Dec
2
Sun
Carolina Eyck Performs at National Gallery of Art @ National Gallery of Art
Dec 2 @ 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM

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.

Dec
6
Thu
Suspicious Package Holiday Party @ Tropicalia
Dec 6 @ 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Put some rock in your Christmas stocking!   Join Suspicious Package and friends on Thursday December 6 for a holiday jam at Tropicalia bar 14th and U St NW, 7pm bar, 8pm concert.  Hope to see you for drinks, tunes and holiday cheer!

Suspicious Package Holiday Party

Thursday December 6 2018

Tropicalia 2001 14th St NW WDC

Metro:  U St

7pm  bar

8pm  show

The contents of Suspicious Package are:

Tim Burger * Bryan Greene * Josh Meyer * Christina Sevilla * Tom Toles

Dec
12
Wed
National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) Holiday Concert @ The Anthem
Dec 12 @ 8:00 PM – 11:00 PM

The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) will return to D.C.’s hottest entertainment venue, The Anthem, for a special, one-night-only holiday concert, presented by I.M.P. on Wednesday, December 12 at 8 p.m. Tickets for National Symphony Orchestra: Holidays at The Anthem are $15, $25 and $35, and can be purchased at The Anthem Box Office, online, and via phone at 1.877.4FLY.TIX.

After its debut appearance at The Anthem last fall, the NSO returns to collaborate with this award-winning new venue at The Wharf for a concert of seasonal favorites including music from The Nutcracker, Greensleeves, and “Carol of the Bells,” as well as an audience sing along, featuring “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty, the Snowman,” “Here Comes Santa Claus,” “Jingle Bells” and more. Nicholas Hersh conducts. As always, The Anthem will feature a full bar and food for purchase.

Concert details follow: 

Wednesday, December 12, 2018, at 8 p.m.; doors open at 6 :30 p.m.

The Anthem, 901 Wharf Street, SW, Washington, D.C.

 

 

NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Nicholas Hersh, conductor

 

Anderson                       A Christmas Festival

Waldteufel                     Skater’s Waltz

Vaughn Williams           Fantasia on “Greensleeves”

Herbert                          Babes in Toyland

Prokofiev                       “Troika” from Lt. Kije Suite

 

Tchaikovsky                  Selections from The Nutcracker

Overture

Marche

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies

Trepak

Waltz of the Flowers

Humperdinck                  Dream Pantomime from Hansel and Gretel

Hayman                         Carol of the Bells

Various                           Jingle Jangle Singalong

 

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets ($15, $25, $35) are available at the Anthem Box Office, online, and via phone at 1.877.4FLY.TIX.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The 2018–2019 season marks the National Symphony Orchestra’s 88th, and Gianandrea Noseda’s second as its music director. The Italian conductor serves as the Orchestra’s seventh music director, joining the NSO’s legacy of distinguished leaders. Its artistic leadership also includes Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke and Artistic Advisor Ben Folds.

Founded in 1931, the Orchestra has always been committed to artistic excellence and music education. In 1986, the National Symphony became an artistic affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs year-round. The NSO’s community engagement projects are nationally recognized, including NSO In Your Neighborhood, an annual week of approximately 50 performances in schools, churches, community centers, and other unexpected venues; Notes of Honor, which offers free performances for active, veteran, prior service, and retired members of the military and their families; and Sound Health, a collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and its affiliated organizations. Career development opportunities for young musicians include the NSO Youth Fellowship Program and its tuition-free Summer Music Institute. For more information, visit nationalsymphony.org.

Dec
14
Fri
NSO Holiday Pops! w/Ashley Brown @ Kennedy Center
Dec 14 @ 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM

The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) performs its annual A Holiday Pops! concerts with Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke on Friday, December 14 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, December 15, at 2 and 8 p.m., at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.

Guest vocalist Ashley Brown, who originated the role of Mary Poppins on Broadway, makes her NSO debut in A Holiday Pops!. She joins the NSO and The Washington Chorus in this festive program for all ages, featuring seasonal favorites including “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Winter Wonderland,” and “Deck the Halls,” as well as an audience sing along, and perhaps a visit from a certain resident of the North Pole!

Concert details follow: 

Friday, December 14, 2018 at 8 p.m.

Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 2 p.m.

Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 8 p.m.

Kennedy Center Concert Hall

NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Steven Reineke, conductor

Ashley Brown, vocals

The Washington Chorus

Christopher Bell, Artistic Director

A HOLIDAY POPS! UNDER THE MISTLETOE

 

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets ($24–$99) 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.

 

ABOUT THE NSO POPS

Show-stopping pops concerts have been a staple of the National Symphony Orchestra’s more than 80 years of performances. These concerts have ranged from performances on a barge on the Potomac River, to concerts on the Ellipse, and in National Parks around the greater Washington area.  The 2000–2001 season saw the creation of the post of Principal Pops Conductor specifically for Broadway great Marvin Hamlisch, who held the position until the 2010–2011 season. The 2011–2012 season was the first with Steven Reineke as Principal Pops Conductor.  NSO Pops performances take place at all the NSO’s principal performance venues: Wolf Trap, the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, and in the NSO’s primary home, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, with a subscription season featuring the Orchestra with guest artists from a variety of musical genres.

Dec
15
Sat
Joy of Christmas Concerts @ National Cathedral
Dec 15 @ 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

The Cathedral Choral Society will celebrate the season with its

annual Joy of Christmas concerts at the Washington National Cathedral. There will be

three performances: Saturday, December 15 at 2:00 and 7:00 pm and Sunday,

December 16 at 4:00 pm. The chorus, led by Music Director Steven Fox, will be joined

by Seraph Brass and The Madrigal Singers from National Cathedral School and St.

Albans School.

A well-loved holiday tradition, this is the 42 nd year the organization has been presenting

these Christmas concerts. The program will include beloved Christmas choral music and

festive sing-alongs. Program highlights include Once in Royal David's City (arr.

Willcocks), Riu, Riu, Chiu (Traditional), Jesus Christ, the Apple Tree (Poston), Ave Maria

(Rachmaninoff), On Christmas Night (arr. Ledger), Hymn to the Mother of God (Britten),

The Blessed Son of God (Vaughan Williams), Mary Had a Baby (arr. Dawson), Welcome

All Wonders (Dirksen), Lo, How a Rose Ere Blooming, and Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

A special feature of the program will be a premiere of a new work by popular composer

Paul Moravec, commissioned by the Cathedral Choral Society.

The concert marks the conducting debut of Cathedral Choral Society’s new Music

Director Steven Fox. In addition to his new role as Music Director, Steven Fox is also

the Artistic Director of The Clarion Orchestra and The Clarion Choir, and Founder of

Musica Antiqua St. Petersburg. A 2017 GRAMMY® nominee, he has appeared as a

guest conductor with many renowned ensembles including Philharmonia Baroque

Orchestra in San Francisco, Handel and Haydn Society in Boston, Juilliard415 at Lincoln

Center, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, the Quebec Symphony Orchestra, l'Opéra

de Québec, Music of the Baroque in Chicago, and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.

Joy of Christmas Concerts @ National Cathedral
Dec 15 @ 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

The Cathedral Choral Society will celebrate the season with its
annual Joy of Christmas concerts at the Washington National Cathedral. There will be
three performances: Saturday, December 15 at 2:00 and 7:00 pm and Sunday,
December 16 at 4:00 pm. The chorus, led by Music Director Steven Fox, will be joined
by Seraph Brass and The Madrigal Singers from National Cathedral School and St.
Albans School.
A well-loved holiday tradition, this is the 42 nd year the organization has been presenting
these Christmas concerts. The program will include beloved Christmas choral music and
festive sing-alongs. Program highlights include Once in Royal David's City (arr.
Willcocks), Riu, Riu, Chiu (Traditional), Jesus Christ, the Apple Tree (Poston), Ave Maria
(Rachmaninoff), On Christmas Night (arr. Ledger), Hymn to the Mother of God (Britten),
The Blessed Son of God (Vaughan Williams), Mary Had a Baby (arr. Dawson), Welcome
All Wonders (Dirksen), Lo, How a Rose Ere Blooming, and Hark the Herald Angels Sing.
A special feature of the program will be a premiere of a new work by popular composer
Paul Moravec, commissioned by the Cathedral Choral Society.
The concert marks the conducting debut of Cathedral Choral Society’s new Music
Director Steven Fox. In addition to his new role as Music Director, Steven Fox is also
the Artistic Director of The Clarion Orchestra and The Clarion Choir, and Founder of
Musica Antiqua St. Petersburg. A 2017 GRAMMY® nominee, he has appeared as a
guest conductor with many renowned ensembles including Philharmonia Baroque
Orchestra in San Francisco, Handel and Haydn Society in Boston, Juilliard415 at Lincoln
Center, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, the Quebec Symphony Orchestra, l'Opéra
de Québec, Music of the Baroque in Chicago, and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.

