“The National Symphony Orchestra performing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in a grass-covered courtyard [and] a block party curated by A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip … are the among the highlights of a free, 16-day festival at the Kennedy Center beginning Sept. 7,” writes Fritz Hahn in Wednesday’s (5/29) Washington Post. “The occasion is the opening of the Reach, a $250 million expansion next to the performing arts center that contains 10 new interior spaces … as well as a plaza and a pedestrian bridge above Rock Creek Parkway. ‘What we really wanted to do was provide a snapshot of all the types of programming we have,’ Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter says. That means big names, such as an opening night concert with the Chuck Brown Band and legendary funk bassist Bootsy Collins, but also letting the public explore the Reach during workshops led by musician Robert Glasper, dance master classes from the Broadway Collective and conversations with playwrights Aaron Posner and Karen Zacarias…. The festival’s closing event on Sept. 22: ‘a West Indian-style sunset dance party’ called D.C. Lovers Rock, headlined by dancehall singer Sister Nancy and reggae artist Junior Murvin, a member of Bob Marley’s band.”
Posted June 3, 2019
In photo: Rendering of the Reach, the Kennedy Center’s $250 million expansion (at right), as seen from the Potomac. Image courtesy of Steven Holl Architects
