FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
PJ Feinstein
(301) 581-5193
Grammy-winner Arooj Aftab and Australian acrobats at the Music Center, multi-disciplinary performer & composer Jen Shyu at the Mansion
(NORTH BETHESDA, MD) – This spring at Strathmore, Grammy Award-winner Arooj Aftab joins Vijay Iyer and Shahzad Ismaily for a breathtaking performance, Love in Exile. The trio’s lush, haunting collaborative soundscapes of meditation and yearning are “about self-exile, and the search for freedom and identity, and finding it through love and music,” according to Aftab. In May, Gravity & Other Myths: A Simple Space, an Australian troupe of acrobats pushing the boundaries of contemporary circus, reaches new heights in the Concert Hall. Experience the joy and playfulness up close with intimate performances featuring on-stage seating.
Up the road, AMP, Strathmore’s lounge in the North Bethesda Pike & Rose district, offers a variety of must-see performances across musical genres. Explore bluegrass and folk with The Gibson Brothers, Aynur and Leyla McCalla; multi-genre jazz with The String Queens and Jo Palmer; and the astounding vocal talent of Roomful of Teeth at WoCo Fest and Shayna Steel. In addition to music, AMP serves up a curated food menu, innovative cocktails, and local craft beer.
The Mansion will host multi-talented performers, including multilingual vocalist, composer, instrumentalist, and dancer Jen Shyu as well as violinist, violist, vocalist, and composer Christina Courtin. In this intimate venue, patrons can also continue to explore Strathmore’s 31st Annual Strathmore Juried Exhibition and Emon Surakitkoson’s large-scale mixed media work, Sorry About My Accent.
For a full listing of Strathmore events, visit strathmore.org.
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Music Center
AROOJ AFTAB, VIJAY IYER, SHAHZAD ISMAILY
Fri, April 14 | 8pm
Location: The Music Center
Love in Exile is a new project by Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, and Shahzad Ismaily based on their recently released debut album by the same name. With Aftab’s haunting Urdu vocals, Iyer on pianos and electronics, and Ismaily on bass and Moog synth, the artists translate joy, pain, meditation, and yearning.
MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL ON TOUR
Featuring Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling, Lakecia Benjamin, Christian Sands, Yasushi Nakamura & Clarence Penn
Thu, April 20 | 8pm
Location: The Music Center
The longest continuously running jazz festival in the world celebrates its 65th year with a must-hear ensemble directed by visionary pianist Christian Sands, featuring Tony and Grammy Award-winning NEA Jazz Master vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, Grammy Award-winning vocalist Kurt Elling, critically acclaimed rising star saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, and drummer Clarence Penn.
DJAVAN: THE D TOUR USA 2023
Fri, April 21 | 8pm
Location: The Music Center
After a 14-year hiatus, one of the greatest icons of Brazilian music returns to the US for a major tour. Four-time Latin Grammy-winner Djavan presents a brand-new show with his full band, featuring songs from his 25th studio album “D” as well as major hits from his 45-year career. Co-presented by EducArte.
GRAVITY & OTHER MYTHS: A SIMPLE SPACE
Wed, April 26 & Thu, April 29 | 8pm
Location: The Music Center
Australian contemporary circus company Gravity & Other Myths presents A Simple Space, a simultaneously frantic yet delicate performance. Acrobats are pushed to their physical limits, propelled by the driving sound of live percussion in a playful, intimate setting.
RAIN—A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES
Sat, April 29 | 8pm
Location: The Music Center
Experience the world’s most iconic band in a performance that takes audiences back time with early Beatles favorites and songs from Abbey Road and their famous 1969 rooftop concert.
UKULELE ORCHESTRA OF GREAT BRITAIN
Tue, May 2 | 8pm
Location: The Music Center
The small but mighty ukulele holds its own in the hands of this virtuosic group from across the pond. Reinventing entire genres with only their ukes and their voices, The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain covers Tchaikovsky to Nirvana via Otis Redding and Spaghetti Western soundtracks.
Grammy-winning duo Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer host a Pre-Show Ukulele Strum Along . open to both ukulele players and auditors who want to learn more about this guitar-like instrument.
SENSORY-FRIENDLY BACKSTAGE TOURS
Sat, May 20 | 11am
Location: The Music Center
Young people with autism or sensory sensitivities are invited backstage at the Concert Hall for a small-group tour. Children and teens can play instruments on the stage, see the artists’ dressing rooms, learn how the lights and sound work, and so much more.
