Metro Weekly

9 Must-See Performances Coming to Strathmore

From Mandy Patinkin to Kaki King, from Anna Egge to the BSO, Strathmore has a fantastic lineup for February and March.

Kaki King -- Photo: Marco DeVidi
Kaki King — Photo: Marco DeVidi

“Welcome Back,” is the first message you see when loading Strathmore’s website.

The Montgomery County performing arts campus is certainly giving a warm welcome to both musical artists and music lovers this winter, presenting a rich and diverse lineup in the warm and acoustically rich venues of the Music Center and the Mansion on the North Bethesda campus.

An equally impressive, if more limited, lineup is also on offer at AMP, the sibling intimate cabaret spot up the road. Below are 10 highlights of shows on tap at the three venues between now and early March.

Mandy Patinkin In Concert sees the Emmy-winning TV star (Chicago Hope, Homeland) and Tony-winning Broadway legend (Evita, Sunday in the Park with George) dropping by for a powerful, passionate evening of song, specifically to perform “Being Alive,” a collection of some of his favorite tunes, from Irving Berlin to Cole Porter to Harry Chapin, and of course Stephen Sondheim, all accompanied by Adam Ben-David on piano. (1/28, Music Center)

Kaki King, the lesbian guitar virtuoso, celebrates the 20th anniversary of her debut album Everybody Loves You, with an early Valentine’s Day stop to rekindle any long-lost love. (2/2, AMP)

Described as “an intoxicating cocktail of post-genre musical goodness,” the string quintet Sybarite5, comprised of five virtuosic musicians, defies easy categorization and has been surprising audiences for the past decade, in particular with a repertoire ranging from Piazzolla to Radiohead, Coltrane to Pete Seeger. (2/2, Mansion)

Allison Miller
Allison Miller

Allison Miller Presents Rivers In Our Veins, a multi-sensory, multi-genre performance exploring the cultural and ecological life of rivers featuring tap dancing and choreography from Claudia Rahardjanoto, Luke Hickey, and Maleek Washington, video projections by Todd Winkler, and original jazz music performed by Boom Tic Boom and the band’s leader Miller, a queer drummer, composer, and educator and Montgomery County native described as “a modern jazz icon in the making” and known for her work as the rhythmic force behind everyone from Sara Bareilles to Ani DiFranco, Brandi Carlile to the Indigo Girls. (2/10, Music Center)

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Black Panther In Concert offers a chance to relive the excitement of T’Challa becoming king and battling Killmonger, all while the BSO performs Ludwig Göransson’s Oscar- and Grammy-winning score as the 2018 Marvel Studios blockbuster screens overhead. (2/11, Music Center)

Pardon My French is comprised of New York City swing guitarist Pete Rozé, Memphis-born performer Caroline Fourmy, traditional jazz star Joshua Gouzy, and classical composer Michael Ward-Bergeman. They’re united in their love of sensual and sassy vintage jazz-inflected music, from Paris to New Orleans, with plenty of laughs and light-hearted revelry along the way. (3/9, Mansion)

The BSO Pops offers an enchanting night of classic show tunes with “Rodgers, Hart, and Hammerstein,” led by conductor Jack Everly and featuring vocalist Ashley Brown from Broadway’s Mary Poppins. (2/23, Music Center)

Afro-Cuban All Stars, a remarkable ensemble of expatriate Cuban musicians led by Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, is one of the best live bands around, full of passion and quality musicianship, as documented in the classic Wim Wenders’s documentary Buena Vista Social Club. (2/24, Music Center)

More than 25 years after her debut album River Under the Road won many accolades and positioned her as Austin’s best folk artist, the openly gay Ana Egge tours in support of 2021’s Between Us. (3/2, AMP)

For more information and tickets, visit www.strathmore.org or call 301-581-5100.

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