Washington Performing Arts Society inaugurated its relationship with the brand-new downtown venue, Sidney Harman Hall, with a recital by Venezuelan-American pianist Gabriela Montero on Saturday afternoon. Although you may have heard about her abilities as an improviser on NPR last year, this was her first appearance in the area since she had to cancel her 2005 recital at the Corcoran. As you would expect of someone who took a Bronze Medal at the 1995 International......

At this point in December, holiday concerts and Handel's Messiah have completely hijacked the classical music schedule. Here are a few other events, not all of which avoid the spirit of the season. After this post, the Classical Music Agenda will take its end-of-the-year hiatus, to return in the New Year. >> On Tuesday, the final concert sponsored by Washington Performing Arts Society this calendar year features young violist Jennifer Stumm and Finghin Collins at......

The swell of holiday concerts and Messiah and Nutcracker performances has reached a deafening level this week. Still, there are some excellent concerts to hear, if you just need to get away from the tinselly, Santa-hatted madness. HEADLINES: >> Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero will give a nearly sold-out Washington Performing Arts Society recital on Saturday (December 15, 2 p.m.), Sidney Harman Hall. This new downtown venue, if an article in The Economist is to be......

We were taken aback by this beautiful photo by Samer Farha in the DCist Flickr pool this morning. After only a quick glance at the tag "Library of Congress," I was trying to place this building somewhere in the city, but then realized this is a shot of the gorgeous architecture of the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, out in Culpeper, Va. Tucked in the Blue Ridge Mountains, both American and international film, television, and......

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Foreign: 2007 Washington Jewish Film Festival The Washington D.C. Jewish Community Center’s annual film festival has become one of the largest and longest running of the local festivals. This year’s program encompasses over 40 films, from 11 countries. Nearly half of the selections are films from Israel, in recognition of the nation’s 60th year. The event......

>> Both the White House Christmas Tree and the Capitol Christmas Tree arrived in Washington today. >> D.C. fire officials are warning people not to overload electrical circuits in their homes this holiday season in the wake of a fatal garage fire over the weekend. [WTOP] >> Vice President Dick Cheney experienced an irregular heartbeat Monday and will be heading to George Washington University Hospital to have it checked out -- in case you......

MONDAY >> The Library of Congress Mary Pickford Theatre in the James Madison Building kicks off 5 weeks worth of free Monday night rock and pop films with a rare showing of the 1966 documentary, The Big T.N.T. Show. David "Man from Uncle" McCallum hosts Ray Charles, Petula Clark, the Lovin' Spoonful, Bo Diddley, Joan Baez, the Ronettes, Roger Miller, the Byrds, Donovan, the Seeds, the Modern Folk Quartet, and Ike and Tina Turner taped......

After a weekend full of concerts, there is not much to mention this week, for obvious, turkey-related reasons. Still, if you find yourself in town this week, there will be a few things to hear, although tickets may be hard to find. >> On Monday (November 19, 7:30 p.m.), French violinist Nicolas Dautricourt will be hosted by his country's embassy, La Maison Française. The attractive, all-modern program is bookended by the Poulenc and Debussy violin......

Hidden underneath the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall is a treasure waiting to be discovered — the Smithsonian Latino Center, which has been celebrating Latino culture, spirit, and achievement in America for 10 years, presents a terrific exhibit, Mexican Treasures of the Smithsonian, on display through November 11 at the S. Dillon Ripley Center’s International Gallery. The exhibit pulls together objects from different museums around the city to explore the shared histories and cultural......

The newest exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History is not exactly a headliner for the museum, seeing as it is housed in just one small room inside an already existing exhibit. Despite not receiving top billing, Discovering Rastafari has made the absolute most of of its limited allotment, filling it to the brim with the colorful images and stories of a vibrant faith. The exhibit's hand-painted sign draws you in, clashing with......

We're a little short-staffed today, so if you've got any picks to add for this weekend, please leave them in the comments. FRIDAY >> This weekend the Uptown Theater is playing the final cut of everybody's favorite movie about replicants running amock, and young Darryl Hannah being super sci-fi hot, Blade Runner. >> If an apocalyptic future isn't exactly what you're in the mood for, try on Seattle's dream folk rockers, Band of Horses, for......

It's been a long, frustrating, even humiliating journey together for tax paying D.C. residents, and a man named Roy Pearson. Yesterday, it all finally came to an end, so we thought it only fitting that we should pay tribute to the former administrative law judge who, through suing his dry cleaners first for $65 million over a lost pair of pants, then later $54 million, succeeded in driving international attention to D.C.'s legal system --......

The Washington Business Journal reported yesterday that the Washington Convention Center will be officially renamed to honor D.C.'s first elected mayor, Walter E. Washington. Apparently the D.C. Council approved the name change last year, though we can't recall having heard about it at the time. The idea is a fine one though, and Washington is certainly worthy of having his legacy honored. So what's the problem? As of Nov. 5, the building will officially become......

Nowadays, it seems like every place under the sun is producing wine. Indeed, it's probably because they are. Whenever someone says that they have a bottle from North Carolina or Mexico or China, there is no second guessing them anymore. Whether or not these odd regional wines are actually drinkable is another story. We've made it our mission to always give a bottle try- no matter where's it from- because you never know when or......

To call pianist Tigran Hamasyan an “up-and-comer” is a misnomer, because even though he is still quite young, this talented artist, by any measure, has already arrived. In addition to winning the prestigious Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition in 2006, the 20-year-old has been a finalist in numerous international competitions and has performed at clubs and festivals all over the world. Hamasyan will bring his latest sounds to the Kennedy Center’s KC Jazz Club on Friday......

