The Bel Canto Chorus of the Children's Chorus of Washington - click to enlarge
The Children's Chorus of Washington, conducted by Founder & Artistic Director Joan Gregoryk will perform in theLandon Choral Festivalat the Landon School in Bethesda on February 3 & 4. They will be joined by thePennsylvania Girlchoir, The Princeton Girlchoir & Landon Bel Canto Chorus.
The annual Washington Auto Show ® is in progress through February 5 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The event has become the largest public show in DC as it showcases the latest innovations in sustainable technologies and draws the most influential leaders in the industry. More than 700 new makes and models from over 42 manufacturers are on display this year. The auto show has been described as a “new-car heaven.”
The Washington, DC International Wine & Food Festival will take place in the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center on February 11 & 12. The indoor street-festival will include samplings from wineries around the world and international foods prepared to complement the wines. There will also be a Restaurant Row featuring local DC restaurants and an Artisan Row. Visitors can pick up tips from wine experts, see demonstrations by top chefs, attend seminars for both connoisseurs and novices, and find the latest accessories and gadgets related to the wine industry. No one under 21 will be admitted, including children and infants. Proper ID will be required on site.
The Kennedy Center will present The Wings of Ikarus Jackson, directed and choreographed by Devanand Janki, in the Family Theater, February 4-19. The musical, with music by R. MacKenzie Lewis, was adapted by Jerome Hairston from the book Wings by Christopher Myers. It’s the story of a boy with feathery white wings…...who can fly! Mean kids taunt him for being different, but a brave schoolgirl recognizes the beauty of his flying. The story is considered suitable for age 8 and up.
The National Archives will present Magna Carta Family Day on Saturday, February 18. Visitors can listen to thirteenth-century music performed by Concort Anon or write a royal proclamation "just like King Edward I." A film related to the legend of Robin Hood will also be screened, and there will be thirteenth-century children’s activities such as rolling candles, making pin wheels, and playing the medieval game of Queek.
The National Portrait Gallery and the American Art Museum will present Presidential Family Fun Day, a weekend event in celebration of Presidents’ Day on Saturday, February 18. The event will honor our Nation’s presidents with a day full of patriotic music, stories, craft activities, and some special guests.
The National Portrait Gallery will celebrate Black History Month in the Kogod Courtyard on February 4.
Ford’s Theatre will present Lincoln's Birthday Open House on February 12 in celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday and the opening of the Center for Education and Leadership. The day will begin with a wreath-laying in front of the theatre by the National Park Service. Visitors can attend an author discussion with John Stauffer, ranger talks, performances of Papa Day, Tales of the Lincoln with storyteller John Spelman and One Destiny, with special Civil War-era music performed by the Washington Revels. Visitors can also see the Center's new exhibits, participate in workshops with the Education Department and join in scavenger hunts and prize drawings.
At left, The 34-foot tower of Lincoln books within the lobby of Ford's Theatre's new Center for Education and Leadership. At right, a street view of the new Center, which is adjacent to the Petersen House (where Abraham Lincoln died). Photos by Maxwell MacKenzie. Click to enlarge
Prevost's Squirrel - Courtesy of FONZ - Click to enlarge
Friends of the National Zoo will present the annual Woo at the Zoo on February 11 in the Visitor Center auditorium. The event is restricted to adults age 21 and older (an ID is required for admission). Attendees can "learn about animal mating, dating and reproductive habits in an honest and humorous forum." There will be complimentary hors d'oeuvres and "the opportunity to decorate sweets for your Sweetheart." Specialty drinks will be served at the cash bar in an exclusive Woo at the Zoo commemorative glass.
A scene from “The Magic Flute,” in which Prince Tamino meets Papageno - Photo by Christopher Piper - Click to enlarge
The Puppet Co. will present Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” February 24-March 11. The production is the company’s most lavish and is considered an excellent introduction to the art of opera. Guests will enjoy an hour of beautiful music, special effects and marionettes in fantastic animal shapes. The music will be sung on tape in English by a local group of professional singers. Playwright and company director Christopher Piper will be one of the three performers in The Magic Flute.
The Puppet Co. is presenting Peter and the Wolf, at Glen Echo Park, through February 19. The performance starts with an introduction to musical instruments used to signify each of the show’s characters, then “blends into the story of Peter’s, and his animal friends’ attempts to capture a wily wolf." The one-man show is performed by puppetmaster Christopher Piper, and is based on Russia’s popular tale - staged with half life-size marionettes. This production offers a new approach to the tale.
Natasha the Duck feels a draft in “Peter and the Wolf" - Photo by Christopher Piper - Click to enlarge
"The Snowy Day" - Courtesy of Adventure Theatre - Click to enlarge
Adventure Theatreat Glen Echo Park is presenting the world premiere of The Snowy Day, directed by Jessica Burgess and based on the Caldecott Award Winning book by Ezra Jack Keats, through February 12.The play’s book is by Helen Hayes Winner David Emerson Toney, and the music and lyrics are by Darius Smith. Considered suitable for all ages, it’s the tale of an African American boy waking up to discover that snow has fallen during the night.He celebrates the snow-draped inner city with a day of adventures. Visit www.adventuretheatre.org
Imagination Stagein Bethesda has extended the run of the world premiere of Mouse on the Move, which was co-developed and directed by Artistic Director Janet Stanford and Associate Artistic Director Kathryn Chase Bryer, through February 12. The show is recommended for ages one to five. It’s the tale of two adventurous mice who decide to go to the moon, “since it is cat-free and made entirely of delicious, mouth-watering cheese.”The performance is a multi-sensory experience in which children are given a small suitcase of props with which they can help the actors tell the story.The two mice are played by Julia Krebs Patterson and Jasmin Danielle Johnson, who have been integral to the play’s development process. Ms. Patterson is a mentor/teacher for Imagination Stage’s early childhood program.Ms. Johnson performed in the Imagination Stage production titled Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells (2009-2010 season).
