Washington Performing Arts Announces 2021/22 Season

Washington Performing Arts today announced its return to live, in-person performances for the 2021/22 season in venues across the D.C. region. The upcoming season comprises wide-ranging events that represent both the organization's characteristic eclecticism and the inherent diversity and daring of the region's community. The newly announced programs include classical and new music concerts, jazz performances, multidisciplinary and contemporary dance productions, and more. The season as a whole focuses on the return of live art, centering artists' voices, and supporting the creation of diverse new works.

Season subscriptions will go on sale on Tuesday, August 31 at 9:30am, with single tickets becoming available on Wednesday, September 15 at 9:30am. Further details about the 2021/22 season are available now on the Washington Performing Arts website.

"We are thrilled to be able to bring the immediacy and intensity of live, in-person performance to our audiences once again," said Jenny Bilfield, Washington Performing Arts President and CEO. "Our community has been wonderfully supportive for the past 16 months, as we've collaborated with artists to offer their work online in light of the pandemic. We've learned valuable lessons in technology and virtual connectedness that we intend to carry forward into the future. But in the end, there's no substitute for the here, the now, the togetherness of live performance, shared in community. Our audiences have told us they're ready to return, and frankly, we can't wait to welcome them back!"

In response to the region's gradual emergence from COVID-related restrictions, the 2021/22 Season is reduced in scale-just over 20 events (as opposed to the typical 35-40) with only three of them taking place in the remainder of 2021. Nonetheless, there is no downsizing of breadth or ambition: instead, the upcoming offerings are a concentrated version of the virtuosity and adventurousness that audiences have come to expect from the artists in a Washington Performing Arts season.

FALL PIANO ARTISTRY

The season opens with pianist Matthew Whitaker, a jazz wunderkind whose 2020 appearance marked one of the organization's last live events before the pandemic. Whitaker and his quartet will be joined on stage by the Washington Performing Arts Children of the Gospel Choir. Pianist Lara Downes, a performer and visionary familiar to Washington Performing Arts's audiences, presents a new program, titled Tomorrow I May Be Far Away. In a blend of poetry and chamber works for piano and strings, Downes will collaborate with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Rita Dove and with the Thalea String Quartet, an ensemble in residence at the University of Maryland School of Music. Hong Kong-born classical pianist Tiffany Poon makes her Washington Performing Arts debut as the latest in a decades-long series of Hayes Piano Artists, devoted to the world's finest emerging pianists. An alumna of The Juilliard School and Columbia University, Poon is known both for her abilities as an instrumentalist and for her strong relationship with young audiences through her social media presence. On this recital, Poon will perform works by Clara and Robert Schumann.

Hazel Scott 101ST BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

A key component of Washington Performing Arts's upcoming season is a series of performances celebrating pianist Hazel Scott's 101st birthday and amplifying her impact on American culture. Although Scott was an internationally renowned jazz and classical pianist, vocalist, actress, and activist from the 1930s-'50s, her activism, her status as an African American woman, and her blacklisting during the McCarthy Era have caused her to recede into near-obscurity. Washington Performing Arts is committed to reversing this historical injustice through events in the next two seasons that will commemorate Scott's music and life-a celebration originally intended for Scott's centenary year (pre-COVID) that will continue as planned, postponed yet no less potent.

The first event is a tribute concert co-presented with the United States Air Force Band, featuring pianist Michelle Cann as soloist. The performance explores the large-ensemble sound of Hazel Scott, with classical orchestra. The second is a more intimate piano recital inspired by the classical side of Scott's art-an underknown aspect of her career even in her heyday, due to the limited performance opportunities for classical artists of color. Cann will pay tribute to Scott and to other female, African American, classically trained pianists and composers of her time, showcasing how they incorporated Black culture into their classical works-as well as performing transcriptions of Scott's signature "Jazzing the Classics" style.

Other performances will include looks at Scott's jazz virtuosity (including her trio with Charles Mingus and Max Roach) and her reign as "The Queen of Café Society"-the groundbreaking, racially integrated night club in New York. The series finale, taking place in fall 2022, will be a new ballet by choreographer Tiffany Rea-Fisher, produced and presented in partnership with Dance Theatre of Harlem. The 25-minute work will trace Scott's remarkable life through her recordings and through original music by composer Erica Blunt. Further details about this co-production and additional events will be announced at a later date.

