Home The Washington Diplomat March 2016 Events – March 2016

Events – March 2016

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ART 

March 1 to 31

Orchid Month

Hillwood’s founder Marjorie Merriweather Post was enamored with finely crafted and beautiful objects. While this passion is most frequently associated with her art collection, it also holds true for her orchids. During the month of March, visitors to Hillwood are treated not only to the brilliance and fragrance of these exotic beauties as they bloom in abundance in the greenhouse, but also to engaging opportunities to explore Post’s original collection.

Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens

 

March 5 to Jan. 29

Turquoise Mountain: Artists Transforming Afghanistan

Decades of civil unrest nearly destroyed Afghanistan’s vital artistic heritage. Over the past decade, Turquoise Mountain, an organization founded in 2006 at the request of the prince of Wales and the president of Afghanistan, has transformed the Murad Khani district of Old Kabul from slum conditions into a vibrant cultural and economic center.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

 

Through March 13

Belize 35

Artist Santiago Cal and photojournalist Karl Villanueva commemorate the 35th anniversary of Belize’s independence using an approach that is both artistic and historic. Belizean sculptor Santiago Cal has been commissioned to create a large installation occupying an entire museum gallery. Cal’s piece includes as its subject matter Belize’s first Prime Minister George Cadle Price along with symbolic national elements such as the tapir, the national animal of Belize. Complementing the installation is a series of photos taken on Sept. 21, 1981, by a then 24-year-old Villanueva documenting the day the country shed the last vestige of colonialism on the Central American mainland.

Art Museum of the Americas

 

Through March 13

BiH Voices: In Conversation with The Migration Series

This exhibition presents a selection of artworks created by emerging artists, elementary and high school students, and orphans during workshops facilitated by Phillips educators in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Developed in partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo and the State Department, these workshops used Jacob Lawrence’s “Migration Series” as a catalyst for conversation about the power of collaboration and storytelling through art.

The Phillips Collection

 

Through March 13

Celebrating Photography at the National Gallery of Art: Recent Gifts

Marking the culmination of a year-long celebration of photography at the museum, this installation brings together an exquisite group of gifts, ranging from innovative photographs made in the earliest years of the medium’s history to key works by important 20th-century artists and contemporary pieces that examine the ways in which photography continues to shape our experience of the modern world.

National Gallery of Art

 

Through March 13

Streams of Being: Selections from the Art Museum of the Americas

Drawn from the permanent collection of the Art Museum of the Americas, “Streams of Beings” brings to light a multiplicity of ideas and identities emerging within contemporary Latin American art. Featuring 22 artists from 12 countries across the Americas, this exhibition explores the permeable boundaries and dimensions of life through interrelated themes of scale and place, human and animal bodies.

Art Museum of the Americas

 

Through March 15

Passages by Massimiliano Gatti

Massimiliano Gatti’s photographs explore the history of the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East not by reportage, but by a careful, poetic, archeological description that transforms artifacts into metaphor and ancient objects into contemporary commentary. The images are quiet meditations on violent transformations as the exhibit marks the opening of “Protecting Our Heritage,” a yearlong series of events that will focus on safeguarding and conserving the cultural heritage of humanity. The program is organized by European Union National Institutes of Culture (EUNIC) in Washington D.C., a network of nine members and nine associate members from European cultural institutes and embassies in the nation’s capital whose 2016 presidency is being held by Italy.

Italian Cultural Institute

 

Through March 18

The Jewish Museum Vienna on International Court

The Austrian Cultural Forum presents two exhibitions touring from the Jewish Museum Vienna: “Lessing Presents Lessing,” works by noted photographer Erich Lessing, curated by his daughter Hannah Lessing; and “A Good Day,” a multimedia installation by Andrew Mezvinsky based on Primo Levi’s account of survival in Auschwitz. The two shows offer intimate insights into Austrian Jewish life past and present, serving as a platform for discussion, experience and confrontation.

