The new executive board of Brother, Help Thyself Inc. (BHT), a community organization providing support to nonprofits that serve the LGBT and HIV/AIDS communities in the Baltimore-Washington metro area, took office March 14 and named a new executive director for the organization.

Jim Slattery, president of the Beltway Bears social organization and a longtime BHT volunteer, will serve during the next year as BHT's president. Other board members include Vice President Beth Brockelman of the Atlantic States Gay Rodeo Association, treasurer Mark Clark of Chesapeake Bay Bears, and secretary Andrew McCarty of COMMAND (Corps Of Men Making a Noticeable Difference) Motorcycle Club. Slattery, with the support of the board, named Chaz Dean, Centaur MC's member to BHT, as the new executive director of BHT.

''In my relatively brief time on the BHT Board, I have had the privilege to serve under the leadership of former Presidents Bradley 'Thumper Bear' Hill and JoAnn Kokindo,'' Slattery said in a statement after taking office. ''Both Thumper and Joansie had differing leadership styles, yet both taught me a great deal about not just BHT but what it means to be a leader as well, and I thank them for their may years of service and for their good advice. I am truly humbled by the board's trust in me and look forward to working with them on behalf of the greater D.C./Baltimore region's LGBTQ community.''

Dean, as the incoming executive director, said he ''looked forward to the challenges and responsibilities'' of the position and would look for new ways to support the board's efforts at carrying out BHT's mission.

''Together with the full board I anticipate that BHT will grow to be of even greater service to our community in the months and years to come,'' Dean said.

The District's Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) has issued a bulletin prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity or expression by insurance companies who underwrite health-insurance policies in D.C.

The March 15 bulletin clarifies the District's Unfair Insurance Trade Practices Act, which makes it illegal to refuse to insure, refuse to continue insuring, or limit the insurance coverage of an individual based on gender identity or expression, among other characteristics. Under the clarification, private insurance companies that underwrite coverage for individual or group plans will have 90 days – meaning a deadline of June 15 – to file revised policies with DISB that eliminate any discriminatory language barring certain services to transgender individuals, explains Amy Loudermilk, deputy director of the Mayor's Office of GLBT Affairs.

The recent clarification is not a new mandate, notably, but simply provides parity to transgender individuals, allowing them access and coverage for the same services as non-transgender patients, according to Philip Barlow, associate commissioner for insurance at DISB. As Medicaid is a federal program, the District's gender-identity nondiscrimination rule does not apply to people on that program.

According to Sterling Washington, director of the Mayor's Office of LGBT Affairs, prior to the new directive being issued, some health insurance companies in the District have excluded transgender residents from receiving services that were approved for other patients, such as mastectomies for breast cancer, hormone-replacement therapy and high blood pressure medication. Now, transgender patients will be approved for such treatments.

Barlow says that ''cosmetic surgery'' is not covered by health-insurance plans, which, he says, means the nondiscrimination guidance will have no bearing on gender-reassignment surgery.

The directive comes a month after the Mayor's Office of GLBT Affairs informed DISB of discriminatory language in several District health-insurance providers' policies, Barlow told Metro Weekly. DISB, already in the process of implementing health-care reform, then issued the directive to clarify that insurers in the District cannot discriminate against particular classes of people.

The directive makes the District the third such jurisdiction in the United States, after California and Oregon, to prohibit discrimination in insurance based on gender identity or expression.

Ask Catie Curtis if her uplifting, anthemic song ''Another Day on Earth,'' complete with a ''whew-ew-ew'' refrain, is a crowd-pleaser, and she confirms so in her customary funny, genial way: ''It's a hoot. A folk singer's version of a hit. A hootenanny.''

As recorded for her charming 2011 album Stretch Limousine on Fire, ''Another Day on Earth'' offers a message of perseverance, with a nod toward diversity. ''It's all right, it's okay, we can make it work,'' she sings. ''Up or down, left or right, yellow, brown black or white, it's another day on earth. Whew-ew-ew.''

Catie Curtis

(Photo by Tony Baker)

But Curtis has since changed the lyrics in the verses to ''talk about religious diversity…and the belief that we can all coexist here.'' The change is a reflection of the liberal activist's recent volunteer work with Americans United for Separation of Church and State, as well as her own increasing participation with Unitarian Universalism. Curtis says she may re-record the song for a new album later this year.

''You know, I've been really enjoying integrating my political views, in terms of caring about diversity,'' Curtis says, by which she means not just diversity in religion but also of family structure. Curtis is currently raising two girls, ages 8 and 10, with her wife in Massachusetts. The family makes regular visits to the adopted daughters' native country Guatemala. ''It's been a very enriching experience to have the kids' birth families in our lives,'' Curtis says. ''It's definitely opened my worldview.''

Curtis has also performed at the White House holiday concert for three years running, and last year she released her first Christmas album inspired by the gigs. ''I never thought of myself as a Christmas act, if there's such a thing as a Christmas act,'' she laughs.

Of course, she won't perform holiday tunes next week when she stops at The Barns at Wolf Trap. Instead, the vibe will be one of a ''big family reunion.'' ''The Barns is like going home, I think because of the way it feels,'' says Curtis, laughing, ''It feels like you're in your uncle's barn or something.'' -- Doug Rule

Catie Curtis performs Thursday, March 28, at 8 p.m. 'The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $22. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit wolftrap.org.

A reporter recently asked members of the band Escort if any of them are gay. Turns out, unbeknownst to co-founder Eugene Cho, at least one is.

''Because there are so many of us, we don't really know everybody that intimately,'' Cho says, recalling the interview. ''Our trombone player said, 'Oh yeah, I'm gay.'''

Obviously, Escort isn't your typical band -- and not just because it features a gay trombone player. Escort is a full-fledged disco orchestra, featuring a roster of 17 musicians and singers performing original disco music co-written and produced by Cho and Dan Balis. The two met last decade while DJ-ing in New York. ''A lot of the house records were sampling old disco records,'' Cho explains. ''We started to think, 'Why don't we make our own records that are in that spirit?''

Escort

(Photo by Victor Diaz Lamich)

The two settled on the name Escort because, as Cho says, laughing, ''it's classy and kind of sleazy at the same time, which is just what we're trying to be.'' A couple years into the project Parisian-born Adeline Michele signed on to be the band's lead singer, carrying out, as Cho puts it, ''the strong disco tradition of the diva. Adeline is definitely up there as an amazing diva.'' Even only on record, notably Escort's strong self-titled debut album, Michele proves she has the voice and the charisma to play the role.

''It's very hard to travel, obviously, with the full 17 people,'' says Cho, a Boston native who now lives in Brooklyn. Some venues in faraway cities only see and hear as few as five members of the orchestra. But next Thursday, March 28, the 9:30 Club stage will be filled with 14 members. ''We'll be able to do something that's rarely seen outside of New York,'' Cho says. ''It's a party onstage when you have that many people trying to have fun and play music. And that feeling translates off the stage and into the crowd. It's pretty infectious.'' -- Doug Rule

Escort performs Thursday, March 28, at Nightclub 9:30, 815 V St. NW. Doors at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com. Also visit 930.com/friends to sign up for the club's new Friends With Benefits rewards program.

Forget the launch debacle, which has cast a dark cloud of incompetency over Electronic Arts, SimCity is a great game. EA's server woes, and subsequent upgrading issues, have been widely reported, and in the process have damaged the reputation of one of gaming's most ubiquitous franchises. However, SimCity is not without its own design flaws, and what could have been an incredible return for the venerable social-simulation powerhouse, has instead turned into a rain-soaked parade of misjudged features, quirky design elements, and moments of gleaming brilliance.

SimCity

SimCity throws out several things from past games, the most striking being its looks. Gone are the cartoonish graphics of yesteryear, and in comes an aesthetic that can be simply described as astonishing. SimCity is gorgeous, with a design that takes strong cues from The Sims 3. Indeed, zoom in on an individual property, and it'd be easy to mistake it for a distant shot of a building in EA's other franchise. The look carries over to every aspect of the game: skyscrapers gleam in the morning sun, casting dark shadows over their neighborhood, factories belch out thick clouds of smoke and pollution, roads clog with traffic as Sims go about their daily business, oil wells churn and pump as they suck up the earth's content, the grade school kids throng in the yard, playing games and running after each other. Zoom out, and the city lives and breathes, as traffic darts through the veins of streets, wind blows pollution between the buildings, water flows, windmills turn, buildings illuminate at night, fires left unattended grow from tiny smokestacks into raging infernos, trash builds up outside residences and buildings crumble as they are demolished. SimCity is crammed with a seemingly infinite number of things to see, with every building granted its own graphical idiosyncrasies, and it all gelling into one cohesive, constantly delighting whole. I took great pleasure in flying around my city, watching as skyscrapers were constructed, following an ambulance through the streets as it sought out sick patients, and seeing residents flock to new neighbourhoods, moving their lives into the buildings awaiting them.

SimCity backs up its astonishing detail with rich, immersive sound. Fires crackle, cars honk and rev. Sims gossip with each other at bus stops. Factories thrum with the sounds of heavy industry. Commercial districts come alive with telephones, cash registers, computer sounds and paperwork being busily filed. Residential zones are harmonious with children playing, meals being cooked, families playing in parks and all of the minutia and details of daily life. It's a glorious soundtrack -- all backed with simple, effective music that never becomes overbearing -- and helps inject your cities with that extra dose of realism. Click on a hospital, and listen to patients coughing, heart-monitors beeping and doctors gibbering in frantic Simlish as they rush to save a patient -- it's intoxicating in its realism.

The detail in its design and sound is carried over to gameplay, as SimCity has been streamlined, without losing any of its depth. Again, The Sims has played a heavy part in influencing its menu design, but this is a good thing. The level of content accessible, from budget controls with individual spending reports and taxation levels, to detailed analysis of the residents' happiness and desires, to the pollution levels, including sources and impacts on health and wellbeing -- there's a lot to study, analyze and make decisions based on the evidence presented. For experienced players, it's possible to sink hours into micromanaging all of the aspects of gameplay, from maximizing power efficiency, to ensuring a better flow of sewage to treatment plants, and decluttering neighborhoods to promote growth and higher population density.

Click on any building or Sim, and each will display the wants and needs of the person, people or business. Buildings can be edited, adding new features such as an extra bus for picking up school children, an extra wing for the hospital, or a new helipad for City Hall to help you, the mayor, arrive in the style you deserve. I wasted hours of gameplay adding signs to each building I constructed -- they serve no purpose, and at 200 Simoleans each, offer no return, but they were another interesting addition that added depth to my city.

That's what SimCity does best -- it draws you in, bringing a desire to make your city your own. I crafted Randy Falls -- my personal city, and a nod to our editor -- to be a bastion of middle class wealth and a commerce-driven economic powerhouse. I used clean power, first wind, then solar once I could afford it. I kept taxes low, to ensure the citizens refrained from rioting outside City Hall, as they are worryingly prone to doing. I upgraded the land value of my city through strategically placed parks, and kept density high by upgrading roads when I could to ensure that bigger and better buildings could be constructed without sacrificing traffic management. When poorer neighbourhoods refused to upgrade, or complained about issues or jobs, I demolished them, and ushered in middle- and high-wealth inhabitants instead. When low-tech industry started to negatively impact air-pollution, I turned the offending factories to dust, and allowed gleaming skyscrapers and malls to grow in their place. The sense of power of having dictatorial control over my Sims' lives, the god-like aspect of micromanagement -- it's easy to see why we have so many despotic regimes around the globe.

Watching your city change, and grow, is incredible -- right up until you hit your city's boundary, and this is where SimCity's gaping flaws start to creep in. When you first start playing, you likely won't be planning for your city when it's a huge metropolis -- instead you'll design it to meet your needs, and expand it as your budget and population grow. In later stages, though, this is crippling, as SimCity imposes an almost unfair restriction on users in terms of the space allowed for each city. The large, square boundary can seem generous at the start, but is quickly reached and filled. Too often I would gain access to a sports stadium, or nuclear power station, or additional university building, and have nowhere to put it. SimCity forces you to constantly bulldoze roads and buildings, changing the layout of your city to fit the needs of its ever-growing population, and while this is necessary, it's also frustrating. I don't want to remove one of the numerous skyscrapers I marveled at, just so my people can learn business at university -- but better business acumen leads to greater profits citywide, and I want it, so good-bye skyscraper. It's an unwelcome compromise, and it stems from the other aspect of SimCity I find unnecessary -- regions.

Regions are just that, areas with between three and 16 potential city plots, which users can claim and build networked cities, with each feeding and reacting to the other. In theory, it's incredible -- a user can specialize one city in industry, with workers from others commuting there and not caring about the high pollution. Another city can be a tourist haven, with casinos and stadiums and concert halls. A third could be entirely residential and commercial, representing the best in living and shopping. They all could be powered by a city purely focused on utilities, producing power and pumping water and dealing with waste produced by the others. It's an incredible idea, and offers a lot of creativity to users for further micromanagement -- but what if you don't want that? Tough. You may want just one übercity, but you can't have it.

What you can have instead are friends in your game. Again, an interesting theory, as you and several friends can each have a city in a region and compete with each other, or work together to better the region. Nice thought, but what if one friend suffers a catastrophic disaster -- such as meteor strike or zombie outbreak, and they were supplying power to your region? Or, if you choose to play on an open server with strangers, which is possible, what if your city is disease and crime-free, but a neighbor has a sick, uneducated, criminal-driven city -- whose inhabitants are all-too-eager to come and infect and burgle and kill your citizens?

Of course, this is all required, as SimCity is online-only. EA's efforts to stem piracy have led to SimCity needing a constant Internet connection to work -- and, really, certain gamers have themselves to blame for this decision, as EA is quite right to wish to protect their property from the rampant piracy of games. However, every time I've tried to jump into my region for a quick play session at work or before bed, I've been faced with a wait as SimCity updates itself and its servers. It's annoying -- very annoying -- and something that could be skipped if I were playing the game on my PC without an Internet connection, but that would require Randy Falls to be saved to my PC, which it isn't. In SimCity, everything is saved to the cloud, and this removes another of SimCity's features -- and arguably the most enjoyable -- that of being able to wreak havoc with fires, tornadoes, meteor strikes, alien invasion, tsunamis, zombies and more, and then rolling back to a prior save and carrying on as normal. Not anymore, and it's a sorely missed option, and one that smacks of compromise.

That's really the theme of SimCity: compromise. Have a gorgeous game, with incredible detail and rich, involving sound, but confine it to a claustrophobic area. Give users the tools to build the city they want, but only to a point. Allow control of multiple cities, but at the expense of each individual city. Include multiplayer, but require a constant Internet connection even in single-player. Allow play with friends and strangers, but be at the mercy of their decisions. Keep disasters in the game, but remove the fun of being able to abuse your city with them and then undo it. Underneath it all, however, is an inherently sound game. I will continue to sink hours into SimCity, as I obsess over increasing my population, marvel at the little graphical details, aim to increase the wealth of my government and my citizens, and fight the aftereffects of the accidental nuclear meltdown I had when unskilled workers were allowed to work at the nuclear power station -- a lesson very painfully (for citizens living nearby, anyway) learned. SimCity isn't broken, it isn't bad. It just could have been so much more than it is. Now excuse me, I need to go -- there's a huge concert happening, and I don't think my mass-transit system can cope.

SimCity is available as either a physical disk or direct download for $59.99, or in a ''digital deluxe'' edition, which includes a heroes and villains set and French, German and British city sets, for $79.99 at simcity.com.

Local theaters are winding down their current seasons as they ramp up the hype surrounding their next crop of plays and musicals. (Will Signature really land a helicopter on its stage?) But there's still plenty left in the springtime path worth getting excited over -- everything from Studio's all-new, potentially gender-bending production of Rocky Horror (with costume designs by Collin Ranney, pictured on our cover as his alter ego Birdie LaCage) to Arena's Other Desert Cities, to the arrival of two huge musicals at the Kennedy Center, Anything Goes and Book of Mormon. Then there's Mike Daisey's sure-to-be-inflammatory return to Woolly Mammoth, and a muscular power-play rep at The Shakespeare custom made for Washington -- Coriolanus and Wallenstein. Yup, it's going to be one heck of a season closer on D.C. stages.