CLASSICAL MUSIC POWERHOUSES

In keeping with Washington Performing Arts's tradition of sharing pre-eminent classical music artistry with D.C.-area audiences, the upcoming season features several powerhouses in the field. Among them are celebrated cellist Yo-Yo Ma, alongside the acclaimed pianist Emanuel Ax and violinist Leonidas Kavakos. The super-trio, last seen in a Washington Performing Arts concert in 2017/18, will come together for an all-Beethoven program that showcases their unparalleled levels of musicality and interconnection. The virtuoso violinist Itzhak Perlman also returns with a multimedia program, bringing to light new and untold aspects of his life and career through live performance, storytelling, and rare TV clips and home videos. Another violin icon and longtime Washington Performing Arts collaborator, the incomparable Hilary Hahn, appears in recital accompanied by pianist Andreas Haefliger. The violin-piano duo will perform a delightful program of masterworks and contemporary compositions.

On the vocal front, Washington Performing Arts presents multi-Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato in Eden, a special program that explores humanity and nature through evocative music and theatrical effects. DiDonato will be joined by her frequent collaborators, il Pomo d'Oro chamber orchestra, and by the French stage director Marie Lambert. Bass-baritone Davóne Tines also presents a vocal program in which he follows the traditional structure of a Catholic mass but juxtaposes the works of J.S. Bach with spirituals and songs by Moses Hogan, Margaret Bonds, Tyshawn Sorey, and Pulitzer Prize-winner Caroline Shaw. Tines will collaborate with D.C.-based pianist Lester Green for this recital.

Other notable classical performances in 2021/22 include: the 25th anniversary celebration of The Sphinx Organization, featuring the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Tito Muñoz, the Exigence Vocal Ensemble, members of The Washington Chorus, and mezzo-soprano J'Nai Bridges (a co-production with the Kennedy Center, in cooperation with The Washington Chorus); and a second Hayes Piano Artist performance showcasing British pianist Martin James Bartlett, winner of the 2019 Young Concert Artists International Auditions (a co-presentation with Young Concert Artists).

GENRE-BREAKING EXPLORATIONS

Throughout the new season, Washington Performing Arts reflects its enduring commitment to new and developing productions, in collaboration with visionary artists and partners. Among these is This is America, a new project by violinist Johnny Gandelsman of the Brooklyn Rider string quartet. In a co-presentation with the Library of Congress, Gandelsman will perform works for solo violin-including a piece by Anjna Swaminathan commissioned by Washington Performing Arts-inspired by the social justice reckoning that communities around the country experienced during the year 2020. Another long-awaited multidisciplinary production-which was originally scheduled to take place during the 2019/20 season but had to be postponed due to the pandemic-is Christopher Tin's epic To Shiver the Sky. In a co-presentation with the United States Air Force Band, the Grammy Award-winning composer will premiere a grand work that features orchestra, the Choral Arts Society of Washington, and soloists in a musical exploration of humanity's quest to take to the heavens. Tin's symphonic composition is set to texts from pioneers of flight, ranging from Leonardo da Vinci to Amelia Earhart.

Further delving into interdisciplinary territory, Washington Performing Arts will present the preview/premiere of a hybrid work of dance, music, and theater-English with an Accent-in partnership with GALA Hispanic Theatre and co-commissioned by the Cultural Arts Center at Montgomery College. The evening-length work is the brainchild of Venezuelan artist Migguel Anggelo and features a company of dancers and singers, most of whom are immigrants. The semi-autographical fable follows a caterpillar who arrives in New York City, fleeing a dictatorship. Through dance, music, and storytelling, Anggelo explores the concepts of freedom, democracy, and the "American Dream" through the eyes of immigrants and contemporary artists.

