February 20, 2020 at 7:30 & 9:30 p.m.
Studio K
Join the amazing group of improvisers from Baby Wants Candy as they create an epic Hip Hop musical based on a historical figure of your choosing.
Tickets: $25
FRONTIERS
THE ULTIMATE JOURNEY TRIBUTE BAND
Friday, February 21, 2020
8PM
Tickets: $20–$35
Frontiers secured their place as the world’s number one tribute to Journey thanks to their unparalleled attention to detail. Powerhouse lead vocalist Elaine Tuttle channels Steve Perry with stunning accuracy and she’s backed by a world-class band of New York musicians. Journey fans will be transported back to the ’80s as Frontiers takes on hit after hit, including, “Open Arms,” “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” “Anyway You Want It,” and more.
BRUCE HORNSBY & yMUSIC
Friday, March 6, 2020
8PM
Tickets: $38-$88
Innovators and recent collaborators Bruce Hornsby and yMusic obliterate barriers, crossing and combining genres in wildly imaginative ways. Hornsby mines his vast catalog performing beloved songs like “The Way It Is” and “The Valley Road” alongside tracks from Absolute Zero, his new album recorded with the Brooklyn-based chamber ensemble. yMusic (featuring string trio, flute, clarinet, and trumpet) have attracted many high-profile collaborators before—from Paul Simon to Ben Folds. Tonight, Hornsby and yMusic share the stage, performing both solo and joint sets. These are artists who are ever-evolving, and as pioneers on the scene they offer a glimpse into the future of music.
TONY BENNETT
THE I LEFT MY HEART TOUR
WITH SPECIAL GUEST ANTONIA BENNETT
Sunday, March 15, 2020
8PM
Tickets: $76-$156
A cornerstone of the Great American Songbook, beloved crooner Tony Bennett is a living legend. As a Kennedy Center Honoree, NEA Jazz Master, and the winner of 19 Grammy Awards and 2 Emmy Awards, Bennett’s career as the pre-eminent singer of the 20th and 21st centuries is unprecedented. During this special evening, Bennett will sing his timeless hits like “Rags to Riches,” “I Got Rhythm,” and of course “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” Fans marvel at the resilience of his trademark vocals which New York Magazine raves, “is still a technical marvel. . . and no one else on Earth can make a lyric written eight decades ago sound as natural as a conversation at a coffee shop.” His daughter and jazz singer Antonia Bennett will open the night with her angelic and powerful voice.
Maryta de Humahuaca in Concert
Saturday, March 21, 3 p.m.
Rasmuson Theater
Maryta de Humahuaca (Kolla) is an Indigenous performing artist from the small city of Humahuaca in the province of Jujuy, Argentina. Her music is a fusion of contemporary and traditional Andean music. This program is presented in collaboration with the Embassy of the Argentine Republic.
GEORGE WINSTON
Monday, March 23, 2020
8PM
Tickets: $35-$65
Iconic pianist George Winston has inspired fans and musicians alike with his singular solo acoustic piano songs for more than 40 years while selling 15 million albums. A tireless road warrior playing nearly 100 concerts annually, live performance for Winston is akin to breathing. Winston’s music is evocative, offering us all a chance to take a step back from our perpetually busy lives and let our minds adventurously wander. In 2019 he released his 15th solo album, Restless Wind, a portrayal of Winston’s place in a chaotic world. His compositions extend solace with an idiosyncratic grace.
Jacksonville Symphony (part of SHIFT Festival of American Orchestras)
March 24, 2020 at 8 p.m.
Concert Hall
COURTNEY LEWIS, conductor
ANTHONY MCGILL, clarinet
Dutilleux Métaboles
Copland Clarinet Concerto
Ellington Celebration (written for the Jacksonville Symphony)
Courtney Bryan Bridges (Jacksonville Symphony Commission)
Stravinsky Symphony in C
Tickets: $25
Christopher Tin’s To Shiver the Sky: An Inside Look
Saturday August 29, 2020 • 7 p.m. ET • YouTube Live
An online event exploring the call of the heavens, the history of flight, exploration, courage, and the birth of an oratorio: To Shiver the Sky
Danielle de Niese
soprano
Christopher Tin
conductor
The United States Air Force Band
Colonel Don Schofield, Commander and Conductor
Charlie Blackwell-Thompson
Launch Director, John F. Kennedy Space Center
Dr. Michelle Thaller
Astrophysicist and Astronomer – NASA
Jenny Bilfield
President & CEO, Washington Performing Arts
Originally scheduled as a live, world premiere concert in Washington, D.C. in May 2020, the event has been re-imagined and re-shaped into a new online format of music, interviews and live Q&A. No payment or advance registration is required for the event on Saturday, August 29 at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT, 6 p.m. CT). Viewers can bookmark and watch it here.
To Shiver the Sky is an oratorio about humankind’s quest to conquer the heavens and the history of flight. Told through the words of 11 of our greatest astronomers, inventors, visionaries and pilots, the work offers the chance to hear from Christopher Tin (in words, music and film) his inspiration for setting to music our relentless need to explore the universe, defy our earthly bonds and ultimately claim our place among the stars.
Tin joins forces with soprano Danielle de Niese and the United States Air Force Band in a world-premiere performance of “Courage”—a filmed movement from To Shiver the Sky created especially for this event—setting to music the words of Amelia Earhart, American aviation pioneer, author, and equal-rights advocate.
The program also includes contributions from two major figures in aviation and exploration: Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Launch Director (NASA) at John F. Kennedy Space Center; and Dr Michelle Thaller, Astrophysicist and Astronomer (NASA), Goddard Space Flight Center.
The event continues with a live interview between Tin and Washington Performing Arts President & CEO Jenny Bilfield, reflecting on the themes of To Shiver the Sky and the reimagining of this event from a traditional concert to a novel online experience, and concludes with a live Q&A.
“I’d like this music, and the album, to be a reminder of an era when humanity could pull together to achieve the incredible. We believed in our own greatness. We believed in our ability to solve the scourge of World Wars, to cure diseases, and to break the bonds of Earth. We were once great, and we can be great again.
“It’s awful that live music isn’t possible at the moment but, true to our nature, we find ways to overcome obstacles. And we hope that the internet can democratize the viewing experience for all to share.” (Christopher Tin)
The Tea: Tamika Love Jones
In this new online series, women musicians perform original work on the first Friday of the month. Each session includes a short interview, conducted over a cup of tea, which explores the artist’s creative process. The series kicks off with Tamika Love Jones, a versatile vocalist, actress, mother of two and a sought after Teaching Artist in Washington, D.C. She has released three albums of original music incorporating soul, hip-hop, jazz, funk, blues and classical influences. Jones’s dramatic stage presence, acrobatic vocals and fluidity between genres has put her in a class of her own.
WHERE
Online, streaming on Facebook and nmwa.org
WHEN
Friday, September 4, 12–1 p.m.
PRICE
Free. No reservations required. Add to your calendar here.
