Strathmore, Developer To Partner In White Flint Music Venue
Strathmore and Rockville-based developer Federal Realty have announced plans for a 250-seat music venue overlooking the luxury movie theater under construction at the Pike & Rose development in White Flint.
Strathmore, which says its decade-old Music Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Lane) is approaching capacity, will book the unnamed venue with jazz, rock, folk and other performances on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Strathmore and Federal Realty hope to book weddings, celebrations and corporate events for the space when it’s not being used for music.
They hope to deliver the venue in 2015. The first phase of the 24-acre, $250-million mixed-use development on the site of the Mid-Pike Plaza shopping center is set to be completed in 2014. That phase includes the luxury iPic Theatre, a commercial anchor for Pike & Rose.
It also will include an 18-story, 300-unit apartment building near the intersection of Old Georgetown Road and Executive Boulevard.
The glass-enclosed music venue will include a 2,833-square-foot indoor space and a 1,100-square foot pre-function space with an outdoor balcony and green room.
“With the Concert Hall and Arts Education Center approaching capacity and the Strathmore name well established in the region, it’s time to reach out to ages and tastes beyond our current programming and facilities,” Strathmore founder and CEO Eliot Pfanstiehl said in a press release. “In this groundbreaking partnership with Federal Realty, we are both a familiar anchor to their new Pike & Rose community and a champion of the lifestyle they offer to their future residents and businesses.”
Strathmore says the venue will host intimate jazz shows, contemporary performances and “trend-setting touring acts.”
“Bringing an arts institution of Strathmore’s stature into one of the crown jewels of Federal Realty’s development portfolio underscores the importance that the arts play within our community and the region as a whole,” Federal Realty Vice President of Development Evan Goldman said. “Federal Realty is committed to creating unique, engaging environments within the neighborhoods that we build. Simply put, we believe that great environments lead to a better way of life. Just as Bethesda Row has become the epicenter of its community, Pike & Rose will be an urban, inspirational location for North Bethesda and the White Flint Community to enjoy on many levels for years to come.”
Photo via Federal Realty and Strathmore
Strathmore Gets Second Glenstone Piece
The Music Center at Strathmore is showing off its second work on loan from the prestigious collection at the private Glenstone museum in Potomac, a sculpture from artist Lee Bontecou that will be on display in the lobby until next year.
The 1962 piece, “Untitled,” is one of Bontecou’s wall-mounted works of steel, wood, wire and canvas that became her calling card. In 2012, the Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Lane) announced a creative partnership with Glenstone, the private art museum on the 200-acre estate of Bethesda native and billionaire Mitchell Rales.
Strathmore will recognize the contribution during it’s Spring 2013 Gala, set for Saturday April, 20.
Bontecou’s sculptures made her one of the most celebrated young artists in New York during the 1960s. Her complex assemblages allude to both the machine and the organic world, straddling the categories of abstraction and figuration, while also blurring the boundaries between painting and sculpture.
Untitled of 1962 is an important and powerful example of her most renowned body of work, her large-scale wall-mounted sculptural reliefs of the early 1960s. Bontecou’s materials—steel, wood, wire and canvas—create gaping orifices of steel and canvas pulled and stitched like skin, evoking both industrial technology as well as metaphors for the body. In these groundbreaking works, Bontecou built up a heavy armature of metal, which she then covered in scraps of canvas and an array of industrial materials and objects. The result is a highly charged assemblage, which thrusts outward into the viewer’s space with a distinctly forceful energy. The center of the composition is dominated by Bontecou’s signature motif of a black cavity. Viewing the work in person becomes a psychologically charged encounter.
Photo via Strathmore
Heavy Breathing, Craigslist Opera Coming Up At Strathmore
As part of its Friday Night Eclectic Series, the Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Lane) is hosting a popular D.C. band and a mini-opera performance based on Craigslist ads.
Heavy Breathing will bring its electronic rock act to North Bethesda on Friday, March 8, starting at 9 p.m. for its first performance outside the Beltway. Tickets are $10 online and $12 at the door:
Born out of former D.C. favorite The Apes, Heavy Breathing’s electric rock is full of irresistible beats and riffs. The band combines traditional instrumentation with electronic influences, notably with the help of a non-human member called The Rhythm Machine, a sequencing and sampling program that enables them to create vocal melodies and chants by splicing, rearranging, and pitch-shifting audio supplied by anonymous online a cappella vocalists.
