Events/Things To Do

Made in the District (MITD) will host a special edition of Burgers and Beats – THE GREY ZONE, a pop-up event dedicated to the celebration of burgers and music discovery. The event will be powered byRooam’s socially connected mobile payment app, a seamless, secure and hassle-free payment solution. By downloading the free app, event attendees can quickly pay for food and drinks directly from their smartphones. The attendees can also take advantage of Rooam’s unique “check out” feature that allows instant check out and the quickest way to pay tabs.

The event will feature music by guest DJ Brenmar, Austin Millz from Fool’s Gold Records, J. Robb and Smasha. Additionally, the first 100 attendees to arrive will receive a free burger from Shake Shack, and all other attendees will receive a free fries voucher.

When & Where:

Burgers + Beats – THE GREY ZONE

Sunday, February 12, 2017, 4 – 8 p.m. ET

Eighteenth Street Lounge, 1212 18^th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20036

Cost: $20 + ($2.09 service charge fee)

For tickets and more information: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/burgers-and-beats-special-edition-the-grey-zone-tickets-31086062249

WHO:

DJ Brenmar, based in New York by way of Chicago, represents a strange musical paradox. In 2015, Brenmar signed with A-Trak’s Brooklyn-based Fool’s Gold Records. Brenmar had an explosive 2016, with a new mix series and a record label under his belt. His music has always sat at an intersection of hip hop and dance music by marrying the gloss of commercial hip hop and r&b with the urban grittiness of underground styles like Chicago Ghetto House, UK Bass and Jersey Club. In 2016, Brenmar released two singles, “She Already Know it” and “Like a Boss” on Fool’s Gold Records. He launched his own music label “High End Times,” which has released records by UniiQU3 and Austin Millz as well as the “Grey Zone” monthly dj mix series, which has been racking up plays on SoundCloud all year.

Austin Millz, based in Harlem, New York, has always been passionate about music and the process of creating it. Layering soul samples over hard-hitting drums with riffs on the saxophone and piano, Austin has stacked up an arsenal of beats and has prepared to debut his talents to the world. In February 2012, Millz released his debut solo project, Earned, consisting of 17 instrumental tracks produced over the course of a year. Austin has placed productions with Jim Jones, Maybach Music Group, G.O.O.D. Music, Wale, Troy Ave and Hit-Boy. In late 2016, Millz unleashed his new single “Cyclone” featuring rapper Tungi Ige and revealed his signing to Fool’s Gold Records.

Jay Roberts, popularly known as J. Robb has always had a love of music. Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, J. Robb discovered FL Studio 9 in 2011 where he began developing his music skills. J. Robb’s single, “Euphoria,” has brought him a wealth of attention in the consumer and industry scenes. His SoundCloud presence alone has garnered him over 200,000,000 listens and has already been featured on outlets such as BBC1xrtra, Soulection, Beats1 Radio, Vice, Earmilk, Nest HQ and more. J. Robb is preparing for his latest project which will release in Spring 2017 and is working on booking more shows. J. Robb is influenced by artists who exude high octane energy in their live performances. He looks up to a wide range of artists from J. Dilla and Madlib to Pharrell Williams.

The 30^th Anniversary Leukemia Ball presented by PhRMA reigns as one of Washington, D.C.’s   largest non-political, black-tie fundraising galas—the extraordinary star studded evening is expected to raise $3.5 million for the fight against leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma.

Nearly 2,000 attendees will laugh along with the comedy of Jim Gaffigan and dance the night away to the music of Andy Grammer. The festivities also include dinner, a world-class silent auction and the Mercedes-Benz raffle. All proceeds benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), National Capital Area Chapter.

For more info, please visit: www.leukemiaball.orgEntertainment & Media

Among those anticipated to be in attendance:

Jim Gaffigan; Grammy nominated comedian

Andy Grammer; Platinum-selling recording artist

Lindsay Czarniak, Co-Emcee; ESPN SportsCenter Anchor

Craig Melvin, Co-Emcee; MSNBC Anchor and Today Show National Correspondent

Bruce Allen, President of the Washington Redskins

Ryan Kerrigan, Washington Redskins Linebacker

Bobby Mitchell, NFL Hall-of-Famer, Former Washington Redskin

Holly Morris, Anchor, Fox 5

Jim Lokay, Anchor and reporter, Fox5

Loo Katz,  iHeartMedia Radio Host of  97.1 WASH-FM Morning Show

Business Leaders

Dr. Brian Druker, M.D., Director of the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)

Dr. Louis DeGennaro, Ph.D. President & CEO, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Steve Ubl, Presenting Sponsor; CEO, PhRMA

Wayne Berson, Co-Chair; CEO, BDO USA, LLP

David DiLuigi, Co-Chair; Market President, Greater Washington & Central Virginia for Wilmington Trust, N.A.

