Washington Performing Arts Society inaugurated its relationship with the brand-new downtown venue, Sidney Harman Hall, with a recital by Venezuelan-American pianist Gabriela Montero on Saturday afternoon. Although you may have heard about her abilities as an improviser on NPR last year, this was her first appearance in the area since she had to cancel her 2005 recital at the Corcoran. As you would expect of someone who took a Bronze Medal at the 1995 International......

At this point in December, holiday concerts and Handel's Messiah have completely hijacked the classical music schedule. Here are a few other events, not all of which avoid the spirit of the season. After this post, the Classical Music Agenda will take its end-of-the-year hiatus, to return in the New Year. >> On Tuesday, the final concert sponsored by Washington Performing Arts Society this calendar year features young violist Jennifer Stumm and Finghin Collins at......

>> Tonight, New York based woodwind player Rob Jacoby comes to Twins Jazz for an evening of straight ahead jazz. Call (202) 234-0072 for set time and cover information. >> The Big Apple sends another one of its gifted talents to Twins. Daniela Schaechter, a skilled composer, vocalist, and pianist, has already wan numerous awards including the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Piano Competition 2005, The Sister in Jazz Competition 2002, and the Betty Carter’s Jazz......

Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine are two filmmakers who call D.C. home. They've made a name for themselves as writers, producers, and directors of documentary films, often for National Geographic and television, but their latest project has raised their profile far beyond the recognition of their previous work. War/Dance, for which the pair take joint directorial credit, has earned the couple a mantle's worth of awards this year, including the documentary directing prize at......

After a weekend full of concerts, there is not much to mention this week, for obvious, turkey-related reasons. Still, if you find yourself in town this week, there will be a few things to hear, although tickets may be hard to find. >> On Monday (November 19, 7:30 p.m.), French violinist Nicolas Dautricourt will be hosted by his country's embassy, La Maison Française. The attractive, all-modern program is bookended by the Poulenc and Debussy violin......

>> Tonight's a big night for music, beginning with a celebration of one of the great musicians of the 20th century, Frank Zappa. His son, Dweezil, leads a group of Zappa-alums for this tribute, which takes place at Warner Theater. 7:30 p.m., $50/$75 + Ticketmaster fees. >> Tonight, the musical flavor of New Orleans comes to the Wonderland Ballroom tonight as Yamomanem takes the stage. Call 202-232-5263 for cover information. 9 p.m. >> Also tonight,......

>> Those who want to hear smooth sounds with global influences should head down to Blues Alley this week as guitarist Jonathan Butler comes to town for a 3-night stand beginning Thursday. Tickets to the 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets are available here. $43 + $12.50 minimum/surcharge. >> Mavis "Swan" Poole, an up-and-coming young vocalist who is an alum of the prestigious Betty Carter Straight Ahead Jazz Workshop will perform at Twins Jazz on......

To call pianist Tigran Hamasyan an “up-and-comer” is a misnomer, because even though he is still quite young, this talented artist, by any measure, has already arrived. In addition to winning the prestigious Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition in 2006, the 20-year-old has been a finalist in numerous international competitions and has performed at clubs and festivals all over the world. Hamasyan will bring his latest sounds to the Kennedy Center’s KC Jazz Club on Friday......

>> Rachelle Farell, one of the few vocalists who successfully straddles the line between jazz, R&B and pop, will be playing at Blues Alley tonight, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Sets are at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. The rather outrageously priced tickets are available here. $60 + $10 food/drink minimum. >> Two local ladies of jazz come to Twins Jazz tonight for our first must see. Trombonist Jen Krupa, a member of the Navy Commodores......

This Sunday, 150 crafters from all over the country will descend upon Adams Morgan to hawk their one of a kind, hand-made items. Kitschy jewelry, googly eyed plushes, fashionable purses, reconstructed clothing and hand printed cards are the norm at the City Paper's annual Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair. With humble beginnings in 2004, Crafty Bastards took place during an unfortunate downpour at the Columbia Heights Community Marketplace. City Paper really didn't know what......

Yellow patches hanging in the window of Addison/Ripley might cause a spark of interest when going down Wisconsin Avenue through Georgetown. Upon closer examination, the work is a print of a woman on doilies, dressed in yellow. There are 57 of these prints by Mara Sprafkin clinging to the wall. In the window next to her is a repeated print of a woman, kneeling in a summer Sunday dress. Some of the dresses are filled......

During a private dinner ceremony at the Arts Club of Washington (in the historic home of President James Monroe) on Monday night, the S&R Foundation conferred its Washington Awards on five deserving young musicians. For the four runners-up, we heard a brief recorded excerpt of their work: pianist Naoko Takao, Special Committee Award Winner (Persichetti's 7th sonata); marimbist Naoko Takada (a concerto by Ney Rosauro); composer Moto Osada (his own Take the Six for Marimba......

Everyone needs a vacation, even musicians, and the summer is quite naturally a time that the classical music world slows down. So this is it for your Classical Music Agenda, until August. This week's installment will be a little longer than normal, because there are several interesting things happening over the next couple months. If you want to hear some music this summer, you can, and here's where. HEADLINES: >> The most important classical music......

>> For those of you who prefer your music pantomimed, tonight's Air Guitar Competition at the 9:30 Club. should be right up your alley. Just because the guitars are made of air, doesn't mean they don't rock! And who knows? The winner of tonight's competition may very well end up in the winner's circle at the Air Guitar World Championship in Finland. You can say you saw them before they sold out to the......