Embassy of Austria

 

March 19 to Sept. 18

Symbolic Cities: The World of Ahmed Mater

Born in 1979 in southern Saudi Arabia and trained as a medical doctor, Ahmed Mater has been a practicing artist since the early 1990s, creating works that offer an unparalleled perspective on contemporary Saudi Arabia. Now based in Jeddah, Mater has focused primarily on photography and video since 2010. From abandoned desert cities to the extraordinary transformation of Mecca, “Symbolic Cities” presents his visual and aural journeys observing economic and urban change in Saudi Arabia.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

 

Through March 20

Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World

Some 50 bronze sculptures and related works survey the development of Hellenistic art as it spread from Greece throughout the Mediterranean between the fourth and first centuries B.C. Through the medium of bronze, artists were able to capture the dynamic realism, expression, and detail that characterized the new artistic goals of the period.

National Gallery of Art

 

March 24 to May 29

Rimer Cardillo: A Journey to Ombú Bellaumbra

The Nassau County Museum of Art curated this exhibition to honor Rimer Cardillo’s lifetime accomplishments and his commitment to democratic values, nature and indigenous cultures.

Art Museum of the Americas

 

Through March 27

Shakespeare, Life of an Icon

We will never have a photograph of William Shakespeare or a recording of his voice, but we can catch glimpses of the man in this stunning array of documents from his own lifetime. “Shakespeare, Life of an Icon” brings together some of the most important manuscripts and printed books related to Shakespeare’s life and career, giving us a firsthand look at the most famous author in the world.

Folger Shakespeare Library

 

Through April 8

Pan-American Art Exhibition: Kansas City Student Poster Contest

The Pan-American Association of Kansas City presents winning poster entries representing the 35 members of the Organization of American States created by high school students in Missouri.

Art Museum of the Americas

 

Through April 24

Postwar Germanic Expressions: Gifts from Michael Werner

The Phillips presents recently acquired gifts of German and Danish art to the museum’s permanent collection, generously given by art collector Michael Werner. A selection from the 46 works are on view, painting, sculpture and works on paper by Georg Baselitz, Jörg Immendorff, Per Kirkeby, Markus Lüpertz and A.R. Penck.

The Phillips Collection

 

Through April 29

Mirages: Photography by Mache del Campo

Mache del Campo’s “Mirages” invites viewers to realms of unknown time and space where the mind departs from physical reality and is led to a subjective and intangible world. The photographer captures a single image, without a backstory or context, that leaves the viewer with the task of interpretation. In doing so, his camera becomes a gateway to personal dimensions beyond the realism of photography.

Embassy of Argentina

 

Through May 8

Seeing Nature: Landscape Masterworks from the Paul G. Allen Family Collection

This major exhibition exploring the evolution of American and European landscape painting features 39 masterpieces, spanning five centuries, on loan from the collection of philanthropist and entrepreneur Paul G. Allen. “Seeing Nature” showcases the development of landscape painting from intimate views of the world to artists’ personal experiences with their surroundings.

The Phillips Collection

 

Through May 15

Louise Bourgeois: No Exit

Louise Bourgeois’s ties to surrealism and existentialism will be explored through 17 works on paper and four sculptures.

National Gallery of Art

 

Through May 22

Salon Style: French Portraits from the Collection

Presenting works at the salon — an exhibition sponsored by the Royal Academy of Art in Paris — marked success for artists in 18th-century France. The famed artist Élisabeth Louise Vigée-LeBrun was among the first women to exhibit at the event, yet she was by no means the only one. Drawn from the museum’s rich collection, this focus exhibition visualizes the world of the art salon and reveals how French women artists inspired each other as well as male artists who noted their great success.

National Museum of Women in the Arts

 

Through May 30

The Lost Symphony: Whistler and the Perfection of Art

As part of “Peacock Room REMIX,” this exhibition reconstructs how Whistler’s unrealized quest for “the perfection of art” intersected with less-rarified concerns about patronage, payment, and professional reputation.

Freer Gallery of Art

 

Through June 3

In the Library: The Intersection of Commerce and Instruction in Art

The art we experience often depends as much upon the materials available to the artists who make it as it depends on the artists themselves. This exhibition looks at a variety of literature surrounding artists’ materials and instruction, and charts the ways in which the increasing commercialization of their production may have affected the practice of artists, especially following the industrial revolution.