Anything Goes at Kennedy Center

(Photo by Joan Marcus)

ADVENTURE THEATRE MTC

Glen Echo Park7300 MacArthur Blvd.Glen Echo, Md.301-634-2270adventuretheatre-mtc.org

Three Little Birds – A world-premiere musical, based on a story by Cedella Marley and featuring the music and lyrics of Bob Marley, about three birds who sing songs to Ziggy, a shy Jamaican child who won't leave his room for fear of hurricanes and evil spirits. Directed by Nick Olcott. (Now to 4/14) Big Nate – Based on the comic strip by Lincoln Pierce with music by Chris Youstra and lyrics by Youstra and Jason Loewith. Directed by Michael Baron. (5/3-6/2) Cat In the Hat – Well, you know this incredible story. See it to come to life in this production based on the one created by the National Theatre of Great Britain. (6/21-9/2)

AMERICAN CENTURY THEATER

Gunston Theater II2700 South Lang St.Arlington703-998-4555americancentury.org

Voodoo Macbeth – A reimagining of Shakespeare's play, adapted by Orson Welles, and using the imagery and traditions of, well, voodoo. (3/22-4/13) Biography – A woman's acceptance of a hefty fee to write her tell-all memoirs creates problems in this drawing-room comedy by S.N. Behrman. Directed by Steven Scott Mazzola. (6/7-7/29) I Do! I Do! – The Tom Jones/Harvey Schmidt musical focuses on the marriage of a couple over a 50-year period. (7/19-8/17)

ARENA STAGE

Mead Center for American Theater1101 6th St. SW202-488-3300arenastage.org

Mary T. & Lizzy K. – Writer-director Tazewell Thompson stitches together an insider's look at the unlikely friendship between first lady Mary Todd Lincoln and her talented seamstress, the successful freed slave Elizabeth Keckly. The world-premiere drama is the first commission of Arena Stage's American President's Project. (Now to 4/28, Kogod) The Mountaintop – Katori Hall's bold reimagining of the last night of the historic life of Martin Luther King Jr. Exhausted from delivering a significant speech, King rests in his room at the Lorraine Motel when an unexpected visit from a feisty, young maid compels him to confront his own humanity and the fate of our nation. Winner of the Olivier Award for Best New Play. (3/29-5/12, Fichandler) Other Desert Cities – Jon Robin Baitz's drama tells the story of a woman's return home after a six-year absence. When news of her upcoming memoir threatens to revive the most painful chapter of the family's history, old family wounds are opened, childhood memories are tested, and the family learns that some secrets cannot stay buried forever. (4/26-5/26)

CONSTELLATION THEATRE

1835 14th St. NW202-204-7741constellationtheatre.org

Gilgamesh – Part god, part man, King Gilgamesh goes on an epic quest for immortality. Featuring poetry by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Yusef Komunyakaa. (5/2-6/2)

DOMINION STAGE

Gunston Theatre One2700 S. Lang St.Arlington703-683-0502dominionstage.org

Bent – A compelling love story between two men imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp. (June)

FOLGER THEATRE

201 East Capitol St. SE202-544-7077folger.edu

Twelfth Night – Lost lovers and unruly servants conspire in this beloved romantic comedy set. Directed by Robert Richmond. (4/30-6/9)

FORD'S THEATRE

511 10th St. NW202-347-4833fordstheatre.org

Hello, Dolly! – In Jerry Herman's timeless musical, Horace Vandergelder hires matchmaker Dolly Levi to find him a wife. Dolly soon hatches a plan to woo and win Vandergelder's hand herself. Eric Schaeffer directs this co-production with Signature Theatre. (Now to 5/18)

FORUM THEATRE

Round House Silver Spring8641 Colesville RoadSilver Spring240-644-1390forumtd.org

Clementine in the Lower 9 – Dan Dietz's drama tells the story of Agamemnon using the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as the setting. (5/23-6/15)

GALA HISPANIC THEATRE

3333 14th St. NW202-234-7174galatheatre.org

DC-7: The Roberto Clemente Story – A musical based on the life of Clemente, who went from barrios of Puerto Rico to a successful run with the Pittsburgh Pirates to a fateful flight to Nicaragua to deliver humanitarian aid. (4/18-5/26)

KEEGAN THEATRE

Church Street Theatre1742 Church St. NW703-892-0202keegantheatre.com

A Behanding in Spokane – A macabre tale from Martin McDonagh, the show concerns a mysterious stranger on the hunt for his missing appendage. (Now to 4/6) The Full Monty – The Americanized musical stage version of the 1997 British film, with a book by Terrence McNally and a score by David Yazbeck. The musical follows group of unemployed steelworkers desperately seeking employment. Until they hatch a plan to make money by shedding it all for the ladies. (5/4-6/1) Rabbit Hole – A dark, absorbing Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about the emotions that befall people after a tragedy. (6/22-7/13) A Few Good Men – Aaron Sorkin's military court drama about two Marines accused of murder and the Navy lawyer who defends them. Directed by Jeremy Skidmore. (8/10-9/7)

KENNEDY CENTER

2700 F St. NW202-467-4600kennedy-center.org

The Guardsman – A new production of the 1920s Broadway comedy smash that originally starred Lunt and Fontanne as newlywed actors, full of fresh love, tender egos and jealous schemes. (5/25-6/23, Eisenhower) Anything Goes – Cole Porter's greatest achievement, featuring such memorable tunes as "You're the Top," "I Get a Kick Out of You," and the title song. (6/11-7/7, Opera House) The Book of Mormon – The Tony-winning musical from the creators of South Park hits the KC, starring Gavin Creel. (7/9-8/18, Opera House)

METRO STAGE

1201 North Royal St.Alexandria703-548-9044metrostage.org

Ghost-Writer – When a novelist dies mid-sentence, his typist continues to take dictation creating concern among the novelist's wife, publisher and the general public. Directed by John Vreeke. (4/18-5/26)

NATIONAL THEATRE

1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW202-628-6161nationaltheatre.org

Spamalot – The Monty Python musical returns for another go at the Holy Grail. (4/10-14)

OLNEY THEATRE CENTER

2001 Olney-Sandy Spring RoadOlney, Md.301-924-3400olneytheatre.org

Neville's Island, A Comedy in Thick Fog – Tim Firth's comedy follows four out-of-shape, middle-aged businessmen who succeed in being the first people ever to get shipwrecked on a tiny island just off Britain's Lake District. (4/4-28, Mainstage) The Submission – Shaleeha G'ntamobi's stirring new play about an alcoholic mother and her cardsharp son trying to get out of the projects has just been accepted into the nation's preeminent theater festival. Trouble is, Shaleeha G'ntamobi doesn't exist, except in the imagination of wannabe white playwright Danny, who created her as a kind of affirmative-action nom-de-plume. (5/9-6/9, Theatre Lab) Angel Street (''Gaslight'') – Is the handsome Jack Manningham a caring husband – or is he discreetly trying to drive his young wife Bella into insanity under the guise of kindness? Directed by John Going. (6/20-7/14, Historic Stage) Carnival – The classic musical tells the story of a lonely orphan girl who literally runs away to join the circus. Based on the movie Lili. (8/1-9/1, Mainstage) Saint Joan and Hamlet – A rotating rep from the BEDLAM theater company of classics by George Bernard Shaw and Shakespeare. (9/5-10/27, Theatre Lab) Tartuffe, or The Hypocrite – Set in modern Paris, Molière's always relevant classic comedy about a religious hypocrite and the home he invades gets a vibrant makeover and a Euro-pop score. (9/26-10/20, Mainstage) Once Upon a Mattress – A delightful musical based on the fable of The Princess and the Pea. (11/14-12/29, Mainstage)

REP STAGE

10901 Little Patuxent ParkwayColumbia, Md.443-518-1500repstage.org

Boeing Boeing – An American architect living in Paris in the swinging '60s juggles relationships with three air hostesses, all employed by Boeing-Boeing airlines. (4/17-5/5)

ROUND HOUSE THEATRE

4545 East-West HighwayBethesda240-644-1100roundhousetheatre.org

How to Write a New Book for the Bible – A powerful, beautiful new play taken from Bill Cain's own experiences. A man moves in with his ailing but always funny mother when she becomes too frail to care for herself. Their reunion heals old wounds, opening a heartfelt and humorous new chapter in their relationship. (4/10-5/5) Becky Shaw – When Suzanna sets up her best friend Max on a blind date with her husband's co-worker Becky Shaw, she sets into motion a series of cataclysmic events that forever change all of their lives. (5/29-6/23)

SCENA THEATRE

H Street Playhouse1365 H St. NE703-683-2824scenatheatre.org

Shining City – Conor McPherson's drama about a man in turmoil after the death of his wife. (Now to 4/21) Accidental Death of an Anarchist – Dario Fo's daring comedy set amid a fascist police state. (5/5-6/16) Salome – The Oscar Wilde classic, reworked. (7/7-8/18)

SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY

Harman Center for the Arts610 F St. NWLansburgh Theatre450 7th St. NW202-547-1122shakespearetheatre.org

Coriolanus – Caius Martius earns the new name of ''Coriolanus'' for his heroic triumphs. However his inflexible self-belief and contempt for popular rule cause him to be condemned as a traitor and sent into exile. Desiring revenge against the Romans who banished him, he launches an assault on his beloved city. David Muse directs. (3/28-6/2, Harman Hall) Wallenstein – A newly commissioned adaptation and translation of Friedrich Schiller drama. One of Germany's greatest dramatic works, Wallenstein follows the famous general Albrecht von Wallenstein at the height of his influence and power during the Thirty Years' War. Directed by Michael Kahn. In rep with Coriolanus. (3/28-6/2, Harman Hall) The Winter's Tale – One of Shakespeare's later plays, this compassionate and dazzling saga tells the tale of King Leontes, who is overcome with jealousy when he believes his pregnant wife Hermione and his good friend King Polixenes are lovers. Directed by Rebecca Bayla Taichman. (5/9-6/23, Lansburgh)

SIGNATURE THEATRE

4200 Campbell Ave.Arlington703-820-9771signature-theatre.org

The Last Five Years – Aaron Posner directs this musical by Jason Robert Brown that chronicles the highs and lows of a modern-day marriage (makes for a lovely precursor to ACT's I Do! I Do!). (4/2-28, Max) Company – Eric Schaeffer directs the Sondheim classic in which a 35-year-old bachelor searches for answers to life on his birthday. Familiar songs include ''Being Alive'' and ''Ladies Who Lunch.'' (5/21-6/30, Max)

STUDIO THEATRE

1501 14th St. NW202-332-3300studiotheatre.org

4000 Miles – Tana Hicken stars in this play about a 21-year-old neo-hippie who, following his girlfriend's death, seeks refuge in the Greenwich Village apartment of his 91-year-old leftist grandmother. Directed by Joy Zinoman. (Opens 3/20) 2-2 Tango and Skin Tight – A pair of one acts about coupling, from New Zealand and Canada. (Opens 4/24) The Real Thing – Tom Stoppard's classic about a playwright and his complicated relationship with his wife. Directed by David Muse. (Opens 5/22) Baby Universe: A Puppet Odyssey – A captivating fable about the search for a new planet on which to sustain human life. Inspired by real-life scientific events and theory, the show features 30 puppets, animation, a space-age score and a robot based on Stephen Hawking. (Opens 6/26) The Rocky Horror Show – Studio's 2ndStage celebrates its 25th anniversary with this 40th anniversary production of the crazed, hip musical. (Open July 10)

SYNETIC THEATER

Crystal CityArlington800-494-8497synetictheater.org

The Tempest – The latest in the ''Silent Shakespeare Series,'' directed by Paata Tsikurishvilli. (Now to 3/24) Three Musketeers – D'Artagnan's journey to become a musketeer bounds to life with plenty of romance, intrigue, and animated duels crafted by resident fight choreographer, Ben Cunis. (5/9-6/9) A Midsummer Night's Dream – A brief revival of one of Synetic's most popular offerings. (7/24-8/4)

THEATRE J

1529 16th St. NW800-494-8497theaterj.org

Andy and the Shadows -– Andy Glickstein is the son of Holocaust refugees who fears he can't get married because he hasn't suffered enough. His family's gathered on the South Side of Chicago to celebrate his engagement to clear-headed Sarah, but party preparations are interrupted as Andy is pulled by memories and pre-adolescent enchantments of his mother's bath-time stories recounting her dramatic escapes from the Nazis. Written by Ari Roth. (4/3-28) The Hampton Years – Jacqueline E. Lawton's play revolves around the development of great African-American artists John Biggers and Samella Lewis under the tutelage of Austrian Jewish refugee painter and educator, Viktor Lowenfeld. (5/29-6/30)

WASHINGTON STAGE GUILD

Undercroft Theatre900 Massachusetts Ave. NWstageguild.org

The Elder Statesman – T.S. Eliot's final play in its first D.C. production. (4/25-5/19)

WOOLLY MAMMOTH

641 D St. NW202-393-3939woollymammoth.net

American Utopias – A world premiere of the latest from Mike Daisey, as he explores how we create civic spaces for ourselves in which we act out our dreams of a better world. Daisey travels from Disney World and its theme-park perfection, to the drug-fueled anarchic excesses of Burning Man, from the Masonic underpinnings of the U.S. Capitol. (Now to 4/14) Stupid Fucking Bird – Aaron Posner has loosely adapted Chekhov's The Seagull in this contemporary and irreverent riff on the classic play. Directed by Howard Shalwitz. (5/27-6/23)

Ah, spring. A time when temperatures are rising, flowers are in bloom and people are naturally anticipating doing it outdoors. And by ''it,'' we mean seeing concerts. (Is your mind always in the gutter?) Whether it's country at Jiffy Lube Live, rock at Merriweather Post Pavilion or folk and classic pop/R&B at Wolf Trap's Filene Center, you can get your outdoor aural jollies starting as early as May. Of course, the region's indoor concert scene this spring is shaping up to be as rich and varied as ever, too, with many a new or underrated artist to check out. There's also a whole lot of boy-band fever coming to the Verizon Center. And at Ram's Head Live, Sisqo, performing a hometown show with his reunited hip-hop crew Dru Hill. So no, turns out, you're not alone there in the spring-has-sprung, thong-song gutter.

Melissa Etheridge at Wolf Trap

9:30 CLUB

815 V St. NW202-265-0930www.930.com

Bad Religion (3/22) Dillon Francis – U Street Music Hall presents the ''Wurld Turr'' of this up-and-coming American electronic artist. (3/25) Gloriana (3/26) Craft Brewer's Conference Concert Series: The Feelies (3/27) Escort – (3/28) The Infamous Stringdusters (3/29) Modestep (3/30) Bajofondo – Brokeback Mountain composer Gustavo Santaolalla's electronic/folk duo with Juan Campodonico. (4/2) Ozomatli – A hipper, Latino version of the Black Eyed Peas, also from the City of Angels. (4/3) David Wax Museum (4/4) Alice Smith – If you can only see one concert this season, make it this one; Smith is as understated and sophisticated as Christina Aguilera is crassly exaggerated, and every bit as vocally talented. (4/4) Local Natives w/Superhumanoids (4/5-6) Blowoff (4/6) Frightened Rabbit (4/7) The Black Crowes (4/8-9) Hot Chip (4/10) Cold War Kids (4/11) Lianne La Havas – Don't ''Forget'' to mark your calendar for this folk-rock starlet, who proved at the Birchmere last year that she knows how to captivate a crowd. (4/12) The Dan Band (4/13) Galactic (4/14) Andrew McMahon (4/15) The Presidents of the United States of America (4/16) Collie Buddz (4/17) Rusko (4/18) Living Colour -- Yes, the black rock band is back. (4/19) Papadosio (4/19) JJ Grey and Mofro w/Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds (4/20) The Joy Formidable (4/21) Solange -- A purveyor of cool, indie-pop/electronic music, wholly distinct from her bigger sister Beyoncé. (4/23) Ben Rector (4/24) Flying Lotus (4/25) Robyn Hitchock & The Venus 3 (4/27) Johnny Marr – Chances are by press time tickets will be sold out to see this guitarist, best known for his work with The Smiths. (4/29) Jim James (4/30) Tedeschi Trucks Band (5/1) Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite – An evening of the blues. (5/2) Beats Antique (5/3) The Breeders (5/4) Foals & Surfer Blood (5/5) Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (5/6) Shout Out Louds (5/7) The Airborne Toxic Event (5/8-9) Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band w/The Felice Brothers (5/10-11) James Blake (5/12) Ghost B.C. (5/13) Father John Misty (5/16) SOUNDBITES - Music * Food * Change -- A benefit for DC Central Kitchen featuring a performance by Deathfix and others, plus DJ sets from Will Eastman and Rich Morel; yes, that means Morel is pulling double duty. (5/19) Futurebirds (5/23) Chris Hardwick (5/25) Fall Out Boy -- Surprise! At the Club! And surprise! It sold out in seconds! (5/31) Best Coast -- Trippy rock, just as you'd expect from California. (6/4) Tomahawk (6/5) Animal Collective (6/10-11) Junip (6/15) Glen Hansard (6/16) Amadou & Mariam (6/18) Dawes (6/19) Who's Bad: The World's #1 Michael Jackson Tribute Band (6/22)

THE ALDEN

McLean Community Center1234 Ingleside AveMcLean, Va.703-790-0123aldentheatre.org

Asphalt Orchestra -- A self-described ''marching band,'' but one that The New York Times calls ''part parade spectacle, part halftime show and part cutting-edge contemporary music concert.'' (4/6) The Fabulous Hubcaps -- Band performs pop songs from the mid-20th century for an evening of dancing, with cash bar and refreshments available. (4/19)

ARTISPHERE

1101 Wilson Blvd.Arlington703-875-1100artisphere.com

The Revelers -- A Louisiana supergroup. (3/22) Bossalingo -- Jazz with Cuban and Brazilian rhythms. (3/28) Elijah Balbed Quintet -- Local jazz band. (4/4) Cimarron -- Grammy-nominated Colombian supergroup devoted to roots music. (4/5) Pan American Trio -- A newly formed instrumental ensemble dedicated to an eclectic repertoire of music from the Americas. (4/11) Sarah Hughes Trio -- Jazz group lead by an alto saxophonist and local music educator. (4/25) Urban Jazz and Dance Show with Backpack Jax and KLP Dance Crew -- Two French hip-hop dance groups perform as part of a transatlantic hip-hop festival sponsored by Alliance Française. (5/16) Global Dance Party w/Elikeh, Black Masala and Nappy Riddem -- Three local global music groups perform at this party. (5/18) Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars w/DJ Underdog -- Formed in West African refugee camps, Newsweek raves, ''It's as easy to fall in love with these guys as it was with the Buena Vista Social Club.'' (6/1)

ATLAS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

1333 H St. NE202-399-7993atlasarts.org

People Get Ready -- Brooklyn-based band known for genre-defying creativity. (4/19) Jazz at the Atlas: MODATT -- Free-form improvisational jazz trio formed in 2011 at New York's Blue Note. (4/24) Jazz at the Atlas: Luciana Souza Duo -- One of jazz's leading singers teams up with compatriot Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo (5/11) Jazz at the Atlas: Darcy James Argue's Secret Society -- Swing era-style 18-piece big band, which earned a Grammy nod for its record Infernal Machines. (5/18) U.S. Army Blues -- One of the nation's premier jazz ensembles traces John Adams's musical lineage back to the era of swing bands in this Library of Congress-sponsored concert. (5/25)

BARNS AT WOLF TRAP

1645 Trap RoadVienna703-255-1900wolf-trap.org

Catie Curtis -- New Yorker calls the energetic Catie Curtis, part of Massachusetts's thriving lesbian folk scene, a "folk-rock goddess." (3/28) The Iguanas -- New Orleans-meets-Mexico in a spicy musical gumbo. (3/29) John Eaton -- Bassist Tommy Cecil joins for a ''Juke Joint Jam Session.'' (3/30) Al Di Meola, Gonzalo Rubalcaba – Jazz guitarist and jazz pianist team up. (4/3-4) HAPA – Hawaiian ballads, love songs, hymns and ancient chants. (4/6-7) Edwin McCain w/special guest Erick Baker -- Alt-rocker dubbed ''the great American romantic'' by The New York Times (4/10) Holly Near -- Social activist brings folk songs of justice and hope. (4/11) Melissa Manchester -- the Grammy-winning heartfelt balladeer. (4/18) Paula Cole – ''I don't wanna wait for our lives to be over,'' she cries. (4/19) Andrea Marcovicci – ''Cabaret queen'' offers romantic classics. (4/20) Joe Sample – Pioneering jazz pianist and composer offers an intimate, solo performance. (4/24) John McCutcheon (4/25) Robbie Schaefer – Clever, contemporary folk from guitarist of Eddie From Ohio. (4/26) Patty Larkin (5/2)

