Sunnylands: America’s Midcentry Masterpiece
Tuesday, February 28, 2017, 5:30-8 p.m.
Janice Lyle, director of Sunnylands Center & Gardens, will discuss the history of Sunnylands, its changes over time, and the practices now used to preserve the fragile fabrics, interior furnishings, art collection, and cultural landscape.
$20, $10 Hillwood member, $7 student
4155 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008
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.
 |
|
|
| NEWS from the LIBRARY of CONGRESS |
| March 23, 2017
Press contact: Bryonna Head, Office of Communications (202) 707-3073, bhea@loc.gov
Library to Host Series of Disco Events Line-up includes Gloria Gaynor, Tim Gunn
The Library of Congress is presenting a series of disco-themed events to celebrate and memorialize the era of the mid-1970s and early 1980s that changed American art, fashion, language and sound. “Bibliodiscotheque” will include two months of programs such as film screenings, lectures and a symposium followed by a disco party featuring Gloria Gaynor. “The disco era has left a lasting mark on our culture,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. “The music, the clothes, those fantastic disco balls – they are a part of Americana that new generations are still discovering and embracing. I am so thrilled to announce these events and the incredible line-up of guests we will have at the Library in the coming months as we celebrate the era of disco and share related items from the Library’s collections.” Nearly 40 years have passed since the heyday of platform shoes and dazzling disco balls, but disco is recognized as a phenomenon that redefined cultural norms across the United States. “Lest anyone think that disco was an aberrant moment in the ’70’s. Disco culture is inextricable from the history of 20th century fashion,” said Emmy award-winning fashion icon, Tim Gunn. “Its representation in the Library of Congress not only legitimizes the genre, but fully validates it.” The Library of Congress holds significant collection materials in various formats that showcase the American disco experience. These items will be on display for the duration of this series. Programming includes screenings of disco-influenced films as well as lectures and panel discussions presented by cultural experts, such as author, producer and fashion icon Tim Gunn, who will present a lecture on the influence of disco fashion followed by a book signing. The series will conclude with a symposium featuring the disco singing sensation Gloria Gaynor, followed by an evening extravaganza with a live performance. Gaynor will discuss and sign her new book, “We Will Survive: True Stories of Encouragement, Inspiration, and the Power of Song.” The book’s title harkens back to her 1978 classic “I Will Survive” which was selected for preservation in 2016 for the National Recording Registry. In “We Will Survive,” Gaynor shares 40 inspirational, true stories about survivors of all kinds — individuals who have found comfort, hope, and courage through the power of that song. “I am thrilled that the Library of Congress has found my role in American music worthy to be commemorated by the inclusion of my recording of “I Will Survive” in the National Recording Registry,” said Gaynor. “I look forward with great anticipation to my concert at the Library of Congress “Bibliodiscotheque.” Events are free and open to the public. Free tickets are required for admission to all activities. Tickets will be available beginning at 10:00 a.m. on March 30at this website. A limited number of press credentials will also be available for reservation. The deadline to reserve credentials for lectures, the symposium, and the dance party is Friday, April 28. Some of the events will be live-streamed on the Library’s Facebook page at facebook.com/libraryofcongress and its YouTube channel at youtube.com/LibraryOfCongress. All programs will take place at the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., or at its James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., both in Washington, D.C. The excitement can be followed on Twitter at @librarycongress and #LCDisco.
The Library’s programming will include: Symposium*
Saturday, May 6 Presented in association with the Library of Congress Music and Prints & Photographs Divisions, and Veterans History Project, with additional support from The Recording Academy.
1 p.m. “The Craft of Making Disco Balls”
1:30 p.m. “Two Perspectives on Beyoncé’s African Dance References”
2 p.m. “Disco: The Bill Bernstein Photographs”
2:30 p.m. “Hot Stuff: Disco and the Remaking of American Culture”
3 p.m. Panel Discussion
4 p.m. “Gloria Gaynor on “I Will Survive”
5 p.m. (Whittall Pavilion) Free, tickets available, visit www.loc.gov/concerts/disco for more information. |
As part of its partnership with award-winning bartender and Chief Spirits Advisor Derek Brown, the National Archives Foundation today announced a new 2017 event series focused on the role of alcohol in America’s history.
The series will kick off with Cocktails in Cuba on March 25, 2017. The United States may have invented the cocktail, but it wasn’t long before it became entwined with the island nation of Cuba, especially through the invention of two of the world’s most recognized libations—the Daiquiri and Rum & Coke. Military intervention, organized crime and literary giants, all in the shadow of revolution, mark the fascinating history of these drinks. Experts, along with one of Cuba’s most renowned bartenders, Julio Cabrera, will discuss cocktails, Cuba and the United States, past and present. This event, which will include a reception before the seminar, will be moderated by Brown, and sponsored by the 86 Spirits Company. Registration is open now and filling up fast, more information is available online here.
“We’re excited to continue our partnership with Chief Spirits Advisor Derek Brown with this new series,” said Patrick M. Madden, executive director of the Foundation. “Derek’s passion for history pairs perfectly with our mission to connect people to America’s story in exciting and unexpected ways.”
“From landing on Plymouth Rock in search of beer to creating the cocktail, the story of America could be easily told through the drinks it has both consumed and condemned. The chance to tell that story – not just with documents but through experts in the field – is unprecedented. I’m grateful to be a part of it,” said Brown.
The event series will also include Global Spirits: American Cocktails, on June 29, 2017. Hosted by the National Archives Foundation and The Tasting Panel Magazine, Global Spirits: American Cocktails, will kick off several days of festivities celebrating July 4, 2017. Top mixologists will be tasked with the creation of an original cocktail inspired by classic American cocktails. As the bartenders blend their concoction for judges to taste, they will describe how they were inspired to create a modern take on an American classic. Guests will have the opportunity to taste exclusive cocktails created by eight of the top bartenders from around the country. A final event, Culinary Cocktails, will be held in September 2017 (details to follow).
