WASHINGTON PERFORMING ARTS ANNOUNCES PROGRAMMING FOR 2017/18 SEASON

FOR RELEASE
April 25, 2017

        WASHINGTON PERFORMING ARTS ANNOUNCES
           PROGRAMMING FOR 2017/18 SEASON
       Longtime favorites and impressive newcomers abound in
   50+ events spanning a wealth of forms and genres—classical, jazz,
     world music, dance, and more—and highlighting new works
                       and novel collaborations

April 25, 2017—Building upon the momentum of the still-ongoing 50th anniversary celebration,
Washington Performing Arts unveils its 2017/18 season of more than 50 events, taking place in
ten venues throughout the region. The organization’s passion for collaboration comes to the
fore through numerous premieres, both world and regional, co-commissioned with national
and international partners—such as The Blue Hour, collectively composed by five women
(including Pulitzer Prize-winner Caroline Shaw) with text by renowned D.C.-based poet Carolyn
Forché, and Steve Reich’s Runner—along with co-productions with other local performing arts
presenters, notably with the Kennedy Center in the return of the critically acclaimed SHIFT: A
Festival of American Orchestras.

The thought-provoking season brings into focus the connections among artists, cultures,
traditions, and innovation. In an exceptionally strong orchestra season, D.C. audiences can look
forward to return engagements from the Los Angeles Philharmonic, partnering with a choir
comprising singers from several local choral institutions for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony; the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra; and the Mariinsky Orchestra with Daniil Trifonov performing his
own Piano Concerto in E-flat minor. In 2018, Washington Performing Arts joins artists and
presenters across the country in honoring Leonard Bernstein in his centennial year, offering a
freeperformance featuring his daughter Jamie Bernstein with the United States Air Force Band,

and a new all-Bernstein program from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton
Marsalis.

Washington Performing Arts continues to expand its footprint in the greater D.C. community
through extensive intersections among concert programming, education programs, and
community programs. The Mars Urban Arts Initiative continues to connect grassroots arts
makers throughout the city; this year, the Initiative introduces its first-ever spotlight artist, Dr.
Chelsey Green, who will give a performance at Sixth & I with her band, The Green Project, and
participate in numerous residency activities throughout the community during the season. A
winner of the 2018 Feder Memorial String Competition will have the privilege of performing
one movement from a new work by composer/pianist Conrad Tao, as well as a special coaching
from violinist Paul Huang, who will premiere Tao’s work in its entirety this season with pianist
Orion Weiss. And as part of Washington Performing Arts’ commitment to lifelong learning,
renowned artists take their fans deeper into the creative process through exploratory
experiences, including the eminent mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves in a public master class with
two of her students, and jazz pianist Aaron Diehl and Tony award-winning playwright Murray
Horwitz in a new three-part series, How Do We Listen? Conversations in Music.

“Rare appearances, special projects, and exciting collaborations take center stage in
Washington Performing Arts’ 17/18 season,” said Jenny Bilfield, President & CEO of Washington
Performing Arts. “In our planning, we invited both new and legacy artists to present their
boldest programs, and I believe many have. We were thrilled that a number of them responded
by asking us to partner with them to pilot new programs or to bring new work to light—
whether in concert or in the realm of lifelong learning. We hope each performance will feel like
a special not-to-be-missed event, and we’re grateful that so many of our artists have embraced
this goal as well!”

As it enters its 51st season, Washington Performing Arts further solidifies its position as an
organization that presents unique experiences for all through innovative and explorative
programming.

