EVENT CATEGORIES

ART 

April 3 to July 24

Three Centuries of American Prints from the National Gallery of Art

Since opening in 1941, the gallery has amassed an outstanding collection of American prints representing the history of American art from the early 18th century to the present. Timed to coincide with the gallery’s 75th anniversary, this first comprehensive exhibition of American prints to encompass three centuries will highlight some 160 works from the gallery’s collection

National Gallery of Art

April 4 to July 24

America’s Shakespeare

“America’s Shakespeare” reveals how Americans have made Shakespeare our own using a fascinating selection of rare letters, costumes, books and more.

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

April 21 to June 26

Spanish Illustrators: The Color of Optimism

This show highlights outstanding works of contemporary illustrators in Spain that are creating new trends. Curated by journalist Mario Suárez, the exhibition showcases a generation of talented creators who frequently contribute to national and international publications, galleries, museums and popular brands.

Former Residence of the Ambassador of Spain

Through April 24

Sports Stories from Finland

The Embassy of Finland joins forces with the Sports Museum of Finland to create this unique display that studies the relationship between Finnish athletes and U.S. sports. The story begins with the great long-distance runners of the early 1900s, continues to the Finnish national pastime of pesäpallo, which is heavily influenced by baseball, and concludes with modern-day NHL players and snowboarders.

Embassy of Finland

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 29

Rimer Cardillo: A Journey to Ombú Bellaumbra

This exhibition features a diverse body of Uruguayan artist Rimer Cardillo’s work, including prints, photography, sculpture and installations. In addition to creating site-specific pieces that he refers to as cupí (the Guaraní word for anthill) and his collaborations in the fields of entomology and archaeology, Cardillo is also noted for his journalistic explorations of the Amazonian interior, rural estancias of northern Uruguay and southern Paraguay, and other remote regions of the South American continent.

Art Museum of the Americas

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

Through 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 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

DANCE

Through 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

Sun., April 10, 7:30 p.m.

Ahmet Özhan Concert and the Mevlevi Sema Ceremony

Presented by the Embassy of Turkey and the Republic of Turkey Promotion Fund, the Sema ceremony is a spectacular sight that is not to be missed. This concert will feature Ahmet Ozhan and the whirling dervishes. As part of the Sufi tradition of Islam, based on the teachings of the 13th-century mystic Rumi, the dancers perform as a form of worship in this delightful way to learn about Turkish traditions. Please call for ticket information.

GW Lisner Auditorium

April 13 to 17

The Washington Ballet: Orff’s Carmina Burana and Balanchine’s Theme and Variations

“Carmina Burana” is a modern dance reinterpretation of Orff’s strong rhythmic and stylistic musical variations, while “Theme and Variations” is an intimate work celebrating classical ballet at its most magnificent. Tickets are $32.25 to $130.

Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

Sat., April 16, 8 p.m.

Gotan Tango

This show presents the best of Argentine tango, from its dark and steamy beginnings to the daring music of Astor Piazzolla. Tickets are $40 to $45.

GW Lisner Auditorium

DISCUSSIONS

Sat., April 16, 2:30 p.m.

To Euro or Not to Euro: The Czech Republic’s Dilemma

The Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences (SVU), in collaboration with the embassy, presents a lecture on the euro crisis featuring leading Czech-American economist Ondřej Schneider of the Institute of International Finance in D.C. This is the first lecture in a series designed to meet young professionals. Suggested donation to SVU is $10; RSVP by April 14 to www.czechdilemma.eventbrite.com.

Embassy of the Czech Republic

FESTIVALS

Through April 17

National Cherry Blossom Festival

The nation’s largest springtime celebration is a four-week extravaganza that includes the Blossom Kite Festival (April 2); the Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival (April 9) and a nationally televised parade (April 16) followed by the Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival at the Capitol Riverfront. The annual festival, which celebrates the gift of cherry blossom trees from Japan, produces daily events featuring diverse and creative programming promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty and community spirit. Events are primarily free and open to the public. For information, visit www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org.

Various locations

GALAS

Fri., April 29, 6:30 p.m.

National Museum of Women in the Arts Annual Spring Gala

Join NMWA patrons, honorary chair Ambassador of Monaco Maguy Maccario Doyle and gala chair Shahin Mafi for a special night at the museum’s largest annual fundraising event. Upon arrival, guests will have the opportunity to view “She Who Tells a Story: Women Photographers from Iran and the Arab World,” which explores themes of protest, war and identity. The annual black-tie gala will continue with cocktails in the galleries and an auction followed by dinner and dancing in the elegant Great Hall. The evening will be catered by Occasions and music will be provided by Big Ray and the Kool Kats. Tickets are $650.

National Museum of Women in the Arts

MUSIC

Sat., April 2, 7 p.m.

Ani Choying ‘The Buddhist Rockstar Nun’ Live in Concert

Internationally acclaimed for her simply stunning interpretations of Buddhist mantras and songs, Ani Choying Drolma will present sublime blend of traditional Tibetan Buddhist chants and songs from the Himalayas, which will draw the complex mix of devotion, confidence and raw emotion to present a rare musical treat that is authentic and straight from the heart. Tickets are $35 to $100.