"Mouse on the Move" with L-R: Julia Krebs-Patterson & Jasmine Danielle Johnson. Photo by Blake Echols. Click to enlarge
The P.NOKIO Company (from top left: Paige Hernandez, Psalmayene 24, James Johnson, Katy Carkuff, and Jacob Yeh) - Click to enlarge
Imagination Stage in Bethesda will present the world premiere of P. Nokio: A Hip-Hop Musical starring hop theatre artist and playwright Psalmayene 24, February 1-March 11. The show re-imagines the classic Pinocchio story in Hip-Hopia, “an enchanted land where people speak in rhyme, break-dance instead of walk, and listen to birds sing and chirp with the precision and rhythm of turntables and beat machines.” Psalmayene 24 will be joined by sound designer/composer/musician Nick Hernandez; choreographer/performer; and performers James Johnson, Jacob Yeh and Katy Carkuff.
The musical is deemed appropriate for ages 4 and up.
The Olney Theatre Centerwill present the musical You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, directed and choreographed by Stephen Nachamie, February 22-March 18 on the Mainstage. The show, with book, lyrics and music by Clark Gesner, features young Charlie's struggles, philosophy and his friends. Based on Charles Schulz’s classic cartoon series titled Peanuts, the team has created a lively family musical.
The Folger Shakespeare Library will present a Family Workshop on February 25, when participants can learn about the women "who dared to write poetry" during and after Shakespeare's time. The event will include history, activities, performance, and fun, plus a scavenger hunt that will take young visitors through the Folger's exhibit titled Shakespeare's Sisters. Visit www.folger.edu/shakespearessisters for an online version of Shakespeare’s Sisters, including images, an audio tour, and related information.
A fife band marches in the George Washington Birthday Parade. Held annually on Presidents Day in Old Town Alexandria, this is the largest parade celebrating Washington's birthday in the United States. Click to enlarge
George Washington's Birthday Parade will take place in Old Town Alexandria on February 20. The annual parade is the largest in the country in honor of our first President. The celebration features many events in addition to the classic parade, and some historic venues are open for the day, including Gadsby’s Tavern.
Mount Vernon will celebrate George Washington’s 280th Birthday Weekend & Celebration, February 18-20. Characters from the 18th century will “surprise General Washington with rousing birthday cheers” at “George Washington’s Surprise Birthday Party,” when “the first president will be presented with gifts which he will describe and react to during a speech to his birthday visitors.”
Mount Vernon will honor Black History Month, February 1-29, when interpreters will highlight the contributions of the slaves who built and operated the plantation home of George and Martha Washington. A daily Slave Life at Mount Vernon tour will explore the lives and contributions of the slaves who lived there. There will be a daily wreath-laying and presentation at the slave memorial site throughout the month. The refurbished slave quarters are now open after years of research, and reproduction clothing, tools, furniture, cookware, ceramics, toys, and personal accessories are featured in the space. They “emphasize the living conditions and experiences of enslaved people as skilled craftsmen, house slaves, and laborers on the Mansion House Farm.”
Mount Vernon will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the Washingtons’ kitchen through the new exhibition, Hoecakes & Hospitality: Cooking with Martha Washington, on view inside the Donald W. Reynolds Museum, February 18-Summer 2013. The exhibition will celebrate food at Mount Vernon and Martha Washington’s role as early America’s premier hostess. Visitors will see recipes and cookbooks that Martha treasured, pots that simmered in her kitchen, and fine tableware that made Mount Vernon’s dining room “fit for a president.” Visitors to the Museum will experience scents of cinnamon, coffee, herbs, warm bread and more! In addition, George Washington’s account of the food staples used by the household will be displayed. Guests at the Washingtons’ dinner table included foreign dignitaries such as the Marquis de Lafayette, distinguished Americans such as Abigail Adams, artists including Charles Willson Peale and many others. Recipe cards featuring the modern versions of Washington favorites will be available for visitors to try at home. Even though Martha Washington oversaw food production and service at Mount Vernon, it was the slaves who toiled in the fields and kitchen to provide the meals. The dinner tables would have been empty without their labor. The exhibition takes into account the slaves who worked in Mount Vernon’s kitchen and includes a detailed timeline of the cooks’ 16-hour days. The display will include a reproduction livery coat, waistcoat, and breeches that Mount Vernon’s enslaved waiters wore when serving dinner. Curator Susan P. Schoelwer has commented that “Unlike the anonymous pots and pans found in most historic houses, this exhibit offers a rare, intimate look at a specific 18th-century kitchen, thanks to the actual pots and pans, kettles and canisters lovingly preserved by several generations of Martha Washington descendants.”
Washington National Cathedral continues to recover from the damaging earthquake in August, and All Hallows Guild volunteers still serve Tea in the Tower on most Tuesdays and Wednesdays following a Cathedral tour. Please see the adjacent Tour & Tea flyer for more information.
