All upcoming Music & Theater programs

Smithsonian Chamber Music Society audiences are privy to the unparalleled experience of being able to hear two magnificent quartets of instruments—one made by Antonio Stradivari, the other by his teacher Nicoló Amati—in this popular four-concert series on Sundays. This concert features music composed by Haydn, Shostakovich, and Beethoven.

There wasn’t anything Judy Garland couldn’t do, from breaking an audience’s heart with a song to effortlessly dancing up a storm to delivering enthralling comic and dramatic performances. Media historian Brian Rose examines her remarkable Hollywood career, which began in her young teens at MGM and continued with such timeless classics as The Wizard of Oz, Easter Parade, and her stirring comeback in 1954’s A Star is Born.

The 49th season of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society features musical masterpieces from the early 17th century to the middle of the 20th, played on some of the world’s most highly prized musical instruments in an 8-concert series. This concert features music of Haydn and Brahms with the Smithsonian Academy Orchestra.

In the 1940s, Cuban musicians such as Mario Bauzá, Francisco “Machito” Grillo, and Luciano “Chano” Pozo electrified jazz by fusing it with Afro-Cuban musical elements and simultaneously wove jazz improvisation into Cuban popular music, pioneering a groundbreaking style dubbed Afro-Cuban jazz. The concert honors this enduring legacy of "Cuban Tinge" with selections by these and other artists.

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is considered one of the greatest works in English literature. Literature professor Joseph Luzzi explores this play about murder, revenge, and madness that resonates with generations of readers and viewers. He also highlights Shakespeare’s philosophical brilliance, linguistic inventiveness, and ability to capture the most complex—and often unsettling—human emotions.

Beethoven never made it to the United States, but hundreds of important musicians and composers did. From early touring megastars like Adelina Patti and Paderewski to successful later refugee émigrés such as Rachmaninoff and Kurt Weill, America has long welcomed great artists. In a four-session series filled with musical excerpts, speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin explores the siren call of America to musicians.

The 49th season of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society features musical masterpieces from the early 17th century to the middle of the 20th, played on some of the world’s most highly prized musical instruments in an 8-concert series. This concert features music of John Ward and Henry Purcell with the Smithsonian Consort of Viols.

Lift your voice in a choral program that celebrates memorable music across the United States. Conductor Melodia Mae Rinaldi leads the ensemble in arrangements of the hits you know and love. Songs may include favorites by Dolly Parton, Pete Seeger, Stevie Wonder, Irving Berlin, and others. No audition is required and rehearsals culminate in a free performance on June 15 for invited guests.

From 1956 to 1969, Elvis Presley made 31 films, starring in all but one. Unfortunately, Elvis’ dream of being taken seriously as an actor was never fulfilled, thanks to the almost insatiable greed of his manager, Col. Tom Parker. Media historian Brian Rose examines the ups and downs of Presley’s Hollywood career, which started off with such promise in films such as King Creole and Jailhouse Rock.

A painter can create entire worlds on a flat piece of paper. But where is a composer to start when seeking to represent the natural universe through sound? Over time, composers have fashioned powerful musical vocabularies that guide listeners to see harmony as visual image. In a 4-session course, speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin uses her unique live piano demonstrations and film clips to explore how such masters as Beethoven, Mahler, Wagner, Vivaldi, Holst, Vaughan Williams, Saint-Saëns, and others composed beloved works that conjure the natural world.