CONTEMPORARY DANCE INNOVATIONS

Continuing to offer an array of arts programs, Washington Performing Arts welcomes two groundbreaking dance acts during its 2021/22 Season. The first is dancer Lil Buck, a virtuoso of the Memphis Jookin' street-dance style, whose 2016 video collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma became a viral hit. Lil Buck will share a brand-new production, titled Memphis Jookin': The Show, in which he pays homage to his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee using his signature, seemingly gravity-defying dance. The second dance presentation comes courtesy of the Los Angeles-based tap innovators Syncopated Ladies, whose founder is the D.C.-born dancer and choreographer Chloe Arnold. Syncopated Ladies will present a high-energy, joyous performance that combines tap dancing with hip hop, pop, and other styles.

GLOBAL 'MESSAGES' IN JAZZ AND INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC

As always, the Washington Performing Arts season considers the arts through an international and cross-cultural lens, with artists known both for embracing the traditions of their home cultures and for venturing far beyond them. Two exceptional performers whose 2019/20 engagements were impacted by the pandemic are making their official return. Although virtuoso tabla player Zakir Hussain was featured in the 2021 Home Delivery Plus series, the upcoming appearance puts him back on stage in person and in the company of his many D.C.-area fans. In a performance titled Triveni, Hussain will collaborate with two leading Indian classical musicians to explore the confluence of the varied instruments and distinct musical lineages for which each of them is known.

In another tradition-spanning collaboration, jazz piano master Danilo Pérez presents a performance that combines his passions of music and humanitarianism. Pérez and his Global Messengers sextet of musicians from Palestine, Greece, Jordan, and Panama will offer a culturally diverse program that builds community through music.

CHORAL AND MARS ARTS D.C. COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING

Washington Performing Arts's signature choral and community programs continue into the 2021/22 season with both virtual and in-person events. When it comes to connecting with local audiences through live performance, the Washington Performing Arts Men, Women, and Children of the Gospel Choirs are top of mind. For nearly three decades, these outstanding choral ensembles have been delighting audiences in the D.C. area with their harmonious sounds, while providing educational outlets to its members and creating a powerful sense of community. Before the season officially begins, the gospel choirs will offer a free tribute performance commemorating the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. As part of the 2021/22 season, these outstanding groups also join members of the Choral Arts Society of Washington choirs to present Living the Dream... Singing the Dream, the longstanding tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his legacy. The gospel choirs will also offer a Washington Performing Arts mainstage performance in June 2022-the official Season Finale and launch of the Choir's 30th anniversary.

Mars Arts D.C. returns for virtual and live performances in 2021/22. Mars Arts D.C.: Virtual will build on the groundwork laid last season with Creator's Notebook series of free online videos to present a sequel: OutFRONT. The short films will feature a new set of D.C.-area artists from go-go, rock, jazz, and folk styles in a more traditional concert format, exploring the skills required on stage. Meanwhile, the umbrella Mars Arts D.C. program-a partnership between Washington Performing Arts, Jacqueline Badger Mars, and Mars, Incorporated-will reactivate its highly accessible in-person programming, extending into all eight wards of Washington, D.C. The upcoming season will see new partner relationships with artists, fellow arts organizations, local businesses, and more. Additionally, Mars Arts D.C. will expand the roles of current and past partners with an exploration into new ways of presenting live/virtual hybrid experiences throughout the season.

EDUCATION PROGRAMMING

Washington Performing Arts provides performances, in-school artist visits, classroom instruction, and teacher resources to more than 100 D.C. Public Schools each year. As students return to school this fall, the organization will offer updated in-person and digital program formats and teaching artist engagement to align with D.C.'s plans and arts curriculum for the next school year. Music, dance, composition, improvisation, and global education will be taught through programs designed for students in grades K-12, including Capital Arts Partnership residencies, DC Keys, DCPS Honor Ensembles, and the Embassy Adoption Program, all offered in partnership with D.C. Public Schools.

The Washington Performing Arts Gospel Choirs will return to the stage during the 2021/22 season, as noted above and in the chronological season schedule below. There will also be a number of special events in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Men and Women of the Gospel Choir. Students in the Children of the Gospel Choir, ages 9-18, will participate in weekly rehearsals, individual vocal coachings, masterclasses, and musicianship studies. Digital performance and recording projects will also be initiated and shared online throughout the year.

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