                                     The Art of the Orchestra

Washington Performing Arts proudly presents an international array of orchestras and
ensembles this season, each performing works that speak to its identity and mission. Featured
at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall: the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel bring
a new work by Esa-Pekka Salonen along with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony—the first time the
epic work has been presented by Washington Performing Arts since 1982—with a choir that

unites singers from The Washington Chorus, Choral Arts Society of Washington, Catholic
University’s Rome School of Music, and members of the Washington Performing Arts Men &
Women of the Gospel Choir; the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Riccardo Muti, after a 12-
year absence, returns to D.C. with Brahms’ Second Symphony and a new work by its composer-
in-residence, Samuel Adams; the Mariinsky Orchestra and Valery Gergiev present Daniil
Trifonov’s own Piano Concerto, as well as an only-in-D.C. performance of Mosolov’s The Iron
Foundry; and Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under Antonio Pappano (co-
presented with the Kennedy Center) performs with Martha Argerich as soloist for Prokofiev’s
Piano Concerto No. 3 alongside selections by Verdi and Respighi. At Strathmore, the
Philadelphia Orchestra, led by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, returns for its annual Washington
Performing Arts engagement with Shostakovich’s defiant and monumental “Leningrad”
Symphony.

At the newly renovated Kennedy Center Terrace Theater and in celebration of the 20th
anniversary of The Sphinx Organization, the Sphinx Virtuosi (co-presented with the Kennedy
Center)bring to D.C. a collection of concerti that span the ages, from Beethoven to Jimmy
López. Boston-based chamber orchestra A Far Cry joins Brazilian vocalist Luciana Souza for the
world premiere performance of The Blue Hour at Sixth & I, and Ensemble Signal presents a free,
all-Steve Reich program, co-presented by the Library of Congress.

The critically acclaimed SHIFT Festival returns for a second year this season, showcasing four
American orchestras—Fort Worth Symphony, Albany Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony and
D.C.'s own National Symphony Orchestra—in residencies comprising performances at the
Kennedy Center and free events around the city. Programs includeworks by living composers
such as Jimmy López, Anna Clyne, Joan Tower, and Dorothy Chang alongside works by 20th
century masters Lutosławski, Bernstein, and Penderecki, in collaboration with renowned
artists/ensembles, including Alisa Weilerstein, Augustin Hadelich, Joyce Yang, Time for Three,
Texas Ballet Theater, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky. The SHIFT Festival is a co-presentation with the
Kennedy Center and is supported in part by a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon
Foundation.
                                    Leonard Bernstein at 100

Throughout the 2017/18 season, Washington Performing Arts honors the centennial of one of
the signature American musicians of the 20th century, Leonard Bernstein,by connecting core
programming and established collaborations with a deeper exploration of Bernstein’s life and
work. His music, which continues to be among the most performed today, incorporates such
elements as the rhythmic vitality of jazz and the lyrical intensity of art song that consolidates
disparate musical roots, creating a diverse and wholly unique body of work. Bernstein was also
recognized in his lifetime as one of the world’s most engaging music educators, giving a public

image to an artistic discipline from which many felt distanced. Through his inspiring approach
to life and music, Leonard Bernstein put his stamp on the world, and 2018 will mark a year of
reflection and remembrance of one of the most iconic figures in music history.

Washington Performing Arts celebrates Bernstein throughmultiple performances and across
several genres, from jazz to orchestra to the spoken word and through special educational
events. Jamie Bernstein, acclaimed narrator, broadcaster, writer – and daughter of the late
Leonard Bernstein – collaborates with the United States Air Force Band to present a free
orchestral program that tells the story of her father’s music and life in a newly created evening-
length program (commissioned by The Philadelphia Orchestra). As the centerpiece of his
popular What Makes it Great?™ series in 2018, commentator/educator Rob Kapilow directs his
attention to the Bernstein Songbook. And in their return to Washington Performing Arts, the
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Wynton Marsalis offer an all-Bernstein program, with
brand-new arrangements of classics from West Side Story, Candide and more from Grammy-
nominated composer Richard DeRosa.

                               Piano Masters & Mavericks

Training its artistic spotlight on the piano, Washington Performing Arts presents exceptional
performers across multiple genres at varying stages in their careers. Performances at the
Kennedy Center include piano luminaries such as Nikolai Lugansky presenting works by
Schumann and Rachmaninoff; Boris Berezovsky with selections by Prokofiev and Scriabin;
Alexandre Tharaud with a performance of Bach’s monumental Goldberg Variations; Martha
Argerich in collaboration with long-time friend and colleague Itzhak Perlman presenting works
by Bach and Franck as a follow-up to their 2016 album release; and Evgeny Kissin’s return to
the stage after a two-year U.S. touring hiatus for a concert featuring Beethoven and
Rachmaninoff. Mitsuko Uchida, in a rare solo concert appearance, performs an all-Schubert
program at Strathmore.