BLACK CAT

1811 14th St. NW202-667-4490blackcatdc.com

Sinkane w/Ra Ra Rasputin, Helado Negro -- Sudanese skate-punk. (3/22) Kate Nash -- Lily Allen-esque British pop star comes to town -- but sadly the show's sold out. (3/23) The Revival Tour feat. Chuck Ragan, Rocky Votolato, Toh Kay, Jenny Owen Youngs and Dave Hause (3/28) Craft Brewer's Conference Concert Series: The Pietasters (3/27) Javelin (3/28) Pig Destroyer (3/29) Cinema Cinema (3/30) Alarms & Controls (3/31) Fol Chen (4/2) Mansions on the Moon (4/3) Chelsea Light Moving -- The latest band from Thurston Moore, formerly of Sonic Youth. (4/4) Darwin Deez (4/5) Redd Kross (4/5) The Black Angels w/Allah-las, Elephant Stone (4/6) Caveman (4/9) Bonobo (4/10) Chappo (4/11) Pissed Jeans (4/12) Cloud Cult -- A very stirring and inspiring hazy rock band, akin to Bon Iver, but deeper. (4/13) Suuns (4/16) Twin Tigers (4/21) Fu Manchu (4/22) Goat (4/25) Shabazz Palaces w/Theesatisfaction -- The next coming of Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill, the Black Cat boasts. (4/27) Miss Shevaughn & Yuma Wray (4/29) The Gun Outfit (4/30) Stornoway (5/1) Daughter (5/2) Telekinesis w/Deep Sea Diver (5/6) Steve Mason (5/7) He's My Brother, She's My Sister (5/8) Marnie Stern (5/9) Twin Sister (5/13) The Features (5/15) Gold Panda w/Voices of Black (5/15) !!! (5/18) Lady Lamb The Beekeeper (5/20) Forward (5/21) Total Control (5/28) Mount Kibme (6/1) Twin Shadow (6/15) Man…or Astro-Man? (6/23)

BLACK FOX LOUNGE

1723 Connecticut Ave. NWblackfoxlounge.com

Kevin Robinson – A biweekly Thursday night of funk. Special Agent Galactica – The sometimes-singing local drag queen, the alter ego of Jeffrey Johnson, hosts a biweekly Friday show. CaShandra J Ensemble (3/22) Aviva and the Flying Penguins (3/23) Joe Vetter Duet (3/25) Open Mic with Faheem -- Pianist accompanies guests singing show tunes and standards. (3/26) Peter Fields and Tara Hofmann (3/26) Ethan Foote Jazz Ensemble (3/27) Butch Warren Jazz Ensemble (3/28) The Trillaterus Trio (3/28) Wendy Lee Snyder and Daniel Sticco (3/29) Frank Tarantino Jazz Duet (3/29) Projeck GP Jazz Ensemble (3/30) Anders Eliasson Ensemble (3/30) David Lighton Ensemble (4/1) Bill "Magic" Lavender Bey Ensemble – A monthly show. (4/2) Jeron White Trio – A biweekly Wednesday night show. (4/3) Aaron Myers & The Black Fox Lounge Jazz Ensemble – A regular Friday night show. (4/5) Jeron White Jazz Ensemble (4/6) David Schulman (4/11) Gay Men's Chorus of Washington – GMCW hosts a monthly open-mike night. (4/13) Acoustic Sauce (4/18) Some Light It Hot Jazz Ensemble (4/20) Studio Papillon (4/21) Sulu DC (4/25) WKP Jazz Ensemble (5/4) DC Cabaret Network Open Mic (5/8) Dave Mosick Jazz Duet (5/30) Oren Levine's Vocal Showcase (5/31) Catherine Satterlee -- Vocalist is joined by pianist Davey Knific and bassist Karine Chapdelaine. (6/6)

THE BIRCHMERE

3701 Mount Vernon Ave.Alexandria703-549-7500birchmere.com

Phil Perry (3/22) Tom Rush (3/23) Madeleine Peyroux (3/24) Travis Tritt (3/25) Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival 2013 -- Dennis Kamakahi, Bobby Moderow Jr., Stephen Inglis, LT Smooth and Paul Togioka perform at this event. (3/27) Manhattan Transfer (3/29) Cleve Francis (3/30) Carolina Chocolate Drops -- This great black bluegrass band gives good ''hit 'em up style,'' including a rootsy cover of that Blu Cantrell hip-hop hit. (4/3) Rachelle Ferrell (4/5-6) Cellos: Luka Suljic & Stjephan Hauser (4/7) Gad Elmaleh (4/8) The Mavericks w/Seth Walker (4/9) Marc Broussard w/Courier (4/10) Brian Culbertson (4/15) The Proclaimers w/JP (4/16) Michael Nesmith -- Hey, hey, he's a former Monkee! (4/17) The Flatlanders: Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Bitch Hancock w/Joe Pug (Trio) (4/18) Keller Williams with More Than A Little Acoustic -- A normally hard-charging, hard-living amped-up band offers an ''acoustic set [that] will be tame and classy with tight funky grooves.'' (4/19) Najee (4/20) Graham Parker & The Rumour w/Lowell Thompson (4/21) Leo Kottke (4/22) The Milk Carton Kids w/Aoife O'Donovan (4/23) Josh Rouse (4/24) Billy Bragg w/Kim Churchill -- The Tooth & Nail Tour. (4/25) Junior Brown w/Sturgill Simpson (4/26) Hiroshima (4/27) Boney James -- The Smooth Jazz Cruise presents The Beat Tour. (4/28) Fourplay (5/1) Hayes Carll (Band) w/Warren Hood & The Goods (5/2) Howie Day (5/4) Steve Tyrell (5/5) Steve Earle & The Dukes w/The Mastersons (5/7) Beth Hart (5/9) Ryan Bingham w/Wild Feathers (5/10) Gary Taylor (5/11) Mother's Finest -- A Mother's Day concert by this funk band with the perfect name for the occasion. (5/12) Chris Mann (5/14) Asleep at the Wheel (5/15) Ramin Karimloo -- ''Broadway to Bluegrass Tour.'' (5/16) The Fab Faux -- One night this Beatles impersonation band will perform Rubber Soul in its entirety, the next they'll perform ''The Cavern to the Rooftop Show.'' (5/17-18) Don Williams (5/20) Peter Tork -- Hey, hey, he's a former Monkee, too! (5/21) 10,000 Maniacs (5/24) Eric Roberson w/Anami Jordan (5/25) Aaron Neville (5/29) Maceo Parker (5/31) Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra (6/1) Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis (6/8) Wayne Newton (6/12) Hot Tuna -- An acoustic show. (6/13) emmet swimming (6/15) Tommy Emmanuel w/Anthony Snape (6/16) Rahsaan Patterson (6/21) The Seldom Scene & Jonathan Edwards (6/22) Delbert McClinton w/Amy Black (6/29) Rhonda Vincent & The Rage and Lou Reid & Carolina (7/12) Dr. John (7/24) Walter Beasley (7/26) Bob Schneider (Band) (7/27) Stephanie Mills -- The legendary R&B and Broadway singer performs from her repertoire. (8/2) Dick Dale (8/4) Kris Kristofferson (8/6-7) Marty Stuart& The Fabulous Superlatives (8/10) Justin Hayward -- The Moody Blues front man offers a solo show. (8/14-15) Johnny Winter (8/24) Valerie Simpson -- The ''Simpson'' in ''Ashford & Simpson'' performs the duo's hits. (8/25)

BLUES ALLEY

1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW703-549-7500bluesalley.com

Kevin Eubanks – The jazz guitarist and former band leader on NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno. (Now to 3/24) Rez Abassi (3/25) Claire Daly Quartet (3/26) Warner Williams, Jay Summerour & Friends (3/27) Lee Ritenour – The fusion guitarist returns for an annual weekend run at Blues Alley. (3/28-31) Brian Bromberg (4/2) Otis Taylor – Roots rock and blues. (4/3) Rudresh Mananthappa's Gamak (4/4-5) James Carter Organ Trio (4/6-7) Steve Smith's Vital Information NYC 30th Edition – A fusion drummer known for his work with rock band Journey as well as jazz group the Buddy Rich Big Band leads an all-star band. (4/10) Cheikh Ndoye Band feat. Karen Briggs (4/12-14) John Kocur Quintet (4/15) Stan Kenton Alumni Band (4/17) Earl Klugh (4/18-21) Karrin Allyson – An extraordinary jazz vocalist who The New York Times raves is ''one of the most charismatic figures on tour today.'' (4/25-27) Jeanette Harris (5/1) Kenny Garrett (5/2-5) Grand Slam: Jim Hall, Joe Lovano (5/9-12) Arturo Sandoval (5/16-19) Lena Seikaly – Local jazz vocalist who often channels Ella Fitzgerald in her stylings; ain't nothing wrong with that. (5/24) Lori Williams (5/25) John Pizzarelli Quartet (5/30-6/2) Antone 'Chooky' Caldwell (6/6) Buster Williams, 'Something More Quartet' (6/13-16) Trina Broussard (6/19) Monty Alexander – Legendary Jamaican pianist. (6/20-23) Veronneau – Acoustic quartet offering jazz from around the world, from swing to samba to gypsy. (6/26) Pieces of a Dream (6/28-30) Klymaxx feat. Bernadette Cooper – The woman who formed and named the R&B band known for its '80s hits ''The Men All Pause,'' ''Meeting in the Ladies Room'' and ''I Miss You.'' (7/19-20) Shanice (7/26-28) Terence Blanchard – Grammy-winning New Orleans trumpeter who's scored many Spike Lee joints and today leads a quintet featuring some of the brightest young talents in jazz today. (8/8-11)

BOHEMIAN CAVERNS

2001 11TH ST. NW202-299-0800bohemiancaverns.com

Ensemble Volcanic Ash (3/24) Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra – Esteemed big band performs every Monday night. Herb Scott -- Bohemian Caverns' Artist in Residence. (3/26) Kendrick Scott -- Oracle CD Release Party. (3/29-30) Bill Cole's Untempered Ensemble (3/31) Elijah Balbed -- Another Bohemian Caverns' Artist in Residence performs every Tuesday night in April. Christian Scott (4/4-5) Warren Wolf -- Berklee College of Music alum, a jazz multi-instrumentalist from Baltimore. (4/12-13) Matthew Shipp Trio (4/14) Mark Whitfield (The Trio) (4/19-20) Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra 3rd Anniversary (4/21) Craig Taborn Trio (5/5) Jason Adasiewicz Sun Rooms (4/26) Brandee Younger (5/31-6/1) Christie Dashiell (6/2) Lonnie Liston Smith (6/6-7) Lionel Loueke (6/8-9) Alex Brown & Yotam (6/12) Leonard Brown & Joyful Noise (6/13) Pharoah Sanders (6/14-16)

CLARICE SMITH PERFORMING ARTS CENTER AT UMD

University of MarylandCollege Park301-405-ARTSclaricesmithcenter.umd.edu

Brad Mehldau and Chris Thile -- Jazz pianist and Nickel Creek's alt-bluegrass mandolinist and singer team up for a tour-de-force concert. (4/12) The Ninety Miles Project -- Vibraphonist Stefon Harris, trumpeter Nicholas Payton and saxophonist David Sanchez will perform music created by the Cuban and American jazz musicians brought together for this project. (4/26) Homay and Mastan Group -- Founded in 2005 by Parvaz Homay, the Mastan Group has quickly become one of the most prominent traditional Persian music ensembles. (5/26)

DAVIS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Georgetown University3700 O St. NW202-687-ARTSperformingarts.georgetown.edu

Al Caldwell -- ''The Travelin' Black Hillbilly'' plays banjo and bass and weaves stories for a concert as part of Georgetown's free Friday Music Series. (4/5) David and Ginger Hildebrand: Music of the War of 1812 in America -- A Friday Music Series concert highlighting the ballads, marches and dance tunes from this forgotten era of history. (4/12)

DC9

1940 9th St. NW202-483-5000dcnine.com

Footwerk (3/23) Lost Civilizations (3/24) Mount Moriah (3/27) Broncho (3/28) Rickolus (3/29) The 1975 (3/30) D. Regime (3/31) A Night Out with Turnbill DCs -- Featuring The Idle Gossip, El Quatro, DJs Mikhall Z. and Teddy ''Dos Dedos'' Garcia. (4/1) IAmDynamite (4/2) The View (4/3) Wilson (4/4) Wisdom in Chains (4/6) Port St. Willow (4/8) Skaters (4/9) HRVRD (4/10) Stereo Total (4/11) ADAM E. Project (4/13) Wovenhand (4/14) Esben and The Witch w/Heliotropes (4/15) Ivan and Alyosha w/The Lone Bellow (4/17) Bleached (4/18) Acid Mothers Temple (4/21) EmptyMansions -- BrooklynVegan presents this concert also with Scott Lucas and the Married Men. (4/24) Real Diamonds (4/25) Pickwick (4/27) The Men (5/2) Tera Melos (5/4) The Cliks -- Transgender-fronted lesbian band that really rocks. (5/5) Har Mar Superstar (5/11) Arum Rae (5/16) Anti-Flag 20th Anniversary Tour (5/20-21) The Bats (6/5) Ours (6/6) Merchandise (6/18)

ECHOSTAGE

2135 Queens Chapel Rd. NE202-503-2330echostage.com

The Execution Tour feat. Excision – With Paper Diamond, Vaski & special guest Dirtyphonics. (3/23) David Guetta – Opening set by Roberto Gonzalez on Friday and Matt Goldman on Saturday. (3/29-30) Calvin Harris – Too bad none of the pop stars he's recorded with, from Rihanna to Florence Welch, will likely appear, though it'll still be electronic love. (4/6) Markus Schulz (4/13) Alesso (4/19) Dash Berlin (4/27)

FILLMORE SILVER SPRING

8656 Colesville RoadSilver Spring301-960-999fillmoresilverspring.com

Anberlin (3/23) Garbage -- The British alt-rockers return to the area supporting last year's great-named album Not Your Kind of People. (3/24) Los Amigos Invisibles -- The great Venezuelan disco/funk band. Olly Murs -- An up-and-coming British pop star. (4/19) Drake White -- WMZQ's Ones To Watch presents this concert. (4/25) (4/4) Meek Mill -- Dreams Come True Tour. (4/6) Stone Sour (4/11) Big Sean (4/13) Anthrax -- Band headlines a Metal Alliance Tour 2013 with Exodus, Municipal Waste, Holy Grail. (4/14) Death To All (4/26) How to Destroy Angels (4/30) Tech N9Ne (5/1) Bullet for My Valentine (5/3) Bassnectar (5/4-5) Paramore (5/18)

THE HAMILTON

600 14th St. NW202-787-1000thehamiltondc.com

inGratitude: A Tribute to Earth, Wind & Fire (3/22) Wheeler Brothers (3/23) Gospel Brunch with the Howard Gospel Choir (3/24, 4/7) Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers (3/24) Craft Brewer's Conference Concert Series: Elephant Revival (3/25); The Mother Hips (3/26); The Revivalists (3/27); Cris Jacobs Band (3/28); Here We Go Magic (3/29) A Tribute to Bob Marley featuring Junior Marvin and Love of Bob Marley's Wailers (3/30) Tyrone Wells (4/4) HariKaraoke Band (4/5) The Bad Plus (4/10) Alejandro Escovedo (4/11) Gospel Brunch with the Uptown Gospel Singers (4/14) Jeff Lorber Fusion (4/15) Ben Ottewell of Gomez (4/19) The Vespers (4/21) Les Claypool's Duo de Twang (4/27) Red Molly (4/28) Justin Furstenfeld of Blue October (5/3) The SteelDrivers (5/4) Bruce in the USA – ''The World's #1 Tribute to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.'' (5/10) Dream Discs: Van Morrison's Moondance and Bruce Springsteen's The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle ­– Featuring performances by Brian Simms, Billy Coulter, Daryl Jr. Cline, Kirk Philips and more. (5/11) Martin Taylor (5/12) Toots and the Maytals – With Anders Osborne. (5/22) Seryn (5/23) Joe Krown Trio & Royal Southern Brotherhood (5/29) Start Making Sense – Talking Heads tribute band. (6/21) The Black Lillies (6/22)

THE HOWARD THEATRE

620 T St. NW202-588-5595thehowardtheatre.com

Jefferson Starship – Classic rockers – with Cathy Richardson replacing Grace Slick – perform in its entirety Surrealistic Pillow, the 1967 album recorded when the band was still called Jefferson Airplane. (3/21) Loose Ends (3/22) James Cotton, Super Harp (3/23) Howard Gospel Brunch featuring Patrick Lundy & The Ministers of Music (3/24) The Afro-Cuban All Stars – One of the liveliest bands anywhere, as captured in the classic Wim Wenders film Buena Vista Social Club. (3/24) Watsky (3/26) Tevin Campbell (3/30) John Scofield's Hollowbody Band featuring Mike Stern, Ben Street and Bill Stewart (4/4) Incognito (4/5) Shirley Jones of The Jones Girls (4/6) Kill the Noise/Brillz/Style of Eye (4/6) Bell Biv Devoe (4/7) Bomba Esteréo (4/9) Immortal Technique (4/10) Netsky (4/11) Ryan Leslie – D.C. native and Howard University alum. (4/13) Blackstreet ft. Teddy Riley (4/16) Fonseca – Another Colombian pop singer-songwriter, in the shadows of fellow mono-named artists Shakira and Juanes. (4/17) Steven Wilson (4/20) Shuggie Otis w/Jesca Hoop (4/21) Sammy Adams & T. Mills (4/22) Ben Kenney (of Incubus) -- With special guest Deleted Scenes. (4/23) Michael Rose & Sister Carol (4/24) David Grisman & John Sebastian (4/26) The Motet (4/26) Rockapella – Motown and more show. (4/29) Jarabe De Palo (5/4) The Carl Palmer Band – Celebrating the music of Emerson Lake & Palmer. (5/8) Currensy (5/11) Sheila E. (5/16) Brian McKnight (5/17) The Blind Boys of Alabama & Bettye LaVette (5/18) Artie Lange (6/1) Mobb Deep – 20th Anniversary Tour. (6/6) DC Jazz Fest: Buika (6/12); Susan Baca (6/13); John McLaughlin & The 4th Dimension (6/16) Papa Grows Funk (6/21) Syleena Johnson (6/22) The Jill and Julia Show – Queer singer/songwriter Jill ''I Kissed A Girl'' Sobule and Saturday Night Live alum Julia Sweeney team up for a night of witty songs and social commentary. (7/7) Luciano – One of today's most celebrated Jamaican roots reggae musicians. (7/9) The Persuasions (7/12)

THE IN SERIES

202-204-7763inseries.org

Cabaret Latino! -- The great Puerto Rican mezzo-soprano Anamer Castrello stars in this Latino heat parade with Peruvian baritone José Sacin and Mexican/Cuban pianist. (4/13-21, Source) Pocket Opera Double Bill: Love & Money -- Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale and Puccini's Gianni Schicchi offer characters from Dante's Inferno and Russian folk tales, all exposing human folly. (6/15, 6/16, 6/22-23, Atlas)

JIFFY LUBE LIVE

7800 Cellar Door DriveBristow, Va.703-754-6400livenation.com

Luke Bryan and the WMZQFEST -- Jiffy Lube Live kicks off its season with a country bang, also featuring Thompson Square, Florida Georgia Line, Kristen Kelly, Chris Janson, Austin Webb & Rachel Farley. (5/18) Brad Paisley (6/29) Train (7/12) Lynyrd Skynyrd & Bad Company (7/14) Blake Shelton -- The Voice judge and country superstar. (7/20) The Dave Matthews Band w/Gogol Bordello (7/27) Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reefer Band (8/17) Depeche Mode -- Yes, it's true, the most popular electronic band of all time is back. (9/10)

