BlackRock Center for the Arts will hold its annual gala on Friday, May 6 from 6:00pm–10:00pm. The gala theme is “An Evening of Wonder: Celebrating the Magic of the Arts at BlackRock.” In recent years, BlackRock has emerged as a noteworthy community asset, establishing Upper Montgomery County as a sought-after destination to live, work, and play, with its stellar performances, professional quality, and diverse offerings. Though it may seem the Center’s success happened overnight—like magic—it is instead a result of years of hard work and civic leadership in a forward-thinking community, one whose residents value the arts, their impact on the human spirit and their role in creating vibrant communities. Members of the public are invited to attend the event and celebrate the arts in Upper Montgomery County. Individual tickets to “An Evening of Wonder” cost $195 and can be purchased online at
The evening’s schedule for “An Evening of Wonder: Celebrating the Magic of the Arts at BlackRock” includes cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, silent and live auctions, a three-course dinner, live entertainment, fund-a-need, dessert, and an after-party with dancing. In addition, there will be an awards celebration honoring Therrien Waddell and Jean Casey for their outstanding dedication to the arts in our community. The gala is co-chaired by Jennifer Russel and Chester Anderson and this year’s Honorary Co-Chairs are the Honorable Isiah Leggett and Mrs. Catherine Leggett.
Gala sponsors as of February 9, 2016 include: Lauren Kay Pollin; Dataprise; Adventist Health Care; Hughes, an Echostar Company; John and Sheila Compton; Montgomery College; Shops at Town Center; Sugarloaf Trails; Clarksburg Premium Outlets; Bethesda Magazine; Black Hill, a project of Lerner; Minkoff Development; Matan; Sugarplum Tent Company; Wegmans; &pizza; Elm Street Developments; Jade Solutions, LLC; M&T Bank; Melane and Tom Hoffmann; Margie and Tom Quelet; Zoes Kitchen; and wine sponsorship by Randy and Kathy Scritchfield. Jean Casey, Beth Daly, and Hammet Hough are Individual Sponsors of the event.
For the second year in a row Silent Dance Society (SDS) enlivens DC neighborhoods with a late night music and dance experience that doesn’t disturb any neighbors. The multisensory Silent Disco experience lets guests dance to 3 different music genres played by 3 live DJs as they take in the summer air and gorgeous views from city’s best rooftops. The wireless headset technology lets attendees completely submerge into the music as they switch between the different live streaming DJ channels. The music is transmitted directly to each headset so that one can adjust the volume to their liking or step away from the dance floor without losing the beat.
In partnership with the Cambria Hotel & Suites, SDS is bringing the weekly Silent Disco experience to Shaw neighborhood – every Saturday, May 7th through September 3rd from 8pm – 12am.
In partnership with the Embassy Ro Hotel, SDS is bringing the weekly Silent Disco experience to Dupont Circle neighborhood – every Friday, May 20th through September 2nd from 6pm-11pm
WHO: 3 Live DJs, 3 Different Music Channels, 1 Open Air Dance Floor
WHEN: Season Kick-off – Saturday, May 7th
8pm-12am
WHERE: Cambria Rooftop, 899 O Street NW, Washington DC
TICKETS: $10-15 online headset rental; $20 at the door if not sold-out http://silentdisco-may7.eventbrite.com, www.silentdancesociety.com
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC (GMCW) commemorates its milestone 35thanniversary with Carmina 35 at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall onSunday, May 8, 2016 at 8 p.m., under the direction of Artistic Director Thea Kano. For more information, visit www.GMCW.org.
GMCW partners with New York’s Gallim Dance and 40 members of the New York City Master Chorale to perform a perennial favorite of classical music, Carl Orff’s canonical Carmina Burana. Soloists lending their talent to this performance are soprano Paige Cutrona, tenor Robert Baker, and baritone Young Kwang Yoo. The performance will also feature new choreography by the industrious Andrea Miller, Artistic Director for Gallim Dance.
A leading contemporary dance company based in New York, this collaboration complements the ethos of Gallim Dance, which celebrates the human spirit through works deeply rooted in the human experience of love, struggle and spirituality. Miller created a loose narrative for nine dancers, harnessing the passion and physicality that the music inspires to explore different relationships—same sex and heterosexual, romantic, platonic, and familial. She channels a spectrum of emotions—passion, sexuality, tension, struggle, joy—through characteristically big, bold movement.
This production of Carmina Burana will also be performed at Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.
Orff’s sweeping masterwork is paired with touchstones from GMCW’s history. The second half of the concert will be bookended with significant works commissioned by GMCW— “Build A House” fromAlexander’s House and “This House Shall Stand” from Songs of My Family. The Chorus will also perform favorite selections from past concerts, as well as “This Train,” the first song rehearsed at GMCW’s inaugural rehearsal in 1981, GMCW’s anthem “Make Them Hear You” from Broadway’s Ragtime, and “We Kiss in Shadow,” performed by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus at the Kennedy Center in 1980, which served as the inspiration to start a DC-based gay men’s chorus.
Historical significance
A torchbearer and consistent, unified voice for equality, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC has been a steady presence in its community and at historic events that have impacted LGBT people. In 2013, GMCW sang on the steps of the Supreme Court when the Defense of Marriage Act was struck down, and returned in 2015 to sing jubilantly when the court ruled in favor of marriage equality. That same year, GMCW was the first LGBT chorus invited to perform in Cuba on a 10-day cultural and educational tour, helping to spread awareness about equality. The chorus sang at the Lincoln Memorial in 2008 for the first inauguration of President Barack Obama, performing “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” with Josh Groban and Heather Headley. Additionally, GMCW vocal ensemble Potomac Fever performed at the White House in 2012 for the first-ever LGBT reception honoring rising LGBT leaders.