Rising keyboard talents are presented each year as part of the Hayes Piano Series, established
in 1966 in honor of Washington Performing Arts founder Patrick Hayes and his wife, Evelyn
Swarthout Hayes. From Pollini to Perahia, Brendel to Bronfman, virtually every notable pianist
performing today made his or her Washington, D.C. debut on this exceptional series.
Showcasing a wide swath of emerging talent, the Hayes series in 2017/18 includes
performances by 15-year-old Nathan Lee with a program of selections by Bartók, Beethoven
and Schulz-Eyler (co-presented with Young Concert Artists); the Anderson & Roe Piano Duo
featuring a concert paraphrase on Powder Her Face by Thomas Adès and John Adams’
Hallelujah Junction; Roman Rabinovich performing his new work alongside pieces by Haydn,
Corelli and Chopin; David Fung making his Washington Performing Arts solo debut after a

powerhouse collaborative performance with violinist Chad Hoopes in 2016; and Conrad Tao
performing Jason Eckardt’s Echoes’ White Veil and Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in A-flat Major,
among other works.

In addition to Daniil Trifonov, whose Piano Concerto is featured on the Mariinsky Orchestra
program, other pianists appearing as soloists with orchestras include Joyce Yang (SHIFT Festival
with the Albany Symphony) performing Joan Tower’s Still/Rapids, and Martha Argerich in her
second appearance this season, performing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the
Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. In the realm of jazz piano, the 2017/18
season includes South African piano legend Abdullah Ibrahim, co-leading an ensemble with
trumpeter and countryman Hugh Masekela; and Aaron Diehl, who brings his trio to D.C.

                   Innovators United: Premieres & Contemporary Classical

The 2017/18 Season includes a number of programs that boast new or recent works—and, in
many cases, intriguing artistic collaborations. Case in point: The Blue Hour,an institutional co-
commission and a true celebration of the female voice, receiving its world premiere at Sixth &
I. Written by an all-female consortium of composers including Rachel Grimes, Angélica Negrón,
Shara Nova, Caroline Shaw, and Sarah Kirkland Snider, and set to the poem “On Earth” by
Carolyn Forché (currently Lannan Chair in Poetry at Georgetown University), The Blue Hour is
an evening-length song cycle to be performed by renowned Brazilian singer Luciana Souza and
chamber orchestra A Far Cry.

Ensemble Signal presents the East Coast premiere of Steve Reich’s Runner(another Washington
Performing Arts co-commission), as well as the 1972 work Clapping Music—with the composer
as part of the ensemble—in a free performance co-presented by the Library of Congress (a
commissioning partner). Continuing their five-year collaboration with Washington Performing
Arts, Kronos Quartet and long-time friend and collaborator master pipa player Wu Man bring
the multi-media A Chinese Home to D.C. audiences. PUBLIQuartet, the ensemble that musically
annotated the second 2016 presidential debate on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, makes
its Washington Performing Arts debut with a program titled Freedom & Faith, featuring the
world premiere of a Washington Performing Arts co-commission by composer Jessica Meyer.

Performers on the 2017/18 season, including many returning favorites of Washington
Performing Arts audiences, prove their versatility as composers, including: Daniil Trifonov, who
performs his Piano Concerto in E-flat minor with the Mariinsky Orchestra; Conrad Tao, whose
yet-untitled new work will receive its world premiere by violinist Paul Huang with pianist Orion
Weiss; and Roman Rabinovich, who presents his own new work, Memory Box, on the Hayes

Piano Series. Area premieres include Samuel Adams’ many words of love, performed by the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra; a new work from Esa-PekkaSalonen and the Los Angeles
Philharmonic; and numerous works on the 2018 SHIFT Festival.