GW Lisner Auditorium

Tue., April 5, 7 p.m.

Two Countries, One Heart

The American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras (AYPO) of the Washington area and the music conservatory Cesare Pollini of Padua, Italy, perform a selection of music representative of both American and Italian traditions. AYPO Artistic Director Christopher Zimmermann will share the conductor’s dais with Italian Maestro Simone Tonin, joined by two outstanding sopranos, Cheryl Porter and Rosella Caporale. The concert will include original and noteworthy arrangements of gospel pieces, as strings replace the classic choral sections. To RSVP, visit www.iicwashington.esteri.it.

Embassy of Italy

Fri., April 8, 8 p.m.

Reza Sadeghi Live

Iranian pop singer and songwriter Reza Sageghi — one of the most popular and respected singers in Iran, with over 400 songs is coming to Lisner Auditorium on his first U.S. tour. Tickets are $49 to $150.

GW Lisner Auditorium

Tue., April 12, 7:30 p.m.

Esterházy Trio

The Esterházy Trio, directed by Michael Brüssing, has chosen its name from the famous Hungarian noble family. For more than 15 years, the group has specialized in music for Barytone (Viola di bordone) at the court of Esterházy and various period instruments throughout Europe. Tickets are $90 and include buffet reception; for information, visit www.embassyseries.org.

Embassy of Hungary

Tue., April 12, 8 p.m.

Washington Performing Arts: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (or Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks) and its Grammy Award-winning director Mariss Jansons — hailed by the Telegraph as “one of the greatest conductors of his generation” — return for a rare U.S. tour and present Mahler’s monumental work in a not-to-be-missed performance. Tickets are $60 to $125.

Kennedy Center Concert Hall

Thu., April 14, 8 p.m.

Acoustic Africa: Habib Koite and Vusi Mahlasela

After worldwide critical and commercial success, the fourth installment of Acoustic Africa’s exhilarating journey focuses on the richness of the African traditions of voice and song. A modern troubador with extraordinary appeal, Habib Koité’s musicianship, wit and wisdom translate across cultures. Vusi Mahlasela, simply known as “The Voice” in his homeland of South Africa, is celebrated for his distinct, powerful voice and his poetic, optimistic lyrics. Tickets are $35 to $45.

GW Lisner Auditorium

Sun., April 17, 1 p.m.

Washington Performing Arts: Zakir Hussain and Masters of Percussion

Hailed for “virtuosity that is barely to be believed” (Washington Post) and his mastery of the tabla, Zakir Hussain is renowned as both a consummate performer of Indian classical music and an ever-questing pioneer of world music, bringing together traditions from around the globe. He is Joined by the Masters of Percussion, an audience-favorite recurring project now spanning two decades. Tickets are $25 to $65.

Kennedy Center Concert Hall

THEATER

April 1 to May 8

All the Way

It’s not personal, it’s politics in this 2014 Tony Award-winning drama about President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s impassioned struggle to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Tickets are $40 to $90.

Arena Stage

April 4 to May 1

The Nether

In the imminent future, when Earth is a gray wasteland, how will humanity escape? Enter the Nether: an immersive wonderland offering users beauty, order, and the ability to satisfy their desires away from “real world” scrutiny. In a series of gripping interviews, a young detective launches her investigation into the dark heart of this new realm in which depraved dreams have become reality. Tickets start at $35.

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

April 7 to May 8

Chronicle of a Death Foretold (Crónica de una muerte anunciada)

Based on a true story, this tightly woven tale of a small town in Colombia unfolds against a conspiracy of silence, revenge and strict moral codes that lead to tragedy. After marrying against her will, Angela is returned to her mother when the angry new husband discovers she is not a virgin. Forced to name who deflowered her, Angela’s brothers embark on a murderous mission. Tickets are $38 to $42.

GALA Hispanic Theatre

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

Through 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

April 20 to May 8

C.S. Lewis Onstage: The Most Reluctant Convert

For the first time, Max McLean takes audiences on a fascinating theatrical adventure as C.S. Lewis, tracing his journey from atheism to belief. Tickets are $36 to $96.

The Shakespeare Lansburgh Theatre

April 21 to May 8

The Reduced Shakespeare Company: William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged)

Discovered in a treasure-filled parking lot in Leicester, England, an ancient manuscript proves to be the long-lost first play by none other than the young William Shakespeare. Using questionable scholarship and street-performer smarts, the three comic actors throw themselves into a fast, funny, and frenzied festival of physical finesse, witty wordplay, and plentiful (pitiful) punning. Tickets are $35 to $75.

Folger Shakespeare Library

TOURNAMENTS

May 6

12th Annual Embassy Golf Tournament

Join The Washington Diplomat for the 12th Annual Embassy Golf Tournament on May 6th for a day of golf and networking, including lunch, reception, awards, prizes and more. Limited tickets available. To register or learn more, visit www.washdiplomat.com.

Worthington Manor Golf Club