,” “Heart For Christmas,” and “Everything’s Not Lost,” an elegant piano ballad that is Porter’s persuasive plea to remember those less fortunate than ourselves. “I’m always thinking of balance” he explains. “That has been instilled in me and it keeps coming up in a lot of my music. At your highest, at your greatest, at your most pleasant time, don’t forget about other people who are suffering.”

The album, which also includes orchestral contributions from the Kingdom Orchestra, was recorded between Sear Sound Studio in New York City and London’s Crossways Studio and Abbey Road Studios.