Sunday, May 19, 1:00 – 2:30 PM EST
The goal of this class is to help students expand their repertoire while honing the skills required to play with others and be creative while doing it. Each session students will learn 1 fiddle tune and 1 song from the bluegrass repertoire. The class will go over basic lead playing and accompaniment to get started, and offer some ideas to take it a little further with embellishments, improvisation, kickoffs and endings.
Materials will be provided for guitar, banjo, fiddle and mandolin.
Ages 14+
$25 per Session
Sing your heart out, together, with the D.C. Sing-Along at School of Musical Traditions!
The D.C. Sing-Along is a hootenanny for the digital age. Combining the communal spirit of ’60s sing-alongs with a modern songbook and rawk ‘tude, the D.C. Sing-Along is a heartwarming, cathartic, and analog good time.
Songbooks and kazoos provided, no musical ability needed. Chords are provided for musicians — feel free to bring acoustic instruments.
Free; $10 suggested donation.
Blending the rhythmic pulse of gypsy jazz and the improvised elegance of American jazz, Franglais will hold a free concert at the Takoma Park Community Center on Feb. 9.
Rhythm guitarist Ben Wood and vocalist Eve Seltzer formed Franglais in 2004 after being inspired by the Django Reinhardt jazz festival in France during their honeymoon. Based in New York City, the couple regularly plays with other musicians and has performed from Paris to Honolulu and cities in between.
No tickets or reservations are required, and donations will be accepted to support the band. You can learn more about Franglais and hear some of their music at franglaisjazz.com.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Wood and Seltzer were stuck in their Brooklyn apartment and started recording some jazz duets to cope with their isolation. The songs became their latest album “Pairings” that was recorded and edited by Seltzer, who is a Grammy-nominated sound engineer. Each of the eight songs was paired with a drink in a nod to Wood’s work as a sommelier which also was disrupted by the pandemic shutdowns.
“I grew up in the D.C. area so we’re really looking forward to playing in Takoma Park again,” Wood said.
This concert is part of the Takoma Park Arts series organized by the City of Takoma Park’s Arts and Humanities Division, which includes free concerts, art exhibitions, film screenings, theater, dance, and other performances at the Takoma Park Community Center. Go to takomaparkmd.gov/arts for more info and to sign up for our weekly e-newsletter.
Join us for an evening at the Gazebo with songwriters Greg Rekus (on tour from Winnipeg!) and Teething Veils. Greg Rekus “plays acoustic guitar and sings and dances around on a 4 x 4 x 1 stage with tamborines mounted to it.” Teething Veils (guitarist/vocalist Greg Svitil) plays soft, reflective songs for solo acoustic guitar and voice.
Join members of the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church choir for a christmas carol sing along! No experience necessary – singers and non-singers welcome! We’ll bring song books. Hark the herald angels sing!
Part workshop, part masterclass, the program will give a detailed view of their instrumentation, particularly the lesser known Yanqin (Chinese Hammered Dulcimer), along with five-string banjo, cello banjo, gourd banjo, mandolin, ukulele and percussion. The band will co-show how they fuse their eclectic musical instruments and ideas for both an arranged piece and an improvised piece of music. If people bring instruments, they will teach 1 Chinese tune that easily adapts to American old-time instruments. Q & A to follow and a last tune.
7112 Willow Ave., Takoma Park, MD 20912 | signup at 6.30pm, music at 7pm
This is the rarest of all things – a listening room open mic!
Sponsored in conjunction with Institute of Musical Traditions and School of Musical Traditions at SMT’s new lesson space in Takoma Park, we’ve got a small room for performances and we’re not afraid to use it. This is NOT a restaurant so bring your own food or drink if you want to eat or drink! (no alcohol please, and of course please clean up after yourself). House keyboard in the house. The night is free to attend, but we hope that you’ll support our featured artist with tips and adoration. Scroll back to the top of this page for our next feature…
We’re not big enough for amps or drumkits, so don’t bring’em. 2 songs, 10 minutes, 1 pun – whichever’s shorter. Webcasting Live on Facebook.com/robsopenmics, YouTube.com/robsopenmics and Twitch.tv/ilyaimy.
Sing your heart out, together, with the D.C. Sing-Along!
The D.C. Sing-Along is a hootenanny for the digital age. Combining the communal spirit of ’60s sing-alongs with a modern songbook and rawk ‘tude, the D.C. Sing-Along is a heartwarming, cathartic, and analog good time.
Songbooks and kazoos provided, no musical ability needed. Chords are provided for musicians — feel free to bring acoustic instruments. Free!
Enjoy music and lore of Appalachia with Cane Mill Road’s brand of NC bluegrass, and Mary Kay Zuravleff reading from American Ending, which made Oprah’s Spring Reading List! This new work of historical fiction takes place in Appalachia making it a perfect match for Cane Mill Road. Their style of music originated alongside the ancestors who inspired American Ending’s story.
This fabulous evening is hosted by Maureen Andary at Takoma Park’s newest venue, Takoma Spark at the School of Musical Traditions. Books will be sold on site by People’s Book – a brand new, woman-owned, book store in Takoma Park.
Join us ! Complementary refreshments will be served. Seating is limited and is first come first serve. KIDS 12 and UNDER ARE FREE – just don’t purchase a ticket for them; they can come on in 🙂
The Washington Adventist University Music Faculty presents a concert of classic, tango, and contemporary music on Thursday, June 22, at 7 pm. The concert is free!
Takoma Park SDA Church
6951 Carroll Ave
Takoma Park, MD
Preston Hawes, violin
Mark Di Pinto, piano
Dan Zhang, viola
Susanna Mendlow, cello
Brian Liu, violin
Shawn Alger, double bass
Stephen Czarkowski, cello
Washington Adventist University Music Faculty present a chamber music concert featuring the works of Handel, Sarasate, and Robert Schumann on June 21 at 7 pm. The concert is free!
Peters Music Center
7711 Greenwood Ave
Takoma Park, MD
Preston Hawes, violin
Brian Liu, violin
Dan Zhang, viola
Susanna Mendlow, cello
Mark Di Pinto, piano
Washington Adventist University invites Takoma Park residents and their friends to join our esteemed music faculty in this FREE concert open to the public! Join us as we explore the music of Schumann, Sarasate, and Handel in a program that delights the heart and ears alike. The performance, appropriate for all ages, will run about an hour. Afterwards, audience members are invited to get to know the performers in a brief Q&A. We hope to see you there!
Performers:
Preston Hawes & Brian Liu, violin
Dan Zhang, viola
Stephen Czarkowski & Susanna Mendlow, cello
Mark Di Pinto, piano
