New Frontiers: Back to School Youth Rally
8/21/2017 at 6:00 PM

In observance of the Great American Eclipse, our nation’s first full solar eclipse in decades, the New Frontiers: Back to School Youth Rally will feature ‘stellar” youth performances by StepAfrika, Split this Rock, Washington Performing Arts’ Children of the Gospel, and The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, accompanied by the NEWorks House Band.

Make the Kennedy Center your solar eclipse destination! Come early to experience the eclipse at the Kennedy Center, and then join us for free interactive space and eclipse themed workshops led by Boys and Girls Club from 4-5:30 pm in the Grand Foyer and on the River Terrace.

Presented in collaboration with NEWorks Productions and the Mann Center for the Performing Arts (Philadelphia, PA)

Alif Laila & Sitar Niketan
8/20/2017 at 6:00 PM

MASTERCLASS AT 5:30PM

Alif Laila's sitar recital, accompanied on tabla by Nitin Mitta, will be a unique audio-visual concert with the Alif's watercolor painting images portraying the emotions of the ragas played, presented in partnership with APCA (Advancement & Promotion of Charitable Activities). A lecture demonstration on Indian classical music and sitar, through a master class of Sitar Niketan students, will precede the sitar recital.

Charles Covington
8/19/2017 at 6:00 PM

Recognized as a virtuoso jazz pianist and organist, Charles Covington incorporates the styles of jazz greats while achieving the colossal feat of blending disparate elements into a coherent, codified style with Nasar Abadey on the drums and James King playing bass.

The Lucky So & So's
8/18/2017 at 6:00 PM

Washington, D.C.’s own The Lucky So & So’s bring their tropical funky brand of jazz and Hip Hop to the Millennium Stage. Named after a Duke Ellington composition, “I’m Just a Lucky So & So,” this powerful band pays homage to its D.C. roots.

Presented in collaboration with Hometown Sounds.

Max Hatt / Edda Glass & JBird Shogren
8/17/2017 at 6:00 PM

The 2014 NewSong Music grand prize winners Max Hatt / Edda Glass (Santa Fe, New Mexico) and 2016 NewSong award round finalist JBird Shogren share the stage to explore, perform, and discuss their own inspirations and methods of songwriting. Max Hatt / Edda Glass have “an incomparable spook” (Nashville Scene) and a “unique sound” (Larry Groce, NPR Mountain Stage), comprised of Glass’s unmistakable voice, Hatt’s epic guitar landscapes, and their award-winning jazz-Americana compositions. JBird Shogren from Centennial, Wyoming has a singular vision of what he is doing musically—roots and folk music filtered through a contemporary dissonant transmitter. Shogren plays all over the U.S. and Europe, has represented Wyoming in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, and was a finalist in the 2016 NewSong Competition held at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Presented in collaboration with Verse à Refrain: An Exploration of Song presented by NewSong Music.

Zeshan B
8/16/2017 at 6:00 PM

Desi Soul vocalist Zeshan B is widely recognized as one of the most unique singers to come out of Chicago. Zeshan B blends the hard-driving rhythms and horn- heavy sounds of 1960s and 1970s soul with the angsty scats and vocal stylings of early Indo-Pakistani film with lyrics about unrequited love, urban despair, and oppression. This is a self-proclaimed, entirely new genre he calls Brown-Skinned Soul.

The Reginald Cyntje Group
8/15/2017 at 6:00 PM

The Reginald Cyntje Group blends jazz, Afrobeat, and Caribbean music to create a unique musical experience. The band mixes art and activism to inspire social change through song.

The United States Naval Academy Band Superintendent’s Combo
8/14/2017 at 6:00 PM

The United States Naval Academy Band Superintendent’s Combo will perform works of jazz in various styles. Selections will be announced from the stage and include original compositions and arrangements by the members of the band.

The 32nd International Young Artist Piano Competition
8/13/2017 at 6:00 PM

Founded in 1986, Musical Arts International showcases six emerging young pianists, ages 7 to 29, and prize winners of the 32nd International Young Artist Piano Competition. They will perform an exciting mix of character pieces, showcasing a wide range of style from the West and a new premiere from the East. Come enjoy this dynamic group in the year of the Rooster!