Since winning the Olivier Messiaen Competition in 1973 and then becoming a founding member of the Ensemble Intercontemporain under Pierre Boulez, French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard has been a champion of contemporary music. As he showed yet again in a Monday evening recital at La Maison Française, it is not just that he plays contemporary music in all styles but also that he plays it so well, so musically, with such understanding. Aimard's recording of the......

April has been an exhausting month for classical music listeners. Still, when that means staying out late to hear Evgeny Kissin play eight encores, you will not hear me complaining. Put your shoes back on, because there is more music to be heard. We start with the best events this week. >> By all accounts, Chinese-American pianist Chu-Fang Huang, winner of the 2005 Cleveland Piano Competition, is an exceptional talent at age 23. She is......

Things are a little slow this week in classical music, because of Easter and all that. There are still a few good things to be heard, but the list is shorter than normal. Besides, it's hard to tolerate being indoors when those trees are doing their whole pink thing. >> A concert we are going to have to miss is the most interesting of the week, a program by the 21st Century Consort called Games......

Baristars I know you've all been waiting for the news on the outcome of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Regional Barista Championships, held this week at the Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Macungie, Penna. Well, the news is great. Murky Coffee General Manager Katie Carguilo won the contest, besting the field of 17 with the excellence of her cappuccinos, espressos, and her signature drink, the Café Garguilo: espresso, cherry juice, chocolate, and a whip cream made......

Here are a few highlights for your first full week of classical concerts in March, followed by a respectable list of free events for the small of budget. >> Argentinian pianist Ingrid Fliter won the second prize, after the astounding performance by Yundi Li, at the Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 2000. She will play a free recital at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (1250 New York Ave. NW). You need a......

>>Seriously, Just Don't Hit Send Next Time: If you missed the gallery-style cage match and possible legal battle between artist Doug Sanford and his ex-girlfriend caused by the Fraser Gallery's last exhibit, stop by the space anyway and see what drama their new exhibit will cause. Though the 6th Annual International Photography Competition probably won't spur the hatred of a woman scorned, it'll at least feature some ridiculously talented artists. The opening reception is tomorrow......

The weather had better start behaving normally: we want a snow day! Now that there is a reason to be inside again, here are some places with interesting things lying around or hanging from the walls. The new season has officially begun. Make sure to check the gallery's Web site for specific hours before visiting. THURSDAY: >> Baltimore artist Cara Ober will open a show of new work, Prayers and Joking, at Flashpoint (916 G......

Have you or anyone know you know sat for a portrait? In the world since photography, what relevance does the tradition of painted portraiture have? These are questions that the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery would like us to consider. The museum is offering a free event, the Edgar P. Richardson symposium, this Friday (November 17, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.) on the subject of Today’s Face: Perspectives on Contemporary Portraiture. The morning session features two......

FRIDAY: >> The EU Film Showcase kicked off at the AFI Silver Theater and Cultural Center last weekend, and we'll have a little more about it for you this weekend. In the meantime film buffs should consider checking out Bergman Island, a documentary by another Swedish filmmaker, Marie Nyeröd, that visits legendary director Ingmar Bergman at his home on the island of Fårö. Now 88 years old, this is no doubt the final document of......

A dark horse Chilean sauvignon blanc won the most votes at the 11th annual International Wines for Oysters Competition at the Old Ebbitt Grill Monday night, but what many will remember most is that they witnessed one man save another man’s life. The victim, Ronald Kessler of Potomac, a best-selling nonfiction author and chief Washington correspondent for the right-of-center NewsMax.com, fell to the floor from his barstool with no apparent warning while chatting with the......

This is a good week for hearing 20th-century symphonic repertoire, even though the National Symphony Orchestra is on another break. As we approach the first major event of the NSO's season, the two-week Shostakovich festival in November, we will have the chance Since the NSO Shostakovich festival in November has been cancelled (due to Mstislav Rostropovich's health problems), this week is our only chance to celebrate the Dmitri Shostakovich centenary some more. MODERN: >> On......

The Capital Fringe Festival gets started in earnest today, with offerings all over town. Highlights include sci-fi dating, middle school antics, Canadian exports, songs for the deaf, a day-long performance piece, and spoonbending. It could be a little overwhelming if DCist weren't here to guide you through it, no? So before we get into it, let us first introduce OUR AWESOME FRINGE FESTIVAL MAP, which details the locations of all Fringe venues, by date. Special......

Today we bring you news from the revolving door. Artworks are arriving, artists are leaving, and the local scene remains ever-changing, even in the slow, muggy doldrums of summer. >>A Klee In the Hand: Just last week we were pimping Paul Klee in the Arts Agenda, and here he is making the news again this week. The Post reported Tuesday that The Phillips Collection has acquired two Klee pieces from separate private donors. To the......

Torontoist immediately wins our heart by using the word "Jackass" in a headline. In fact, we love their use of it so much that we're going to use it as much as possible throughout this post. For example, it looks like there are Toronto-area jackasses besides those who misuse the sidewalk: look at the crap on sale on Toronto's craigslist. But it looks like Toronto doesn't contain the kind of jackasses who pee in public......

Well, being that it's Friday, make that three happy thoughts. But given that today marks the start of the World Cup and the last day that we'll hopefully ever have Tom DeLay in Washington, it's looking to be a great day. Host country Germany kicks off the tournament against Costa Rica -- this DCist's favored team -- today at noon, at which time DeLay will be packing boxes in his Capitol Hill office and trying......

Out With the New: Irvine Contemporary gallery is officially moving into the old Fusebox space on 14th St. NW as of May 1, but in the meantime they have their last show at the old Connecticut Ave. space, with new paintings by Susan Jamison and Robert Mellor opening Friday, opening with a reception on April 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. Mellor's Gracile is at right. Other Dupont Circle galleries will also be open since......