Weekend Round Up September 29, 2016

The Taj Mahal TrioSEPTEMBER 29TH, 2016 AT 10:00 PM | $60 TO $70 | TEL: 202-337-4141 | EVENT WEBSITE

Seventy-four-year-old blues and world music artist Henry Saint Clair Fredericks, Jr., known as Taj Mahal, brings his trio to Blues Alley. Also Friday 9/30, Saturday 10/1 and Sunday 10/2 at 8 and 10 p.m.

Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW

NGA East Building Galleries Reopen SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2016 AT 10:00 AM | FREE | EVENT WEBSITE

The East Building galleries of the National Gallery of Art, which house the modern collection and several temporary exhibition spaces, will reopen after three years of renovation, along with the construction of new galleries and a roof terrace. A completely new configuration of the permanent collection of modern art will be unveiled to the public.

National Gallery of Art East Building, 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW

Autumn Conservation Festival OCTOBER 1ST, 2016 AT 10:00 AM | $40 FOR VEHICLE WITH UP TO SIX PASSENGERS ($30 IN ADVANCE) | TEL: 202-633-4888 | EVENT WEBSITE

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s annual Autumn Conservation Festival is the only time of year this one-of-a-kind breeding and research facility is open to the public. The festival offers scenic views of the campus, where visitors may catch a glimpse of bison, endangered cranes and maned wolves. Scientists, animal care staff and researchers will be on hand to answer questions on caring for critically endangered species and explain the amazing technology used to save them. Only credit cards will be accepted at the gate. Also Sunday 10/2 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, 1500 Remount Road, Front Royal, Virginia

Taste of Georgetown OCTOBER 1ST, 2016 AT 11:00 AM | $20 FOR 5 TASTE TICKETS | EVENT WEBSITE

More than 60 signature dishes from over 30 popular Georgetown dining spots will be available to ticketholders. Each ticket may be redeemed for a restaurant taste (small plate), a beer or a glass of wine. Proceeds support the homeless services work of the Georgetown Ministry Center.

K Street NW between Wisconsin Avenue and Thomas Jefferson Street

DC Design House Preview Day OCTOBER 1ST, 2016 AT 12:00 PM | $60 | EVENT WEBSITE

The DC Design House is a nonprofit organization benefiting Children’s National Health System. The D.C. area’s top decorators will transform 21 spaces both inside and outside the 11,242-square-foot residence. The house will be on view from Oct. 2 to Oct. 30, daily except Mondays ($35 admission).

2509 Foxhall Road NW

‘Measure + Dido’ OCTOBER 1ST, 2016 AT 08:00 PM | $79 TO $119 | TEL: 202-467-4600 | EVENT WEBSITE

Folger Consort’s anniversary season opens with a dramatic evening at the Kennedy Center featuring orchestra, chorus, soloists and actors, including Derek Jacobi and Richard Clifford. Inspired by a 1699 adaptation of “Measure for Measure, or Beauty the Best Advocate,” staged by Charles Gildon in Restoration London, this concert pairs the ravishing music of Henry Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas” with timeless passages from Shakespeare’s play.

Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater, 2700 F St. NW

Choose Your Own ARTventure OCTOBER 2ND, 2016 AT 01:00 PM | FREE | TEL: 202-783-5000 | EVENT WEBSITE

This event takes place during the museum’s free monthly community day. Inspired by the Slow Art Movement, which asks museum visitors to slow down and look at art, this drop-in experience encourages visitors to choose from a selection of works in the galleries and spend time getting to know them through guided discovery adventures.

National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave NW

Blessing of the Animals OCTOBER 2ND, 2016 AT 02:00 PM | FREE | EVENT WEBSITE

The traditional Blessing of the Animals service will be held on the front lawn of St. John’s Church (in the parish hall in event of rain). All humans and their animal companions are welcome to attend. Participants are invited to bring pictures of animals that have passed on, for whom special prayers will be said. Treats from the Cheeky Puppy and G’Town Bites will be provided. There may also be animals available for adoption.

St. John’s Church, 3240 O St. NW

Belle Boggs at Politics & Prose OCTOBER 2ND, 2016 AT 02:30 PM | FREE | TEL: 202-364-1919 | EVENT WEBSITE

In conversation with Dan Kois, culture editor at Slate, Belle Boggs will talk about her essay collection “The Art of Waiting: On Fertility, Medicine, and Motherhood.” She looks at the options available to would-be parents, from adoption — not as simple as most people think — to IVF and other highly technological medical procedures, all as invasive, painful, expensive and iffy as they’re reputed to be. Even as she wonders why people sacrifice so much, Boggs admits to not fully understanding her own longing for a child, and her meditative exploration of parenthood includes considerations of a pregnant zoo gorilla, victims of forced sterilizations and the childless lives of artists such as Virginia Woolf.

Politics & Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW

Panel Discussion: Chinamania in the Twenty-First Century OCTOBER 2ND, 2016 AT 03:00 PM | FREE | EVENT WEBSITE

Why has Chinese porcelain been an object of obsession for more than five centuries? In conjunction with the Freer and Sackler Galleries exhibition “Chinamania,” this panel explores the persistence of “Chinamania,” as the craze was dubbed by the Victorian press. Artists, historians and cultural anthropologists will discuss the history, mythos and beauty of Chinese porcelain and describe their personal experiences in Jingdezhen, the “porcelain capital of the world.”

Ring Auditorium, Hirshhorn Museum, 700 Independence Ave. SW

Phillips Collection Sunday Concert OCTOBER 2ND, 2016 AT 04:00 PM | $40 | TEL: 202-387-2151, EXT. 277 | EVENT WEBSITE

Danish-Swiss violinist Niklas Walentin, pianist Christina Bjørkøe, conductor Jean Thorel and Sō Percussion will make their D.C. debut.

Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW

Erev Rosh Hashanah Service OCTOBER 2ND, 2016 AT 07:00 PM | $20 REQUESTED DONATION | TEL: 202-687-4300 | EVENT WEBSITE

The Georgetown University Jewish Community continues its tradition of opening its doors to the greater D.C. community for the Jewish High Holy Day Services. No tickets required.

Gaston Hall, Georgetown University, 37th and O Streets NW