The chorus has grown from 90 members in its first season to more than 200 singing members today, educating and entertaining more than 10,000 patrons annually.
Spring Fest presented by Cathedral Commons, a new mixed-use development on Wisconsin Avenue in Washington, D.C., will be in full bloom onSaturday, May 14 from 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. The free event, curated by Art Soiree, will combine art, music, family-friendly fun and food throughout the day. Stroll the streets and listen to live musical performances, peruse local art, and taste delicious food and beverage offerings from neighborhood restaurants, and enter in for a chance to win prizes and giveaways from area retailers. Festivities take place rain or shine.
-12:00pm Open Air Workout (Bring your mat and join in )
– 12:45pm Miguelito Flamenco Band & Dancers
– 2:00pm Kiss & Ride Band (Blues/Jazz/Soul)
– 3:00pm Tara Hendricks Band (Brit Pop/Soul/R&B)
– 4:00pm Joi Carter (Alternative, Rock and So Much More!)
WHEN: Saturday, May 14, 2016
WHERE: Cathedral Commons, 3401 Idaho Avenue, Northwest, Washington, DC 20016
Calvary Women’s Services 15th Annual Hope Awards Dinner
When: May 18, 2016 6:00 – 9:00 PM
Where: Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20004
Cost: $250.00
Calvary Women’s Services will host the 15th Annual Hope Awards Dinner on May 18 in celebration of women who are overcoming homelessness and changing their lives. Join Calvary for an uplifting event that includes a cocktail reception, silent and live auction, dinner and inspirational stories shared by women who are impacted by Calvary’s programs.
This year we are delighted to present the Hope Award to Erica May-Scherzer for her active engagement in nonprofit issues and causes including women’s empowerment, education and at-risk youth.
Proceeds from the Hope Awards Dinner will support Calvary’s housing, health, education and employment programs for women who are homeless.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016 | 6-8 pm
Beuchert’s Saloon (623 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20003)
Tickets at gourmetsymphony.org/events
Ticket includes: beer tastings, passed small plates & live chamber music.
The Cathedral Choral Society will host a community sing-along, “Schubert is Great,” on Sunday, June 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Washington National Cathedral. Music Director J. Reilly Lewis will conduct, accompanied by Todd Fickley on the Great Organ. Two works by Schubert will be read:Great is Jehovah, the Lord and Mass No. 2 in G. Tickets are $10, including score rental. Singers of all abilities are welcome.
The chorus will be joined by three guest soloists: Suzanne Karpov, soprano; Jonas Hacker, tenor; and Timothy Bruno, bass.
“Our community sing-alongs are a fantastic opportunity to experience the joy of choral singing in Washington National Cathedral. No matter your singing background, all voices are welcome to join in this fun event,” said Executive Director Genevieve Twomey.
Cathedral Sings is a twice annual program of the Cathedral Choral Society intended to promote lifelong singing. This is the final sing-along of the 2015/16 Season. The Cathedral Choral Society begins the 2016/17 Season – the organization’s 75th – in October. More information on the season’s concerts can be found online.
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About the Cathedral Choral Society: The Cathedral Choral Society is the resident symphonic chorus of Washington National Cathedral. Now in its 74thseason, the 145-voice chorus presents an inspiring concert season at the Cathedral and shares the joy of choral singing throughout the Greater Washington, DC Area through its community engagement programs.
For Tickets: All tickets are $10, and include the cost of score rental. To purchase tickets, or for additional information, please call (202) 537-2228 | (877) 537-2228 or visit the website, www.cathedralchoralsociety.org. Tickets will be available for purchase at the door the day of the performance.
At a Glance:
- Cathedral Sings: Schubert is Great, Sunday, June 12, 7:30 p.m., Washington
National Cathedral
- Tickets (includes score rental): $10
- Singers of all abilities welcome
- Music to be read: Schubert’s Great is Jehovah, the Lord and Mass No. 2 in G
- J. Reilly Lewis, conductor
- Guest soloists: Suzanne Karpov, soprano; Jonas Hacker, tenor; and Timothy Bruno, bass
Jefferson Awards Foundation’s 44th Annual National Ceremony
Thursday, June 16th, 2016
WHO: Arne Duncan (former United States Secretary of Education), Sean Parker (founder, Napster), Sophia Sanchez-Maes, Kyle Zimmer (President and CEO, First Book) and many more to come…
WHAT:
The Jefferson Awards Foundation,the country’s longest standing and most prestigious organization dedicated to activating and celebrating public service, will host its annual National Ceremony at Mandarin Oriental’s Grand Ballroom to honor the most outstanding achievements in public service. The Jefferson Awards programs train and empower individuals and youth to serve and lead in their communities, amplifying their impact through our vast network of media partners, mentors and volunteers.
This year’s national honorees are: Arne Duncan, Sean Parker, Kyle Zimmer and Sophia Sanchez-Maes
WHEN: Thursday, June 16, 2016
Time: 6-9pm
WHERE: Mandarin Oriental
Grand Ballroom
1330 Maryland Ave, SW
Ticket Pricing: Starts at $500
Website: http://www.
Link to Buy Ticket: https://app.
