ARTS Pick: Nabucco

John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice—artistic collaborations are special relationships with a dynamism that brings out the best in two people. Lesser-known in the mainstream, but just as prolific as the greats, conductor James Levine and singer Plácido Domingo recently surpassed 325 opera performances together. […]

ARTS Pick: Christmas at the Paramount

Anyone who doubts the power of community or the magic of the holiday season need only listen as 75 voices swoop and soar during The Oratorio Society of Virginia’s performance of the Christmas portion (Part 1) and “Hallelujah Chorus” of Handel’s Messiah. Led by conductor Michael Slon and accompanied by a chamber orchestra and four […]

Pink Martini’s Thomas Lauderdale plays politics

The connection between music and politics bears the same nuances as any standard relationship: It can be complex and messy, yet symbiotic. Between protest songs, benefit concerts and artists serving as activists, music and politics have long inspired and fueled one another. Portland, Oregon, pianist Thomas Lauderdale sought to marry the two when he founded […]

Jay Hunter Morris’ search for vocal perfection

The first thing to know about Jay Hunter Morris, one of the world’s leading opera singers, is that he hails from Paris—not the City of Light, but the small town in Eastern Texas. His roots have been an integral part of his musical development from his upbringing in gospel to his current status as a […]

ARTS Pick: Mike Super

The post-election climate has many looking for a magical escape, and lucky for us Mike Super is more than qualified to make things disappear. A lifelong obsession with magic has led Super to inject personality, humor and an accessibility that’s unusual in the trade. Join his fanbase of Superfreaks for an evening of mind-warping mystery […]

ARTS Pick: United Nations of Comedy

In its sixth year, United Nations of Comedy continues to bring an unmatched variety of rising stars with Emma Willmann, Funnyman Skiba, Antoine Scott, Alex Carabaño and Jason Andors. Time Out magazine recently named Willmann one of the 10 Funniest Women in New York, and Jason Anders has been deemed the “comedy chameleon” for notable […]

ARTS Pick: Capitol Steps

In a presidential election cycle where the real candidates have flipped the script on civility, you’d think that political comedy troupe Capitol Steps would be hard-pressed to wring more humor from the headlines. However, the group, founded as a holiday party gag in 1981 by former Capitol Hill staffers, is determined not to be upstaged […]

ARTS Pick: Annual Youth Film Festival

Put a child in front of a camera and you might end up with a candid moment that’s viral-worthy and gets grandma tapping on her smartphone. Put kids on both sides of the camera and you’ll gain unique perspectives on society, community and family at Light House Studio’s Annual Youth Film Festival. The film center […]

ARTS Pick: Così fan tutte

It began in Austria in 1790 with Wolfgang Mozart and an idea for a comedy, and more than 200 years later audiences still flock to see Così fan tutte, in which two young couples discover the fickleness of attraction after deciding to test the fidelity of their finacées. Directed by the Washington National Opera’s Andrea […]

The blade blazes: Final step in Paramount restoration complete

  Hundreds of people, many sporting “The Blade” pins, crowded in front of the Paramount Theater December 15 for the finishing touch in the refurbishment of the 1931 historic venue: the lighting of the blade. Margie Shepherd remembers going to the Paramount shortly before it closed in 1974 for a double-bill, a midnight screening of […]