JOSEPH MEYERHOFF SYMPHONY HALL

1212 Cathedral St.Baltimore410-783-8000ticketmaster.com

MPT's Best of Doo Wop -- Gene Chandler, Kenny Vance and the Plantones, Percy Sledge and The Marcells are just some of the acts on the bill. (5/11) Chicago -- The band, not the musical. (5/15) Jackie Evancho -- The classical crossover singer and America's Got Talent finalist performs with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. (5/18) David Byrne & St. Vincent -- A night of indie-pop/rock goodness. (6/13)

KENNEDY CENTER

2700 F St. NW202-467-4600kennedy-center.org

Charles Lloyd Birthday Celebration -- Saxophonist appears for a star-studded party, also featuring Jason Moran. (3/22) Supersized Jazz Club: Fats Waller Dance Party with Meshell N'degeocello and Jason Moran (4/5) Supersized Jazz Club: Soulive -- Brothers Neal and Alan Evans and guitarist Eric Krasno are touted by some as the future of funk. (4/6) KC Jazz Club: Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet -- The youngest son of the indelible Marsalis family. (4/12) The New Orleans Bingo! Show featuring the Preservation Hall Jazz Band -- ''A curious spectacle, a thrilling phenomenon and one of the very finest entertainments on the theatrical stage today,'' according to The New York Times (4/13) KC Jazz Club: Frank Wess Quintet (4/26) Kenny Barron & Dave Holland (4/27) KC Jazz Club: Fred Hersch & Julian Lage (5/3) Barbara Cook's Spotlight: Adam Pascal -- Roger Davis from Rent drops by the Kennedy Center for a night of sure-to-be-rocking cabaret. (5/10) Bobby McFerrin -- Don't worry…. (5/13) 18th Annual Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival -- Today's top jazz artists perform over three nights and demonstrate the contributions women have made to jazz. (5/16-18) DC Jazz Festival: Jazz Meets the Latin Classics -- Conductor/saxophonist/clarinetist and NEA Jazz Master Paquito D'Rivera leads an all-star ensemble. (6/14)

LISNER AUDITORIUM AT GWU

730 21st St. NW202-994-6800lisner.org

Latin Jazz JAM -- Grammy-winning percussion legends Horacio ''El Negro'' Hernandez and Giovanni Hidalgo offer a night of Latin jazz in celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month. (4/9) Hugh Masekela -- South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer and singer. (4/12) BeBe Winans -- Perhaps the most famous male from the first family of gospel. (4/26)

LYRIC OPERA HOUSE

140 West Mount Royal Ave.Baltimore410-547-SEATlyricoperahouse.com

Brit Floyd -- Billed as ''the World's Greatest Pink Floyd Show.'' (4/13) Beach House w/Lower Dens and Yo La Tengo (4/26) Sarah Brightman -- Dreamchaser World Tour. (9/20)

MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION

10475 Little Patuxent ParkwayColumbia, Md.800-551-SEATmerriweathermusic.com

MC Rock Festival – Day One: W.A.S.P., Kix, Danger Danger, Bad Seed Rising (5/3); Day Two: Bret Michaels Band, Twisted Sister, Steel Panther. (5/4) Sweetlife Festival – I.M.P. and sweetgreen present this third annual event featuring a stellar lineup, including Phoenix, Passion Pit, Kendrick Lamar, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Gary Clark Jr., Solange and Holy Ghost! (5/11) The Band Perry (5/18) The National w/Dirty Projectors (6/6) Capital Jazz Festival (6/7-9) Of Monsters and Men (6/11) The xx and Grizzly Bear -- Two indie-rock hipster darlings, a British duo and a Brooklyn band led by gay Ed Droste. (6/16) Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson -- A melding of two leading shock-metal minds. (6/17) The Postal Service -- Ah, the hippy-dippy electro-pop act is back. (6/18) Vans Warped Tour (7/10) Belle and Sebastian w/Yo La Tengo (7/12) Phish (7/13-14) Barenaked Ladies, Ben Folds Five, Guster -- Last Summer on Earth Tour. (7/15) FUN. w/Tegan and Sara -- The incredibly gay-supportive straight pop act, with an opening set from the indie-pop lesbian sister act. (7/20) The Lumineers (7/26) O.A.R. (8/1) Keith Urban (8/8) Zac Brown Band (8/22) Alan Jackson (9/6)

PATRIOT CENTER

George Mason University4500 Patriot CircleFairfax703-993-3000patriotcenter.com

Sigur Ros – I.M.P. Presents the eccentric Icelandic electronic-rock band, led by the eccentric gay singer Jonsi. (3/24) Green Day w/Best Coast – I.M.P. Presents a concert rescheduled after Billie Joe's breakdown and stint in rehab. (4/4) Atoms for Peace -- The electronic supergroup featuring Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Nigel Goodrich and Red Hot Chili Peppers's Flea. (9/30)

RAM'S HEAD CENTER STAGE

Maryland Live! Casino7002 Arundel Mills Circle, No. 7777Hanover, Md.800-522-4700marylandlivecasino.com

Blue Label (3/22) Radio Graffiti (3/23) Mister Wilson (3/30) Satisfaction -- A tribute band to, naturally, the Rolling Stones. (4/3) No Green, Jellybeenz (4/5) The VIPS (4/6) Rusted Root (4/9) Burnt Sienna (4/10) Kristen and the Noise (4/11) Starcrush (4/12) Hot Tub Limo (4/13) Randy Houser (4/17) Rollerblades (4/19) Crazy in Stereo (4/20) Steal the Sky (4/26) Chris Cagle (4/27) Rick Springfield -- Yes, in case you hadn't heard, the '80s pop heartthrob is back, though not as hot as he once was, in any sense. (5/9) Lee Brice (5/15)

RAM'S HEAD LIVE

20 Market PlaceBaltimore410-244-1131ramsheadlive.com

Aaron Lewis (3/22) Wax (3/29) Florida Georgia Line w/Old Southern Moonshine Revival (3/30) Journey Tribute with Voyage Feat Hugo (4/5) They Might Be Giants -- ''14 and Over,'' the billing states, a reminder that this is a tour in support of the band's recent rock album, not the children's music it had been making over the past decade. (4/6) Volbeat (4/10) Mindless Self Indulgence (4/11) Locash Cowboys (4/12) Crack The Sky (4/13) Milkshake (4/14) Hatebreed (4/17) The Fight to Unite Tour featuring Kottonmouth Kings (4/18) Clutch (4/20) Delta Rae (4/21) Sevendust & Coal Chamber (4/22) R5 (4/25) Dru Hill -- A hometown show for the reunited hip-hop crew that includes Sisqo. (4/26) Several Species: The Pink Floyd Experience (4/27) School of Rock Showcase (4/28) All That Remains (4/29) The Connection Tour with Papa Roach (5/1) Limp Bizkit (5/3) Relient K w/Hellogoodbye (5/5) Craig Morgan (5/10) Crystal Castles -- Eerie and hard electronica. (5/11) Alkaline Trio (5/17) Chris Hardwick (5/24) Metric -- The great Canadian electro-rock band that should be a bigger deal in the U.S. (6/7) Foals (6/10) Get The Led Out -- A Led Zeppelin tribute band from Philadelphia, a regular act at Ram's Head Live. (6/22)

RAM'S HEAD ON STAGE

33 West St.Annapolis410-268-4545ramsheadonstage.com

John Corbett Band (3/22) Rasputina (3/23) Shovels & Rope (3/23) Gino Vannelli (3/24) Kenny Wayne Shepherd (3/25-26) Stick Men featuring Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto & Markus Reuter (3/28) Creed Bratton (3/29) Suede -- The lesbian cabaret artist returns to the area. (3/30) The Crawdaddies (3/31) Family of the Year and the Mowgli's (4/1) Alice Smith -- The great pop-soul singer and D.C. native is a must-see live. (4/2) Paul and Storm (4/3) Incognito w/Maysa (4/4-5) HAPA – Direct from Hawaii, sounding just like you'd expect. (4/5) Graham Parker & The Rumour (4/6) Rachelle Ferrell (4/7) Marc Broussard (4/8-9) The Band of Heathens w/Whitehorse (4/10) The Bad Plus -- Lively, avant-garde jazz trio. (4/11) Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires w/Paul & The Tall Trees (4/12) Over The Rhine w/Ben Sollee (4/13) Brian Culbertson (4/14) Jimmie Vaughan (4/15) Robert Cray Band (4/16) Dave Mason Unplugged (4/17-18) America (4/19-20) Willy Porter and Robbie Schaefer (4/21) Billy Bragg (4/22) Hem (4/23) K's Choice (4/24) Desert Rose Band (4/25) Hotel California -- A Salute to the Eagles. (4/26) Junior Brown (4/27) Tommy Roe (4/27-28) Hiroshima (4/28) Scott Kirby Band (4/29) David Knopfler -- Performing in an acoustic duo with Harry Bogdanovs. (4/30) David Nail (5/1) Fourplay (5/2-3) Steve Tyrell (5/4) Howie Day (5/5) Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy (5/7) Spin Doctors -- The band still has a pocketful of kryptonite, with little miss fans that can't be wrong. (5/8) Hayes Carll w/Warren Hood & The Goods (5/9) Pat McGee (5/10-11) The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (5/12) Chris Mann (5/13) Tinsley Ellis (5/14) Simon & Garfunkel Retrospective -- Performed by A.J. Swearingen and Jonathan Beedle. (5/15) Southern Culture on the Skids -- An affectionate parody of ''white-trash-trailer-park culture.'' (5/16) Ashley Forrest (5/19) Ana Popovic (5/19) Toots & The Maytals (5/20, 5/29) 10,000 Maniacs (5/22-23) James McCartney (5/24) Bobby Caldwell (5/25) The Steel Wheels (5/26) Peter Tork -- The former Monkee. (5/26) Aaron Neville (5/28) The Bacon Brothers -- Yes, Kevin is in this band, along with his one-degree-of-separation sibling. (5/31-6/1) Ottmar Liebert (6/2) Southside Johnny & The Ashbury Jukes (6/7) Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis (6/9) Hot Tuna w/Jill Sobule -- An acoustic set. (6/11) Poncho Sanchez (6/12) The Zombies (6/17) Patterson Hood & The Downtown Rumblers (6/18) Delbert McClinton (6/21) Rahsaan Patterson (6/22) Hey Marseilles (6/23) 7 Bridges -- The ultimate Eagles experience, formerly known as Tequila Sunrise. (6/23) Ronnie Laws & Tom Browne (6/30) Samantha Crain (7/24) Lake Street Drive (7/25) Bob Schneider Band (7/28) Dick Dale -- ''The King of Surf Guitar.'' (8/2) Justin Hayward -- The Moody Blues front man. (8/3) Kris Kristofferson (8/5) Arrival from Sweden: The Music of ABBA (8/6) Bruce In The USA (8/9) Restless Heart (8/10) The Persuasions (9/5)

ROCK AND ROLL HOTEL

1353 H St. NE202-388-ROCKrockandrollhoteldc.com

Crash Boom Bang (3/22) San Cisco, Chaos Chaos (3/23) Spaceghostpurrp, Raider Klan (3/24) Clairy Browne & The Bangin' Rackettes (3/25) Phosphorescent, Strand of Oaks -- Muchacho Tour 2013. (3/26) Floor, True Head, Sick Fix (3/28) Harmonic Blue, 93 Buick, Supermoon, Bunny with Clothes (3/29) Black Clouds, Your Skull, Rosetta, Nothing (3/30) L'il Dude Big Heart -- A multi-act concert benefit for the Alden Rivera-Schaeff Foundation. (3/31) On An On, Savoire Adore (4/4) Lucky Dub, Nayas, Kickoman (4/5) Another Brother (4/6) The Cave Singers, Bleeding Rainbow (4/9) Chad Valley, Ghost Beach (4/11) Jamie Lidell, Empress of, Ludwig Persik (4/12) Wavves (4/13) The Appleseed Cast (4/15) Generationals, Splashh (4/17) METZ, Odonis Odonis (4/18) Vietnam (4/19) Laura Stevenson, Field Mouse, The Droids We're Looking For (4/20) Born Ruffians -- Eclectic rock. (4/21) The Parlotones (4/22) Lost In The Trees -- A great North Carolina psych-folk ensemble. (4/23) Jay Brannan -- The caustic gay singer-songwriter, and Shortbus star, returns to Rock and Roll Hotel. (4/29) Boris -- From the Past, the Present and through to the Future. (5/1-2) Danny Brown, Kitty (5/4) Palma Violets (5/7) The Veils (5/10) Kvelertak (5/19) BOYSETSFIRE (5/24) Peace (6/6) Sea Wolf (6/9) ICEAGE (6/12)

SIGNATURE THEATRE

4200 Campbell Ave.Arlington703-820-9771signature-theatre.org

The Lost Songs of Broadway: 1970s -- Showcasing forgotten songs from Broadway. (5/29-6/1)

SIXTH & I HISTORIC SYNAGOGUE

600 I St. NW202-408-3100sixthandi.org

Stephane Wrembel and His Band – A gypsy jazz guitarist increasingly making his mark. (3/24) Mika – Unfortunately, Mika's first-ever concert in Washington, billed ''An Intimate Evening,'' is already sold out. (4/10) Rhye – A male electronic-soul duo led by a singer who sings in a soft, feminine voice that has drawn comparison to Sade or Tracey Thorn. (4/18) Deerhunter -- American indie rock group based in Atlanta led by gay singer Bradford Cox. (4/22) Jake Shimabukuro – Rolling Stone has called this ukulele wizard a musical ''hero,'' and his mastery of the previously under-the-radar Hawaiian instrument has been compared to Jimi Hendrix on guitar or Miles Davis on saxophone. (4/23) Miri Ben-Ari – A former student of classical master Isaac Stern, this Grammy-winning Israeli violinist is now known for her fusion of classical style with jazz and R&B, plus collaborations with everyone from Patti Labelle to Kanye West to Britney Spears. (4/27) Mika Karni & Kol Dodi -- A multi-country Jewish folk group. (5/1) Ute Lemper – The famed German cabaret and jazz singer offers ''Last Tango in Berlin: Songs by Weill, Piazzola, Piaf, Brel and more.'' (5/18)

THE STATE THEATRE

220 North Washington St.Falls Church703-237-0300thestatetheatre.com

The John K Band -- Featuring John Kadlecik of Furthur. (3/23) The Legwarmers – ''DC's Biggest 80s Retro Dance Party.'' (4/5-6) The Legendary Rhythm and Blues Revue – Featuring Tommy Castro and the Painkillers, Deanna Bogart, Magic Dick and Ronnie Baker Brooks. (4/19) Lez Zeppelin – The all-female Zeppelin tribute band, with members who, despite the name, are actually coy about their real sexual orientation. (4/27) Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers (5/2) The Machine Performs Pink Floyd – ''The Ultimate Tribute to Pink Floyd.'' (5/4) Sons of Bill (5/10) Donna The Buffalo (5/11) White Ford Bronco – ''DC's All 90s Party Band.'' (6/1) Tab Benoit and the Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars (6/2) Here Come The Mummies (6/6)

STRATHMORE

5301 Tuckerman LaneNorth Bethesda301-581-5100strathmore.org

Neil Berg's 101 Years of Broadway -- A cast of five Broadway stars recreates moments form the greatest musicals of the century. (3/24, Music Center) Integriti Reeves -- Jazz vocalist offers a concert as part of her year as Strathmore's Artist in Residence. (3/27, Mansion) Chuck Redd: Great Tunes from the Silver Screen (3/29, Mansion) Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell and Richard Thompson Electric Trio (3/29, Music Center) Beatlemania (3/30) Second String Band and Naseem Khuri -- A night of American folk, presented as part of the Friday Night Eclectic series. (4/5, Mansion) Isabelle De Leon -- Strathmore Artist in Residence fuses rock and jazz with her jazz combo, for which she is the drummer. (4/10, Mansion) Diana Krall -- Maybe contemporary jazz's most popular performer. (4/10, Music Center) Memphis Gold and Bob Israel (4/12, Mansion) Under the Streetlamp -- A quartet of singers from the Chicago cast of Jersey Boys. (4/13, Music Center) Julie Fowlis: Music of the Scottish Isles -- Gaellic singer could become the next global breakout star, if her song from Pixar's new animated epic Brave catches on. (4/15, Mansion) VOCA PEOPLE -- Jimmy Fallon has called this off-Broadway show, which mixes flawlessly sung a cappella harmonies with amazing beat-box simulations of every kind of instrument, ''the coolest show ever.'' (4/18, Music Center) Gladys Knight -- ''The Empress of Soul.'' (4/25, Music Center) The Sweater Set -- Friday Night Eclectic concert and CD-release party. (4/26, Mansion) Chelsey Green -- Violinist and former Strathmore artist in residence crosses genres, from classical to jazz to hip-hop, creating a new groove. (5/2, Mansion) Allison Miller's BOOM TIC BOOM -- A jazz-festival favorite. (5/3, Mansion) Daisy Castro -- Strathmore artist in residence and young violinist steeped in gypsy jazz. (5/8, Mansion) Bela Fleck and the Marcus Roberts Trio -- The man nominated in more Grammy categories than anyone in history performs with a piano-led trio that also includes drummer Jason Marsalis and bassist Rodney Jordan. (5/10, Music Center) Rickie Simpkins -- Original and traditional melodies including elements of bluegrass, gospel and gypsy jazz. (5/29, Mansion) Owen Danoff -- Strathmore artist in residence channels Paul McCartney as a bassist-turned lead singer, with his band. (6/5, Mansion) UkeFest 2013: Uke and Guitar Summit (8/10)

TWINS JAZZ

1344 U St. NW202-234-0072

Kip Williams & BopNation (3/22-23) Allen Jones Group (3/24) Dan Wallace Quartet (3/27) Sote Brazilian Jazz (3/28) Sarah Hughes-Brad Linde Quartet (3/29-30) Jeff Denson (4/2) Melvin Jones (4/3-4) Thad Wilson (4/5-6) Trio Ode (4/7) Lyle Link -- Tuesdays in April. Avi Wisnia (4/10) Shayna Dulberger Quartet (4/11) JS Williams (4/12-13) Ravi Joseph Quartet (4/14) Danny Fox Trio (4/17) Upton Blues Band (4/18) The Flail (4/19-20) Jason Hammers (4/21) Afroroots by Eme & Heteru (4/24) Tim Green -- ''Songs From This Season.'' (4/26-27) Kurtis Adams (4/28) Tribecastan (5/1) Emy Tseng (5/2) Freddie Redd Quintet (5/3-4) Bobby Muncy (5/5) Gypsy Jazz -- Every Tuesday in May. Sean McCluskey (5/9) Mars 4tet (5/10-11) The Tuesday Project (5/12) Larry Brown (5/15) Charley Gerard Quintet (5/16) Kenny Rittenhouse (5/17-18) Swag Funk (5/19) Dan Wallace, Cord Quartet (5/22) Ben Redwine and the Samba Jazz Project (5/23) Lafayette Gilchrist Trio (5/24-25) The Young Black Mechanics (5/29) Joe Brotherton Quintet (5/30) Allyn Johnson Quartet (5/31-6/1) Nick Finzer (6/2) Redwine Jazz -- Every Tuesday in June.

