Weekend Round Up May 16, 2019
By • May 16, 2019 0 863
This Saturday in Georgetown, you can help clean up the C&O Canal in the morning and stroll in and out of the Book Hill galleries in the evening. On Sunday, canal mules Dolly and Eva will munch hay in Fish Market Square, vintage cars will gleam on King Street, bands will play on porches in Southeast D.C. and two of the capital’s finest choruses will perform at the Kennedy Center and Washington National Cathedral, respectively. For more May events, visit The Georgetowner’s online calendar.
Jessye Norman at Library of Congress
The Library of Congress will host a conversation with legendary soprano Jessye Norman in the library’s Coolidge Auditorium, 10 First St. SE, on Thursday, May 16, at 7 p.m. Norman is the recipient of Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of Arts, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the Glenn Gould Prize for Music and more than 40 honorary doctorates. This is a non-ticketed event with seating on a first come, first served basis. For details, visit loc.gov or call 202-707-5000.
Georgian Folk Ensemble Pesvebi
On Friday, May 17, at 6 p.m., in celebration of Georgia’s Independence Day (May 26), the Brooklyn-based Pesvebi Ensemble will perform folk dances and music with traditional instruments and polyphonic singing as part of the Kennedy Center’s free Millennium Stage series. For details, visit kennedy-center.org or call 202-467-4600.
Book Talk: ‘Crime Scenes at Louvre & Orsay’
Also on Friday, May 17, at 7 p.m., Greek author Christos Markogiannakis, who wrote “Scènes de crime au Louvre” and “Scènes de crime à Orsay,” will give an illustrated talk in English and sign copies at the Alliance Française of Washington, D.C., 2142 Wyoming Ave. NW. Tickets are $15. For details, visit francedc.org or call 202-234-7911.
Chevy Chase Garden Tour
At the Chevy Chase Garden Tour, on Saturday, May 18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., participants can visit eight private gardens in historic Chevy Chase Village and shop for plants and garden items. Hosted by the Garden Club of Chevy Chase, the tour benefits restoration of Chevy Chase Circle, improvements to Western Grove Park and other community projects. Advance tickets are $30 ($40 on May 18). Ticket pickup is at 1 Quincy St. beginning at 10 a.m. For details, visit gardenclubofchevychase.org.
Georgetown Spring Art Walk
The Spring Art Walk, hosted by the Book Hill galleries on and around upper Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown, will take place on Saturday, May 18, from 4 to 7 p.m. The six participating galleries are: Addison/Ripley, Artist’s Proof, Susan Calloway Fine Arts, Klagsbrun Studios, the art gallery at Via Umbria and Washington Printmakers Gallery (Cross MacKenzie has relocated to Hillsboro, Virginia). For details, visit georgetowngalleries.com.
JxJ: ‘Carl Laemmle’
As part of JxJ, the new mashup of the Washington Jewish Film Festival and the Washington Jewish Music Festival, James L. Freedman’s documentary “Carl Laemmle” will be screened on Saturday, May 18, at 8:20 p.m. at Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema, 7235 Woodmont Ave. in Bethesda, Maryland. Laemmle, the founder of Universal Pictures, gave scores of Hollywood legends their first breaks and rescued more than 300 Jewish refugee families fleeing Nazi Germany’s advance. Tickets are $13.50. For details, visit jxjdc.org.
Canal Cleanup and Meet the Mules Day
On Saturday, May 18, from 10 a.m. to noon, Georgetown Heritage will host a Canal Cleanup at Fish Market Square at the corner of Grace and Potomac Streets. Then, on Sunday, May 19, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., also at Fish Market Square, Dolly and Eva, two of the mules connected with C&O Canal National Historical Park, will be in town for a Meet the Mules Day with free family-friendly activities. For details, visit the event’s Facebook page.
Old Town Festival of Speed & Style
On Sunday, May 19, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the lower three blocks of King Street in Alexandria, Virginia, will be blocked off as an outdoor showroom for vintage cars from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s and select luxury race cars. The free event will also include live music and fashion events and pop ups. All proceeds will benefit ACT for Alexandria, a community foundation focused on increasing charitable investment and community engagement. For details, visit eventbrite.com.
Music of the Beatles for Kids
Gypsy Sally’s, 3401 K St. NW, is the first venue in Washington, D.C., to host the Rock and Roll Playhouse series. On Sunday, May 19, at 11:30 a.m., The Rock and Roll Playhouse will perform classic Beatles tunes, from “Twist and Shout” to “Yellow Submarine.” Tickets are $15 and age-appropriate food will be available for purchase. For details, visit gypsysallys.com or call 202-333-7700.
Porchfest DC – Southeast Edition
The Southeast Edition of Porchfest DC, a festival of mini-concerts held on front porches, will take place on Sunday, May 19, from noon to 6 p.m. along the tree-lined streets of Hillcrest. The event will include spoken-word performances; jazz, folk, rock, hip hop and go-go groups; food trucks; and vendors. Attendees should wear walking shoes and bring a lawn chair (and cash to tip the performers). For details, visit porchfestdc.com.
Cathedral Choral Society: ‘Grant Us Peace’
On Sunday, May 19, at 4 p.m. at Washington National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Steven Fox will conduct “Grant Us Peace,” a Cathedral Choral Society concert featuring soprano Lauren Snouffer and baritone Jesse Blumberg. The program includes Poulenc’s joyful, radiant Gloria and Vaughan Williams’s Dona Nobis Pacem, expressing his anguish after service in World War I. Tickets are $21 to $81.50 (10-percent discount for seniors and veterans; $16 for students). For details, visit cathedralchoralsociety.org or call 202-537-5510.
Choral Arts: Fauré Requiem
Also on Sunday, May 19, at 5 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, the Choral Arts Society of Washington, conducted by Scott Tucker, will perform Gabriel Faure’s transcendent Requiem, Florent Schmitt’s setting of Psalm 47’s “O Clap Your Hands All Ye People! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!” and Lili Boulanger’s setting of Psalm 24 “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.” The performance will feature sopranos Laura Choi Stuart and Alexandria Shiner and baritone Trevor Scheunemann. Tickets are $15 to $69. For details, visit kennedy-center.org or call 202-467-4600.
