Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: A maestro, a yogi, and an orchestra walk into a tunnel. There’s no punchline, just an amazing and unique one-night experience awaiting fans of live music and yoga on Sunday, Oct. 21st, as the American Pops Orchestra and yogi Michael Peterson will host their first Music and Mindfulness practice and concert at Dupont Underground.
Here’s what to expect:
Will there really be a live orchestra at a yoga class?
Yes — the American Pops Orchestra is versatile and nimble in size and musical stylings. To fit the space and vibe of this event, APO Founder and Musical Director Luke Frazier will conduct and play piano along with the Pops’ Chamber Ensemble: four cellos and one percussionist. APO’s principal percussionist Jeremy Yaddaw co-wrote the original score of an interwoven soundscape of classic Broadway melodies arranged in an eastern meditative style. Playing this music live in Dupont Underground lends an acoustic sound similar to a cathedral or the Paris catacombs.
What’s it like to do yoga in Dupont Underground?
Instructor Michael Peterson will guide participants on a journey through mindfulness and flexibility as the orchestra plays. This practice is open to all, no matter their level of ability. At last year’s event, there were people doing yoga for the first time and some simply sitting to enjoy the music and meditation without being physically engaged. Seating will be available for those seeking a calming experience.
Dupont Underground is a 15,000 square foot space that can accommodate up to 250 people for this event. Previous shows have sold out, and tickets are available here. Water, tea, juice and other snacks will be available for purchase, and participants should bring their own mats and towels. It is advisable to dress in layers to keep warm during the relaxation part of the session. The session will last 75 minutes.
How did this collaboration happen?
Frazier began practicing yoga a few years ago and was instantly enamored with the focus, strength and meditation yoga brings.
“As I spent more time doing yoga, I also spent more time thinking about how live music would enhance the experience,” says Frazier. “So I decided to combine these two loves into something different and exciting that allows us to explore the parallels between yoga and live music in real time.”
Before finding his calling as a yoga teacher, Michael Peterson studied dance and theater, and even played the drums.
“Sometimes in yoga we get so focused on technique, we don’t really let it be a fun and creative process,” says Peterson. “The atmosphere of a yoga class is so central to the practice, and live music has a way of creating a more artistic and creative atmosphere that rejuvenates the soul. It’s this communal experience where we all come together to create and experience something that only happens right in that moment.”
The practice on October 21 is the first in a series. The other practices will take place at Dupont Underground on April 13 and May 8, 2019 at 6pm.
Come by and celebrate dance and art with DTSBDC and other arts-interested Washingtonians ahead of the premiere of “Silhouettes” at the National Portrait Gallery. Monday, October 22nd, 6:30-8:30pm at the Darlington House in Dupont Circle (1610 20th Street NW): First drink (cocktail, wine or beer) and an array of yummy hors d’oeuvres will be included. Cash bar available for additional orders. RSVP here: https://silhouettes_
The modern dance company is at a unique intersection of visual art and modern dance with choreographer Dana Tai Soon Burgess creating dance works inspired by museum exhibitions as the Smithsonian’s first-ever choreographer-in-residence.
Dr. Erick Hosaka of Hosaka Dental, Board Member of Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company, and The Diplomats of Dance Society are hosting a Happy two-Hour ahead of the premiere of “Silhouettes” at the National Portrait Gallery (Saturday, October 27th and Monday, October 30th). More info below:
About “Silhouettes”:
Dana Tai Soon Burgess, the Smithsonian’s first ever Choreographer-in-Residence, and his company will respond to the amazing “Black Out” exhibition in a poignant modern dance work with video by designer Kelly Colburn on Saturday, October 27th and Monday, October 30th at the National Portrait Gallery, McEvoy Auditorium, 6:30pm.
“Black Out: Silhouettes Then and Now,” an exhibition that explores the relatively unstudied art form of silhouettes—cut paper profiles—which were a hugely popular and democratic form of portraiture in the 19th century.
RSVP required: https://silhouettes_
All RSVP/giving levels are a tax-deductible donation to Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company, a 501c3 nonprofit arts organization.
Arena Stage will host a silent and live wine auction on Friday, October 26, 2018 at the Mead Center for American Theater (1101 Sixth St., SW). The event is helmed by Arena Stage Trustees Judith N. Batty, Gene Samburg and Beth Newburger Schwartz.
The evening kicks off at 6:30 p.m. with a reception and silent auction, followed by a seated dinner, paired with wines donated by Total Wine & More. Event attendees will have the opportunity to bid on exclusive items and experiences throughout the event, including the Bordeaux Experience, valued at $5,000, where two couples traveling together will enjoy a three-night stay in a château in romantic Bordeaux, with VIP treatment, including one-of-a-kind vineyard and winery tours, private wine tastings and an insider’s look at winemaking in France’s most famous wine region. Also available for bid is a one-week stay in a four bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom private residence villa at the Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, valued at $20,000, with an infinity edged heated plunge pool, spacious covered terrace and patio, hot tub, panoramic Pacific Ocean view and full kitchen (3,600 feet of indoor space and 3,600 feet of outdoor space). Winners of the Punta Mita package will enjoy full use of the Four Seasons Resort facilities and amenities, including room service. The following wines will also be available for bid:
- 2007 Schrader CCS Cabernet Sauvignon, WS 100; RP 100, valued at $1,000
- 2004 Harlan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, WS 98 ; RP 98, valued at $1,000
- 2008 Penfolds Grange Shiraz, WS 100 ; RP 100,,valued at $750
- 2007 Staglin 25th Anniversary Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, WS 95, RP 96, valued at $750
- 2002 Sloan Cabernet Sauvignon, WS 99; RP 100, valued at $750
Additional auction items will be announced at a later date.
