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.
St. Regis Washington, D.C. hosts RodarTEA, a fashionista afternoon tea, in partnership with the Rodarte exhibition at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. There will be a Champagne sabering in the lobby, poured for guests along with elaborate pastries inspired by Rodarte fashion pieces. The tea includes round-trip luxury transportation for guests to explore the Rodarte exhibition. The cost is $80 per person, exclusive of tax and gratuity.
WHAT: “We Choose to Go to the Moon” performance
WHEN: Wednesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 15, 18
6:30–7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery
Eighth and G streets N.W.
WHO: Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company
The National Portrait Gallery will present “We Choose to Go to the Moon,” a performance by the museum’s resident Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company. Inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s “One Year: 1968, An American Odyssey” exhibition, which notably displays a portrait of the Apollo 8 astronauts, the performance reflects on America’s idealism around the space race, the mystery of the cosmos and the fragility of life.
“We Choose to Go to the Moon” was created in collaboration with NASA and includes sound bites from leading scientists and astronauts in addition to selections of pop culture music including “Stairway to Heaven” and “Fly Me to the Moon.” The title of the dance refers to a line from the 1962 speech by President John F. Kennedy about the national effort to land a man on the moon. This work was recently performed at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
WHAT: “We Choose to Go to the Moon” performance
WHEN: Wednesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 15, 18
6:30–7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery
Eighth and G streets N.W.
WHO: Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company
The National Portrait Gallery will present “We Choose to Go to the Moon,” a performance by the museum’s resident Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company. Inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s “One Year: 1968, An American Odyssey” exhibition, which notably displays a portrait of the Apollo 8 astronauts, the performance reflects on America’s idealism around the space race, the mystery of the cosmos and the fragility of life.
“We Choose to Go to the Moon” was created in collaboration with NASA and includes sound bites from leading scientists and astronauts in addition to selections of pop culture music including “Stairway to Heaven” and “Fly Me to the Moon.” The title of the dance refers to a line from the 1962 speech by President John F. Kennedy about the national effort to land a man on the moon. This work was recently performed at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
WHAT: “We Choose to Go to the Moon” performance
WHEN: Wednesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 15, 18
6:30–7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery
Eighth and G streets N.W.
WHO: Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company
The National Portrait Gallery will present “We Choose to Go to the Moon,” a performance by the museum’s resident Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company. Inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s “One Year: 1968, An American Odyssey” exhibition, which notably displays a portrait of the Apollo 8 astronauts, the performance reflects on America’s idealism around the space race, the mystery of the cosmos and the fragility of life.
“We Choose to Go to the Moon” was created in collaboration with NASA and includes sound bites from leading scientists and astronauts in addition to selections of pop culture music including “Stairway to Heaven” and “Fly Me to the Moon.” The title of the dance refers to a line from the 1962 speech by President John F. Kennedy about the national effort to land a man on the moon. This work was recently performed at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Paint Nite @ City Tap Dupont – Tuesday, December 18
Cozy up with a drink and learn how to paint your own work of art at City Tap Dupont’s Paint Nite on December 18. From 7pm to 9pm, guests can sip drinks while an instructor guides a class guiding how to paint a snowy forest scene.
The National Symphony Orchestra continues its Star Wars series this season with Return of the Jedi, in three performances on Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at 7 p.m. and Wednesday and Thursday, January 23 and 24, 2019 at 8 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. NSO Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke leads the Orchestra in John Williams’s memorable score to accompany the film as it’s shown on the big screen above the Orchestra.
Acclaimed Broadway actress and Grammy Award®–winning singer Brandy joins the NSO for her first ever collaboration with an orchestra. Brandy and the NSO, led by Steven Reineke, will explore the unlikely connections between R&B and symphony as she revisits personal favorites from across her own career and from artists and works that have inspired her. Two performances take place: Friday and Saturday, January 25 and 26, 2019 at 8 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.
The NSO concludes its Star Wars live score series with The Force Awakens(February 21–23, 2019). Other 2018–2019 NSO Pops performances include An Evening with Leslie Odom, Jr. (May 1–3, 2019) and 50 Years Over the Rainbow: A Judy Garland Celebration (June 28–29, 2019).