SSINGSSING
8/12/2017 at 6:00 PM

SSINGSSING welds two disparate elements: glam-rock and deep-rooted Korean folk. This eccentric six-member Korean band skillfully blends these styles and presents them in a contemporary and accessible context with components of ballads, pop, and spiritual rituals.

Sharel Cassity & Elektra
8/11/2017 at 6:00 PM

One of the most exciting alto talents to come to prominence in the past decade, Sharel Cassity has quickly built a sterling reputation working alongside a veritable “Who’s Who” of jazz. As her career has continued to flourish, projects under her leadership have grown, developed and diversified. With Elektra, Sharel blends a disparate set of genres—jazz, rock, soul, electronica, hip hop—into a creative, groove-driven sound for the audience. Drawing on such atypical composer choices as Björk and Alicia Keys, Sharel offers up a funky, eclectic and exciting mix of music.

Lincka
8/10/2017 at 6:00 PM

Lincka is a Mexican American artist from Oklahoma City that sings in Spanish and English. She works with producer and guitarist Rat Fink, guitarist Salvador Chavez, and saxophonist Jonathan Elizondo. Her song “Gardenias” was recently featured in NPR’s Heavy Rotation: 10 Songs Public Radio Can’t Stop Playing.

The Corina Bartra Sextet
8/9/2017 at 6:00 PM

The Corina Bartra Sextet is an Afro-Peruvian and pan-American jazz group comprised of voice, piano, drums, sax, Peruvian cajon, and bass. Bartra was the first vocalist to blend Afro-Peruvian and Criolla music with jazz and uses instrumental textures in her compositions and arrangements.

The Philadelphia Jazz Orchestra
8/8/2017 at 6:00 PM

Under the direction of Joe Bongiovi, the Philadelphia Jazz Orchestra has made appearances in jazz clubs and festivals around the world.

The United States Naval Academy Wind Quintet
8/7/2017 at 6:00 PM

Established in 1959, the United States Naval Academy Wind Quintet is a vital part of the Naval Academy Band. This performance will feature Wind Quintet in G minor, Op. 56, No. 2 by Danzi, Blues for Johnny Dodds from Mississippi 5 by Jim Parker, Trois. Pieces Breve by Ibert, Menuet from Quintet, Op. 43 by Nielsen, Presto by Haydn, and Five Easy Dances by Agay.

Nutria
8/6/2017 at 6:00 PM

New Orleans–based trio Nutria brings their original swamp-inspired contemporary jazz to the nation’s capital for their Millennium Stage debut. Nutria performs music from their first record as well as material that will be featured on their forthcoming album, due out winter 2018.

Chasing the Wind
8/5/2017 at 6:00 PM

Chasing the Wind is the untold story of the great King Solomon who is known for his wealth, wisdom, and his women. Join composer Andre McRae in an evening of outstanding performances by Broadway’s Melvin Tunstall III (Beautiful, Rock of Ages), Signature Theatre’s Carolyn Cole (Hairspray, Spin), and Awa Sal Secka (Jesus Christ Superstar) as we take a musical journey of Solomon’s extraordinary tale and catch a glimpse of the development of this compelling new musical.

Woman Who Would Be King
8/4/2017 at 6:00 PM

Woman Who Would Be King is a one-woman show written and performed by Esosa E. that chronicles the journey of Hatshepsut, the first female pharaoh of Egypt. In the play, Esosa embodies 11 characters from Hatshepsut’s world to bring to life her fascinating journey from her youth until the moment she takes the throne.

Positive Vibrations Youth Steel Orchestra and Queen’s Royal College Steelpan Ensemble
8/3/2017 at 6:00 PM

The sounds of the steelpan come from the award-winning Positive Vibrations Youth Steel Orchestra, directed by Josanne Francis, as well as the Queen’s Royal College Steelpan Ensemble of Trinidad and Tobago, directed by Maureen Clement. Positive Vibrations Youth Steel Orchestra is part of the Cultural Academy for Excellence (CAFE), a non-profit art in education program based in Mount Rainier, Maryland.

Maria Pomianowska and ReBorn
8/2/2017 at 6:00 PM

Polish ensemble Maria Pomianowska and ReBorn perform innovative and beautiful music on suka and frame drum, imagining a historically traditional, breathtaking repertoire on these resurrected medieval instruments.

Presented in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute New York