Ed & Donna Offterdinger, James L. Eichberg Lifetime Achievement Award recipient; Executive Managing Partner of Baker Tilly

Beth Gorman; Executive Director, LLS National Capital Area Chapter

WHEN:Saturday, March 11, 2017 6:00 p.m. –  Chairman’s Reception 6:30 p.m. – General Reception & Silent Auction open

7:30 p.m. – Dinner

9:00* p.m. – Entertainment by Jim Gaffigan & Andy Grammer (Approximately*).

Celebrating its 30^th year as one of the Washington area’s most prominent charity events, the Leukemia Ball, presented by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) will be held Saturday, March 11, 2017, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Since the first Leukemia Ball in 1987, the event has raised more than $52 million and continues to dedicate efforts to raising money for life-saving cancer research and patient programs funded by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). PhRMA, the trade association representing the country’s leading innovative biopharmaceutical research companies, is continuing its presenting sponsorship.

“PhRMA is proud to continue our partnership with LLS to further its mission of improving the outlook for cancer patients and their families, particularly in this milestone year for the Leukemia Ball,” said Stephen J. Ubl, president and chief executive officer, PhRMA. “Together, we are dedicated to finding new treatments and cures for cancer patients. Significant advances in recent years give us hope that we are closer than ever to a world without blood cancers.”

Guests at the 2017 gala will enjoy entertainment from actor, New York Times bestselling author and Grammy nominated comedian Jim Gaffigan, known for his family-focused “clean” comedy.  In 2015, Gaffigan became one of only ten comedians in history to sell out the famed Madison Square Garden arena for the finale of his “Contagious” tour, he opened for Pope Francis in front of more than one million people in Philadelphia, and his television show, “The Jim Gaffigan Show,” debuted on TV Land to enormous ratings and reviews. Most recently during Super Bowl 50, it was revealed that Gaffigan is KFC’s new Colonel Sanders.

The crowd will also sing along to triple platinum smash hit “Honey, I’m Good” and other songs from pop star Andy Grammer. Grammer famously began his career as a street performer, logging 10,000 hours of practice on the boulevards of Los Angeles with his car battery powered amplifier and acoustic guitar. Named one of Billboard Magazine’s 2011 Artists to Watch, Grammer now resides at the epicenter of the music industry. Fresh off a tour with Gavin Degraw, Grammar recently released a new single, “Fresh Eyes,” which has become an online phenomenon with more than 70 million streams.

The Leukemia Ball is one of Washington, D.C.’s largest non-political black-tie events and is expected to raise more than $3.5 million for LLS’s National Capital Area Chapter and its mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

“LLS recently committed $40.3 million in new research investments which is comprised of 75 new research grants that will fund a diverse array of cancer research to find better treatments and cures for patients,” said Beth Gorman, National Capital Area Chapter Executive Director. “Fundraising events such as the Leukemia Ball make that research possible, are critical to raising awareness, and directly impact the lives of blood cancer patients everywhere.”

The 2017 Leukemia Ball is co-chaired by Wayne Berson, CEO of BDO, and David DiLuigi, Market President, Greater Washington & Central Virginia for Wilmington Trust, N.A. They lead an esteemed volunteer Executive Committee of more than 50 high-ranking executives representing major organizations across the Washington, D.C. area who volunteer their time and efforts to create a memorable evening and raise millions of dollars in support of LLS’s mission.

“I am inspired by the Washington, D.C. metro community and the ability of the most influential companies to come together to support the cancer research and programs that are funded by LLS,” said Berson.  “The mission of LLS is of personal importance to me but also critical so that we may see cures to cancer in our lifetime, and as such I am truly humbled to continue serving as the Ball’s co-chair especially for the 30^th anniversary.”

Seventy-four cents of every dollar spent by LLS funds its mission, and LLS’s commitment to funding innovative research projects has contributed to an unprecedented rise in survival rates over recent years. For example, today, the five-year survival rate for the most common form of childhood leukemia is more than 90 percent, up from 3 percent in 1964.

“LLS has been at the forefront of advances in blood cancer treatments for decades.  With the support of LLS funding and advocacy, nearly 40 percent of all cancer drugs approved by the FDA since 2000 are being used to treat blood cancers,” said DiLuigi. “However, the fight is not over. Nearly one-third of all blood cancer patients still do not survive five years past diagnosis. I am committed to supporting LLS’s goal of a world without blood cancers.”