All children and teens must be accompanied by an adult and have a ticket.
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Mansion
EXHIBITION: SORRY ABOUT MY ACCENT, EMON SURAKITKOSON
Tue, March 21—Sat, April 29
Location: The Mansion, First Floor
Surakitkoson’s large scale mixed media paintings in stark black and white have received praise from the Washington Post and Gallery visitors alike. Her most recent body of work reflects on her experiences as a self-taught, immigrant artist. Known for her bold marks and use of texture, Surakitkoson’s undulating shapes take visitors on a journey through space.
EXHIBITION: 31st ANNUAL STRATHMORE JURIED EXHIBITION: PLAY
Tue, March 21—Sat, April 29
Location: The Mansion, Second Floor
We use play to sustain our creativity, build relationships, and cultivate a love of life. Play works with restrained rules, or it can be the act of breaking rules. It can be formula and pattern, or it can be experimental and adaptive. Play transcends age and species, occurring shortly after birth and is observed in animals of the earth and ocean. For this juried exhibition, artists were invited to “play” both in representation and in abstraction, but most significantly, in an enjoyable form.
EXHIBITION: CREATIVE CRAFTS COUNCIL
Tue, May 9–Sat, July 29
Location: The Mansion, First and Second Floor
This biennial event features the finest craft from the mid-Atlantic region. Handmade jewelry, ceramics, textiles, and woodwork celebrate the traditions and innovation of artisans and the continued love for American craft.
BOYD MEETS GIRL
Thu, April 6 | 6:30pm & 8:30pm
Location: The Mansion, First Floor
Boyd Meets Girl pairs Australian classical guitarist Rupert Boyd with American cellist Laura Metcalf. The duo has toured the world sharing their eclectic mix of music from Debussy and Bach to Radiohead and Beyoncé.
RACHEL BARTON PINE
Thu, April 13 | 6:30pm & 8:30pm
Location: The Mansion, First Floor
Celebrated as a leading interpreter of great classic and contemporary works, Rachel Barton Pine’s performances combine her innate gift for emotional communication and her scholarly fascination with historical research.
JEN SHYU
Thu, April 27 | 6:30pm & 8:30pm
Location: The Mansion, First Floor
Multilingual vocalist-composer-multi-instrumentalist-dancer Jen Shyu is “one of the most creative vocalists in contemporary improvised music” (The Nation). She has produced eight albums and has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Theater of Korea, and Rubin Museum.
CHRISTINA COURTIN
Thu, May 4 | 6:30pm & 8:30pm
Location: The Mansion, First Floor
Violinist, violist, vocalist, and composer Christina Courtin became deeply rooted in classical music at an early age. After studying at Juilliard, Courtin has continued to perform with The Knights, an orchestral collaborative based in New York City.
KERRY WILKERSON & DANIELLE TALAMANTES
Thu, May 18 | 6:30pm & 8:30pm
Location: The Mansion, First Floor
Composer Henry Dehlinger, along with his vocal collaborators Danielle Talamantes and Kerry Wilkerson, present original art songs written for their voices. Selections include the poetry of Dante Alighieri, James Joyce, and T.S. Eliot, and biblical texts from Song of Solomon.
QUINTETO LATINO
Thu, May 25| 6:30pm & 8:30pm
Location: The Mansion, First Floor
This San Francisco Bay Area classical wind quintet melds the vibrant colors and vigorous rhythms of Latin American music with the sumptuous voices of the wind quintet. The ensemble is devoted to expanding the boundaries of classical music through performance and advocacy of work exclusively created by Latinx composers.
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AMP
CONNOR HOLDRIDGE: GUITARIST & COMPOSER
Artist in Residence Class of 2023
Wed, April 12 & 26 | 8pm
Location: AMP by Strathmore
Connor Holdridge’s sound draws upon various musical cultures and takes inspiration from a younger generation of acoustic guitar players with more modern influences. His compositions explore the possibilities in sound using two French guitars, upright bass/electric bass, and varied percussion.
CONNECTING THE DOTS
Josanne Francis, Chao Tian, Titilayo Ayangade
Fri, April 14 | 8pm
Location: AMP by Strathmore
Parallel Intersections, a duo composed of Strathmore Artist in Resident (AIR) alums Josanne Francis on steelpan and Chao Tian on Chinese dulcimer, comes to AMP with their newest project, Connecting the Dots, featuring fellow AIR alum Titilayo Ayangade on cello. The project showcases three different instruments from three different places, performed by musicians of distinct cultures and nationalities, all bound together by music.
