The Kennedy Center Announces The Millennium Stage Schedule for April 2020

The Kennedy Center announces the April calendar of events for Millennium Stage, its free daily performance series featuring art and artists representing countless artistic styles.

Join us in honoring the legacy of Jessye Norman in Divas and Devos: A Celebration of Black Opera Singers, presented in partnership with the Coalition of African Americans in the Performing Arts (CAAPA) (Apr. 11). Before kicking off the 2020 Arts Summit on April 20, Citizen Artist Fellow Alysia Lee brings her Sister Cities Girlchoir to the Millennium Stage, empowering at-risk young women and helping creating a platform for their art (Apr. 18). Combining Indian and Pakistani musical influences, Kiran Ahluwalia will transform the Millennium Stage into an intercultural experience that reinvents performance boundaries (Apr. 28).

Witness the unveiling of the 2020-2021 Season Announcement for Theater, Ballet and Dance, Performances for Young Audiences, International Programming, and Renée Fleming VOICES in this special Millennium Stage engagement. Featuring performances from Broadway, major dance and ballet companies, and Kennedy Center commissioned works for Young Audiences, the evening will be hosted by NBC4's Jummy Olabanji (Apr. 20).

Millennium Stage, now celebrating its 23rd season, is a manifestation of the Kennedy Center's mission and vision to welcome all to celebrate our collective cultural heritage in the most inclusive, accessible way possible. Millennium Stage is the only place in the United States to offer a free performance every day of the year that is streamed live on the internet.

A full schedule of Millennium Stage performances for the Month of April 2020 is below. Unless otherwise noted, performances will take place in the Kennedy Center Grand Foyer, and no tickets are required. Performances are open to television and radio news coverage. Media crews must request access at least one full week prior to the performance date.

Wed., Apr. 1 6 p.m. The Aditya Prakash Ensemble is a collaboration that breaks down barriers between the cultures of jazz and Indian classical music to create music that is free from genre.

Thu., Apr. 2 6 p.m. Programming to be announced at a later date. Fri., Apr. 3 6 p.m. Musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra present a chamber concert of classical works. Sat., Apr. 4 6 p.m. Ron McCurdy's Langston Hughes Project is a multimedia concert performance of Hughes's kaleidoscopic jazz poem suite Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods for Jazz, his homage to the struggle for artistic and social freedom at home and abroad in the early 1960s. Sun., Apr. 5 6 p.m. Emma Willmann is an American stand-up comedian and actress from Blue Hill, Maine. She was featured at the Just For Laughs Festival in 2016 and Time Out New York recognized her as one of the 10 funniest women in NYC. Willmann is a series regular on the show Crazy Ex Girlfriend and most recently appeared on The Comedy Lineup special on Netflix. Mon., Apr. 6 6 p.m. The NSO Youth Fellows present an evening of chamber music and solo performances. Tue., Apr. 7 6 p.m. Trey Sorrells integrates the technical aspects of hard-bop style jazz with the soulful melodies of gospel, R&B, funk, and hip hop.

Wed., Apr. 8 6 p.m. Formed by the acclaimed Korean composer and pianist Daeuk Heo, HEO Trio is a France-based jazz ensemble that maintains a delicate balance between Eastern and Western influences. One of the leading jazz musicians in Korea, Heo is joined by two accomplished French musicians, Frédéric Chiffoleau (double bass) and Kevin Lucchetti (drums). Thu., Apr. 9 6 p.m. Dancers from The Washington Ballet perform on the Millennium Stage prior to their opening night of Swan Lake in the Eisenhower Theater. Fri., Apr. 10 6 p.m. From Memphis, Tennessee, Sensational Barnes Brothers is a fresh gospel duo performing songs from their new album, Nobody's Fault But Mine. Sat., Apr. 11

Terrace Theater

6 p.m. Join us in honoring a legendary American soprano at Divas and Devos: A Celebration of Black Opera Singers in Tribute to Jessye Norman. The performance will feature local D.C. artists.