National Gallery of Art

 

Through June 5

Perspectives: Lara Baladi

Egyptian-Lebanese artist Lara Baladi experiments with the photographic medium, investigating its history and its role in shaping perceptions of the Middle East, particularly Egypt, where she is based.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

 

Through June 12

Konstantin Makovsky: The Tsar’s Painter

With Hillwood’s “A Boyar Wedding Feast” as the centerpiece, this exhibit offers a new perspective on Konstantin Makovsky’s work and its popularity in Gilded Age America, where it satisfied the appetite for dramatic historical stories, exotic settings and costumes, and admiration of European art and culture. In a dramatically lit setting, exquisite objects and details from the painting will be brought to life through groupings of 17th-century objects of boyar life, such as intricately embroidered garments and pearl-studded kokoshniki (women’s headdresses).

Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens

 

Through July 31

Heart of an Empire: Herzfeld’s Discover of Pasargadae

Located in southwestern Iran, Pasargadae was the first capital of the ancient Achaemenid Persian Empire (circa 540 B.C.) and the last resting place of Cyrus the Great. Impressed with its ruins, German archaeologist Ernst Herzfeld (1879–1948) briefly surveyed the site for the first time in 1905, returning to conduct more extensive excavations. Featuring selections from the Freer|Sackler Archives’ rich holdings of Herzfeld’s drawings, notes and photographs, this exhibition illuminates one of the most important sites of the ancient world.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

 

DANCE

Fri., March 4, 8 p.m.

Flamenco Vivo: Poema De Andalucía

Strathmore delves into the cultural richness and traditions of Andalucía — the “cradle of flamenco” and a part of Spain that sits at a unique cultural crossroads. This “infectiously joyful” (New York Times), brilliantly colored show is a journey through the varied traditions, festivals and rituals of daily life that have made the Andalusian region a wellspring of cultural heritage. Tickets are $28 to $72.

Music Center at Strathmore

 

Tue., March 8, 8 p.m.

Flamenco Festival: Farruquito ‘Improvisao’

Renowned as “one of the greatest flamenco dancers of this new century” (New York Times), Farruquito is regarded as one of the most faithful representatives of flamenco puro — the dance in its traditional state. Tickets are $35 to $65.

GW Lisner Auditorium

 

Sat., March 12, 8 p.m.

Flamenco Festival: Ballet Flamenco de Andalucia

Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía, the most important representative of flamenco art in Spain, returns under the direction of Rafaela Carrasco. Tickets are $35 to $65.

GW Lisner Auditorium

 

Fri., March 18, 8 p.m.

Flamenco Festival: Rocio Molina ‘Danzaora & Vinática’

Rocío Molina is at the forefront of modern flamenco and has been awarded many of Spain’s top accolades in her as yet short career. “Danzaora & Vinática” explores her personal dance language combining flamenco with traditional “bolero” and Spanish classical dance. Tickets are $35 to $55.

GW Lisner Auditorium

 

Sat., March 19, 8 p.m.

Flamenco Festival: Qasida

“Qasida” is an extraordinary musical encounter between the young Sevillian cantaora Rosario “La Tremendita” and her Iranian peer Mohammad Motamedi. In “Qasida,” the singer explores the roots of flamenco in the richly varied poetic songs and improvisations of Motamedi, the young rising star of Iranian classical music. Tickets are $25 to $45.

GW Lisner Auditorium

 

March 23 to April 3

Stephen Mills’ Hamlet

Sleek and elegant with contemporary staging and performed to the spellbinding music of Philip Glass, Stephen Mills’s “Hamlet” redefines this tragic masterwork and the limits of dance in a modern production that presents Hamlet’s internal struggle over avenging his father’s murder in an innovative and riveting reinvention of this literary classic. Tickets are $32.25 to $130.

Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

Feb. 23 to 28

Mariinsky Ballet: Petipa’s ‘Raymonda’

Russia’s legendary company returns with the last “grand ballet” of the 19th century. Set in medieval Hungary, the story follows a beautiful countess torn between her betrothed, a crusading knight and the arrival of a handsome warrior. Tickets are $49 to $225.