Former Capitals coach Bruce "Butch" Cassidy (who famously wrote his plays on napkins, and then brought the napkins to practice) has just been fired by the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League after they lost six straight games. The firing from the junior team confirms the suspicions of many Caps fans who remembered the 2003-2004 season and though the coach might have been slightly less than qualified for the NHL. Cassidy joined the Capitals......

Written by DCist Contributor Stephanie Taylor Travel + Leisure magazine has released their 2007 list of "America’s Favorite Cities", which ranks D.C. as sub-par in most categories when compared to 24 other U.S. cities. Evaluated by our own residents, we came in a lowly No. 23 on the hotness meter, and No. 22 on the stylish (that’s out of a 1-25 ranking, 25 = bad, not good.) Visitors ranked Washington No. 24 on the people-I-like-to-look-at......

Many of you have already visited the "Solar Village" since it opened its gates last Friday on the National Mall. Last weekend the long lines literally wrapped around each house entered into the 2007 Solar Decathlon, with people eager to get a tour from the students, alumni and faculty from each university competitor. The ten competitions have been judged all week, from Architecture last week to Engineering today, with individual winners announced for each leg......

The annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund begin on Friday, and the city will see a number of changes in traffic patterns and road closures this weekend as a result. Here's what you should plan around: Streets closed to vehicles: Beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 19, until 2 a.m. on Sunday, October 21 * Pennsylvania Avenue, NW between 17th Street and 20th Street, NW * 19th Street, NW......

>> The Rock and Roll Hotel hosts Austin's electro-indie Octopus Project and Shout Out Out Out Out. $10, 8:30 p.m. >> Rustico in Alexandria is bringing back its delightfully insane Don't Hassel the Hof Brau party, which honors Munich's famous Hofbrau Oktoberfest beer as well as perennial German favorite and noted drunk entertainer, David Hasselhoff. Free Hofbrau mugs with every beer, and our own beer guy, Eric Denman, will be tending bar and sporting......

FRIDAY: >> Two shows for DAM! Fest tonight, with events at Rock and Roll Hotel and the Red and the Black. The former includes an appearance by recent Three Stars subject the Beanstalk Library, plus The Exit, Dragons of Zynth and The Teeth. Stick around for the free afterparty, We Fought the Hej, a combo of two of our favorite DJ nights, Hej Hej and We Fought the Big One. >> Don't forget to check......

Written by DCist contributor Meghan Welsh Cultures will collide this weekend at The Kennedy Center as Dana Tai Soon Burgess & Company presents the world premiere of "Chico Latino," a work which explores the intersection of Asian American and Latin American communities throughout the Americas. "Chico Latino" is a fusion of Latin and Asian modern dance, and the program will also include classic works by the choreographer, inspired by his experiences, such as a visit......

Written by DCist Contributor Stephanie Taylor Mark Andersen came to Washington decades ago as a student of international relations, but was heartbroken by what he saw right in his own backyard. What he describes as the distance between the city's idealism and its reality, particularly in terms of radical income disparities and the effects of historic racism, were too much for him to ignore. So he became a different type of diplomat, founding Positive Force......

You'd think that, once the Almighty found himself on the business end of God Is Not Great, Christopher Hitchens' latest broadside, there'd be hell to pay. Instead, Hitchens' book became an international bestseller, racking up laudatory reviews and garnering an even larger audience for his witty contrarianism. Which makes one suspect that perhaps The Hitch is on to something. As if it needed more attention, yesterday God Is Not Great was named one of five......

>> Seattle's Minus the Bear's latest release, Planet of Ice, finds the group continuing to delve into complex and progressive compositions while engaging in a brooding atmosphere that has added a new and intriguing element to their always fascinating sound. They'll be at the Black Cat with Subtle and ELA. 8 p.m., $15 advance, $17 at the door. >> Pulitzer Prize-winning author for Empire Falls, Richard Russo will be at Politics and Prose to......

Raised in Lisbon, Mariza, the daughter of Mozambican and Portuguese parents, is the reigning queen of a traditional style of Portuguese music called fado. After just a few notes of her show at The Music Center at Strathmore last night, it was obvious why she has garnered international acclaim as one of the world's finest vocalists. Over the course of her performance, she proved that talent, passion, and emotion will connect any form of music......

>> In case you missed our full interview with Josh Ritter this morning, check it out before heading over to see the singer/songwriter at 9:30 club, with Old School Freight Train. $20 tickets are still available, doors 7:30 p.m. >> Renowned poet Simon Armitage is at Olsson's in Old Town for a free reading of his latest translation of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight". 7 p.m., read all about it in our preview.......

Marc Fisher lets us know that longtime D.C. radio fixture Red Shipley, the host of WAMU's Stained Glass Bluegrass program for 25 years, died over the weekend from cancer in Charlottesville. Shipley introduced two generations of Washington area music fans to legendary and contemporary bluegrass music, up until last month, when WAMU took all of its bluegrass programming off the air and put it on HD Radio. "Radio lost one of its own legends last......

Would you be willing to pay $25 for a photograph of yourself standing next to someone who looks eerily similar to your favorite celebrity? That's the question you'll want to answer before venturing in to the new Madame Tussauds wax museum at 10th and F Streets NW, which opens to the public today. Last night, DCist attended the opening party for the attraction. We say attraction purposefully, because Madame Tussauds isn't a museum at......

Here's a story we missed from earlier this week: Via the Boston Globe, D.C. taxicab driver Ermiyas A. Asfaw was arraigned on Monday in Boston on charges of joking that he was a member of Al Qaeda and that he planned to "blow things up" at Logan International Airport. Asfaw was checking in for a flight on AirTran on Saturday night when an agent asked him why he had stickers on his luggage from Dubai.......