On March 22, Arlington-based “contemporary opera” company UrbanArias will put on a 90-minute performance that features three mini-operas, including “Craigslistlieder”:
Craigslistlieder, with music by Gabriel Kahane and text from, well, Craigslist, catapulted the young composer to national prominence several years ago. This is an eight-song set, each of which is an actual, unadulterated ad from Craigslist. Subjects range from the “neurotic and lonely” man looking for a woman who “must have a video game system,” and the crazy woman with an ice cube fetish looking for a roommate, to an advertisement selling “assless chaps.” Kahane’s Mahlerian music is the perfect foil for the hilarious ads.
The group will also improvise two-minute operas based on plot suggestions from the audience.
For more information and for tickets, visit Strathmore’s website.
Morning Notes
‘One-Man Crime Spree’ Faces 58 Years Behind Bars — Michael Bernard Dorsey, 47, of Silver Spring on Thursday was convicted in the last of five trials that saw him convicted of 20 counts of theft from autos over the last two years in Potomac and Bethesda. [The Washington Post]
Obama Stops By Strathmore For Daughter Sasha’s Recital — Barack Obama stopped in Saturday night at the venue in North Bethesda to see his daughter’s dance recital, according to pool reports. Obama left for the White House about an hour after arriving. [h/t @PoliticoKevin]
Walter Johnson Senior Wins State Swimming Title With Injured Arm — Barry Mangold, a University of Virginia recruit, dislocated his shoulder on Friday, then won the Class 4A/3A state titles in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle on Saturday. Mangold set the state record in the 50-yard event and helped Walter Johnson to its second straight team title. [The Gazette]
Is Chris Van Hollen Destined For House Speaker? — A profile portrays the Maryland Congressman and Kensington resident as a candidate for the House’s highest leadership position if the Democrats take control. [New Republic]
Flickr photo by ehpien
Drumline Stage Show Coming To Strathmore
A group of graduates from some of the most celebrated black college marching bands in the country are coming to the Music Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Lane) next week.
“Drumline Live!” is a stage show version of performances from marching bands at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the type that have increased in popularity and profile, especially since the 2002 film “Drumline.”
The performance at Strathmore includes a troupe of 30 dancers, musicians and a drum major with a style that includes hip hop, pop, Motown and big band styles with trumpets, French hours, basses, euphoniums and percussion.
Tickets range from $28 to $58 and can be purchased on strathmore.org. For more information on the show, visit the Drumline Live website.
Photo via Strathmore
Strathmore Hosts Free Open House On Presidents’ Day
On Monday, the Strathmore Mansion and Music Center will be open to all.
Discover Strathmore, a free open house and family festival will feature workshops, classes, fine art and roving entertainment from a variety of genres and children’s entertainers.
The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the campus (5301 Tuckerman Lane) which is directly across from the Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro station and garage.
Participants will also be able to take a bow on the Music Center’s main stage and take part in hands-on art activities.
The full list and schedule of events can be found here. For more information, visit the Strathmore website.
Flickr photo by Bill in DC
County Puts More Funding Toward Tourist, Conference Promotion
The Montgomery County Council on Tuesday agreed to devote more funding to promotion for tourists and business conferences, what some said was a necessary measure with a planned casino in Prince George’s County.
The bill, sponsored by Councilwoman Nancy Floreen (D-At large) of Garrett Park, raises the amount of hotel/motel tax collected by the county and directed to its Conference and Visitors Bureau from 3.5 to 7 percent.
Floreen said she was motivated by regional competition. During a public hearing on the bill, the Council learned that Montgomery County spends less on promotion than any other local jurisdiction except Arlington County.
The bill is projected to provide an additional $630,000 for the County Visitors Bureau, the nonprofit of five full-time staff members who promote facilities such as The Music Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Lane) and the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center (5701 Marinelli Rd.).
On her blog, Floreen wrote, “In looking ahead, we must be ready to more aggressively compete for tourism and conventions with Prince George’s County and other Maryland jurisdictions that have, or will have, casinos.”