Kennedy Center Opera House

Feb. 24 to 28

The Washington Ballet Presents ‘Director’s Cut’

Daring works by William Forsythe, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Septime Webre that redefine the boundaries of classical ballet come together in “Director’s Cut.” Tickets are $30.50 to $100.

Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

 

DISCUSSIONS

Wed., March 2, 9 a.m.

Italy in the White House: A Conversation on Historical Perspectives

Long before the emergence of the United States and Italy as nations, close connections between the two peoples influenced political philosophy, architecture, culture and more. To chronicle this extraordinary story and share newly discovered historical insights about these exceptional connections, the White House Historical Association, together with the Embassy of Italy and the National Italian American Foundation, is organizing a full-day symposium, culinary experience and cultural event that celebrates a symbiotic relationship that has lasted for well over two centuries. Tickets are $53.49; for information, visit www.whitehousehistory.org/collections/symposium-italy-in-the-white-house.

White House Historical Association

 

Sat., March 12, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Fabric of Venice

The history of Venice is rich with the names of great painters, from Bellini to Titian. However, Venice is more than the sum of the paintings, sculpture, prints and drawings rendered by its master artists. Eric Denker of the National Gallery of Art explores the elements of the urban environment that combine to make one of the most enchanting cities on earth. Tickets are $140; for information, visit smithsonianassociates.org.

S. Dillon Ripley Center

 

Mon., March 14, 3:30 p.m.

Migration: From Humanitarian Crises to New Opportunities

The Georgetown University Italian Research Institute, in collaboration with the Embassy of Italy and Italian Cultural Institute, hosts a symposium and discussion examining how countries, especially Europe, are responding to the large number of migrants fleeing for their borders and the struggles of integration, illegal entries, deportation policies, humane approaches and economic opportunities surrounding migration.

Georgetown University Intercultural Center Auditorium

 

Tue., March 15, 7 p.m.

Stolen Legacy: Nazi Theft and the Quest for Justice

In her new book, former BBC investigative journalist Dina Gold describes the Nazi seizure of her family’s stately six-story building and her extensive battle to reclaim it. In this program, Gold will discuss her struggle, the ongoing challenges of restitution, and how the Museum’s resources helped her write her book.

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

 

MUSIC

Wed., March 2, 8 p.m.,

Thu., March 3, 8 p.m.

International Guitar Night

This night of international guitar virtuosos features poetic lyricist (Brian Gore), gypsy jazz legend (Lulo Reinhardt), contemporary fingerstyle innovator (Mike Dawes) and multi-genre showman (Andre Krengel). Tickets are $25 to $27.

Wolf Trap

 

Mon., March 7, 8 p.m.

Vienna Mozart Orchestra

Bringing 28 of Vienna’s top orchestral musicians and two stellar Viennese singers, the Vienna Mozart Orchestra embarks on a North American tour this spring showcasing masterworks of Vienna’s musical heritage and most famous classical composer. The orchestra presents a light and joyful concert featuring the entirety of “Symphony No. 40” in G minor in the first half and arias from “Don Giovanni,” “Marriage of Figaro” and “Magic Flute” in the second. Adding to the charm of the program, the musicians will perform the second half of the concert in 18th-century period dress, complete with powdered wigs. Tickets are $39 to $97.50.

Music Center at Strathmore

 

March 10 to 12

National Symphony Orchestra: Christoph Eschenbach, Conductor, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Piano

Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet returns to play Liszt’s “Piano Concerto No. 2” on a program that also includes Brahms’ “Symphony No. 3” and three of the composer’s “Hungarian Dances,” plus the world premiere of Picker’s “Opera without Words.” Tickets are $15 to $89.

Kennedy Center Concert Hall

 

Sat., March 12, 7:30 p.m.

Celebrating Lou Harrison: The Indonesian Connection

PostClassical Ensemble, in collaboration with the Indonesian Embassy, presents this performance featuring violinist Tim Fain and pianist Michael Boriskin exploring the art of 20th-century master Lou Harrison (1917-2003). Decades before it became fashionable, Harrison created a masterly fusion of Eastern and Western musical styles, based on the sounds and techniques of Indonesian gamelan. He — along with Henry Cowell and John Cage — also created the percussion ensemble as a musical genre. To RSVP, visit http://postclassical.com/harrison/.