National Chamber Ensemble – Holiday Time Warp @ Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington
Dec 15 @ 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM

NATIONAL CHAMBER ENSEMBLE – HOLIDAY TIME WARP 

Saturday, December 15, 2018   7:30PM

Concert location:

Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington
4444 Arlington Blvd,
Arlington 22204
Free on-site parking
Tickets:
General admission tickets are $36 for adults and $18 for students, plus applicable service charges.Group discounts for 10 or more are available by calling (703) 685-7590. Tickets are available online at https://www.nationalchamberensemble.org/tickets.htm
NSO Holiday Pops! w/Ashley Brown @ Kennedy Center
Dec 15 @ 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM

The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) performs its annual A Holiday Pops! concerts with Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke on Friday, December 14 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, December 15, at 2 and 8 p.m., at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.

Guest vocalist Ashley Brown, who originated the role of Mary Poppins on Broadway, makes her NSO debut in A Holiday Pops!. She joins the NSO and The Washington Chorus in this festive program for all ages, featuring seasonal favorites including “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Winter Wonderland,” and “Deck the Halls,” as well as an audience sing along, and perhaps a visit from a certain resident of the North Pole!

Concert details follow: 

Friday, December 14, 2018 at 8 p.m.

Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 2 p.m.

Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 8 p.m.

Kennedy Center Concert Hall

NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Steven Reineke, conductor

Ashley Brown, vocals

The Washington Chorus

Christopher Bell, Artistic Director

A HOLIDAY POPS! UNDER THE MISTLETOE

 

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets ($24–$99) 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.

 

ABOUT THE NSO POPS

Show-stopping pops concerts have been a staple of the National Symphony Orchestra’s more than 80 years of performances. These concerts have ranged from performances on a barge on the Potomac River, to concerts on the Ellipse, and in National Parks around the greater Washington area.  The 2000–2001 season saw the creation of the post of Principal Pops Conductor specifically for Broadway great Marvin Hamlisch, who held the position until the 2010–2011 season. The 2011–2012 season was the first with Steven Reineke as Principal Pops Conductor.  NSO Pops performances take place at all the NSO’s principal performance venues: Wolf Trap, the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, and in the NSO’s primary home, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, with a subscription season featuring the Orchestra with guest artists from a variety of musical genres.

Dec
16
Sun
Joy of Christmas Concerts @ National Cathedral
Dec 16 @ 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

The Cathedral Choral Society will celebrate the season with its
annual Joy of Christmas concerts at the Washington National Cathedral. There will be
three performances: Saturday, December 15 at 2:00 and 7:00 pm and Sunday,
December 16 at 4:00 pm. The chorus, led by Music Director Steven Fox, will be joined
by Seraph Brass and The Madrigal Singers from National Cathedral School and St.
Albans School.
A well-loved holiday tradition, this is the 42 nd year the organization has been presenting
these Christmas concerts. The program will include beloved Christmas choral music and
festive sing-alongs. Program highlights include Once in Royal David's City (arr.
Willcocks), Riu, Riu, Chiu (Traditional), Jesus Christ, the Apple Tree (Poston), Ave Maria
(Rachmaninoff), On Christmas Night (arr. Ledger), Hymn to the Mother of God (Britten),
The Blessed Son of God (Vaughan Williams), Mary Had a Baby (arr. Dawson), Welcome
All Wonders (Dirksen), Lo, How a Rose Ere Blooming, and Hark the Herald Angels Sing.
A special feature of the program will be a premiere of a new work by popular composer
Paul Moravec, commissioned by the Cathedral Choral Society.
The concert marks the conducting debut of Cathedral Choral Society’s new Music
Director Steven Fox. In addition to his new role as Music Director, Steven Fox is also
the Artistic Director of The Clarion Orchestra and The Clarion Choir, and Founder of
Musica Antiqua St. Petersburg. A 2017 GRAMMY® nominee, he has appeared as a
guest conductor with many renowned ensembles including Philharmonia Baroque
Orchestra in San Francisco, Handel and Haydn Society in Boston, Juilliard415 at Lincoln
Center, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, the Quebec Symphony Orchestra, l'Opéra
de Québec, Music of the Baroque in Chicago, and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.