U STREET MUSIC HALL

1115A U ST. NW202-588-1880ustreetmusichall.com

Disclosure – Barely two years into their career, these two brothers offer a sleek, soulful style whose popularity is rising so quickly tickets are already sold out. (3/22) Bliss: Local Techno Showcase (3/23) BoomBox – Duo offers an unlikely blend of Muscle Shoals-style rock and blues with psychedelic rock and underground house. (3/24) The Last Nouveau Riche (3/28) Passafire (3/29) Ryan Beatty (3/30) jozif (3/30) Robotic Pirate Monkey (3/31) Flume -- Quirky but tuneful variations on dubstep and hip-hop. (4/3) Xkore, Subscape (4/4) DC House Showcase (4/5) Claude VonStroke (4/6) Congorock (4/7) The 2 Bears (4/10) Goldroom (4/11) Julio Bashmore (4/12) Schematic (David Elkins of Mae) (4/14) DC Disco Showcase w/Volta Bureau (4/17) Matt Costa w/Vandaveer, The Blank Tapes (4/19) Chopteeth AfroFunk Big Band -- Strong local ensemble. (4/20) Gary Beck (4/20) Akron/Family (4/26) Turquoise Jeep (4/27) Tittsworth, Willy Joy (5/1) Oberhofer (5/3) Peter Murphy -- Celebrating 35 years of Bauhaus. (5/4) Duke Dumont (5/10) International Soul Society Festival 2013 (5/11) Youngblood Hawke (5/15) Orchard Lounge (5/17) Bliss w/Ellen Allien (5/25) Charli XCX (6/3) Ariel Pink (6/10) Eleanor Friedberger (6/27)

VERIZON CENTER

601 F St. NW202-628-3200verizoncenter.com

Maroon 5 w/Neon Trees, Owl City -- That's a lot of light and melodious dance-pop for one bill. (4/3) Fleetwood Mac (4/9) Alicia Keys -- Set The World On Fire Tour. (4/14) Rihanna w/ASAP Rocky -- Shine bright like a diamond. (4/29) Taylor Swift (5/11-12) New Kids on the Block w/98 Degrees and Boyz II Men -- I can just hear all the grown women and a few gay men screaming, reliving their adolescent crushes. (6/14) Bruno Mars -- The reliably great pop tunesmith moves up to headline stadiums. (6/22) One Direction -- I can just hear all the girls and a few gay men screaming at their adolescent crushes. (6/23) Beyoncé -- Mrs. Jay-Z will stop for two nights right here in D.C., while Mr. Beyoncé makes Washingtonians travel up I-95 to catch his double-bill show with Justin Timberlake at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium a week later. (7/29-30) Justin Bieber -- We hear it's unofficially known as "The Cry Me a River and Go Bazonkers Tour." (8/3)

WARNER THEATRE

513 13th St. NW202-397-SEATwarnertheatre.com

Swim Deep + Shark Week -- Two up-and-coming bands, including the D.C.-based Shark Week, perform in the Warner's lobby, of all places. (3/21) Keyshia Cole -- The underrated R&B singer returns. (3/30) Great Big Sea – Canadian folk band. (4/17) Faith Evans & Chico DeBarge (4/18) Esperanza Spalding (4/22)

WASHINGTON WOMEN IN JAZZ FESTIVAL

washingtonwomeninjazz.com

Shannon Gunn and the Bullettes -- An all-female big band. (3/22, Westminster Church) Young Artist Contest featuring WSG 2010 Concert Winner Danielle Wertz (3/23, HR-57) Jessica Boykin-Settles: ''Look What I Got: The Magic and Artistry of Betty Carter'' (3/24, Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum) Janel Leppin -- Transparent Productions presents new works by this cellist and composer. (3/24, Bohemian Caverns) Leigh Pilzer -- ''Introduction to the Great Women of Jazz.'' (3/26, the Hill Center) Geri Allen -- Legendary jazz pianist offers a concert as the festival finale. (3/27, Atlas)

WOLF TRAP

1645 Trap RoadVienna703-255-1900wolf-trap.org

Widepsread Panic -- A Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers-inspired Southern soul-pop symphony. (6/5) Indigo Girls and Joan Baez -- A night of compelling, socially conscious folk from the unparalleled harmonizing lesbian duo and a genre pioneer. (6/12) The Go-Go's -- The '80s-era girl group's still got the beat, as they prove every year at Wolf Trap. (6/13) Celtic Woman -- Emerald Isle female foursome billed as ''Riverdance for the voice.'' (6/14) Melissa Etheridge -- The leading lesbian of rock returns to Wolf Trap. (6/18) Juanes -- Latin music's ''Star of the Decade,'' according to Billboard, and every bit as famous as that other Colombian rock export whose hips don't lie. (6/19) The Tenors -- A Canadian foursome offers powerful pop ballads. (6/21) The Turtles & Co.: Happy Together Tour 2013 -- Relive hits from the '60s and '70s with musicians from bands including Three Dog Night, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, Paul Revere and the Raiders and Gary Lewis & The Playboys. (6/23) Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers (6/24) The Temptations and The Four Tops -- Baby, these Motown greats still need your loving, and they ain't too proud to beg or return for another year. (6/27) Anita Baker -- Caught up in the rapture of this R&B icon with an incredible vocal range. (6/29) Straight No Chaser -- A cappella innovators harmonize through an upbeat, eclectic songbook. (6/30) Doobie Brothers (7/6) Los Lobos and Los Lonely Boys -- Los los bos boys, and fun for everyone who loves blues rock and Mexican folk. (7/9) She & Him -- The ''She'' is Zooey Deschanel, the ''Him'' is indie-rock darling M. Ward, and together they offer sparse retro-pop tunes. (6/24) Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs -- A night of blue-eyed soul. (7/14) Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson -- Rock's reigning flutist performing his '70s-era masterpieces. (7/16) The Ultimate Doo-Wop Show (7/20) Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons -- A second night of doo-wop classics, this time from the original Jersey Boys. (7/21) Steve Miller Band -- Fly like an eagle. (7/23) Gordon Lightfoot -- If you could read this Canadian folkie's mind…. (7/25) Gipsy Kings -- World music superstars return for an annual gig at Wolf Trap. (8/8) Don McLean and Judy Collins -- Two legendary singer/songwriters showcase their artistry. (8/9) Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shawn Colvin -- Virginia native Carpenter makes her annual trek to Wolf Trap, this time collaborating with the ''Sonny Came Home'' singer. (8/10) Peter Frampton and B.B. King (8/11) Huey Lewis & The News -- It's hip to be square. (8/13) Josh Groban (8/16) ABBA - The Concert -- Tribute band to the world's great pop ensemble. (8/17) Chicago -- Horn-driven icons of American music. (8/19) Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo with Cheap Trick (8/20) Jennifer Holliday in Dreamgirls -- And I'm telling you, oh yes, the original Effie White is reprising her Tony-winning role. (8/22) Lyle Lovett and His Large Band (8/29)

Find more listings at MetroWeekly.com/feature.

You can't force a square peg into a round hole. That's what "Above & Beyond" is for -- comedy, readings, discussions, poetry, multimedia, tasting, tours. Everything from a night with Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes at The Warner to an engagement with John Waters at The Howard Theatre to Vicki Lawrence (and Mama) at the Ram's Head to some truly extraordinary bird lectures at National Geographic Live, it's all here, in the etc. of the arts.

Travolta in Sing-A-Long Grease at Wolf Trap

9:30 CLUB

815 V St. NW202-265-0930930.com

Demetri Martin -- The wry comedian offers a night of standup (3/23)

THE ALDEN

McLean Community Center1234 Ingleside Ave.McLean, Va.703-790-0123

aldentheatre.org

Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company -- The improv comedy troupe that nurtured Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts and many writers for Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart comes to town (3/23) Brian Greene and Icarus at the Edge of Time -- Physicist and bestselling author narrates the screening of this film, about a boy challenging the power of a black hole, with music by Philip Glass (3/24) Morning Movies -- This free monthly weekday morning series of classic films, selected by Alden staff, is intended for those who want to play hooky: Dr. Strangelove (4/3); American Graffiti (5/1) Gustafer Yellowgold -- A kid-friendly multi-media show, featuring live music, animated illustrations and storytelling, about a friendly creature from the sun living in the woods (4/20)

ARLINGTON CINEMA N' DRAFTHOUSE

2903 Columbia PikeArlington703-486-2345arlingtondrafthouse.com

Comedian Orny Adams (3/22-23) ThreeGuysOn presents The Final Draft -- Hosts of popular podcast present this comedy show every Friday night Open Mic Stand-Up Comedy (3/23) Porkchop Volcano -- This short form improv troupe offers a monthly show of rapid-fire laughs based on audience suggestions (3/23) Annie Sing-A-Long Party with Raspberry Brothers -- All together now: The sun'll come out… (3/24) Comedian Duncan Trussell (3/27) Cool Cow Comedy Showcase -- Every Thursday night Comedians Rich Vos and Bonnie McFarlane (3/29-30) Comedian Dan Levy (4/5-6) 1st Annual DC Web Series Festival -- A celebration of an emerging new art form (4/6) Comedian Chris Franjola (4/12-13) Comedian Dave Coulier (4/19) Comedian Jen Kirkman (4/19-20) Comedian Sarah Colonna (5/3-4) Comedian Rebecca Corry (5/10-11)

ARTISPHERE

1101 Wilson Blvd.Arlington703-875-1100artisphere.com

The River and the Mountain -- A staged reading of Beau Hopkins's play, the first-ever play with an openly gay character from Uganda, home to the ''Kill the Gays'' bill; reading will naturally be followed by a talk back to discuss the controversy it's provoked (3/23) Improvised Shakespeare Company -- Yet another Chicago improv group, this one focused on creating a comical Elizabethan-style Shakespeare play on the fly, based on audience suggestion (4/19)

ATLAS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

1333 H St. NE202-399-7993atlasarts.org

Marc Bamuthi Jospeph/The Living Word Project -- Word Becomes Flesh uses poetry, dance and live music to document nine months of pregnancy from a young single father's perspective, presented as a series of performed letters to his unborn son (3/22-24) Deafhood Foundation's Deafhood Monologues -- An episodic play of deaf experiences, chronicles and reflections, told through poetry, stories and presentations in American Sign Language, and inspired by the unlikely combination of Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood and The Vagina Monologues (4/5) Marc Bamuthi Joseph/The Living Word Project -- red, black & GREEN: a blues (rbGb) is a full-length, multimedia performance that explores environmental justice, social ecology and collective responsibility in our climate change era (5/10-12) Tantehorse Company -- Czech actress Mirenka Cechova brings her company to town for a performance of Light in a Darkness & The Death of the Marquis de Sade/Dante, which combines surreal and decadent poetry with elements of physical theater and modern dance (5/31-6/2)

BARNS AT WOLF TRAP

1645 Trap RoadVienna703-255-1900wolf-trap.org

Broadway's Next H!t Musical – Improvisers invent a new Broadway musical smash on the fly, based on audience suggestions, whip-smart accompaniment and razor-sharp talent (4/12-13) 26th Annual Evening of Comedy – Nationally recognized comedians perform side-splitting stand-up (5/3-4)

BLACK CAT

1811 14th St. NW202-667-4490blackcatdc.com

She's A-Shake-A-Ning -- a Brown Girls Burlesque presentation (3/22) Dr. Who Happy Hour – One episode of Dr. Who and drink specials every Friday, for free (3/22, and every Friday) Hellmouth Happy Hour – One episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and drink specials every Saturday, for free (3/23, and every Saturday) Dive and American Skin -- double-feature screening (3/24) Punk Rock Karaoke -- A benefit for DC Books to Prisons (3/29)

BLACK FOX LOUNGE

1723 Connecticut Ave. NWblackfoxlounge.com

Tula's Cabaret -- Weekly Sunday night drag show hosted by Tula, Sylvia and Sarah (3/24) La-Ti-Do -- Regie Cabico and Don Mike Mendoza host this spoken word & musical theater show every Monday night (3/25) Spill! -- Jefferson hosts this monthly queer-focused storytelling event (3/27) Filipino and Friends (3/27) Bare! -- Jefferson hosts this straight, or really all-comers, version of Spill! (4/3) The Academy of Washington -- A night of drag in the lounge (4/7, 4/14) DC Metro Team Network (4/8) DC Gay Professionals Network (5/7)

THE BIRCHMERE

3701 Mount Vernon Ave.Alexandria703-549-7500birchmere.com

Former SNL Stars: Jon Lovitz, Tim Meadows, Chris Kattan Live! (4/4) Kathleen Madigan -- ''Gone Madigan'' (4/11-14) John Hodgman w/Paul & Storm (5/3) Sylvia Browne -- New York Times best-selling author and physic offers ''An Evening of Insights & Live Readings'' (5/30) The Official Blues Brothers Revue -- Dan Aykroyd and Judith Belushi produce this show, music directed by The Late Show with David Letterman's Paul Shaffer and starring Wayne Catania and Kieron Lafferty (9/27)

BUSBOYS AND POETS

2021 14th St. NW202-387-POETbusboysandpoets.com

Tuesday Night Open Mic Poetry – Wide-ranging topics and speakers for two hours every Tuesday SPARKLE Queer Open Mic – Queer-friendly, queer-focused reading series, hosted by Regie Cabico and Danielle Evennou (3/27, at 1025 5th St. NW location) Sunday Kind of Love Open Mic Poetry – Featuring emerging and established poets in an open-mike segment Story League Story Contest – Every third Wednesday of the month brings ''story shows,'' or collaborative story-performing exercises in which storytellers get guidance on honing their craft; the best wins $100 Nine on the Ninth Open Mic Poetry – The 9th of every month, at 9 p.m.

CLARICE SMITH PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

University of MarylandCollege Park301-405-ARTSclaricesmithcenter.umd.edu

Creative Dialogue: A Conversation about Women and Resistance – Artistic panel discussion focused on the tensions women across cultures face in public demands and private desires (4/1) Women on the Front Line -- Iranian poet and human rights activist Sheema Kalbasi presents her new documentary about the fight for women's rights in Iran, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A (4/2) Cathy Davidson – Author of Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work and Learn explores the changing nature of innovation on account of our digital age in a talk that's part of the Arts & Humanities Dean's Lecture Series (4/18) Creative Dialogue: Considering the Human Condition: On Behalf of Nature – WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi moderates a panel discussing how science, art and spirituality can influence the way we are living on the planet (4/29)

DAR CONSTITUTION HALL

1776 D St. NW202-628-1776dar.org/conthall/

The Royal Comedy Tour -- This tour features comedians including Tony Rock, Chris's brother; Mark Curry from Showtime at the Apollo and Fat Actress; Earthquake; Bruce Bruce; and Sommore, billed as ''the original 'Queen of Comedy''' (3/22) Aziz Ansari -- The Parks and Recreation star offers two nights of sure-to-be-funny stand-up (3/29-30) Bill O'Reilly and Dennis Miller: Bolder & Fresher Tour 2013 -- Probably best to steer clear of Constitution Hall this night of conservative comedy (4/26) Chris Tucker -- During a short Rush Hour 3 spell, this actor/comedian was the highest paid man in the business (4/27) Anthony Bourdain -- The raucous celebrity chef (5/13)

DAVIS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Georgetown University3700 O St. NW202-687-ARTSperformingarts.georgetown.edu

The Georgetown Improv Association – monthly night of improv inspired by audience suggestions and showcasing the performers' (hopefully) quick wit (4/13)

DC IMPROV

1140 Connecticut Ave. NW202-296-7008dcimprov.com

Flip Orley (Now-3/24) DC Improv Comedy School Comics (3/22) Funniest College Variety Showcase (3/27) Kevin Pollak (3/28-30) Shawn & Marlon Wayans (4/4-7) Five Minutes To Funny Graduation Show -- Chris Coccia hosts (4/10) The District Funniest College Finals (4/11) Sebastian Maniscalco (4/12-14) Kevin Nealon (4/18-21) Michael McDonald (4/26-28) Moshe Kasher (5/2-5) Bobby Lee (5/10-12) Aries Spears (5/16-19) Live Podcast Recording w/Greg Proops (5/21) Godfrey (5/23-26) LaVell Crawford (5/31-6/2) Bobby Slayton (6/6-9) Frank Callendo (6/13-16) D.L. Hughley (6/20-23) John Witherspoon (7/11-14) Gilbert Gottfried (8/2-4) Gary Owen (8/8-12) Tommy Davidson (9/5-8) Gary Valentine (9/26-28) Earthquake (10/3-6)

FILMFEST DC

The Washington, DC International Film Festival

202-274-5782filmfestdc.org

Filmfest DC is back for a 27th year and a program including over 80 features, documentaries and shorts from all over the world. Among other highlights on tap, there's the Opening Night Film Underground, a drama based on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange starring Anthony LaPaglia and Rachel Griffiths. (4/11-21, Various Venues)

FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY

201 East Capitol St. SE202-544-7077folger.edu

Living History: Geraldine Brooks, Julie Otsuka and Dolen Perkins-Valdez -- A PEN/Faulkner lecture by three female novelists and subtitled, ''Reclaiming female voices from the threat of historical silence'' (3/28) Shakespeare's Birthday Lecture 2013: Andrew Hadfield – University of Sussex professor offers a lecture titled ''Graymalkin and Other Shakespearean Celts'' (4/8) Folger Gala – The venue's most important fundraiser of the year (4/11) Shakespeare's Birthday Open House – Jugglers, jesters, musicians and actors all re-create the time and stories of Shakespeare for this party, complete with a birthday cake and tour of the reading rooms (4/21) Billy Collins -- Former U.S. Poet Laureate reads from his body of work (4/29) 33rd Annual PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Ceremony -- America's largest peer-juried literary prize (5/4) Paul Muldoon -- Pulitzer Prize winner shares favorite poems by other poets as well as reads from his own work in this Folger Poetry Board Reading event (5/13)

FORD'S THEATRE

511 10th St. NW202-397-7328ticketmaster.com

One Destiny -- Two costumed actors explore the key facts of the fateful night of Lincoln's assassination in this 35-minute, one-act play that runs during the daytime (3/26-5/18) History on Foot Walking Tours – Actors playing characters from Civil War-era Washington lead two weekend morning tours through downtown D.C.: ''Investigation: Detective McDevitt'' follows a detective investigating the Lincoln assassination, while ''A Free Black Woman: Elizabeth Keckly'' focuses on a confidante to first lady Mary Todd Lincoln (McDevitt runs through October; Keckly is by appointment)

HILL CENTER

Old Navy Hospital921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE202-549-4172HillCenterDC.org

Wonder Women!: The Untold Story of American Superheroines Film Screening – Film traces fascinating evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman, from the birth of the comic book superheroine 70 years ago to real-life superheroines today (3/26) Talk of the Hill with Bill Press: former Senator Chris Dodd (3/28) Toki Underground's Chef Erik Bruner-Yang – Cambodian New Year Cooking Class (4/6) Golden Slumbers Film Screening and Panel Discussion – Davy Chou's documentary summons the spirits of Cambodian cinema's Golden Age that was decimated by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge in the mid-1970s; Chou participates on a panel with film's music advisor, a Cambodian human rights activist, reporter and State Dept. rep (4/7) Elizabeth Alexander – Poet from Obama's 2009 Inauguration kicks off new quarterly Hill Center Poetry Series, in collaboration with Library of Congress, hosted by The Washington Post's Ron Charles (4/10) Nick Flynn – Poet appears as part of the Hill Center Poetry Series (10/1)

THE HOWARD THEATRE

620 T St. NW202-588-5595thehowardtheatre.com

Paul Mooney (4/12) John Waters – An evening with the beloved Baltimore filmmaker, performing his comedy routine This Filthy World (5/15) Burlesque-A-Pades – The Potani Sisters' show, billed as the nation's top touring burlesque revue (5/25)

JOSEPH MEYERHOFF SYMPHONY HALL

1212 Cathedral St.Baltimore410-783-8000ticketmaster.com

Baltimore Speakers Series: Nando Parrado – A Uruguayan rugby player, one of 16 survivors of a plane crash in the Andes Mountains that inspired the movie Alive (4/16) Jerry Seinfeld (4/27) Bill Burr -- Standup comedian and The Monday Morning Podcast host (5/30)

LISNER AUDITORIUM AT GWU

730 21st St. NW202-994-6800lisner.org

Capital Funk's 6th Annual Hip Hop Showcase -- George Washington University's hip-hop dance crew offers a night of dance, spoken word, singers, rappers and beat boxers (4/27) Poetry Out Loud -- The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation hosts this national championship for high school students (4/30)

LYRIC OPERA HOUSE

140 West Mount Royal Ave.Baltimore410-547-SEATlyricoperahouse.com

Cathy Rigby Is Peter Pan -- Yes, she's still starring as the flying boy (3/22-24) Brian Regan (4/5) Theresa Caputo Live! -- Star psychic of the TLC show Long Island Medium (4/7) John Pinette -- The 'big man' of standup offers a lot of laughs (4/12) Kathy Griffin (4/19) Daniel Tosh -- ''The June Gloom Tour'' (6/20-21)

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE!