In 2015, the National Archives Foundation and Brown partnered on a series of events in conjunction with the then-National Archives exhibit, Spirited Republic. Brown also curated a ten-part History of the Cocktail Series to discuss the role of spirits in U.S. history. Spirited Republic explored the federal government’s efforts, successes, and failures to change our drinking habits, from whiskey rations to the Continental Army to the Whiskey Rebellion to Prohibition and beyond. The exhibit used nearly 100 National Archives records and artifacts to show the evolution of the government’s alcohol policy over time, and to illustrate the wide variety of views about alcohol held by Americans.
Event: 9th Annual DC-CAPital Stars: The Music of Prince
Date: March 29, 2017 (Wednesday)
Time: 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Location: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Eisenhower Theater, 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC 20566
An evening of inspiration, the 9th Annual DC-CAPITAL Stars: The Music of Prince rolls out the red carpet to showcase the outstanding artistic abilities of college-bound students from DC public and public charter schools.This glittering “American Idol”-style talent and scholarship award event attracts over 1,000 guests, award-winning celebrity judges, and prominent civic leaders to support education through the Arts. A celebratory reception with live music and dancing follows the show. Proceeds benefit the DC College Access Program, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping DC public and public charter school high school students prepare for, enroll in and graduate from college.
Ticket Price: Performance plus gala reception: $500 ($350 is tax-deductible)
Event website: www.dccap.org/gala
Event Honoree: The evening is dedicated to The Boeing Company for their unwavering commitment to education and District of Columbia students.
Host Committee Chair: Ted Leonsis, DC-CAP Board Chair
Thursday, March 30, 2017, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
This illustrated lecture will explore the historical and political context of American-Russian relations during Henry Middleton’s post as American Minister to Russia in the 1820s and 30s.
$30, $20 Hillwood member, $20 student
4155 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008
The Willard InterContinental Washington, DC in partnership with Château d’Esclans, a prestigious estate and winery in Provence, France, will host its inaugural Rosé Romp on Saturday, April 1 from 1pm to 5pm. An official event of theNational Cherry Blossom Festival, the Rosé Romp honors Japan’s gifting of the cherry blossom trees to the city, while also celebrating the winery’s most iconic rosé wines. This elegant premier event will take place on the hotel’s outside terrace, replete with real cherry blossom trees, and feature all you can eat and drink, an exclusive ‘Art Walk’ with cherry blossom inspired artwork by local DC artists, and live music.
Guests are invited to dress in their most festive rosé attire as they sip delicious wines including Château d’Esclans wildly popular Whispering Angel Rosé, seasonal local beers, and other selections. “The idea to collaborate with the National Cherry Blossom Festival has been on my mind for many years, but as the rosé market continues to grow and Whispering Angel celebrates its 10th vintage, it is time to turn the vision into reality,” said winemaker Paul Chevalier.
Under Sacha Lichine’s leadership, Château d’Esclans now leads the luxury rosé category with Whispering Angel, Rock Angel, Les Clans and Garrus wines, the most exclusive rosé wines in the world. From the onset of his acquisition of Château d’Esclans in 2006, Lichine immediately set out to change the global perception of blush wines as unsophisticated and overly sweet, often closely associated with American white Zinfandel throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Born into winemaking as the son of acclaimed Bordeaux winemaker and writer Alexis Lichine, Sacha applied the wisdom and skills honed during his experience by investing in vinification technology and recruiting expert oenologist Patrick Léon. Whispering Angel – a benchmark for the delicate, fresh style of rosé that Sacha made famous – has grown into one of the most widely enjoyed rosés in the world, and shows no signs of slowing down.
Rosé Romp attendees will also be able to enjoy a variety of springtime inspired food stations by Executive Chef Peter Laufer and his team, including seared scallops on minted saffron couscous, salmon and pesto pinwheel on orzo pasta, and seared beef tenderloin on brioche toast with sauce béarnaise; as well as a seafood ice bar and a decadent dessert display sure to please one’s sweet tooth.
Entertainment will include an interactive ‘Art Walk’, featuring an exclusive presentation of cherry blossom inspired artwork from established and emerging artists from around DC, and live music by the Bachelor Boys, a premium five piece band.
All-inclusive tickets are $89.00 per person through March 1, when ticket prices will increase to $99.00. To purchase a ticket, please visithttps://roseromp.eventbrite.com call 202-628-9100 for more information.
Wednesday, April 12 (7 p.m.)
“54” (Miramax, 1998, R-rated*)
An American drama film written and directed by Mark Christopher about Studio 54, a world-famous New York City disco club.
Events are free and open to the public. Free tickets are required for admission to all activities. Tickets will be available beginning at 10:00 a.m. on March 30at this website. A limited number of press credentials will also be available for reservation. The deadline to reserve credentials for lectures, the symposium, and the dance party is Friday, April 28. Some of the events will be live-streamed on the Library’s Facebook page at facebook.com/libraryofcongress and its YouTube channel at youtube.com/LibraryOfCongress. All programs will take place at the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., or at its James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., both in Washington, D.C.
The excitement can be followed on Twitter at @librarycongress and #LCDisco.
4/25 – Washington, DC – Drafthouse Comedy – tickets
4/27 – Pittsburgh, PA – Arcade Comedy Theater – tickets
4/30 – Indianapolis, IN – White Rabbit Cabaret – tickets
5/2 – Nashville, TN – Zanies – tickets
5/3 – Asheville, NC – currently funding via Kickstarter
5/5 – Raleigh, NC – Kings – tickets
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 20thanniversary 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.