All proceeds from the evening support Arena Stage’s award-winning artistic and community engagement programs.
Individual tickets start at $300. Space is limited. For additional event details, visit arenastage.org/support/
El Día de los Muertos Celebration
Thursday, Nov. 1, 5:30 p.m.
Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard
Join us for an evening of music, dancing and crafts in celebration of Latin American heritage, including special performances by the DC-based band Los Gallos Negros and dancers from the Maru Montero Dance Company.
Morning at the Museum
Saturday, Nov. 10, 10–11:30 a.m.
Kogod Courtyard
Experience a sensory-friendly program for families of children with disabilities. The program includes early entrance into the museum, facilitated activities and a Take-a-Break Space. Registration Required. To learn more about the program or to register, contact Ashley Grady at NPGaccess@si.edu.
UnSeen: Past, Present and Future
Tuesday, Nov. 13, 6:30 p.m.
Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium
This roundtable discussion of the museum’s special exhibition “UnSeen: Our Past in a New Light, Ken Gonzales-Day and Titus Kaphar” will include contemporary artists Gonzales-Day and Kaphar, Portrait Gallery curators Taína Caragol and Asma Naeem, and Sheryll Cashin, a writer and law professor at Georgetown University. Several other artists, cultural critics, and scholars will join the conversation, which promises to touch on ideas of race, identity and pluralism. Registration is required at npg.eventbrite.com.
Join in on November 16, 2018 from 6:00-10:00PM for an ArtJamz Neon Paint Party celebrating the Fall Season in the District. During an ArtJamz Neon Paint Party you can paint our walls (or buy a canvas) using neon paint while under a blacklight. Tickets for the Neon Paint Party are $15 per person. They include 1HR of studio time, neon paint, other art materials, 1 complimentary craft cocktail and jamming glow in the dark fun. They’ll be playing awesome music and getting creative in the dark.
Mars Urban Arts Initiative and Washington Performing Arts Gospel Choirs
VeVe & tha Rebels
Saturday, December 1, 5 p.m.
The LINE Hotel
2018/19 Mars Urban Arts Initiative ensemble-in-residence VeVe & tha Rebels performs original Afro-folk at The LINE DC, Washingtonian Magazine’s “favorite hotel at which to hang out.” This concert will be broadcast live via The Line DC’s Full Service Radio online stream.
Free and open to the public.
Co-presented with The LINE DC.
Washington Performing Arts’ Mars Urban Arts Initiative is generously supported by Jacqueline Badger Mars and Mars, Incorporated.
When: Saturday, December 1, 6 to 8pm
Where: Soulex Float Spa, 1010 Massachussettes Avenue, NW
What: Celebrate the holiday season than with an evening of meditation, mindfulness, and creativity. In partnership with Mental Health America (MHA), SOULEX float spa is excited to host a DIY Bath Salts Charity Workshop. The evening will open with a discussion lead by a representative from Mental Health America. Then we will guide you through a brief meditation to set your mind into a state of calm. The remainder of our evening will be dedicated to creativity. We will provide all the attendees with a portion of bath salt and a myriad of dried herbs, florals, and essential oils to infuse into your very own take-home bath salts. Proceeds will go to help Mental Health America on their mission to spread mental health awareness and aid across the country. 100% of ticket sales will be donated to Mental Health America. Attendees will be able to purchase promotional pricing on float packages that evening in which 30% of the total sales will be donated to Mental Health America.
How: Tickets are $10 available here
On Sunday, December 2, 2018 at 3:30pm, German-born composer, vocalist, and internationally renowned theremin virtuoso Carolina Eyck and the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) will perform presented by the National Gallery of Art in the West Building, West Garden Court (entrance at Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue). Doors open to the public at 3pm, and admission is free.
Eyck and ACME will give the Washington, DC premiere of Eyck’s Fantasias for theremin and string quartet, and Eyck will perform her solo songs Music on a Painting and Delphic. The program includes composer and The National guitarist Bryce Dessner’s Little Blue Something for string quartet, performed by ACME, and will feature improvised selections by Eyck and ACME cellist and artistic director Clarice Jensen. In addition to Jensen, the ACME players for this concert are Ben Russell, violin; Keats Dieffenbach, violin; and Isabel Hagen, viola.
Fantasias was released to critical acclaim on Butterscotch Records in 2016. For the project, Eyck composed six minimalist-inspired string quartet pieces, over which she improvises a solo theremin part. With these pieces, Eyck strives to “sonically investigate the interplay between nature and human imagination.” Eyck’s musically daring and physically challenging compositions defy easy classification, while her uncanny mastery of the theremin and use of electronic effects bring an authentically fresh sonic pallet to the forefront. Her Fantasias range from slow-evolving arpeggiations reminiscent of Reich and Glass, to alternative bowing and fingering techniques that achieve an ethereal ambience, to athletic explorations reminiscent of Bartók’s String Quartets.
Eyck’s striking theremin performances showcase her dead-aim intonation, her command of microtonality, her fluid melodicism, and her lack of self-consciousness as an improvisor. This latter quality is no accident, as Eyck has practiced improvisation for years, and has even studied techniques typically aimed at athletes for entering flow-states and shutting down critical inner dialogue.
Since making her debut in the Berlin Philharmonie, Carolina Eyck has been invited to perform all over the world. The BBC World Service proclaims, “Carolina Eyck is one of the world’s leading theremin players … and is a pioneer of this relatively new instrument,” and Cicero calls her the “queen of the theremin.” She was a winner of the 2015 ECHO-Classic prize in Germany for Concert Recording of the Year (Music 20./21.Century), and her book The Art of Playing the Theremin (written when she was 17) teaches the theremin technique she developed at age 14.