MGM Resorts is planning a Las Vegas-style casino that officials there hope will attract tourists and conventions to National Harbor.
The bill passed with an 8-1 vote. Councilman Hans Riemer (D-At large) of Silver Spring, was the lone member against the measure.
Flickr photo by Bill in DC
Strathmore Kicks Off Friday Night Eclectic Series In North Bethesda
Strathmore is kicking off its Friday Night Eclectic series this Friday with an 11-act mini-music-dance-theater-and-art festival hosted by local alt-rock band Bellflur.
Bellflur, bands Exit Clov and Echo Wall are all releasing new albums around their performances at the Strathmore Mansion (10701 Rockville Pike). The show includes bands performing in different rooms with accompanying visual artists: actors from the Grain of Sand Theatre, dancers from the Beth Elliot Dance Group, presentations from artists Ben Tolman, Beth Farnstrom, Alabaster Slade, Steve Gentile, video director Richard Bernett and author Goodloe Byron.
Doors open at 8 p.m. The performance starts at 9 p.m. Standing room only tickets can be purchased for $15 at the door and $12 in advance at the Strathmore’s website:
This wandering performance experience a la New York’s Shakespeare-esque Sleep No More takes over Strathmore’s historic Mansion with The Ghosts of Handsome Skin, a project that includes musicians, artists, authors, actors, dancers and choreographers from the Washington, D.C. area. The immersive night is built around atmospheric indie band Bellflur’s new album “Twelve Vagrant Monologues from the Last Living Star”, a collaborative music and art project with author Pablo D’Stair and artist Ben Tolman.
The series continues on Friday, Feb. 8 with D.C. singer-songwriter Stone Kawala and host Martin Amini of Silver City Productions, who will headline a performance of poetry, spoken word and hip-hop with Philadelphia Slick, Soho Kings with poet-singer Mihenta, poet Drew Law and D.C. singer-songwriter Kara Falck.
Strathmore will also host a Friday Night Eclectic show on February, 15 and 22, March 1, 8 and 22 and April 5 and 26. For more information, visit the Strathmore’s website.
Photo via Strathmore
County to Celebrate MLK Day in North Bethesda
Montgomery County will hold its Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration on Jan. 20 and Jan. 21 in North Bethesda.
The two-day schedule includes a concert on Sunday, Jan. 20 at the Music Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Lane) and a “Day of Service” on Monday, Jan. 21 with an annual program at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center (5701 Marinelli Rd.) from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
The Strathmore musical celebration, set for 3 p.m., will feature music and dance acts and the announcement of the 2013 recipients of the Children of the Dream, Humanitarian and Literary Arts Awards.
Tickets are free but must be reserved through the Strathmore’s website, via phone at 301-581-5100 or at the Strathmore box office.
The service day will include a number of indoor projects at the Hotel and Conference Center, including card decoration for troops, peanut butter and jelly sandwich making for local shelters, making fleece blankets for Montgomery Hospice and packing snow day boxes for meals on Wheels.
All the projects are approved for MCPS Student Service Learning hours. Montgomery County is asking all interested volunteers to sign up in advance.
Flickr photo by alvesfamily
Strathmore Exhibit Looks At How Medicine Inspires Art
Starting in February, the Strathmore (10701 Rockville Pike) will host an exhibit of artwork based on anatomical drawings, x-ray machines and DNA models in its “Pulse: Art and Medicine” show.
The exhibit will run in the Mansion at Strathmore from Feb. 16 to April 13 with a public opening reception on Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. and a talk and tour on Feb. 23.
The work to the left is from New York artist Virgil Wong, who used digital composition to print the piece on metal.
The exhibit is free to visit and is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.
For more details on the works visit the exhibit page.