Embassy of Indonesia

 

Fri., March 11, 7:30 p.m.

Ariel Quartet

Winners of the 2006 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, this young Israeli quartet has earned a glowing international reputation for their “blazing, larger-than-life performance” (The Washington Post). Tickets are $35.

Wolf Trap

 

Sat., March 12, 7 p.m.

Hubert von Goisern Concert

At the age of 5, Hubert von Goisern told his parents that he wanted to be a conductor. When he was 12, he joined the local brass band and was loaned his first instrument — a trumpet. He went on to travel and study music around the world, including electroacoustic experimental music at the University of Music in Vienna. Since then, von Goisern has toured in Austria and Germany, performed a joint concert with Nubian superstar Mohamed Mounir to an audience of 15,000 in Egypt and created “The Alpenliebe Exhibition” featuring a musical journey through the Alps. To register, visit acfdc.org.

Embassy of Austria

 

Sun., March 20, 4 p.m.

Washington Performing Arts Presents Sir James Galway and Lady Jeanne Galway

Whether playing folksongs on a pennywhistle or classic repertoire on the Irish flute, Sir James Galway’s “nonchalant virtuosity and sterling musicianship” (Chicago Tribune) is always on full display. Tickets are $30 to $100.

Kennedy Center Concert Hall

 

Fri., March 25, 8 p.m.

Rokia Traoré with Sinkane

Defying the conventions of world music, Malian singer/songwriter Rokia Traoré dismisses the notion of genre, effortlessly blending the sounds of Mali with blues, rock, jazz and folk. Sinkane’s Ahmed Gallab, who was born in London to Sudanese exiles and now lives in Brooklyn, draws on his wildly varied upbringing in his pan-African, funky, global pop music. Tickets are $25 to $45.

GW Lisner Auditorium

 

Mon., March 28, 6:30 p.m.

Guy Mintus Jazz Trio

Israeli-born, New York-based jazz pianist and composer Guy Mintus creates performances that have “the entire hall listening with held breath” (Barka Fabiánová, Full Moon Zine). Mintus’s trio expands on his vision with two other international musicians: Israeli bassist Tamir Shmerling and Dutch drummer Philippe Lemm. Tickets are $70, including reception; presented in conjunction with the Israeli Embassy. For information, visit www.embassyseries.org.

Venue TBA

 

RECEPTIONS

Fri., March 4, 7 p.m.

12th Annual Viennese Ball: A Night in Vienna

Experience the elegant atmosphere of a European Ball while meeting international professionals and members of the diplomatic community in this Viennese celebration of music, food, wine and dancing. The Salon Orchestra of Washington will perform the world’s favorite Strauss waltzes, ballroom music from around the world and the famous “Radetsky Grand March,” led by the popular Tanzmeister-couple Herbert and Carol Traxler. They will also invite you to join them in “Strauss Fledermaus Quadrille #6,” which is danced at all the big balls in Vienna. Tickets are $149 or $79; for information visit acfdc.org.

Embassy of Austria

 

Sat., March 5, 7 p.m.

Masquerade Ball

Come dressed as your favorite film star and savor an evening of dancing and live music, featuring the band Praževica performing traditional czardas and gypsy swing influenced by jazz and blues. Prizes will be awarded to the best costumes (a bonus will be given to costumes inspired by Czech and Slovak movies) in addition to a raffle drawing. RSVP at sibrinky.eventbrite.com.

Embassy of the Czech Republic

 

Sat., March 19, 3 p.m.

Children’s Costume Party

The Czech and Slovak embassies present a children’s costume party (rikanky a masky/riekanky a masky) inviting kids to dress in their most creative costumes or masks of their choice and come ready to recite a poem (in Czech or Slovak) for an afternoon of song, dance and culture. Children will also be able to act in the improvised theater presentation “How Charles the IV Became a King.” RSVP by March 17 at http://rikany.eventbrite.com.

