Once again this week, there are so many free concerts on the schedule that we have to begin there.
MAKE IT FREE:
Emma Kirkby and Jakob Lindberg>> The Eroica Quartet and friends will perform, on a string octet of historical instruments, pieces for eight strings by Mendelssohn and Spohr at the Library of Congress on Monday (October 19, 8 p.m.). The program includes Mendelssohn’s famous string octet, played directly from the composer’s autograph score, which is in the library’s collection. Reserved tickets are already gone, but if you show up early (the First St. SE entrance of the Jefferson Building) you have a good chance of receiving an unused seat.
>> Enjoy a musical lunchtime on Wednesday (October 21, 12:10 p.m.) with music from the Golden Age of the Netherlands performed by Carmina at the National Gallery of Art. No tickets required: just go to the ground floor lecture hall in the West Building.
>> As a commemoration of murdered journalist Daniel Pearl, the Virginia Virtuosi will play a free concert on Wednesday (October 21, 7 p.m.) at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington in Rockville. The program features music with Jewish themes or by Jewish composers, including works by Gershwin, Gottschalk, and Milhaud.
>> Violinist James Stern, a University of Maryland music faculty member, will perform all six of J. S. Bach’s unaccompanied works for solo violin in a free concert on Friday evening (October 23, 7:30 p.m.) at the Clarice Smith Center.
>> The Adelphi String Quartet, the University of Maryland’s new graduate student quartet in residence, makes its debut on Sunday (October 25, 2 p.m.) with a free concert at the Clarice Smith Center. The program features music by Mozart, Kurtág, and Beethoven.
>> Free with the cost of admission to the Phillips Collection on Sunday is a concert (October 25, 4 p.m.) by the Raphael Trio.
>> At the National Gallery of Art, the free Sunday concert series (October 25, 6:30 p.m.) will feature a program called “Orpheus in England,” with music by Dowland and Purcell, performed by soprano Emma Kirkby, one of the pioneers of the British early music movement, and lutenist Jakob Lindberg. It is best to show up early to get a seat with some kind of view.
