Kaleta & Super Yamba Band, Emma Willmann & More Featured in The Kennedy Center's November Millennium Stage Schedule

Millennium Stage is a manifestation of the Kennedy Center's mission and vision to welcome all to celebrate our collective cultural heritage in the most inclusive and accessible way possible. Millennium Stage will offer free live community performances, streamed live, plus online programs and film screenings, Wednesday-Sunday each week throughout our campus.

November events will include an Afrobeat performance by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Kaleta & Super Yamba Band, an evening of comedy with actress and podcaster Emma Willmann, Latin American artist Sofia Rei in a genre bending performance with jazz, classical, pop, and electronic music influences, and Grammy®-nominated and award winning artist Gaby Moreno as she shows why her original blend of jazz, soul, blues and 1960s rock won her Best New Artist at The Latin Grammys® in 2013. The Extraordinary Cinema Series, a curated Sunday matinee film series featuring the best in Independent art films, cult classics, and documentaries will feature three documentary films this month, Neutral Ground (2021), Miss Lillian: More Than A President's Mother (2021) and Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song (2022). Millennium Stage will also host the The Halluci Nation as they reinvent themselves from A Tribe Called Red and perform music that represents and focuses on how indigenous people are seen as they prepare to for their upcoming album One More Saturday.

For schedule updates and reservations, visit the Kennedy Center website. Registration does not guarantee entry to the event space. Access is first come, first served and may be restricted due to capacity. Performances are open to television and radio news coverage. Media crews must request access at least one full week prior to the performance date.

Chronological Schedule for November 2022
Please check the Kennedy Center websites for updates on programming.

Wed., Nov. 2

6 p.m.
Millennium Stage
Portraits of Frida: A ballet folklórico performance honoring Frida Khalo by Corazón Folklórico DC
Corazón Folklórico Dance Company, based in Washington, D.C., is a non-profit founded in 2017 dedicated to honoring and preserving the art of ballet folklórico, or traditional Mexican dance. Mexican culture is vibrant and diverse, even within the regions of Mexico. Corazón promotes and celebrates the cultural diversity of Mexico through Ballet Folklórico dance performance by building a community of passionate dancers throughout the DMV area. Corazón seeks to create a space where anyone can participate in the joy and art of Ballet Folklórico.

Thu., Nov. 2

6 p.m.

Millennium Stage
Kaleta & Super Yamba Band
Brooklyn's Kaleta & Super Yamba Band are fronted by Afrobeat and Juju veteran Leon Ligan-Majek a.k.a. Kaleta. The singer/guitarist from the Benin Republic lived his adolescent life in Lagos, Nigeria where Afrobeat was born. Kaleta got his start in the late 70s performing in church and was soon after picked up by iconic Juju master and world music pioneer King Sunny Ade. A few years later Fela Kuti came calling. Kaleta would go on to tour the world playing guitar for the King of Afrobeat in his storied band Egypt 80 through the 1980s and into the 1990s. Kaleta and his band have also erupted across the US. They performed at the historic Apollo Theatre in 2019. They also performed on Adult Swim's Fishcenter Live show in 2019. In 2017, they rocked Paste Magazine's Emerging Music Festival in NYC and after that performance Afropop Worldwide fell in love with Kaleta, saying "his James Brown grunts have got to be some of the best in the business!"

Fri., Nov. 4

6 p.m.
Millennium Stage
An Evening of Comedy: Emma Willmann
*This show will not be livestreamed*

Emma Willmann is a stand-up comedian, actress, and podcaster originally from Blue Hill, Maine. She was a part of the inaugural season of Netflix's The Lineup and has made memorable appearances in CW's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Judd Apatow's Crashing. Fans know her from her various podcasts, including her new solo podcast, Emma's Bunker. She's one of the rare comedians who has made multiple appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In 2015, Bunker was selected as a New Face at the prestigious Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal. Bunker beat out hundreds of comedians to be named one of the 10 Funniest comics as part of Caroline's New York's Funniest competition in 2014. She's also been named one of the 10 Funniest Woman in NYC by Time Out NY and one of the 100 Woman We Love by GO Magazine.

Sat., Nov. 5

6 p.m.
Millennium Stage
Sofia Rei
Redefining authenticity from an intensely personal perspective, Rei has carried diverse Latin American traditions from her native Buenos Aires to the multi-cultural mecca of New York City, where she's fused those sounds with jazz, classical, pop, and electronic music influences. Rei's talents fit comfortably into any number of genres. Her restless curiosity, however, makes her uncomfortable dwelling in any single category for very long. Along the way she's connected with like-minded innovators including John Zorn, Maria Schneider, Marc Ribot, Bobby McFerrin, Pedrito Martinez, and countless others. Rei also continues to inspire a future generation of adventurous musicians through her educational efforts at such renowned institutions as New York University and Berklee College of Music.