                                      Virtuosos in Recital

The 2017/18 season features landmark presentations by established artists as well as those
whose stars are on the rise. An all-star trio comprising Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos, and Yo-
Yo Ma brings a mixed program of Schubert and Brahms, in memory of Isaac Stern; Joshua Bell,
with pianist Alessio Bax, performs at Strathmore following his week-long residency at the
Kennedy Center this past spring; “rock star” of the flute Emmanuel Pahud presents a program
of Mozart, Schubert, Pintscher, and others, also with Alessio Bax; and violinist Maxim Vengerov
makes what will undoubtedly be a triumphant return to performance after recovering from a
shoulder injury sustained in 2011.

Continuing its role as a nurturer of young up-and-coming talent, Washington Performing Arts
will present the Verona Quartet, winners of the 2015 Concert Artists Guild Competition and
named “New Artists of the Month” for May 2016 by Musical America. Violinist and Avery Fisher
Career Grant recipient Paul Huang returns to Washington Performing Arts following his 2012
debut; his collaborator and fellow Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient, pianist Orion Weiss, was
last seen in Washington with the Salzburg Marionettes in 2014. Another talented young
violinist, Emily Daggett Smith, joined by pianist Tanya Gabrielian, gives a recital in honor of
Jacqueline Badger Mars, the recipient of Washington Performing Arts’ 2016 Ambassador of the
Arts Award.

                                        Jazz Luminaries

Washington Performing Arts’ jazz events continue to offer highly regarded figures of the genre
and a broad spectrum of artists performing in a variety of jazz styles, often melded with music
from other cultures.

Both a solo artist and a featured vocalist with Pink Martini, Storm Large brings her
commanding voice and bawdy humor to D.C. in December to perform her “Holiday
Ordeal.” Pianist Aaron Diehl, a frequent collaborator with Washington Performing Arts
favorite Cécile McLorin Salvant, steps out with his trio in a program of standards and his
own meticulously thought-out compositions. Diehl will also be featured on a new series—
How Do We Listen? Conversations in Music—in collaboration with Murray Horwitz
throughout the season. The passionate and polished trumpeter Chris Botti returns with
his superb band for a spell-binding evening at the Kennedy Center.

Arguably the two most storied jazz instrumentalists in South Africa’s history—and both one-
time members of the seminal late ’50s band The Jazz Epistles—trumpeter Hugh Masekela and
pianist Abdullah Ibrahim join forces again to co-lead an all-star ensemble. Masekela was last
presented by Washington Performing Arts in 2015 alongside fellow South African Vusi
Mahlasela. Also returning is Indian tabla master Zakir Hussain, who consistently stretches in
new creative directions. In this new-to-D.C. program titled “Crosscurrents,” Hussain unites with
2017 NEA Jazz Master and bassist Dave Holland, saxophonist Chris Potter, and other top-tier
musicians for a program that explores the connections between Indian classical music and jazz.

Billboard-charting recording artists Chelsey Green and The Green Projectmake their
Washington Performing Arts debut, tearing down all stereotypes of the violin and viola by
fusing traditional classical technique with various genres including R&B, pop, soul, funk, jazz,
alternative, hip hop, and gospel. Green is familiar to local audiences as an active arts educator,
and has been an artistic ambassador through the American Music Abroad program of the U.S.
State Department.

As mentioned above, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis join the
myriad artists and ensembles honoring the legacy of Leonard Bernstein in his centennial
year.

                                   The World in our City

Washington Performing Arts continues its commitment to global culture and education with
events that spotlight distinctive performers and programs and celebrate world cultures in D.C.
These and other programs by international, classical, jazz, and contemporary artists will
intersect with Washington Performing Arts’ Embassy Adoption Program (a partnership with the
D.C. Public Schools connecting more than 80 fifth and sixth grade classrooms with embassies).
In addition to A Chinese Home, performed and developed by the Kronos Quartet and pipa
player Wu Man, the exciting collaboration between jazz legends Hugh Masekela and pianist
Abdullah Ibrahim, and tabla maestro Zakir Hussain and bassist and Jazz Master Dave Holland,
Washington Performing Arts presents two additional globally-flavored programs: Diego el
Cigala, one of Spain’s most acclaimed and innovative flamenco singers, in a co-production with
Strathmore; and Wu Man, who makes a second appearance on the 2017/18 season, this time
with the Huayin Shadow Puppet Band, blending traditional Chinese music and shadow
puppetry.

