Performing Arts: September Highlights

by patrickmccoy

Editor’s picks for not-to-miss performances this month.

The Music Center at Strathmore (Photo by Ron Solomon)

Despite the warmer temperatures, fall is officially here, bringing with it a bounty of arts to the D.C. area. Whether it’s an orchestra concert or a play, our nation’s capital offers a wide variety of enjoyable opportunities. Don’t miss these key events during the month of September.

MONDAY, SEPT. 10, 6 p.m.
J’nai Bridges, mezzo-soprano in recital, Free

J’nai Bridges (Photo courtesy of Ms. Bridges)

J’nai Bridges, the recipient of the Marian Anderson Award performs in a free recital in the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater.

The Terrace Theater, The Kennedy Center
202-467-4600, For more information

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 12, 7:30 p.m.

Jeff Antoniuk
Jazz composer and saxophonist, $15 (general)

The intimacy of the Mansion at Strathmore is the perfect venue to experience the artistry of Canadian-born musician Jeff Antoniuk. His trademark fusing of West African rhythms in his delivery of jazz has garnered international attention.

The Mansion at Strathmore
10701 Rockville Pike
North Bethesda, MD 20852
301-581-5100, For more information

THURSDAY, SEPT 13, 8 p.m. (through Oct. 28)

The Government Inspector, $43-$83

Directed by Michael Kahn, this adaptation of Gogol’s satire on Russian provincial bureaucracy comically portrays self deception, mockery and pandemonium.

Lansburgh Theatre
450 7th Street NW
202-547-1122, For tickets and information

SATURDAY, Sept. 22, 8 p.m

Alexandra Symphony Orchestra
Brahms Piano Concerto, No. 1
with pianist Yuliya Gorenman
, $5-$80

Yuliya Gorenman reunites with the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra and conductor Kim Allen Kluge for Brahms’ masterful work for piano and orchestra. Use the code “yuliya” when you purchase tickets for a 25 percent Washington Life discount on adult, senior and student tickets in all sections.

Rachel M. Schlesinger Center for the Arts
3001 North Beauregard Street
Aelxandria, VA 22311
703-548-0885, For tickets and more information

SUNDAY, SEPT. 23, 3 p.m.

The Washington Bach Consort “Kings and Commoners,” ticket prices vary

Washington Bach Consort Music Director J. Reilly Lewis (Photo by Tom Wolff)

Founded in 1977 by beloved musical icon J. Reilly Lewis, The Washington Bach Consort opens its 35th Anniversary Season with majestic works composed for state occasions and the electoral process. Among the works are Handel’s Coronation Anthem No. IV-My Heart Is Inditing and select election cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach.

National Presbyterian Church
4101 Nebraska Avenue NW
202-429-2121, For tickets and more information
(Enter promo code “BIGBADBACH” to receive a 20 percent Washington Life discount on ticket price before Sept. 21.)

SUNDAY, SEPT. 23, 4 p.m.

Celebrity Series Concert
Nathan Gunn, baritone,
$40-$180

Baritone Nathan Gunn (Photo by Sharkey Photography)

“One of today’s most in-demand singers, Nathan Gunn “commands an operatic baritone whose mighty heft and richness confer an outsize authority on everything he touches,” said The New York Times. The renowned opera star Nathan Gunn debuts with the Washington National Opera Orchestra in a program of works by Rossini, Mozart and Sondheim. Tenor William Burden is scheduled to make a guest appearance.

Kennedy Center Opera House
202-467-4600, For tickets and information

FRIDAY, SEPT. 28, 8 p.m. (through Nov. 4)

One Night with Janis Joplin, ticket prices vary

Re-live the raw intensity and power of rock star Janis Joplin in this masterful recreation of her life and performances. Directed and written by Randy Johnson, the show also shines a spotlight on musicians like Aretha Franklin, Etta James and Bessie Smith, who influenced the legendary blues rocker.

Arena Stage, Kreeger Theatre
1101 Sixth Street SW
202-488-3300, For tickets and more information

SUNDAY, SEPT. 30, 7 p.m.

National Symphony Orchestra Season Opening Concert, $47-$125

The internationally acclaimed concert violinist Anne Sophie Mutter joins conductor Christoph Eschenbach and the NSO in its season opener with Mutter performing virtuosic works by Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Sarasate and Strauss. Ms. Mutter has sustained a 35-year career of exceptional musicianship with an unwavering commitment to the future of classical music. Long after her international debut at the Lucerne Festival in 1976, followed by a solo appearance with Herbert von Karajan at the Salzburg Whitsun Concerts, she has appeared in all the major concert halls of Europe, North and South America and Asia.

Kennedy Center Concert Hall
202-467-4600, For tickets and more information

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