Grosvenor AuditoriumNGS Headquarters1600 M St. NW202-857-7700nglive.org

Anastacia Taylor-Lind -- National Geographic photographer captured a changing China in a journey along the Yangtze River to the river city of Fuling (3/26) Alison Wright -- Photographer has devoted her career to capturing the human spirit through her work, as documented in Face to Face: Portraits of the Human Spirit (4/4) Pirates of the Whydah -- In partnership with the National Geographic Museum's exhibition Real Pirates comes this talk by explorer Barry Clifford about his recent discovery of a 400-year-old sunken boat, the first fully verified pirate shipwreck ever discovered (4/11) Birds of Paradise: Extreme, Bizarre, Extraordinary -- The duo behind a current National Geographic Museum exhibition on New Guinea's spectacular birds of paradise return to discuss their popular work (4/25) National Geographic Birding Adventure -- National Geographic's Jonathan Alderfer will lead an outing to Dyke Marsh, one of Washington's largest remaining tidal wetlands, teeming with birds (4/27, 5/11) Isabel Allende -- The famous Chilean-American author of The House of the Spirits converses with National Geographic Traveler's Don George (5/1) The Call of Everest -- A discussion pegged to a new National Geographic book and the 50th anniversary of the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest (5/6) Buzz Aldrin -- The legendary space explorer and author of new book Mission to Mars (5/8-9) Garrett Oliver: Beer From Where? -- Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster, also editor of Oxford Companion to Beer, offers this annual spring tasting (5/15) National Geographic Bee 2013 -- Jeopardy's Alex Trebek hosts this competitive event for the last time (5/22, National Theatre) Pirate Family Festival -- Bringing the exhibit Real Pirates to life with historical re-enactors and activities geared toward the young and young-at-heart (6/22)

RAM'S HEAD ON STAGE

33 West St.Annapolis410-268-4545ramsheadonstage.com

Vicki Lawrence & Mama, A Two Woman Show -- Well, okay, it's really just one woman, playing herself and the matronly drag alter-ego that was a hit on TV (5/18) Capitol Steps (6/15)

SIXTH & I HISTORIC SYNAGOGUE

600 I St. NW202-408-3100sixthandi.org

Ezekiel Emanuel – Brothers Emanuel tells the story of the American family that produced its author, a prominent bioethicist, Hollywood talent agent Ari, and, most famously Rahm (3/28) Joshua Cogan (3/29) Erica Brown – Happier Endings: A Meditation on Life and Death guides readers toward preparing for and accepting death by one of our leading religious scholars (4/9) Amy Schumer – Up-and-coming edgy but likeable comic (4/11) Ben Katchor – Hand-Drying in America is a new graphic narrative about the cultural influence and significance of urban planning and architecture by this MacArthur Fellowship-winning cartoonist (4/16) Maybe Baby? – Author and editor Michelle Cove leads a discussion about the increasing decision by women not to have children and especially what it means for Jewish culture (4/18) Terry McMillan – The author of How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Waiting to Exhale and other popular novels over the past few decades reads from her recent work and takes part in a moderated discussion (4/20) W. Kamau Bell -- One of the nation's fastest rising socio-political comics, now host of FX's Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell (4/21) Michael Pollan – Cooked focuses on making food and drink using the four basic elements of fire, water, air and earth, and is the latest from the famed ethical food journalist (4/25) Wham City Comedy – This Baltimore collective presents a cross-genre variety show incorporating stand-up, videos, monologues and sketches (4/28) Lee Woodruff – Those We Love Most explores how tragedy can reunite a broken family, written by the CBS This Morning correspondent (4/30) Professor Blastoff Live w/Tig Notaro, Kyle Dunnigan and David Huntsberger (5/5) Paul Farmer – To Repair the World: Paul Farmer Speaks to the Next Generation assembles short speeches made by this Harvard Medical School doctor and global health activist (5/7) Ross Matthews -- The great super-gay comic comes to town! (5/9) Lewis Black -- Back in Black, Black is Back (5/19)

STRATHMORE

5301 Tuckerman LaneNorth Bethesda301-581-5100strathmore.org

Arts and the Brain Lecture Series -- ''Know Thyself: How Patients' Self-Perception and Imagination Support Health'' (3/28, Mansion); ''Beauty and the Brain: Neuroscience of Sculptural Aesthetics'' (4/18, Mansion); ''Step in Time: The Effects of Music Experience on the Adult Brain'' (5/30, Mansion); ''Healing Tones: Music Therapy and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Veterans'' (6/6, Mansion) Reinventing Radio: An Evening with Ira Glass -- This American Life host (6/29, Music Center)

THE STATE THEATRE

220 North Washington St.Falls Church703-237-0300thestatetheatre.com

The Whitest Kids U' Know – Live show mixing skits from the sketch-comedy IFC TV show (3/22) Creed Bratton – A regular from The Office who was a guitar rocker before he became a sitcom sensation (3/28) Doug Stanhope – Standup comic who's appeared on any number of Comedy Central shows (5/9)

VERIZON CENTER

601 F St. NW202-628-3200verizoncenter.com

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey: Dragons (3/21-24)

WARNER THEATRE

513 13th St. NW202-397-SEATwarnertheatre.com

Sarah Silverman -- The acerbic comedian returns (4/25) Ron White – ''A Little Unprofessional'' is the name of the game for this standup comedian, a charter member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour (4/20) Jay and Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie – Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes bring their fictional characters from the screen to the stage (4/21) Jillian Michaels – If you can't get enough of this personal trainer on TV, then you're definitely gonna lose it with her in person (4/24) Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth – Spike Lee directs this stage show featuring the boxing brute with the pipsqueak voice (4/26-27) Super Why! -- The CGI-animated kids show (5/10) Love Lucy Live on Stage (6/1-14) Daniel Tosh (6/22-23) Tracy Morgan – ''Excuse My French'' and whatever else the 30 Rock star may say in his latest standup show (6/29)

WOLF TRAP

1645 Trap RoadVienna, Va.703-255-1900wolf-trap.org

A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor -- The old-timey public radio celebrity once again kicks off the season at Wolf Trap's gorgeous amphitheater, the Filene Center (5/24-25) New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players: The Mikado -- Satirical operetta set in Japan spins a mythical tale of romantic triangles (5/31-6/1) Rock of Ages -- The jukebox musical featuring '80s classic rock tunes (6/7-8) Bill Cosby (6/15) Wolf Trap's 24th Annual Louisiana Swamp Romp -- Marcia Ball, Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys and more re-create the exuberant New Orleans spirit alongside mouthwatering Cajun food (6/16) Sing-A-Long Grease (6/22) Trap: Frozen Planet in Concert -- Stunning imagery of the icy Earth with an original score (6/28) BUDDY - The Buddy Holly Story -- Another jukebox musical, this one exploring the music from the dawn of rock'n'roll (7/2-3) Sing-A-Long Sound of Music (8/31) The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings -- A live orchestra and the City Choir of Washington perform Howard Shore's score as this epic film is shown on huge screens in HD (9/6-7)

For more listings, visit metroweekly.com/feature.

The Washington region is exceptionally rich in classical music, and you could easily spend springtime soaking up all kinds of chamber, symphonic and chorale music, from old school to Hollywood, opera to avant-garde. Among the many intriguing highlights to come in the coming months, the Washington National Opera offers an operatic version of the pioneering musical Show Boat. And all three of the region's largest orchestras will perform Carl Orff's intense Carmina Burana. The National Symphony Orchestra's production will even take place outdoors, under a starry sky at Wolf Trap. Talk about a musical rush.

THE ALDEN

McLean Community Center1234 Ingleside Ave.Mclean, Va.703-790-0123aldentheatre.org

Concerts at the Alden: Joni Chan, piano -- Recital co-sponsored by the Music Friends of the Fairfax County Public Library. (4/7)

ARTISPHERE

1101 Wilson Blvd.Arlington703-875-1100artisphere.com

National Chamber Ensemble: The Art of the African-American Spiritual – Soprano Aundi Marie Moore, an alumnus of the Washington National Opera's Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, joins to explore African-American music. (3/23) UrbanArias: Paul's Case -- A new mini-opera from Gregory Spears and Kathryn Wallat, based on the story by Willa Cather. (4/20-28) National Chamber Ensemble: The Three B's - Bach, Beethoven and Brahms – Pianist Carlos Rodriguez joins for a performance of three masterpieces from the German greats. (6/1)

ATLAS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

1333 H St. NE202-399-7993atlasarts.org

Congressional Chorus -- Imagine: A 1970s Cabaret features music of Queen, the Bee Gees, ABBA, John Denver and Donna Summer. (3/21-24) Great Noise Ensemble -- One of Washington's most ambitious new music ensembles and currently an Atlas Artist-in-Residence. (4/5, 5/17) International Contemporary Ensemble – A double bill featuring two new ambitious cycles of music from Phyllis Chen and Carla Kihlstedt. (4/11) Capital City Symphony – Highlights from Puccini's La Boheme factor into this program of ''Opera! Scenes and Songs.'' (4/14) Maya Beiser & Michael Harrison – ''The post-modern diva'' and ''the American maverick'' captivate audiences worldwide with their cello and piano playing. (5/10) Capital City Symphony – Cellist Brannon Cho joins in a Season Finale concert of Dvorak's Cello Concerto, plus Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky. (5/19) Newspeak Ensemble -- An eight-piece ensemble committed to the mysterious, nuanced and compelling music of its time. (6/21)

BACH SINFONIA

Cultural Arts Center at Silver SpringMontgomery CollegeSilver Spring301-362-6525bachsinfonia.org

Most Beloved Bach – A program of Bach's masterworks for the full ensemble, including the Orchestra Suite No. 2, the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 and the Concerto for Two Violins. (4/7) Nuevo Mundo Barroco – Compositions used in liturgical services and civic occasions in Mexico and South America factor into this ''New World Baroque'' program timed for Cinco de Mayo. (5/5)

BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

410-783-8000bsomusic.org

Trpceski Plays Rachmaninoff (3/22-24) Disney's Fantasia (4/5-6) Bond and Beyond: 50 Years of 007 (4/11-14) Wagner's The Ring: An Orchestral Adventure – Marin Alsop leads the BSO to perform a condensed version of Wagner's four-cycle opera by contemporary Dutch composer and arranger Henk de Vlieger. (4/18, 4/21) Off The Cuff: Wagner: A Composer Fit for a King – Writer/director Didi Balle has created a semi-staged play relating the complicated relationship between the composer and his benefactor, King Ludwig II. (4/19) Midori – Violin prodigy is all grown up and still inspiring acclaim. (4/25-27) Time for Three (5/2, 5/4) Chaplin's Masterpiece: Modern Times – BSO performs Chaplin's own score for his 1936 silent film, a brilliant, biting satire on the mechanical age. (5/10-12) Romeo & Juliet – Carlos Kalmar conducts selections from Prokofiev's impassioned ballet. (5/23-25) BSO SuperPops: The Magic of Motown (5/30-6/2) Music of the Movies: John Williams conducts the BSO -- The world's most heralded film composer picks up the baton to lead the orchestra in a program of his scores as a fundraising concert for BSO musicians. (6/4) Carmina Burana – Alsop leads the BSO in a collaboration of this masterpiece with Morgan Stage University Choir and Peabody Children's Chorus. (6/6-9) West Side Story – Music & The Movie – Alsop conducts the BSO in a performance of Leonard Bernstein's 10-time Oscar-winning score accompanying the movie version of the great musical. (6/13-16) Masters of Baroque -- Violinist Jonathan Carney leads a program of works by Vivaldi, Bach and Handel. (7/11-12) Gershwin's Greatest Hits (7/25-26)

BARNS AT WOLF TRAP

1635 Trap RoadVienna877-WOLFTRAPwolftrap.org

Peter Kolkay w/Alexandra Nguyen and Deirdre Chadwick – Bassoonist is paired with a pianist and oboist in a recital as part of Wolf Trap's Discovery Series. (4/5) Wolf Trap Opera Company: The Journey to Reims – A new production of Rossini's opera, sung in Italian with English surtitles. (6/21, 6/23, 6/29) Steven Blier with Wolf Trap Opera Company – Wonders to Wander to: Songs and Stories of Faraway Lands is a recital featuring four Filene Young Artists singers telling stories from musical fables by Porter, Bolcom, Coward and Schumann. (7/6-7) Wolf Trap Opera Company's Aria Jukebox – Company director Kim Witman accompanies singers performing favorite opera highlights selected by the audience. (7/14) Wolf Trap Opera Company: Falstaff – A new production of Verdi's classic. (8/9, 8/11, 8/14, 8/17)

CLARICE SMITH PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

University of MarylandCollege Park301-405-ARTSclaricesmithcenter.umd.edu

Wu Man – Chinese-born musician is the world's premier virtuoso on the pipa, the traditional, four-stringed Chinese lute. (3/28) SIREN – Acclaimed Graduate Fellowship Woodwind Quintet performs a recital of 20th century composers. (3/30) Windscape Quintet (4/4) Bach Cantata: Wachet Auf -- An informal performance by students and friends of the UMD Choral Activities, part of a series exploring the 200-plus cantatas by the great master. (4/11) Maryland Opera Studio: Idomeneo and La Boheme in repertory. (4/12-21) Brad Mehldau and Chris Thile -- The pianist and mandolin player team up for a concert. (4/12) Robert Dilutis – Clarinetist and one of the UMD School of Music's newest faculty members makes his solo debut on campus. (4/14) Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with Gabriel Kahane – American composer and singer-songwriter Kahane, who inhabits a classical-pop world alongside sometime-collaborators Sufjan Stevens and Rufus Wainwright, is the first composer-in-residence for this UMD-affiliated orchestra. (4/20) UMD Koto Ensemble and Washington Toho Koto Society -- Springtime in Japan. (4/28) TEMPO (4/29) Gamer Symphony Orchestra – An eight-year-old, 110-strong orchestra, the first collegiate ensemble exclusively devoted to performing orchestral arrangements of video-game music and using it as an educational tool. (5/4) Annual Pops Concert – UMD Wind Ensemble, University Band, Community Band team up for this 37th annual audience favorite. (5/4) Prince George's Philharmonic (5/11) National Orchestral Institute and Festival – Selected talented young musicians from around the country partake in a month of professional development and music-making, culminating in a student-led National Festival Chamber Orchestra concert. (6/8)

CHORAL ARTS SOCIETY

202-244-3669choralarts.org

Brass, Brahms and Britten – An elegant evening of works designed for brass, organ and chorus. (4/14, National Presbyterian Church) Broadway's Show-Stoppers with Brian Stokes Mitchell – The society and orchestra offer a ''wall of sound'' in a Mother's Day performance of Broadway's greatest hits led by Tony Award-winning star of Man of La Mancha and Ragtime as well as recent Glee guest in this co-presentation with WPAS. (5/12, Kennedy Center)

THE CITY CHOIR OF WASHINGTON

202-495-1613thecitychoirofwashington.org

Diamond Jubilee: A Coronation Anniversary Concert – A concert celebrating the musical pageantry of a coronation, capped by the world-premiere performance of Sir John Tavener's Three Hymns of George Herbert, composed in honor of the Diamond Jubilee of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. (4/21, Washington National Cathedral)

COOLIDGE AUDITORIUM AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Thomas Jefferson Building10 First St. SE202-707-8000loc.gov/concerts

Gabriel Kahane and Timothy Andres -- The wide-ranging singer-songwriter Kahane and pianist Andres perform from their own repertoire as well as that of Hanns Eisler and Charles Ives. (4/5) Christophe Rousset -- French Baroque expert and harpsichordist offers a musical travelogue. (4/13) Stile Antico -- Ensemble of young British singers performs choral masterpieces in ''Treasures of the Renaissance.'' (4/17) Keller Quartet -- Founded only 16 years ago, this Hungarian quartet is already a world-renowned ensemble known for musical curiosity and adventure. (4/18) Left Bank Concert Society with Patricia Green -- Soprano joins the Washington ensemble to perform George Walker's Poem for Soprano and Chamber Ensemble, including T.S. Eliot's ''The Hollow Men.'' (4/20) Orchestra 2001 w/Ann Crumb and Patrick Mason -- Soprano and baritone perform with this orchestra the final volume of George Crumb's seven-volume American Songbook. (5/3) Attacca Quartet -- Rising stars, currently Juilliard's Graduate Resident String Quartet, make their Washington debut. (5/22) Jennifer Koh and Reiko Uchida -- Violinist and pianist offer an intriguing mix of masterpieces from past and present. (5/23) International Contemporary Ensemble -- John Adams conducts Schoenberg and Stravinsky plus the world premiere of a ''Library of Commission.'' (5/24)

D.C.'S DIFFERENT DRUMMERS

202-269-4868dcdd.org

Spring Concert: Space Odyssey -- The symphonic band and the wind ensemble blast off for spring. (3/23, Columbia Heights Education Campus)

DAVIS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Georgetown University3700 O St. NW202-687-ARTS

performingarts.georgetown.edu

Sara MacKimmie and Jennifer Ellis Kampani -- Two sopranos perform French Baroque works as part of Georgetown's free Friday Music Series. (3/22) Gary Louie and Kirsten Taylor -- saxophonist and pianist, also a husband and wife duo, perform works by Decruck, Poulenc and Albright for a Friday Music Series concert. (4/19) World Percussion Ensemble (4/21)

FAIRFAX SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

703-563-1990

fairfaxsymphony.org

Joni Henson and Brennen Guillory – Zimmerman ensures the season ends with a bang in a concert featuring a guest soprano and a guest tenor in a program of Verdi and Wagner, both of whom would have turned 200 this year. (5/11)

FOLGER CONSORT

Folger Elizabethan Theatre201 East Capitol St. SE202-544-7077folger.edu

Vienna: Music for Maximilian – At the turn of the 16th century the imperial court in Vienna amassed the largest musical establishment in Europe. (4/12-14)

GAY MEN'S CHORUS OF WASHINGTON, D.C.