THE GIBSON BROTHERS
Fri, April 21 | 8pm
Location: AMP by Strathmore
Following in the footsteps of legendary brother acts such as the Stanley Brothers, Jim & Jesse, and The Osborne Brothers, The Gibson Brothers’ bluegrass is a stirring mix of heritage and harmony. The brothers grew up on a dairy farm in New York, then traveled the world playing bluegrass.
SHAYNA STEELE
Thu, April 27 | 8pm
Location: AMP by Strathmore
This dynamic vocalist gives new meaning to diversity and grassroots talent. Steele’s natural ability to traverse musical genres—be it in the studio, on the stage, or the screen—has kept her on the A-list of in-demand singers in the industry. Her mature songwriting abilities are evident as heard through her infusion of soul, jazz, and blues.
MAMES BABEGENUSH
Fri, April 28 | 4pm & 8pm
Location: AMP by Strathmore
Mames Babegenush unleashes a sonic crossroads, fusing Scandinavian roots with the klezmer traditions of Eastern Europe. From the contemplative ambience of Nordic snowscapes to the lively weddings of Romania, the music of Mames Babegenush exudes a sense of both poignant melancholy and irresistibly danceable exuberance.
AYNUR
Sun, April 30 | 4pm & 8pm
Location: AMP by Strathmore
One of the best-known Kurdish musicians on the scene today, Aynur’s contemporary interpretations of Kurdish folk music are praised internationally. Her synth-pop sound explores centuries-old stories of the life and sufferings of Kurdish people—particularly, Kurdish women—bringing substance and tradition to Western genres.
WOCO FEST 2023: AWAKEN
Fri, May 5–Sat, May 6 | 8pm
Location: AMP by Strathmore
Produced by Boulanger Initiative and co-presented by Strathmore, WoCo Fest 2023: Awaken features Roomful of Teeth, a Grammy winning vocal band dedicated to reimagining the expressive potential of the human voice. The festivities also include an accordion from the streets of Paris, a lush piano trio by famed suffragette Ethel Smyth, a beatboxing master, a local all-girls choir, and so much more.
Boulanger Initiative advocates and provides opportunities for women composers and all gender marginalized composers through performance, education, and commissions.
JO PALMER: MULTI-GENRE DRUMMER
Artist in Residence Class of 2023
Wed, May 10 & 24 | 8pm
Location: AMP by Strathmore
Berklee College Of Music alum Jo Palmer grew up amidst the vibrant jazz scene of Hartford, Connecticut. Palmer has spent recent years touring Europe and Africa with Real World Records artist Les Amazones De Afrique as well as freelancing as a sideman with several jazz, hip-hop, and rock artists.
LEYLA MCCALLA
Thu, May 11 | 8pm
Location: AMP by Strathmore
A bilingual multi-instrumentalist and alum of the Grammy Award-winning African American string band Carolina Chocolate Drops, Leyla McCalla’s work is inspired by both the past and present. She pays homage to her Haitian heritage and her adopted home of New Orleans with a distinctive sound that reflects the union of her roots and experiences, creating music that is at once earthy, elegant, soulful, and witty.
THE STRING QUEENS
Fri, May 12 | 6:30pm & 9pm
Location: AMP by Strathmore
Praised for its authentic, soulful, and orchestral sound, The String Queens (TSQ) is a dynamic trio creating stimulating musical experiences that inspire diverse audiences to love, hope, feel, and imagine. With many repertoires from the Baroque era to the Jazz Age to today’s top hits, TSQ performs versatile programs that take listeners on a rousing musical journey through time and many musical genres.
ABOUT STRATHMORE
Strathmore is a multidimensional, creative anchor in the community, where everyone can connect with the arts, and artists can explore their full potential.
It presents hundreds of performances, visual arts, and education programs, annually, for diverse audiences on its Montgomery County Maryland campus and in the community.
All of Strathmore’s facilities are Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC) STAR™ accredited.
For further information or tickets, call (301) 581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.
ABOUT AMP BY STRATHMORE
AMP by Strathmore puts a premium on authentic live music experiences helping you discover your new favorite artists and elevating your night out beyond the Beltway. It is your destination for great music and creative cuisine at Pike & Rose, an urban-minded, Metro-accessible neighborhood on Rockville Pike in North Bethesda.
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