FRIDAY: >> Octogenarian fiddler Joe Thompson (at right), said to be the last black traditional string band player, plays a free show at The Kennedy Center’s The Millennium Stage with fellow folk musicians Wayne Martin on fiddle and Bob Carlin, a clawhammer style banjoist. 6 p.m. >> Space rockers The Gulf sold out their D.C. show in April, and are coming back to play at the Red and the Black with the Joonies, Twin Earth,…

The classical music season got officially under way this weekend, and there will be more and more choices facing eager listeners. Even if you cannot afford all the concerts you want to attend, since local radio station WETA, at 90.9 FM, went back to a classical format, there is more local music on the airwaves, too. Tune in this evening (September 16, 7 p.m.) to the live broadcast of the National Symphony Orchestra’s Season Opening…

As part of receiving this year’s Marian Anderson Award from the Kennedy Center, tenor Lawrence Brownlee gave a recital in the Terrace Theater Sunday afternoon. The award recognizes a young singer who has already distinguished himself as a multifaceted performer, and many reviewers, myself included, have been impressed with his strong tenor, a vocal type that is as rare in its best form as it is important, in opera particularly. Brownlee’s program on Sunday mostly…