June’s performance offerings at the Music Center at Strathmore are a cinch to keep its audiences cool all month long.
Info Headline
June at the Music Center at Strathmore
Where: The Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda
When: Check Web site for specific event times.
Info: 301-581-5100; strathmore.org
Strathmore’s Afternoon Teas continue throughout the month at 1 p.m. every Tuesday and Wednesday in the center’s intimate Shapiro Music Room. Billed as “the perfect interlude in the hustle and bustle of life,” tea time offers the delectable opportunity to break free of appointments, meetings and paperwork; to sit back and enjoy the artistry of local musicians while sipping a master blend tea and a light lunch of mouth-watering savories. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra closes its 2009-10 season with two fabulous concerts that cement the theory they have been saving the best for last.
On June 5 Music Director Marin Alsop and the orchestra welcome legendary pianist Andre Watts as he performs Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, also known as the “Emperor Concerto.” Also on the evening’s repertoire are Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” and Bartok’s “Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste,” both solidifying Alsop’s ongoing commitment to culturally diverse programming.
“So much of the symphonic repertoire is colored, influenced and inspired by culturally based music — Tchaikovsky, Bartok, Dvorak, Brahms and Mozart. But many people are not aware of that,” she noted. “Music reflecting our ethnic heritage is everywhere, but it is rarely highlighted.”
In that same vein, Alsop and the BSO will also present Brahms’ “German Requiem” featuring the Washington Chorus under the leadership of Julian Wachner, music director, and the Morgan State University Choir with Director Eric Conway.
Two over-the-top hall events mark June’s calendar. The Manhattan Transfer appears for two nights beginning June 3. Strathmore staff advises purchasing tickets as soon as possible since this Grammy-winning group sold out their last performance at the center.
The Washington Performing Arts Society presents Denyce Graves on June 13, performing music from Handel to Gershwin.
“This June, in addition to fantastic music in the Music Center like Manhattan Transfer, Strathmore will present a lineup of local musicians in the Music Room and will begin our free outdoor summer concerts, this year featuring street festival performances from 5:30 to 7 p.m.,” Shelly Brown, Strathmore’s artistic director, said. “This June, we have tickets starting as low as $15 for Soheil Nasseri’s piano recital and a lineup of local musicians in the Music Room for $15.
“The free outdoor concerts begin on June 23 and run each Wednesday night. You can try our barbecue with the money you save on tickets.”