Photo via Strathmore
Morning Notes
County Could Look at Reinstating School Resource Officers — After the Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut, local officials are discussing best safety practices for Montgomery County Public Schools and reinstating police officers assigned to county high schools. There are now six school resource officers who rotate between schools, down from the one assigned to each school before budget cuts. [The Gazette]
China National Symphony Returning to Strathmore — The orchestra and “cultural ambassador” is returning in February to North Bethesda for the first time since 2006. More information and tickets are available on Strathmore’s website. [Strathmore]
Planning Board to Review West Lane Development Proposal — The Montgomery County Planning Board today will review a controversial proposal for a seven-story, 120-unit apartment building on West Lane, a neighborhood of townhomes between Arlington Road and Woodmont Avenue. The hearing is set for after 2 p.m. [Montgomery County Planning Department]
Flickr photo by ehpien
Strathmore’s Student Concert Series Starts Today
The Music Center at Strathmore’s “Student Concerts,” the annual series of National Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra performances for Montgomery County Public School second graders, kicked off today.
One of the center’s main community service initiatives, the series will provide more than 10,000 second graders the opportunity to learn about the orchestra during seven concerts in four days.
The 2,000-seat concert hall opened in North Bethesda (5301 Tuckerman Lane) in 2005 with almost $100 million in funding from Montgomery County and the state of Maryland. The student concerts, which have been held since the opening, represent an investment of $124,000, according to a press release.
The concerts include a video of instruments on a large screen hovering above the orchestra as it performs. The goal is to teach students about the four families of instruments that make up the orchestra. Students also sing along with the orchestra.
Flickr photo by Bill in DC
Morning Notes
Walter Reed Hit-And-Run Driver Competent to Stand Trial — Angela Cobbold is a “completely rational, reasonable person,” when taking her medication, her brother-in-law told a judge yesterday. Cobbold, who led police on a cross-Potomac River chase before drawing gunfire from a Navy Military Medical security officer last week, may seek a “not criminally responsible” distinction. [Bethesda Patch]
MCPS Superintendent Coming to Strathmore — Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Josh Starr will deliver his first State of the Schools address at The Music Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Lane) on Monday, Nov. 12. [MCPS]
E-cycle Event Sunday at Whitman High School — Bring your old computers, electronics, floppy disks, CD players, printers or a host of other products to Walt Whitman High School (7100 Whittier Blvd.) from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday for recycling collection from the Montgomery County Division of Solid Waste Services. [Bethesda Green]
Flickr photo by spiggycat
Strathmore Adds Gladys Knight, Olivia Newton-John, Ira Glass to Schedule
The Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Lane) yesterday announced the addition of nine shows to its 2012-2013 lineup, including appearances by singers Olivia Newton-John and Gladys Knight and “This American Life” host Ira Glass.
Tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. today.
For more information and a full schedule of events visit the Strathmore’s website.
From the press release:
OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
Friday, November 16, 2012
8 p.m.
Tickets $38-$78
The pop icon, immortalized by the infinite popularity of Grease and Xanadu, is a four-time Grammy winner, a breast cancer survivor, passionate advocate for women’s health, and an actress eclectic enough to have played a mulleted ex-con bar singer on the LOGO series Sordid Lives—Newton-John is an artist of many colors. At Strathmore she delivers a show that spans her pop hits , from favorites such as “Physical” and “Hopelessly Devoted to You” to her more recent musical explorations. Expect “melodic warmth, regal vocals” and a timeless star who is “soulfully committed to every word she sings” (Billboard).
GLADYS KNIGHT
Thursday, April 25 & Friday, April 26, 2013
8 p.m.
Tickets $58-$128
Eight-time Grammy winning Empress of Soul Gladys Knight reigns supreme at Strathmore with a two-night engagement this spring. Knight has packed many lifetimes into a career that has embraced gold records, sold-out concerts, film performances and most recently a spin on “Dancing with the Stars.” The icon shares a soul-stirring mix of Gladys Knight’s greatest and newest hits.
REINVENTING RADIO: AN EVENING WITH IRA GLASS
Saturday, June 29, 2013
8 p.m.
Tickets $38-$68
Go behind the scenes of the parallel universe that is public radio’s This American Life. In the style that has won millions of radio fans, Ira Glass talks about how it all comes together each week, mixing stories from the show, live onstage, with taped selections of stories, recreating the sound of the show as the audience watches. “Mr. Glass is a journalist but also a storyteller who filters his interviews and impressions through a distinctive literary imagination, an eccentric intelligence and a sympathetic heart” (The New York Times).