202-293-1548gmcw.org

Side by Side – The chorus's two stellar vocal ensembles, Rock Creek Singers and Potomac Fever, share the spotlight in a wide-ranging, genre-hopping program. (4/20, Church of the Epiphany) Disco Inferno: Spring Affair Gala Fundraiser -- The chorus's largest annual fundraiser. (4/27, Grand Hyatt Washington) Seven – A sexy and satirical show filled with campy production numbers and songs exploring, exploiting – even celebrating – those pesky, deadly sins. (6/1-2, Lisner)

KENNEDY CENTER

202-467-4600kennedy-center.org

Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio – The Kennedy Center's chamber ensemble-in-residence makes its annual appearance with a brand-new piano composition by Stanley Silverman, along with Brahms and Beethoven. (4/29) Andrew Tyson – Young Concert Artists presents this 25-year-old pianist in his Washington recital debut. (4/30) Opera Lafayette: Actéon – Choreographer Sean Curran's semi-staged production of Charpentier's opera features a cast of seven vocalists and a chamber ensemble. (5/1-2) Apollo Ensemble – Pro Musica Hebraica presents this group in a program titled ''Jewish Baroque Treasures from Italy and Amsterdam.'' (5/13) Dawn Upshaw with Crash Ensemble – Acclaimed soprano and Dublin's new music company perform a program including Dennehy's multimedia song cycle based on poetry of William Butler Yeats. (5/14) Yvonne Caruthers's Politics, Propaganda, Prokofiev: The Intriguing Saga of Alexander Nevsky -- NSO cellist examines the score for Sergei Eisenstein's 1938 Russian propaganda film. (6/1) The WPI Foundation presents: 2013 World Pianist Invitational (6/15) The Capitol Symphonic Youth Orchestras present Spring Fantasy (6/16) Carnegie Hall's National Youth Orchestra of the USA -- Valery Gergiev conducts. (7/13)

LISNER AUDITORIUM AT GWU

730 21st St. NW202-994-6800lisner.org

Vijay Iver - The celebrity jazz pianist. (4/16)

LYRIC OPERA HOUSE

140 West Mount Royal Ave.Baltimore410-547-SEATlyricoperahouse.com

Bravissimo Bel Canto! Gala Concert -- The Bel Canto period will be celebrated in a program featuring mezzo-soprano Daneila Mack, tenor Alex Shrader and baritone Daniel Belcher. (4/13) Michael Feinstein: The Gershwins and Me -- The ''Ambassador of the Great American Songbook'' talks about his experiences with American music pioneers the Gershwins. (5/9) Verdi's Rigoletto (5/17-19)

NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC

Music Center at Strathmore5301 Tuckerman LaneNorth Bethesda301-493-9283nationalphilharmonic.org

Bach: Sleepers Awake! – An all-Bach program, from two Brandenburg Concertos to his Cantata No. 140, which gives this program its title. (4/6) Denyce Graves: The Melodies of Brahms – Superstar mezzo-soprano performs as the soloist in Brahms's Alto Rhapsody, part of an all-Brahms program. (5/4-5) Wagner 200th Anniversary Celebration – Gajewski leads the orchestra in selections from each of Wagner's 10 best-known operas. (6/1) Carmina Burana – Soprano Audrey Luna, tenor Robert Baker and baritone Leon Williams join the orchestra and chorale, led by Stan Engebretson, in a performance of Carl Orff's rousing masterpiece. (6/8-9)

NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

National Symphony Orchestra

Kennedy Center Concert Hall202-467-4600kennedy-center.org

Arabella Steinbacher plays Beethoven – Violinist continues the NSO's seasonal Beethoven exploration with the master's Violin Concerto. (3/28-30) Emanuel Ax plays Chopin – Hugh Wolff conducts the NSO and this pianist in a performance of Chopin's Piano Concert No. 2. (4/4-6) NSO Pops: Chris Botti – American jazz trumpeter offers a wide-ranging repertoire of pop, jazz and classical. (4/18-20) Andreas Haefliger plays Beethoven -– More Beethoven, this time his Piano Concerto No. 1 in a program led by young and exciting Amsterdam-born conductor Jaap van Zweden. (4/25-27) Beyond the Score: Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 – Half concert, half multimedia educational experience, led by conductor Jaap van Zweden. (4/26) Alisa Wellerstein plays Elgar – Christoph Eschenbach conducts the NSO in a performance of Elgar's Cello Concerto. (5/2-4) Music of Schnittke & Shostakovich – Eschenbach offers a preview of the NSO's Carnegie Hall program Spring for Music: A Tribute to Slava. (5/3) NSO Pops: The Musical Journey of Stephen Schwartz – Reineke leads the Pops and the Washington Chorus in a tribute to the 10th anniversary of Wicked and the 65th birthday of its composer with a concert performance of Schwartz's songs. (5/16-18) Jeremy Denk plays Ravel – Composer John Adams returns to the NSO to conduct his City Noir as well as Ravel as performed by celebrated pianist. (5/30-6/1) Augustin Hadelich & Nadezhda Serdyuk – Violinist makes his much-anticipated NSO debut performing Dvorak's Violin Concerto conducted by another young star, Jakub Hrusa, and also featuring the Washington Chorus. (6/6- 8) David Hardy plays Dutilleux – NSO principal cellist performs in a program led by dynamic young British conductor Matthew Halls. (6/13-15) Jean-Yves Thibaudet plays MacMillan & Saint-Saens – Star pianist plays two programs with the NSO led by Krzysztof Urbanski. (6/20-22)

SHENANDOAH CONSERVATORY

Shenandoah UniversityWinchester, Va.540-665-4569ConservatoryPerforms.org

Doc Severinsen with Alan Baylock Jazz Orchestra (3/22) Sibelius Symphony No.7 (3/23) Cantus Singers and Shenandoah Chorus (4/12)

STRATHMORE

5301 Tuckerman LaneNorth Bethesda301-581-5100strathmore.org

UrbanArias: Blind Dates -- The local mini-opera company brings three staged, short operas to Strathmore for a special Friday Night Eclectic concert. (3/22, Mansion) Kristin Lee – 25-year-old violinist has already won many plaudits. (4/4, Mansion) Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic and Choirs (5/5, Music Center) Cameron Carpenter – ''Not Your Grandma's Organist,'' The Wall Street Journal has proclaimed about this flamboyant classical crossover artist. (4/12, Music Center) Maurizio Pollini – The New York Times says this pianist's playing is ''powerful and precise.'' (4/14, Music Center) 2013 Spring Gala w/Michael Feinstein -- The ambassador of the Great American Songbook performs Gershwin standards in a program based on his recent book The Gershwins and Me, about his early apprenticeship with Ira Gershwin. (4/20, Music Center) Marian Anderson String Quartet – Quartet offers what the Los Angeles Times calls a ''big sound and bold theatricality.'' (4/25, Mansion) Mak Grgic – Prize-winning 24-year-old Slovenian guitarist performs Bach, Ravel, Debussy and Brahms in transcriptions for guitar. (5/9, Mansion) Kathleen Battle w/Cyrus Chestnut and the Heritage Signature Chorale – ''Underground Railroad'' explores the music that expressed the suffering and salvation of enslaved Africans as they found their way to freedom. (5/18, Music Center)

WASHINGTON BACH CONSORT

National Presbyterian Church4101 Nebraska Ave. NW202-429-2121bachconsort.org

The B Minor Mass – The monumental Mass in B Minor that Bach worked on throughout his life. (4/28)

THE WASHINGTON CHORUS

202-342-6221

thewashingtonchorus.org

In addition to performances with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the famed Washington Chorus offers: Comin' Up Shoutin' – Singer/songwriter and recording artist Melanie DeMore leads a concert exploring the rich sounds of the African-American heritage. (5/19, National Presbyterian Church) New Music for a New Age – This year's edition of the award-winning series presents the works of Tarik O'Reagan. (6/30, National Presbyterian Church)

WASHINGTON CONCERT OPERA

Lisner AuditoriumThe George Washington University730 21st St. NW202-364-5826concertopera.org

Maria Stuarda – The concert opera's Antony Walker conducts sopranos Brenda Harris and Georgia Jarman in Donizetti's vocal battle royal between England's dueling queens. (4/7)

WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA

Kennedy Center Opera House202-295-2400dc-opera.org

Manon Lescaut – Patricia Racette takes on the role of the first tragic heroine in a long list of Puccini favorites in what The Baltimore Sun calls an ''impassioned, sensual production'' by John Pascoe. (Now to 3/23) Norma -- Angela Meade plays the druid priestess secretly carrying on a love affair with the enemy's leader in the midst of the Gallic-Roman wars, who then exacts revenge when her lover's affections shift. (Now-3/23) Celebrity Concert Series: Diana Damrau – Possessing what The New York Times calls a ''lustrous, agile coloratura soprano voice, and charisma galore,'' opera star makes her WNO debut in an evening of dazzling music featuring WNO Orchestra conducted by Keri-Lynn Wilson. (4/8) Show Boat – A spectacular new opera production of this pioneering musical, one that the Chicago Tribune raves is a ''joyous, beautifully mounted entertainment [that] should keep rolling along for a long while to come.'' (5/4-26)

WASHINGTON PERFORMING ARTS SOCIETY

202-833-9800wpas.org

Amit Peled – Peabody Conservatory faculty member and cellist returns after a 2011 sold-out show, this time accompanied by pianist Alon Goldstein, in a program featuring Beethoven, Brahms and Chopin. (3/24, Kennedy Center) Andras Schiff -- Famous pianist performs Bach's Complete French Suites as part of WPAS's Celebrity Series. (4/7) What Makes It Great? with Rob Kapilow – Musicians from the Curtis Institute of Music team up again with Kapilow, this time to perform Schuman's Piano Quintet in E-flat Major as part of another discussion co-presented by Smithsonian Associates. (4/7, National Museum of Natural History) Dresden Staatskapelle -– Celebrity orchestra, under new music director Christian Thielemann, offers an all-Brahms program with violinist Lisa Batiashvili. (4/16, Strathmore) Evgeny Kissin – Star pianist performs Schubert's Impromptu pieces as well as sonatas by Hadyn and Beethoven and Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in C-sharp minor. (4/24, Kennedy Center) Rafal Blechacz – Polish piano master performs Bach, Beethoven, Chopin and Szymanowski. (4/27, Kennedy Center) Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition Winner Matthew Grills -- Tenor performs a mixed program accompanied by Tyson Deaton. (4/28, Kennedy Center) The Philadelphia Orchestra – Violinist Hilary Hahn joins the orchestra led by its new director Yannick Nézet-Séguin to perform Korngold's Violin Concerto. (5/1, Kennedy Center) Carducci String Quartet (5/4, Kennedy Center) Shai Wosner – Pianist performs a mostly Schubert program part of the WPAS's Hayes Piano Series. (5/11, Kennedy Center) Markus Groh – In addition to Beethoven, Liszt and Wagner, this Hayes Piano Series guest offers a 2004 piece by Osvaldo Golijov. (6/1, Kennedy Center)

WOLF TRAP

1645 Trap RoadVienna, Va.703-255-1900wolf-trap.org

NSO @ Wolf Trap: Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration featuring Warren Haynes -- Billed as a groundbreaking orchestral tribute to the late Grateful Dead front man. (6/26) NSO @ Wolf Trap: Carmina Burana -- The Choral Arts Society of Washington and soloists from the Wolf Trap Opera Company present Carl Orff's epic choral masterpiece. (7/12) NSO @ Wolf Trap: La traviata -- the Wolf Trap Opera Company joins to celebrate Verdi's bicentennial birthday by performing his most popular opera. (7/19) NSO @ Wolf Trap: 1812 Overture -- Piano prodigy Benjamin Grosvenor joins in a program that includes Tchaikovsky's Fourth of July staple. (7/26) NSO @ Wolf Trap: America the Beautiful -- A symphonic tribute to Ansel Adams featuring his striking photography as well as Chris and Dave Brubeck's ''Ansel Adams: America,'' among other pieces. (7/27) NSO @ Wolf Trap: Wicked Divas -- A concert of diva showstoppers from Phantom of the Opera, Gypsy, Chicago and of course Wicked, from Broadway soloists. (7/28) NSO @ Wolf Trap: Bugs Bunny at the Symphony II -- Cartoons of the iconic ''Wascally Wabbit'' screened as the NSO plays live. (8/1-2) NSO @ Wolf Trap: Singin' in the Rain -- The classic Hollywood musical screens as the NSO plays the score live. (8/3)

Find more listings at MetroWeekly.com/feature.

Dueling rallies to be held the week of March 26 are set to highlight the public marriage-equality debate as the nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court hear opening arguments in two cases that could prove crucial to the fate of the LGBT-rights movement in the United States.

The first event, the ''United for Marriage: Light the Way to Justice!'' rally, in support of the right of same-sex couples to marry, is sponsored by the United for Marriage Coalition, comprised of several religious, civic, labor and LGBT rights groups from around the country.

The chief organizers of the coalition are the Human Rights Campaign, Marriage Equality USA, the Family Equality Council, GetEqual, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), Good as You, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and the New Organizing Institute. These coalition leaders are being joined by yet more "coalition partners," such as No Longer Silent/Clergy for Justice, the Log Cabin Republicans and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Scheduled speakers include Bishop Gene Robinson, the first out gay Episcopal bishop in the United States; his daughter, Ella Robinson, and the Very Rev. Gary Hall, dean of the Washington National Cathedral, which recently announced it will perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.

The second rally, dubbed the ''March for Marriage,'' is sponsored chiefly by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), the lead organization backing state ballot measures such as California's Proposition 8. Other sponsors include the Family Research Council (FRC), Concerned Women for America, Focus on the Family and the Coalition of African-American Pastors.

Both rallies are set to take place at opposite ends of the National Mall the morning of Tuesday, March 26. The court will hear opening arguments in Hollingsworth v. Perry, challenging Prop. 8, that day, followed by Windsor v. United States, challenging the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) March 27.

The pro-marriage-equality United for Marriage forces will occupy a swath of land around 1st Street NE, adjacent the Supreme Court. The anti-gay Marriage March will start between 10th and 12th Streets NW and follow a route around the U.S. Capitol to the Supreme Court, then return to the Mall for a rally.

Pro-gay coalition is planning a larger ''roll out'' of events, relative to the Marriage March's one-day march and rally. Starting Saturday, March 23, organizers around the country will host demonstrations in their own locales. As of March 20, more than 150 events were scheduled in various cities from March 23 to 27.

For those coming to D.C., the United for Marriage Coalition is offering a training session for demonstrators Monday, March 25. That will be followed by an evening vigil, hosted by D.C.'s School Without Walls Gay-Straight Alliance, in front of the Supreme Court at 6:30 p.m.

The following morning, supporters of marriage equality will hold a 7:15 interfaith rally at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation, located at East Capitol and 2nd Streets NE. Demonstrators will then move to the Supreme Court steps to take part in the United for Marriage rally, which will be followed by an interfaith seder at 5:30 p.m. at the Human Rights Campaign Equality Center on Rhode Island Avenue NW.

On Wednesday, March 27, the second day of oral arguments, proponents of marriage equality will gather again in front of the court for Day 2 of the United for Marriage rally, starting at 8:30 a.m.

Organizer Jeremy Hooper from Good as You told activists and media on a March 13 conference call that the anti-gay bloc is being bolstered by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which is helping organize protesters and having their bishops tell practicing Catholics it is their ''obligation'' to support the Marriage March, which will take place during the Holy Week celebrations leading up to Easter. Hooper also warned that some marriage-equality opponents were attempting to link the idea of same-sex couples marrying to the pro-life/anti-abortion movement by raising the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision securing abortion rights, and telling supporters, ''This is the new Roe.''

[EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was amended Thursday, March 21, 10:55 a.m., to remove the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) from the sampling of United for Marriage coalition partners. While the ACLU is listed on the United for Marriage website, an ACLU representative has since reported to Metro Weekly that the organization maintains a neutral position on the marriage-equality cases.]

If you notice different music, or a different style of music, at Town's Bear Happy Hour this Friday, that's all part of the plan. In fact, BHH will feature a different DJ every Friday from now until Capital Pride weekend.

Charger Stone of DC Bear Crue has organized a crowdsourced DJ competition in which 10 contestants he's selected will spin a full night's set, with each announced only a week in advance of his gig. Partygoers will vote by text each night, and the contestant garnering the most votes will be crowned the winner June 7.

But actually, the music should remain pretty much the same.

''It's such a diverse crowd -- there are a lot of bears and a lot of non-bears, and people of all ages,'' says DJ Christian Gerard, who ended his reign as BHH's resident DJ last week. ''I would play a wide variety of music, going back to the '60s and classic rock, alternative pop, R&B. Sort of anything goes.'' And that's his advice to the 10 aspirants seeking to take his place. ''Keeping it very diverse and fun is the way to go. You're not going to please everyone.''

Gerard won Stone's first crowdsourced DJ competition over two years ago. Gerard expects to fill in from time to time at BHH going forward. In addition to a new resident DJ, Stone will also tap the runner-up to be an alternate DJ, rotating with the resident. ''This will make sure that they don't get burned out after two years,'' Stone says.

Gerard, who lives in Fairfax County and works as a paralegal, says he enjoyed his run at BHH. But he doesn't anticipate DJ'ing again on a regular basis.

''It was a really cool experience,'' he says, ''but I'm looking forward to having my Friday nights back.'' -- Doug Rule

The crowdsourced DJ competition launches with VJ Tre this Friday, March 22, starting at 6 p.m., at Town Danceboutique, 2009 8th St. NW. No cover. Call 202-234-TOWN or visit towndc.com or dcbearcrue.com.