Embassy of the Czech Republic

THEATER

March 1 to 26

They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay!

Ambassador Theater in partnership with the Italian Cultural Institute presents a hilarious farce of civil disobedience by Nobel-winning writer Dario Fo in which desperate housewives take justice into their own hands. During a food riot, Antonia takes supplies from a supermarket and hides them from her law-abiding husband Giovanni behind the dress of her best friend Margherita. Follow the chaos when Giovanni and Margherita’s husband Luigi are told about Margherita’s miracle pregnancy and the police get involved. Tickets are $25 to $40.

Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint

 

Fri., March 4, 7 p.m.

Gaetano Donizett’s La Favorite

Washington Concert Opera presents Donizetti’s “La Favorite” in its original, rarely performed, French version (with English supertitles), one of the few operas with a mezzo-soprano in the title role. Set amidst the Moorish invasion of medieval Spain, it is filled with the passions of war, love and sacrifice. Tickets are $40 to $110.

GW Lisner Auditorium

 

Through March 6

Carmen: An Afro-Cuban Jazz Musical

Directed and co-written by Tony nominee Moisés Kaufman, with heralded Cuban-American playwright Eduardo Machado, and music adapted from Bizet’s opera by two-time Grammy Award-winner Arturo O’Farrill, this “Carmen” brings the action of one of the most sensual stories of all time to Cuba on the verge of revolution in 1958. Tickets are $38 to $75.

Olney Theatre Center

 

Through March 6

The City of Conversation

Georgetown hostess Hester Ferris runs in an elite circle, opening her home for political foes to lay down arms and raise a glass. When her son’s formidable, conservative wife comes on the scene, the parlor pleasantries of D.C.’s past descend into entrenched posturing and an ultimatum that could implode the family. Please call for ticket information.

Arena Stage

 

Through March 6

Kabarett & Cabaret

Featuring iconic songs and forgotten Berliner and Viennese cabaret gems, The In Series production of “Kabarett & Cabaret” pays tribute to the art form of cabaret and its ties to the Jewish émigrés who fled Nazi persecution and brought the dark, raunchy world of cabaret to 1940s Hollywood. Tickets are $42.

Source

 

Through March 6

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

It is easy to lose yourself in the enchanted woods of Shakespeare’s timeless romantic tale. This magical comedy of tangled lovers, mischievous fairies — and a band of players to boot — is given a fresh, new staging by Aaron Posner, with D.C. favorites Holly Twyford as Bottom and Erin Weaver as Puck. Tickets are $35 to $75.

Folger Theatre

 

March 10 to April 10

Marjorie Prime

From one of the country’s most adventurous young writers, Jordan Harrison, comes the tender and provocative story of Marjorie, 85 years old, who’s reinventing memories from the past with the help of Walter Prime — a hologram of her dead husband as he looked 50 years ago. Tickets are $38 to $65.

Olney Theatre Center

 

March 11 and 12

World Stages: The Odyssey – From Vietnam to America

Marking 40 years since the Vietnam War’s end, composer-performer Vân-Ánh Võ uses music, spoken word, live media and more to explore the journeys of the Boat People escaping war and abandoning their lives in search of freedom. Tickets are $49.

Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

 

Through March 27

Othello

Among the exotic airs and mysterious shadows of Cyprus, newly married and promoted Moorish general Othello finds himself the pawn in the manipulative games of his right-hand man, Iago. Please call for ticket information.

Shakespeare Theatre Company

Sidney Harman Hall

 

Through March 27

Romeo and Juliet

In this passionate and lyrical piece, set among the gears of a giant clock, the greatest of Shakespearean lovers race against time itself to outrun their fate. One of the original “Wordless Shakespeare” productions, Synetic’s “Romeo and Juliet” received six Helen Hayes Award nominations and two wins. Tickets start at $35.

Synetic Theater

 

Through April 10

The Lion

Writer/performer Benjamin Scheuer uses his guitar — actually, six guitars — in this wholly-original musical experience that tells a coming-of-age story that “lifts the spirit” (Time Out New York). Tickets are $40 to $70.

Arena Stage