The VelocityDC Dance Festival returns for its ninth season with numerous short works of no
more than ten minutes by local ensembles and individuals, reflecting the breadth of D.C.’s
dance personality through ballet, contemporary, tap, flamenco, and many other styles. This

season will feature the addition of a shorter family-friendly matinee. The full lineup of
performers will be announced at a later date. This signature program is a partnership with
Shakespeare Theatre Company and the D.C. Commission on Arts and Humanities.

                                           The Voice

From Beethoven’s Ninth Symphonywith the Los Angeles Philharmonic and a choir
comprising singers from D.C. choral institutions, to the seductive tones of flamenco singer
Diego el Cigala, plus several other performances outlined below, the human voice takes a
leading role throughout the 2017/18 season.

Acclaimed mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves recently received the 2017 Washington
Performing Arts’ Ambassador of the Arts Award. As part of this prestigious award, she will
hold a public masterclass with two of her students from the Peabody Conservatory.

For more than 25 years, Washington Performing Arts’ Gospel Choirs have shared the
inspirational gift of gospel music with audiences throughout the D.C. region and beyond.
The choirs’ annual concert with the Choral Arts Society of Washington, Living the
Dream…Singing the Dream—honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—is
a joyful celebration of the power of music and the human spirit. Members of the Men &
Women of the Gospel Choir will perform as part of the choral ensemble for Beethoven’s
Ninth Symphony with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Children of the Gospel Choir
will return for a concert on their own to close the 2017/18 season, in honor of their Silver
Anniversary and June’s celebration of African-American Music Appreciation Month.
Performances by the Children of the Gospel Choir are made possible by Jacqueline Badger
Mars and Mars, Incorporated.

                                        Exploring the Art

Through exploration and inspiring curiosity, Washington Performing Arts takes audiences on
remarkable artistic journeys that encourage listeners to reflect upon and enjoy the arts in new
and creative ways. Rob Kapilow’s popular What Makes It Great?TM series, a co-production with
the Smithsonian Associates, returns this season with an in-depth look at three topic areas:
Beethoven's "Archduke" Trio; Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings; and the Leonard Bernstein
Songbook, part of the “Leonard Bernstein at 100” celebration. How Do We Listen?
Conversations in Music with jazz pianist Aaron Diehl (also featured this season with his trio)
and Tony Award–winning writer Murray Horwitz (Ain't Misbehavin') join forces for a deep dive
into Rhythm, Melody, and Harmony through insightful and thought-provoking dialogue and

music. This series is co-presented with Smithsonian Associates at McEvoy Auditorium in the
National Portrait Gallery, a new venue for Washington Performing Arts.

                                      Partners &Community

Washington Performing Arts provides educational opportunities in the performing arts for
youth, adults, and seniors that enrich and engage D.C.’s diverse community in a broad spectrum
of activities designed to encourage creativity, participation in and an appreciation for these art
forms. The award-winning Capital Arts Initiative; Men, Women and Children of the Gospel
Choirs; Enriching Experiences for Seniors; Embassy Adoption Program (in partnership with the
D.C. Public Schools); Mars Urban Arts Initiative; Misbin Chamber Music Competition in
partnership with Levine Music; Feder Memorial String Competition; and artist residencies
ensure that the arts are accessible to people of all ages and beyond the concert hall, with
programs and events encompassing all eight of D.C.’s wards. DC Keys, a new component of the
Capital Arts Program partnership between Washington Performing Arts and D.C. Public Schools,
introduces piano literacy to classrooms through the work of locally based fellows chosen
explicitly for their creative, imaginative teaching styles.