The Leukemia Ball has long been recognized as one of Washington, D.C.’s most popular black-tie galas. The silent auction, which raised nearly $265,000 in 2016, is one of the area’s largest, featuring a variety of travel packages, including American Airlines air travel to exotic locations. The event also boasts a Mercedes-Benz raffle featuring a first prize of 2017 Mercedes-Benz E300 4Matic Sedan (MSRP$52,150) and second prize of 2 spots at AMG Driving Academy at Laguna Seca Raceway in Salinas, CA including hotel & airfare (Value: $6,300) Tickets are $100, and only 5,000 are printed.

The event’s popularity over the past 30 years is also largely due to the featured entertainment. Past headliners have included Howie Mandel, Diana Ross, Jay Leno, Dennis Miller, John Mellencamp, Liza Minnelli, Jerry Seinfeld, Reba McIntyre, Jim Belushi, Dan Ackroyd and Lionel Richie.

N Street Village, the award-winning social services agency that provides shelter and support to homeless and low-income women in the Washington, DC metro area, is hosting its Annual Gala to honor the clients, volunteers and supporters of the organization on Tuesday, March 14 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The event will feature special musical guest, two-time Grammy-nominated artist, Andra Day.

Hillary and Tom Baltimore are the Gala Honorary Steering Committee Chairs together with Sandra and Tom McCoy.  N Street Village will be honoring Ruth and Arne Sorenson for their incredible and continuing support of N Street Village.  Those efforts have provided new opportunities for the most vulnerable in our society.

WHEN:

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

6:00pm EST: Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres

7:30pm EST: Program and Dinner

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces a free celebration of the 20th anniversary of Millennium Stage to thank the audiences, artists, donors, staff, ushers, fellows, and more who have made this one-of-a-kind venture a continued, resounding success. The March 19event, utilizing both the north and south stages, will feature performances by Celtic rock band Scythian and New Orleans funk band Big Sam’s Funky Nation in a massive party overtaking the Center’s Grand Foyer.

Founded in 1997 by former Kennedy Center Board Chair James A. Johnson, the Millennium Stage remains the only venue in the world to offer a free performance every day of the year that is also streamed live on the web, fulfilling the Center’s mission of making the performing arts available to everyone. It has proven to be a perfect representation of the diverse and multifaceted performing arts offered by the Kennedy Center, with such past performers as Gladys Knight, Christoph Eschenbach, Aaron Goldman, Manzari Brothers, Norah Jones, Aretha Franklin, India.Arie, Circo Para Todos, Phil Wiggins, Smokey Robinson, and Kailash Kher & Kailasa.

In the past two decades, more than three million audience members from the D.C. area, across the U.S., and around the world have attended a Millennium Stage performance, with countless others experiencing these shows via the live stream. This special event is part of JFKC: A Centennial Celebration of John F. Kennedy, the Kennedy Center’s yearlong programming initiative marking the 100th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s birth and legacy, inspired by five ideals frequently attributed to America’s 35th President:Courage, Freedom, Justice, Service, and Gratitude. JFKC programming continues through the end of 2017.

“All of us at the Kennedy Center are incredibly grateful to our audiences for their enthusiastic support of Millennium Stage. In the past two decades more than 7,000 artists from across the globe have been presented, representing a diverse breadth of genres from established artistic traditions to the latest frontiers of performance,” said Deborah F. Rutter, President of the Kennedy Center. “Jim Johnson had a vision for what accessibility to the arts might look like. What resulted in our beloved Millennium Stage 20 years ago was brilliant and ahead of its time.”

The night will kick-off at 5:00 p.m. with a happy hour in the Grand Foyer, featuring half price beer and house wine. The first 1,000 guests at the happy hour will receive a special commemorative Millennium Stage 20th Anniversary t-shirt. Performances begin at 6:00 p.m. with Scythian, a band that plays roots music from Celtic, Eastern European, and Appalachian traditions with a thunderous energy that beckons crowds into a barn-dance, rock concert experience. Immediately following, at 7:00 p.m., the party will continue with Big Sam’s Funky Nation, a group of world-class musicians that are a driving force of urban funk, melding funk, rock & roll, Hip Hop, and jazz, gluing everything together with a brassy influence. For more information, visit tkc.co/mstage.

Four seasons become eight when the National Chamber Ensemble presents The Four Seasons of Vivaldi and Piazzolla on Saturday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Rosslyn Spectrum. Arlington County Board Chair Jay Fisette is the special guest host for the evening.