Dec
22
Sat
The King’s Singers at National Cathedral @ National Cathedral
Dec 22 @ 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM

The Grammy Award-winning all-male a cappella sextet The King’s Singers return to the National Cathedral this December for the final stop on their 2018 North American Christmas tour. The concert is Saturday, December 22 at 7:30pm. The program, GOLD Christmas, celebrates The King’s Singers 50thbirthday, with music that has defined the group’s first half century as well as new commissions from their three-disc anniversary album, GOLD. Of course, popular Christmas carols have a prominent place on the program, sung with The King’s Singers’ trademark purity of tone, blend, and British wit. In addition to being the final concert of The King’s Singers’ 50thanniversary season, this will also be the last concert for second countertenor Timothy Wayne-Wright and second baritone Christopher Gabbitas, both departing after many seasons with the group.

Tickets to The King’s Singers GOLD Christmas at Washington National Cathedral (3101 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC 20016) are $25-$95, with $15 tickets available for students, and can be purchased at cathedral.org or by calling 202-537-6200.

Full program information:

The King’s Singers GOLD Christmas

WHAT CHEER John David arr. Peter Knight (adapted Philip Lawson Born on a new day
ANCIENT ORIGINS Trad. arr. Philip Lawson
Trad. arr. Brian Kay
Veni, veni Emmanuel
Gaudete
A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE Adrian Willaert Ave virgo sposa Dei – Inviolata est
CAROLS FROM KING’S Bob Chilcott
Mykola Leontovych arr. Keith Roberts
The Shepherd’s Carol
Carol of the bells
A STAR IS BORN Toby Hession Master of Music*
CHRISTMAS FOR A CENTURY Arvo Pärt
Peter Warlock
John Rutter
Bogoróditse Djévo
Bethlehem Down
There is a flower
JOY TO THE WHOLE WORLD Bob Chilcott We are*
Intermission    
THE CHRISTMAS STOCKING A celebration of ancient and modern Christmas music from across The King’s Singers repertoire

* = New anniversary commission

About The King’s Singers

Patrick Dunachie Countertenor
Timothy Wayne-Wright Countertenor
Julian Gregory Tenor
Christopher Bruerton Baritone
Christopher Gabbitas Baritone
Jonathan Howard Bass

The King’s Singers were established in May 1968, formed by six recently-graduated choral scholars from King’s College, Cambridge. Their vocal line-up was (by chance) two countertenors, a tenor, two baritones and a bass, and the group has never wavered from this formation since.

What really distinguished the group in its early years was its musical diversity. The King’s Singers were a weekly fixture on prime-time television, celebrating popular music never usually touched by choral ensembles, and their unique British charm, combined with their musical craft, captured audiences’ hearts the world over. The group has consistently been welcomed on the world’s great stages throughout its history – from London’s Royal Albert Hall to the Opera House in Sydney or New York’s Carnegie Hall – as well as being ambassadors for musical excellence across the globe. Two Grammy® Awards, an Emmy® Award, and a place in Gramophone magazine’s inaugural Hall of Fame sit among the numerous accolades bestowed upon the group.

This love of diversity has always fuelled The King’s Singers’ commitment to creating new music. A panoply of commissioned works by many of the greatest composers of our times – including Luciano Berio, György Ligeti, Nico Muhly, John Rutter, Toru Takemitsu, Sir John Tavener and Eric Whitacre – sits alongside countless bespoke arrangements in the group’s extensive repertoire.

The world may have changed a lot in the fifty years since the original King’s Singers came together, but today’s group is still charged by the same lifeblood – one that wants to radiate the joy singing brings every day, and that wants to give life to audiences with their virtuosity and vision for an exciting musical future.