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets (Star Wars: $34–$149; Brandy: $39–$139) are available at the Kennedy Center Box Office, online at kennedy-center.org, and via phone through Instant Charge, (202) 467-4700; toll-free at (800) 444-1324. For all other ticket-related customer service inquires, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.
The National Symphony Orchestra continues its Star Wars series this season with Return of the Jedi, in three performances on Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at 7 p.m. and Wednesday and Thursday, January 23 and 24, 2019 at 8 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. NSO Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke leads the Orchestra in John Williams’s memorable score to accompany the film as it’s shown on the big screen above the Orchestra.
Acclaimed Broadway actress and Grammy Award®–winning singer Brandy joins the NSO for her first ever collaboration with an orchestra. Brandy and the NSO, led by Steven Reineke, will explore the unlikely connections between R&B and symphony as she revisits personal favorites from across her own career and from artists and works that have inspired her. Two performances take place: Friday and Saturday, January 25 and 26, 2019 at 8 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.
The NSO concludes its Star Wars live score series with The Force Awakens(February 21–23, 2019). Other 2018–2019 NSO Pops performances include An Evening with Leslie Odom, Jr. (May 1–3, 2019) and 50 Years Over the Rainbow: A Judy Garland Celebration (June 28–29, 2019).
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets (Star Wars: $34–$149; Brandy: $39–$139) are available at the Kennedy Center Box Office, online at kennedy-center.org, and via phone through Instant Charge, (202) 467-4700; toll-free at (800) 444-1324. For all other ticket-related customer service inquires, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.
Step Afrika! launches its 25th anniversary at the Music Center at Strathmore with a retrospective of the Company’s best-loved works on Sunday, January 20, 2019 at 5 p.m. The performance continues Strathmore’s rich collaboration with Step Afrika!, started in 2014, to celebrate step by showcasing some of the art form’s best 
performers annually on its hallmark Music Center stage. The performance includes selected works from Step Afrika!’s history, including Wade,Passing 25, and Nxt/Stp: Hip Hop. The wide range of work demonstrates the versatility of step, connecting it to hip hop, African American spirituals, and South African traditional and contemporary dance forms. Dem Raider Boyz Step Squad of Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Prince George’s County will open the show; the troupe achieved national notoriety on NBC’s reality-competition show World of Dance in 2018. For more information call (301) 581-5100 or visitwww.strathmore.org.
Step Afrika! was founded in 1994 as the first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping. It now ranks as one of the top African American dance companies in the United States. The Company blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities, African traditional dance, and influences from a variety of other dance and art forms. Performances traditionally integrate song, storytelling, humor, and audience participation.
In 2019, Step Afrika! will launch its first tour in Ukraine and will return to South Africa in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the historic election of President Nelson Mandela. Step Afrika! has performed at the White House for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, headlining their Presidential Black History Month Reception, and is also featured prominently at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in the world’s first stepping interactive—a video installation where patrons can learn the basics of step straight from Step Afrika! instructors. They also brought a step showcase to New York’s famed theater district for the first time, with a three-week, sold-out engagement at the New Victory Theater.
The National Symphony Orchestra continues its Star Wars series this season with Return of the Jedi, in three performances on Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at 7 p.m. and Wednesday and Thursday, January 23 and 24, 2019 at 8 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. NSO Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke leads the Orchestra in John Williams’s memorable score to accompany the film as it’s shown on the big screen above the Orchestra.
Acclaimed Broadway actress and Grammy Award®–winning singer Brandy joins the NSO for her first ever collaboration with an orchestra. Brandy and the NSO, led by Steven Reineke, will explore the unlikely connections between R&B and symphony as she revisits personal favorites from across her own career and from artists and works that have inspired her. Two performances take place: Friday and Saturday, January 25 and 26, 2019 at 8 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.
The NSO concludes its Star Wars live score series with The Force Awakens(February 21–23, 2019). Other 2018–2019 NSO Pops performances include An Evening with Leslie Odom, Jr. (May 1–3, 2019) and 50 Years Over the Rainbow: A Judy Garland Celebration (June 28–29, 2019).
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets (Star Wars: $34–$149; Brandy: $39–$139) are available at the Kennedy Center Box Office, online at kennedy-center.org, and via phone through Instant Charge, (202) 467-4700; toll-free at (800) 444-1324. For all other ticket-related customer service inquires, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.