Sun., Apr. 12 6 p.m. Internationally recognized pianist Nargiz Aliyarova presents a concert of Iranian, Azerbaijani, and Turkish Classical Music. Mon., Apr. 13 6 p.m. Ranging in age from 14 to 17 years old, the Blues Alley Youth Orchestra aims to preserve and promote the big band jazz art form throughout the D.C. area. Tue., Apr. 14 6 p.m. Musicians from the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra present a chamber concert of classical works. Wed., Apr. 15 6 p.m. Les Filles de Illighadad is a guitar-based Tuareg quartet from western Niger. Thu., Apr. 16 6 p.m. Programming to be announced at a later date. Fri., Apr. 17 6 p.m. Go-Go 101: The Next Generation is a monthly showcase celebrating the official music of Washington, D.C. This month's program will feature the next generation of Go-Go musicians. Sat., Apr. 18 6 p.m. Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Fellow Alysia Lee created Sister Cities Girlchoir with the intention of inspiring social change and creating a safe environment for young girls. At Girlchoir, it's not about just teaching girls to sing, but empowering them to transform their communities.

The 2020 Arts Summit takes place on April 20, 2020.

Sun., Apr. 19 6 p.m. Ronya-Lee LaVaune Anderson is an artist who draws inspiration from the authenticity of Nina Simone, the grace of Martha Graham, the social consciousness of Bob Marley, and the unapologetic style of Jimi Hendrix. For Anderson, music and dance are avenues of expression, providing space to wonder, to speak, to invite, and to challenge. Mon., Apr. 20 6 p.m. Catch a sneak peek at the 2020-2021 season of Theater, Ballet and Dance, Performances for Young Audiences, International Programming, and Renée Fleming VOICES in this special Millennium Stage performance featuring performances from Broadway, major dance and ballet companies, and Kennedy Center commissioned works for Young Audiences. NBC4's Jummy Olabanji will host the evening. Tue., Apr. 21 6 p.m. Musicians from the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra present a chamber concert of classical works. Wed., Apr. 22 6 p.m. In A Celebration of Joni Mitchell, Kimberly Ford and her New Orleans-based band celebrate Mitchell's classics. Thu., Apr. 23 6 p.m. Tariq O'Meally performs Sightlines, an exploration of the power and vulnerability in the African American body. O'Meally's art synthesizes choreography to tell socially relevant and empathetic stories. Fri., Apr. 24 6 p.m. Joan Garriga is one of the key figures of Catalonian and Spanish pop music. As the leader of Dusminguet and La Troba Kung-Fú, he created a new genre he calls rumbia, an entrancing mix of gypsy rumba and Latin cumbia.

Wed., Apr. 25 6 p.m. Musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra present a chamber concert of classical works. Thu., Apr. 26 6 p.m. Join Split This Rock's DC Youth Slam Team for an evening of slam poetry by some of the DMV's most talented young poets. DCYST uses poetry to teach and empower teens from the D.C. metro area to speak up about social justice issues. Fri., Apr. 27 6 p.m. The Levine School of Music presents young musicians from their Honors Program performing classical works. Sat., Apr. 28 6 p.m. Kiran Ahluwalia honors the great vocal traditions of India and Pakistan in masterful, personal ways. Her original compositions embody the essence of Indian music while embracing influences from Mali and Western blues, rock, R&B, and nuances of jazz. With her five-piece group, Ahluwalia shatters boundaries, inviting listeners to explore the human condition and lose themselves in a trance of groove and melody.

Sun., Apr. 29 6 p.m. Kiko Villamizar-born in Miami and raised in Andean Colombia-plays a unique mix of jazz and Latin American music that he calls cosmic urban Latino. Just as he is a fusion of the Andes and the Caribbean, Villamizar's music celebrates contemporary culture while honoring his roots. Mon., Apr. 30 6 p.m. Celebrating Astor Piazzolla is a guitar concert and tango performance by Felicia Toscano, Gianpiero Antonazzo, and Luigi Picardi.

Presented in collaboration with The Italian Cultural Society of Washington, D.C.

All performers and programs are subject to change without notice.

For more information on the Millennium Stage, please visit the Millennium Stage event page.

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