General admission tickets are $33 for adults and $17 for students, plus applicable service charges. Tickets are available online at www.nationalchamberensemble.org and at the box office one hour prior to the performance. Group discounts for 10 or more are available by calling (703) 685-7590. For more information, call (703) 685-7590 or visitwww.nationalchamberensemble.org. The theater has free garage parking and is two blocks from the Rosslyn Metro. A wine and cheese reception with the artists follows the concert.

Inspired by landscape paintings by Italian artist Marco Ricci, “The Four Seasons” is one of Antonio Vivaldi’s most famous works. Composed during the Baroque period and published in 1725, each concerto is accompanied by sonnets, written, as most believe, by Vivaldi himself. The sonnets provide a narrative for the music, offering a more complete picture of each season as the composition weaves its way through spring, summer, fall, and winter.

The performance of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” will include a reading of the sonnets by Mr. Fisette, as well as a multimedia presentation accompanying the performance that includes photos, moving images, and Vivaldi’s own words that he wrote into the music. The Ensemble’s Artistic Director Leonid Sushansky, called “a musical storyteller” by The Washington Post, will perform the violin solos with a sextet that includes two violins, viola, cello, double bass, and harpsichord.

In contrast, Astor Piazzolla’s “Las Quatro Estaciones Porteñas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires)” is inspired by the rhythms of the Argentinian tango. Once of Argentina’s greatest cultural exports, Piazzolla fused jazz and tango with classical forms and 20^th century harmonies, creating the musical genre of nuevo tango.

Conceived as four discrete pieces, and written nearly 240 years after Vivaldi’s work of the (almost) same name, “The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires” begins with summer and concludes with spring. Originally scored for Piazzolla’s Quinteto of violin, piano, electric guitar, double bass, and bandoneón (a type of concertina), the Ensemble will perform the composition as a trio featuring Natasha Dukan on piano, Sean Neidlinger on cello, and Leonid Sushansky on violin. Images of Buenos Aires throughout the seasons accompany the musical performance.

The 2016-17 NCE season concludes on May 13 with Music of Our Time, celebrating classical music from film and theater, and an appearance by Bowen McCauley Dance.

About Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre

Located at 1611 N. Kent Street, Arlington VA

Parking: Free garage parking, entrance on Arlington Ridge Road

Metro: Blue/Orange/Silver – Rosslyn Station

As the world grapples with the most severe global refugee crisis since World War II, musicians convened by conductors John Devlin and Lidiya Yankovskaya, herself a refugee who found asylum in the United States, are coming together to provide a voice to refugees in the country.

At 7:30 p.m. on Monday, April 10, Yankovskaya and instrumentalists whose friends and families have fled to the U.S. to escape violence and persecution will perform a special concert for residents in the nation’s capital and surrounding areas. The performance will take place in The Fillmore Silver Spring and will feature a full symphony orchestra and soloists—including award-winning soprano Zhanna Alkhazova—performing works by refugee composers, such as Iranian composer Gity Razaz, Béla Bartók, and Irving Berlin, as well as music that involves refugee themes written by Verdi and Puccini, among others. The concert will showcase, through music, the positive impact that those who have come to this country seeking safety and a better life have had on American culture and society. It is one of three fundraising events that the Refugee Orchestra Project is organizing this spring.

“I organized the Refugee Orchestra Project as a way to demonstrate, through music, the critical role that these individuals play in our cultural landscape,” said Refugee Orchestra Project Conductor and Artistic Director Lidiya Yankovskaya. “In light of the negative rhetoric we regularly read and hear in the news today, I felt it important for all of us to once again be reminded of the essential role that refugees play in making American culture vibrant and strong.”

Devlin and the D.C.-based Gourmet Symphony will support this endeavor by recruiting local musicians to participate in the concert, as well as food vendors who will provide product and services to encourage donations for the cause.

“Gourmet Symphony was thrilled when the Refugee Orchestra Project representatives reached out to us about a possible collaboration around this worthy cause,” said John Devlin, co-founder and Artistic Director of Gourmet Symphony. “As artistic leaders in the nation’s capital, we feel that it is our responsibility to play an active role in our community and in matters of national importance. The concert will also allow us to engage culinary partners who are passionate about this cause. Our common goal is to offer a sense of connectedness and hope through the music and fellowship shared in this performance.”

Admission to the concert is free, donations are suggested. Guests who make a donation of at least $50 will receive premium seating and a gourmet gift box including snack bites from Gourmet Symphony’s culinary partners at Beuchert’s Saloon and Mike Isabella Concepts, among others—this will be capped at 100. Proceeds from donations will go toward the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), the global Jewish nonprofit that protects refugees in support of those seeking asylum in the U.S. and abroad.