The Mars Urban Arts Initiative was created by Washington Performing Arts in 2014 to fuel joint
planning between Washington Performing Arts and grassroots neighborhood arts makers, local
businesses, arts institutions, and local residents.Through the initiative, which continues in
2017/18, Washington Performing Arts mobilizes its resources and connections with national
and international artists to facilitate artist-to-artist dialogue, the sharing of artistic principles,
and programs that amplify the voice and prominence of both performing and visual artists living
in the Washington, D.C., community. This season, the Mars Urban Arts Initiative will introduce
its first spotlight artist, Dr. Chelsey Green. In addition to her mainstage performance at Sixth &
I, Green will work with Washington Performing Arts' staff and creative partners throughout the
2017/18 season to develop programming in such areas as arts education, cultural
diplomacy, veterans’ services, arts advocacy, neighborhood development, or creative aging.
Washington Performing Arts’ Mars Urban Arts Initiative is generously supported by Jacqueline
Badger Mars and Mars, Incorporated.

Washington Performing Arts’ five-year partnership with the Kronos Quartet revolves around
the signature Embassy Adoption Program, a partnership with the D.C. Public Schools that
annually connects 65+ embassies and global partners with 5th and 6th grade public school
classrooms for a year of focused, global learning. This project is supported in part by an award
from the National Endowment for the Arts. The partnership is simultaneously part of the
revolutionary ensemble’s ambitious Fifty for the Future: The Kronos Learning Repertoire
initiative. As a Legacy Partner in this program, Washington Performing Arts is part of a
consortium that will annually commission new works for Kronos Quartetfrom a non-American
composer and bring each work to life through performances and the Embassy Adoption
residency. The initiative is devoted to the most recent approaches to the string quartet and
designed expressly for the training of students and emerging professionals.

2017/18 Season Subscriptions

Subscriptions go on sale Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 9:30 a.m. at
WashingtonPerformingArts.org, by phone at (202) 785-9727, and in person at the Washington
Performing Arts Ticket Office, located at 1400 K Street NW, Suite 500. A complete listing of
2017/18 season artists and events will be available online as of April 26 at
WashingtonPerformingArts.org.

About Washington Performing Arts

Launched in 1966, Washington Performing Arts is one of the most established and honored
presenters of music and dance in America. Throughout its history, Washington Performing Arts
has been a leader in serving artists, audiences, students, and civic life, generating ideas that
have moved it above and beyond the typical role of a presenter. Washington Performing Arts
was among the first independent arts presenters to become a non-profit institution; the first to
provide musical performances in the DC Public Schools; the first to recognize the art of gospel
music on main stages in the region; and the first to take advantage of Washington’s position as
an international capital to partner with embassies for both concerts and school-based
programs, among numerous other milestones.

Truly, all of Washington is the stage for Washington Performing Arts. All across the city—and
beyond—Washington Performing Arts presents performances unavailable under any other
auspices. From the most famous names in jazz and global art forms to the most distinguished
symphony orchestras, classical soloists, and dance ensembles, Washington Performing Arts
stages concerts in venues from concert halls to clubs and public parks. Special events have
reached tens of thousands of people through broadcast and online distribution, and
neighborhood partnerships present homegrown performers to a wider audience. In schools, in
summer camps, in youth competitions, and in myriad other settings, Washington Performing
Arts is a leader in arts learning—for students in grades K-12 to senior citizens—and is as
committed to education as to performance.

From its beginnings, Washington Performing Arts has promoted the value of concerts as
singular events, as well as establishing artists as a continuing presence in the lives of both
young people and adults through sustained residencies and educational programs. Washington
Performing Arts nourishes communities throughout the region by partnering with local
organizations and with other arts institutions, staging concerts and arts activities in the
neighborhoods, employing local artists, and involving internationally known main-stage
performers in community programs. Washington Performing Arts stands alone among
performing arts presenters in the United States for its integration of educational, community-
based, and public performance programs. These achievements have been recognized with a
National Medal of Arts from President Obama, and two Mayor’s Arts Awards from the DC

Government. We embark upon our next half-century with the goal of expanding our activities
and a commitment to excellence, tying these three areas together even more closely, and
rededicating ourselves to the motto of our founder, Patrick Hayes: “Everybody in, nobody out.”

                     Click here for the full chronological listing of events.