A trip out to Fairfax requires some justification, which the concerts hosted by the George Mason University Center for the Arts occasionally provide. This was the case Saturday night, when that venue distinguished itself as the only local stop for the current U.S. tour of the orchestra of the Leipzig Gewandhaus (recently in Chicago and Boston, but also in smaller places like Schenectady). That venerable ensemble, founded in 1781, is one of the oldest orchestras in the world. The musicians, who have always played at a high technical level, are making news again because of their new conductor, Riccardo Chailly, who now holds the podium occupied at various times by Kurt Masur, Bruno Walter, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Carl Reinecke, and Felix Mendelssohn. How embarrassing that the hall at GMU was not sold out, although the audience that filled perhaps three-fourths of the modest house was certainly appreciative. more ›

This is a good week for hearing 20th-century symphonic repertoire, even though the National Symphony Orchestra is on another break. As we approach the first major event of the NSO's season, the two-week Shostakovich festival in November, we will have the chance Since the NSO Shostakovich festival in November has been cancelled (due to Mstislav Rostropovich's health problems), this week is our only chance to celebrate the Dmitri Shostakovich centenary some more. MODERN: >> On... more ›

FRIDAY: Canadian supergroup Stars wowed Death Cab for Cutie fans when they opened their show last year at 9:30 Club, and now they return as headliners to set the Black Cat stage on fire. Of course, this concert has been sold out for ages, and the desperation for tickets on Craigslist is palpable. We'll see you fellow lucky bastards in what will no doubt be a breathtakingly long will-call line. For the rest of you,... more ›

. more ›

As you know from reading last week's Classical Music Agenda, we are at the beginning of a Mozart Year, with the 250th anniversary of the great Austrian composer's birth approaching on January 27. If you set foot in a classical concert in the next couple months, chances are good that you will hear Mozart. Considering the number of concerts we attend, Mozart fatigue could set in early. Not to worry, as there is still enough... more ›

December may have been classic musical central, but January brings a new year and host of exciting options, heavy topics and renowned playwrights showcased by local theatres. Opening this week is Studio Theatre's anticipated Neil LaBute Festival, highlighting the work of the often-caustic man responsible for, among other things, The Shape of Things and In The Company Of Men. The festival kicks off with Fat Pig, which explores whether a man can overcome his friends'... more ›

As Richard Leiby reported this morning in the Reliable Source, first twin Jenna Bush has applied for a teaching position at the Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School (wow, that's a mouthful) on 16th Street on the border of Columbia Heights and Mount Pleasant. The school and the White House are both mum on Jenna's plans but Leiby learned that Jenna plans to stay in Washington, leasing a house in Georgetown. But getting... more ›

DCist has always thought that D.C. lacks neighborhoods with a clear ethnic identity. There is no Little Italy, no Koreatown, no Pulaski Square. There is a Chinatown, but in reality, it is a Chinablock flanked by a Hooters, an Irish pub, a Chipotle and a Coyote Ugly. And while Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights used to be a district of mainly Salvadorans, an influx of Route 42 hipsters caused Don Juan's (corner of Lamont and... more ›