Shaw Main Streets will host its annual Taste of Shaw Gala on Tuesday April 25, 2017, from 7pm to 9pm. The annual event celebrates the neighborhood’s diverse businesses and residents, and is a fundraiser for initiatives that enhance and promote commerce within the Shaw neighborhood. DC’s beloved Howard Theatre will be the backdrop for live music and libations and delicious bites from some of DC’s best bars and restaurants. Proceeds from the event support Shaw Main Streets’ economic revitalization and historic preservation activities in the Shaw neighborhood of DC, which have helped bring about the transformation of central Shaw since 2003. This year’s hashtag, #LoveShaw, represents the comradery of Shaw’s business owners and the citywide support and accolades the neighborhood continues to receive. From Michelin stars to Rammy nominations and stellar reviews, Shaw’s bars and restaurants continue to help raise the Shaw neighborhood’s profile locally and nationally.

A hospitality renaissance led by top chefs and mixologists has been under way in recent years, bringing fresh concepts and perspectives in cuisine and beverage, as well as a host of new talent, making Shaw the city’s top dining and imbibing destination. Recent openings such as the neighborhood craft cocktail bar Service Bar DC (a new take on the local watering hole from veteran bartenders Chad Spangler and Glendon Hartley), the Chinese-French concept Kyirisan from husband and wife team Tim and Joey Ma, and neighborhood anchors such as The Passenger, DC’s favorite industry bar, and Convivial, which was one of 2015’s opening highlights; will be among the many participants in the annual Shaw Main Streets Gala. Shaw Main Streets invites the entire region to explore some of the best of the neighborhood has to offer at one venue, on one special evening.

Guests can expect a festive atmosphere, open beer and wine bar, and unlimited cuisine and cocktails from a Taste of Shaw’s stellar host committee of chefs, restaurateurs, and mixologists.  Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen will receive the 2017 Shaw Champion Award, chosen by the Board of Directors of Shaw Main Streets for his consistent support of economic revitalization in Shaw and SMS’ efforts to create the thriving community that Shaw is today. Appearances by Mayor Bowser and other public officials are also slated.

The 2017 Taste of Shaw host committee includes the following bars and restaurants:

The Brixton                             Buttercream Bakeshop           Cava    

Convivial                                 Dacha                                     Dino’s Grotto

The Tavern at Henley Park     Eat the Rich                            El Rey

Etete                                       French Quarter Brasserie       Haikan

Half Smoke                             Kyirisian                                  La Jambe

The Passenger                       Service Bar                             Seylou

Southern Efficiency                Tiger Fork

Advance tickets are $80 and can be ordered online at www.smsgala17.eventbrite.com. On the day of the event, tickets will be $100. Tickets include unlimited food and cocktail tastings, beer and wine, and complimentary valet parking.

As much as Jonathan Larsen’s unprecedented Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Rent impacted popular culture, it also transformed the lives of the actors that embodied a group of young friends trying to forge a life for themselves in New York’s bohemian East Village. 20 years after Rent’s Broadway debut, original cast members Adam Pascal & Anthony Rapp reunite at the Music Center at Strathmore on Friday, April 28, 2017 at 8 p.m. to commemorate this cultural touchstone and 20 years of friendship. The concert of duets and solos will include originals, reimagined Broadway classics, and favorites from Rent. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (301) 581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.

Throughout the set, the duo will share stories about their careers, including what it was like working on one of the longest running musicals in Broadway history. Rent has proved a thread throughout their careers that has periodically brought the two back together—prior to the 20^thanniversary concert tour, both reprised their Rent roles during the national tour in 2009.

Tony-nominated Adam Pascal recently returned to Broadway’s Nederlander Theater, where Rent lived for years, in the new musical Disaster! Since his days playing Roger in Rent, Pascal has starred in Aida, Chicago, and Memphis. He is currently playing Shakespeare in the national tour of Something Rotten!

After originating the role of Mark in Rent, Anthony Rapp went on to originate another character in If/Then alongside previous Rent co-star Idina Menzel, which debuted at Washington, D.C.’s National Theatre. He wrote the book Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent, about the demands of life in the theater during his mother’s battle with cancer, which he later adapted into a one-man show. It was recently announced that Rapp will star as “astromycologist” Lt. Stamets in Star Trek: Discovery for CBS All Access, the first series developed specifically for this platform and the first Star Trek series since Star Trek: Enterprise (2005). Stamets is also the first openly gay character conceived for the Star Trek franchise.