Sun., Nov. 6

3 p.m.
Justice Forum at The Reach
Extraordinary Cinema: The Neutral Ground
The Neutral Ground documents New Orleans' fight over monuments and America's troubled romance with the Lost Cause. In 2015, director CJ Hunt was filming the New Orleans City Council's vote to remove four confederate monuments. But when that removal is halted by death threats, CJ sets out to understand why a losing army from 1865 still holds so much power in America.

Wednesday., Nov. 9

6 p.m.
Millennium Stage
The Martha Redbone Roots Project
Native & African-American vocalist/songwriter/composer/educator, Martha Redbone, is known for her unique gumbo of folk, blues, and gospel from her childhood in Harlan County, Kentucky infused with the eclectic grit of pre-gentrified Brooklyn. Inheriting the powerful vocal range of her gospel-singing African American father and the resilient spirit of her mother's Cherokee/Shawnee/Choctaw culture, Redbone broadens the boundaries of American Roots music. With songs and storytelling that share her life experience as a Native and Black woman and mother in the new millennium, Redbone gives voice to issues of social justice, bridging traditions from past to present, connecting cultures, and celebrating the human spirit.

Thu., Nov. 10

6 p.m.
Millennium Stage
Rene Lopez
Rene Lopez is a one-man song factory. Lopez comes from Fania salsa heritage (his father of the same name played on many salsa iconic albums) but as a solo artist, he has leaned toward funk and soul, always influenced by bi-cultural Nuyorican life. A multitalented singer-songwriter, guitarist and drummer, Lopez has created a consistently stellar body of work that steadfastly charts an independent path reflective of the multicultural New York City environment where he was raised and lives to this day.

Fri., Nov. 11

6 p.m.
Millennium Stage
NSO
Members of the National Symphony Orchestra play an assortment of chamber music.

Sat., Nov. 12

6 p.m.
Millennium Stage
The Halluci Nation
As they enter a new cycle, Bear Witness and Tim "2oolman" Hill of A Tribe Called Red are reintroducing themselves as The Halluci Nation, to reflect the evolution of their music and mission. The Halluci Nation, takes its name from a phrase coined by John Trudell, to describe the vast global community of people who remember at their core what it means to be human.

The Halluci Nation maintains focus on what they feel they can impact most: how Indigenous people are seen. Through groundbreaking stage shows and ever-changing visuals, Bear Witness and 2oolman are working to create media that reflects today's Indigenous identity. They see themselves simply as contributors to a necessary conversation around a subtle and complex representation of the contemporary Indigenous experience.

Wed., Nov. 16

6 p.m.
Millennium Stage
Germán López presents: ALMA (Canary Island "SOUL")
Germán López is one of the most internationally distinguished "timple" virtuosos from the Canary Islands. Since his professional beginnings, López has been betting on the sonorous possibilities of this diminutive 5-string instrument that soars above its assumed role as an accompanying instrument, and center it as a voice for melody. In 2022, Virgin Records / Universal Music Spain released López's ALMA: a monumental music album recorded across continents, featuring guests such as Richard Bona, Seckou Keita, Lila Downs, Antonio Toledo, Cheche Alara, Alain Pérez, and produced by two-time Latin Grammy® "Producer of the Year" Gregg Field. In late 2022, Germán López will tour ALMA as a performance project made up of musical collaborators performing this boldly original music, and connecting live audiences with flavorful melodies, rhythms, and Canary Island "soul".

Thu., Nov. 17

6 p.m.
Millennium Stage
KCOHO

Fri., Nov. 18

6 p.m.
Millennium Stage
Alex Cuba
His sugarcane-sweet melodies, pop-soul hooks, and powerful guitar riffs relinquish a conventional stereotype that exemplifies much of the Latin music landscape. Alex's records have earned him Latin Grammy® and Juno awards as well as Grammy Award® nominations. His musical evolution for years was all about searching for the simplicity and soul in Cuban music-taking apart the complex arrangements, mixing it with North American influences, adopting the melodic simplicity of pop music, looking to Cuban folk traditions for inspiration-he's always exploring, creating something fresh and new, and always, it seems, getting it just right.

Sat., Nov. 19

6 p.m.
Millennium Stage
Gaby Moreno
Born and raised in Guatemala, Gaby Moreno grew up inspired by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, and Aretha Franklin. She immersed herself in blues, R&B and soul, and learned to speak English by singing.

Her original blend of jazz, soul, blues, and 1960s rock has earned her the respect and appreciation of audiences in Latin America, Europe, and U.S. In 2013, she received a Latin Grammy® for Best New Artist. Previously in 2006, she won the Grand Prize at the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Moreno also co-wrote the theme song for NBC's Parks and Recreation earning her an Emmy® nomination. Moreno has toured across the globe alongside artists like Tracy Chapman, Van Dyke Parks, The Punch Brothers, and Calexico. Moreno released her latest album Spangled in October 2019 on Nonesuch Records.

Sun., Nov. 20

3 p.m.
Justice Forum at The REACH
Extraordinary Cinema: Miss Lillian: More Than A President's Mother
The docudrama, Miss Lillian: More Than A President's Mother, is a poetic revelation of Lillian Carter's life, as told by her friends and family who knew her best. The film includes a powerful interview with her son, President Jimmy Carter. It also features Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, Sam Donaldson, Tommy Lasorda, and the people of Plains, Georgia. Miss Lillian is portrayed by Broadway and film/TV actress Carol Swarbrick. Lillian Carter was an early civil rights activist, a fearless, hardworking nurse, an entrepreneur, a Peace Corps Volunteer at age 70, and an outspoken, all-around "fierce" woman. She embodied the best of American ideals. Everyone, young or old, can take away inspiration to start or continue a life of purpose.

Wed., Nov. 23

6 p.m.

Millennium Stage
Old Man Saxon
Old Man Saxon is a rapper from Denver, most recently featured as the crowd favorite on the hit Netflix series with Cardi B, Chance the Rapper, and TI, Rhythm + Flow.

His music has been featured on HBO's Silicon Valley, Netflix's hit film Someone Great, and Madden commercials. The music video for his hit single "The Perils" had over 100,000 YouTube hits in its first 24 hours of release. He's performed at Hip Hop Kemp in Czech Republic and Hiero Day in Oakland, and he's opened for artists such as Camron, Ghostface Killah, and Curren$y. Since his first headline show sold out at The Marquis in November, he's officially on tour, with dates in Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, New York, Philly, and more. He has released 3 EP's and his first LP, The Peacock Honey, drops Dec 6th.

Fri., Nov. 25

6 p.m.
Millennium Stage
Cathy & Marcy's Family Music Party
Two-time Children's Music Grammy Awards® winners Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer entertain, engage, and inspire with their instrumental virtuosity on guitars, ukuleles, banjos washboard and homemade instruments and tight harmony singing. Come sing-along, yodel along, and participate. The duo's latest album for families is DANCIN' IN THE KITCHEN: songs for ALL families.

Sat., Nov. 26

6 p.m.
Terrace Theater
Cimafunk
Cimafunk is an Afro-Cuban Rockstar. His name refers to his heritage as a 'cimarrón,' Cubans of African descent who resisted and escaped slavery, as well as to the essence of his music that aims to subvert conventional sounds with rhythmic innovation. By bringing out the best in Cuban rhythms and traditions and infusing sounds and styles from Africa and the U.S.,Cimafunk has created something unique and special, not only in terms of music but also with the values he stands for. He is redefining contemporary Cuban music as well as Afro-Latin identity and the fusion of black cultures.

Sun., Nov. 27

3 p.m.
Justice Forum at The REACH
Extraordinary Cinema: Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song
Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song is a definitive exploration of singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen as seen through the prism of his internationally renowned hymn, "Hallelujah." This feature-length documentary weaves together three creative strands: The songwriter and his times; the song's dramatic journey from record label reject to chart-topping hit; and moving testimonies from major recording artists for whom "Hallelujah" has become a personal touchstone. Approved for production by Leonard Cohen just before his 80th birthday in 2014, the film accesses a wealth of never-before-seen archival materials from the Cohen Trust including Cohen's personal notebooks, journals and photographs, performance footage, and extremely rare audio recordings and interviews.

Wed., Nov 30

6 p.m.
Millennium Stage
Becky Hill
Becky Hill is a percussive dancer, choreographer, and educator. She performs regularly with the T-Mart Rounders, calls square dances, and teaches dance throughout the country. She is a 2018 OneBeat alumna, a 2021 Strathmore Artist-in-Residence, and is currently an Artist-in-Residence at the John C.Campbell Folk School. As an avid community organizer and teacher, Hill's work is deeply rooted in the intersections between music, dance, and community. She believes there is always more to learn and is dedicated to creating innovative choreography rooted in Appalachian music and dance.

All performers and programs are subject to change without notice.

ABOUT THE KENNEDY CENTER MILLENNIUM STAGE

Millennium Stage embodies the Kennedy Center mission and vision, inviting audiences to celebrate our collective cultural heritage in an inclusive, accessible way. The Millennium Stage-part of our Impact Performances offerings-provides free live community performances, online programs, and film screenings regularly throughout the Kennedy Center campus. Our Impact Performances, including the Millennium Stage, provide free performance opportunities for audiences and artists. Support Millennium Stage by texting 'MSTAGE' to 243-725. Your gift will help the Kennedy Center continue to bring free programming to Washington, D.C.

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