In January 1959, only three months into his pontificate, John XXIII called for the convening of Vatican II, which actually opened in October of 1962 and was attended by all of the world's Roman Catholic bishops, as well as representatives from the major Orthodox and Protestant churches. Most observers thought that John XXIII would merely do reform of canon law and some liturgical and spiritual renewal. But the unexpected happen when John XXIII called for an aggiornamento – an opening of the windows of the Catholic Church to the modern world.

Since the closing of Vatican II in 1965 the Catholic Church made radical reforms in terms of liturgy in vernacular languages, proclamation of religious freedom, development of ministries for the laity, and greater emphasis on the social doctrine of the church. However, in 1968 John XXIII's successor Paul VI issued the encyclical Humanae Vitae (''On Human Life''), which condemned the use of artificial contraception for birth control. He resurrected natural law moral theology to justify the argument that the use of artificial means for family planning was contrary to the natural law. Natural law logic became foundational for theological development under John Paul II (papacy from 1978 to 2005) and of the work of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, most particularly Ratzinger's articulation of homosexuality as an ''intrinsic moral disorder.''

This history is critical to an understanding of the election of Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis. He inherits both the legacy of Vatican II reforms as well that of John Paul II and Benedict XVI's natural law revival. I see these as the dynamics between a pastoral approach and a legalistic approach to church development. Under Benedict XVI the Vatican has maintained a highly legalistic approach to the LGBT community, particularly fighting every human-rights effort to include sexual orientation and gender expression within human-rights laws around the world.

News reports of Pope Francis's first days in office have emphasized his humility, ability to speak from his own experience, and his work with the poor and vulnerable, particularly the picture of his washing the feet of AIDS patients. Yet in the 1970s Francis was against liberation theology emphasizing social structural and economic change and preferred a focus on charity and presence – good things, but not getting to the root of poverty and oppression – a kind of ''liberation light.'' As provincial of the Jesuits (1973-1979) during the most critical years of Argentina's military dictatorship, he was not a prophetic voice for social justice, whereas in those same years the Jesuits of Chile were outspoken critics of the Pinochet military dictatorship. He was ''prophetic light'' in that he may have done personal deeds to help out people being persecuted, but he never spoke up against the dictatorship. He protected the institutional interests of the Jesuits over and against freedom and justice for all Argentines.

More recently Pope Francis has been an outspoken critic of LGBT rights in Argentina. He has followed Vatican orders to fight all LGBT-rights legislation, especially against marriage equality and adoption rights. Unless he has the courage to tackle the natural law premises that have formulated ''intrinsic moral disorder'' theology, I see no change in Vatican policies. Yet he might employ his ''light'' approach emphasizing charity and good deeds and tone down the legalistic and strident campaign against LGBT rights around the world. Will he be burdened like Paul VI who had to weigh scientific evidence against natural law tradition regarding birth control? My hope is that Pope Francis will ''open the windows'' and see LGBT people as really real and that their sexual orientation is constitutive of their personhood and not intrinsically disordered. I am willing to wait and see – but not too long. Otherwise we may suffocate!

Joseph Palacios, Ph.D., is an adjunct professor of Latin American studies at Georgetown University. Contact him at dr.josephpalacios@gmail.com.

Whether we're twink or bear, gaybro or drag queen, lipstick or butch, we all share one cultural touchstone: coming out. While the concept has been co-opted — some frivolous, like furries, some important, like undocumented immigrants — it remains the unique core of the LGBT experience.

It's perhaps clichéd at this point to mention, but it is worth restating just how different this makes us when it comes to civil rights. We sometimes compare our own struggles to those of racial and ethnic minorities, which is fair enough in some broad ways but misses the key difference: It's an exceedingly rare thing for someone to have to come out to their family as black or Latino or Asian. We're a minority that grows up isolated from others like us, and unsure of whether our families will still love us when they find out we're different.

Change of heart: Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio)

(Photo by File photo)

This is changing as more children grow up within families that have out LGBT parents, siblings and cousins. But for many of us who came out to our families over the past few decades some scars remain, some less healed than others.

When Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) publicly changed his position on marriage equality last week because his son, Will, had come out to him two years ago, those old wounds re-opened for many of us. With every round of applause for Portman becoming the first Republican senator to support marriage rights, there were equal condemnations for his only changing his mind when it affected his own family.

I get where this comes from. My relationship with my own father is what we call ''complicated.'' My coming out in the late '80s was no surprise to my mother, but my dad wanted to think it was a phase or something I caught from one of my college professors. My career path has been somewhat divergent from what he'd hoped.

No matter how wonderful coming out has been for my life, that still hurts. It makes it hard to watch politicians who've voted against us suddenly see the light. But as I posted on Twitter during the back-and-forth on Portman, he learned his son is gay two years ago and now supports marriage; 25 years later, my father still doesn't.

We've come so far in changing minds about our lives that the people who remain are the ones whose minds will be hardest to change. Greeting new allies with a raspberry and ''too little, too late'' will only make it harder. The most important time to be welcoming is when it's the most difficult.

And I have to point out that, despite any pain both of us may carry, I love my dad. As much as I may complain about his lack of change on my being gay, I can't forget that in the middle of 1970s rural Kentucky — where Jim Crow was still a fresh memory — he and my mom raised us to treat black people with respect. That sounds easy from the comfort of today, but it wasn't then. I was lucky to have the parents I did.

Will Portman is a lucky son. I imagine coming out to a father who's voted for anti-gay legislation wasn't easy. But in doing so he not only gained a father who loves him for who he is, he set off a chain of events in the Republican party that moves us much closer to where we know we're headed: equality.

Sean Bugg is the co-publisher of Metro Weekly. He can be reached at sbugg@MetroWeekly.com. Follow him on Twitter @sbugg.

Milestones and anniversaries are often the underlying theme for museum exhibitions. So, naturally, exactly 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, that seminal document and more generally the Civil War factor prominently at several institutions, including three separate Smithsonian institutions and the Library of Congress. But even in the nation's capital, it's not all history and reflection -- or museums. In fact, the Washington region has a growing crop of galleries focused on contemporary art from new or underrepresented artists, as well as institutions playing host to a slew of competitions and juried exhibitions. Among them is the Washington Project for the Arts' biennial show featuring 16 local artists just waiting to be discovered.

Warhol at Corcoran Gallery of Art

1708 GALLERY

319 West Broad St.Richmond804-643-17081708gallery.org

MIXOLOGY: 1708's 23rd Annual Art Auction -- Acclaimed street artist and Obama image-maker Shepard Fairey has created new work for this auction and will also serve as honorary chair. (3/23-4/6) Still Action! -- A multi-artist, curated exhibition that speaks to the power of photographs to surpass witnessed events. (4/19-5/25)

AMERICAN VISIONARY ART MUSEUM

800 Key HighwayBaltimore410-244-1900avam.org

The Art of Storytelling: Lies, Enchantment, Humor & Truth -- The museum's 18th, year-long exhibition explores the power of stories to inspire and enchant, spread lies or to inform through visual narratives created by 30-plus artists, working in all manner of media, from sculpture to film to diorama to even embroidery. (Now to 9/1) Gretchen Feldman: Love Letter to Earth (1934-2008) – Retrospective of more than 40 vivid paintings by late abstract artist focused on theme of ''Perfect Unions.'' (Now-June) A Very Visionary Star-Spangled Sidewalk -- An installation, intended to be fun and informative, going up right on the public pavement running alongside the museum's historic Federal Hill location in conjunction with Maryland's ''Star Spangled 200'' National Bicentennial. (Opens July)

ARTHUR M. SACKLER GALLERY

1050 Independence Ave. SW202-633-4800asia.si.edu

Perspectives: Ai Weiwei – In conjunction with a Hirshhorn survey on the famous Chinese artist, the Sackler presents the artist's 2005 monumental installation ''Fragments,'' offering a wry commentary on the bewildering state of a rapidly changing society. (Now to 4/7) Hand-Held: Gerhard Pulverer's Japanese Illustrated Books -- Exhibition focuses on a collection of woodblock-printed books that brought reading to the masses in 17th century Japan. (4/6-8/11) Nine Deaths, Two Births: Xu Bing's Phoenix Project -- A complementary exhibition to this Chinese artist's massive installation at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, which is comprised of two birds fabricated entirely out of found materials at construction sites in Beijing. (4/27-9/2) Yoga: The Art of Transformation -- The world's first exhibition about yoga's visual history, featuring sculptures, paintings, photographs, books and films from 25 museums and private collections around the world, all exploring how the discipline's meanings have changed over time. (Opens September)

ARTISPHERE

1101 Wilson Blvd.Arlington703-875-1100artisphere.com

Bill Frieble: Floating World -- An installation indoors that recreates the experience of cloud gazing, exploring our relationship between natural and virtual worlds. (Now to 3/31) Christina Cauterucci and Debra Greenspan: Search Warrant -- Exhibition features a collection of mobile search histories paired with video portraits of their creators, all as a means of exploring what we search for online says about us. (Now-4/28) Gute Brandao: The Field of Expressive Silence -- Multilingual artist's intricate embroideries are on display. (Now to 5/18) The Next Wave: Industrial Design Innovation in the 21st Century -- Exhibition features products from local designers and retail stores and is the centerpiece of the inaugural, multidisciplinary Washington, DC International Design Festival. (Now to 5/19) Voltron's Corpse -- Fifteen artists commemorate the anniversary of the first human spaceflight, aka Yuri's Night. (3/27-5/4) Wilmer Wilson IV: The Forever Aftermath -- Exhibition displays a rotating selection of documentation and materials from last year's D.C. performance art series, ''Henry 'Box' Brown: FOREVER,'' and is just part of a Rosslyn-wide performance art festival. (4/3-6/30) The Congressional Art Competition -- Annual youth competition hosted by Congressman James P. Moran. (5/9-6/23) Amy Hughes Braden: Demographic & Aaron Hughes: Sampling -- A sister and brother offer a dual show exploring the struggle of aging into adulthood. (5/15-8/3) Photo/Video 13: Juried Mid-Atlantic Exhibition (6/13-7/27)

THE BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF ART

10 Art Museum DriveBaltimore443-573-1700artbma.org

Max Weber: Bringing Paris to New York -- The first exhibition to extensively explore this American artist's formative years in Paris, where he transformed his painting style from classical representations of figures to bold interpretations of cubism and futurism. (Now to 6/23) Nathaniel Mellors & Jimmy Joe Roche -- Featuring irreverent, edgy and absurdist videos by two artists exploring human behavior when social norms are stripped away. (7/3-9/23)

CIVILIAN ART PROJECTS

1019 7th St. NW202-607-3804civilianartprojects.com

Erick Jackson: Folks -- A new body of vibrant, large-scale paintings fueled by dreams, memories and fantasies of an imagined, other world. (Now to 4/20) Dan Gray: Seeking Provision -- Sculptural installations that refashion found and commonly resourced objects, from fence posts to chairs, into complex, useful structures, creating art in a post-consumer world. (Now to 4/20)

CONNERSMITH

1358 Florida Ave. NE202-588-8750connersmith.us.com

Lincoln Schatz: The Network, Benjamin Kelley: New Sculpture, Coble/Riley Projects: Watermarks -- Three solo exhibitions. (Now to 3/30) Koen Vanmechelen: Leaving Paradise (5/4-6/29)

CONTEMPORARY WING

1412 14th St. NW202-730-5037contemporarywing.com

Mumbo Sauce -- A multi-artist exhibition of new works and tribute installations to D.C., co-curated by Roger Gastman in response to his current Corcoran Gallery exhibition Pump Me Up. (4/5-4/21) Teo Gonzalez -- Solo exhibition for this Brooklyn-based acrylic painter. (5/31-6/29)

CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART

500 17th St. NW202-639-1700corcoran.org

Pump Me Up: D.C. Subculture of the 1980s -- Curator Roger Gastman has conjoined two independent cultural threads from Washington in the '80s in this exhibition of punk and funk artifacts and ephemera. (Now to 4/7) Shooting Stars: Publicity Stills from Early Hollywood and Portraits by Andy Warhol -- Exhibition charts through photography the rise of the American fame machine. (Now-4/21) NEXT at the Corcoran 2013 -- Annual festival celebrates work by the graduating students of the Corcoran College of Art and Design. (4/6-5/19) David Levinthal: War Games -- Works on the subject of war that spans the entire career of this central figure in the history of American postmodern photography. (5/11-9/1) WAR/PHOTOGRAPHY: Images of Armed Conflict and Its Aftermath -- Epic in scope and ambition, and featuring many of the most indelible photographs ever made, this exhibition is intended to immerse viewers in the experience of soldiers and civilians during wartime. (6/29-9/29) Ellen Harvey: The Alien's Guide to the Ruins of Washington, D.C. -- Envisioning the city 10,000 years in the future through a self-guided map of Washington landmarks and a dramatic architectural reconstruction by an artist working in a wide range of media. (7/3-10/6)

CURATOR'S OFFICE

1515 14th St. NWNo. 201202-387-1008curatorsoffice.com

Andrea Way: Venetian Dream (Now to 3/23) Kathryn Cornelius: Let's Not Ever Be Strangers Again (3/30-5/11) Nicholas & Sheila Pye: Unspoiled (5/18-6/22)

FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY

201 East Capitol St. SE202-544-7077folger.edu

Nobility and Newcomers in Renaissance Ireland -- Ireland wasn't just a country in conflict during the 16th and 17th centuries; it was also a place of intermingling culture and adaptability – and a land of ideas and art – as documented in the Folger Shakespeare Library's latest exhibit, which focuses mainly on the Irish upper class. (Now to 5/19) Henry and Emily Folger -- Find out just who the Folger is named after in this special exhibition taking place in the Founders' Room while the Folger Great Hall is under renovation. (6/1-9/26) The Shakespeare Gallery (Ongoing)

FORD'S THEATRE

511 10th St. NW202-397-7328ticketmaster.com

Lincoln and Leadership -- This special exhibition in the Second Floor Gallery explores the qualities of good leadership through the lens of some of Abraham Lincoln's key leadership principles, including courage, integrity, empathy, tolerance, equality and creativity. (Now to August)

THE FRIDGE

516 1/2 8th St. SE202-550-2208thefridgedc.com

HELLO my name is -- A 60-artist curated international graffiti show, with all works appearing on those iconic blank name badges from conferences and office mixers. (Now to 3/31) Pia Mater featuring Jenny Sawle, Emily Francisco and Ashleigh Werner -- Artists dissect the concept of vulnerability through drawing, video, sculpture and performance in this show named for a part of the brain's membrane. (4/6-28)

GALLERY PLAN B

1530 14th St. NW202-234-2711galleryplanb.com

Marilee H. Shapiro: A Collection, 100 Years in the Making (Now to 3/31) Kevin H. Adams (4/3-5/12) Freya Grand (5/15-6/16) Photography Show (6/19-7/21) Karen Hubacher, Sabri Ben-Achour -- Recent works by painter and printer Hubacher and pottery by Ben-Achour, the gay WAMU reporter. (7/24-8/25) Tory Cowles, Greg Minah, Beverly Ryan -- A multi-artist painting show. (9/7-10/13)

GEOTHE-INSTITUT WASHINGTON

The German Cultural Center812 7th St. NW.202-289-1200goethe.de/washington

Gute Aussichten: New German Photography 2012/2013 -- Works by the seven winners of a renowned German competition for graduate photography students. (Now to 4/12)

HEMPHILL FINE ARTS

1515 14th St. NW202-234-5601hemphillfinearts.com

Julie Wolfe: Rewilding -- A show of works, based in painting, addressing human intrusions into the environment and wide-open perceptions of nature. (3/23-5/18) Currents: Erika Diehl, Alex Ebstein, Katherine Sable, Rene Trevino -- Four emerging talents in the mid-Atlantic whose work stands out as beautiful, strong and relevant. (Now to 4/26, Carroll Square Gallery)

HILLYER ART SPACE

9 Hillyer Court NW202-338-0680artsandartists.org

Narciso Maisterra: Passing Through the Body without Staying, Jungmin Park: The City Stories, Garth Fry: A Deeper Look Inside (Now to 3/30) Heather Day: Sideways, Fawna Xiao: Lost Land (April) Lara Bandilla, Melanie Kehoss (May) Marley Dawson, Santiago Rios (June) Eames Armstrong, Stephanie Williams (July)

HIRSHHORN MUSEUM & SCULPTURE GARDEN

Independence Avenue and 7th Street SW202-633-1000hirshhorn.si.edu

Out Of The Ordinary -- A multi-artist exhibit focused on the art that can result from the act of copying, faking and duplicating (Now to 5/19) Barbara Kruger: Belief+Doubt -- Installation fills the lower-level lobby and extends into the relocated museum bookstore, wrapping the entire space in text-printed vinyl questioning ideology, social norms and consumption. (Now to 12/14) Over, Under, Next: Experiments in Mixed Media, 1913-Present -- Approximately 100 examples of collage and assemblage, most from the Hirshhorn's collection. (4/18-9/8) Directions: Jennie C. Jones: Higher Resonance -- An immersive installation, featuring audio collages, paintings, sculptures and works on paper, that explores ''the physical residue of music,'' such as headphones and tapes, and reflects on the passage from analog to digital. (5/16-10/27)

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

10 First St. SE202-707-8000loc.gov/exhibits

Words Like Sapphires: 100 Years of Hebraica at the Library of Congress (Now to 4/13, Jefferson Building) The Civil War in America -- To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the library presents more than 200 unique items, many never before on public view, from the library's unparalleled Civil War collections. (Now to 5/23, Jefferson Building) Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine: Two Kids from Brooklyn -- The late, powerful husband and wife entertainment duo (Now to 7/27, Madison Building) The Gibson Girl's America: Drawings by Charles Dana Gibson -- A master of pen-and-ink drawings and 20th century pioneering magazine illustrator captured women's increasing presence in the public sphere. (3/30-8/17, Jefferson Building)

LONG VIEW GALLERY

1234 9th St. NW202-232-4788longviewgallery.com

Michelle Peterson-Albandoz: The Way Into The World (Now to 3/24) The DCist Exposed Photography Show (3/25-4/7) Print Show (4/11-28) Gian Garofalo: Ain't That America… (5/2-6/2) Refresh III (6/6-7/7) Robert Stuart (7/11-8/11) Jason Wright (8/15-9/15) Ryan McCoy (9/19-10/19) Tony Savoie (10/24-11/24) Amy Genser (11/28-12/31)

MANSION AT STRATHMORE

First Floor Galleries and Gudelsky Gallery Suite5301 Tuckerman LaneNorth Bethesda301-581-5100strathmore.org

Young Austrian Photography: ARCHITECTURE | LANDSCAPE -- A showcase of a new generation of contemporary photographers presented in partnership with the Austrian Cultural Forum. (Now to 4/6) Pulse: Art and Medicine -- Exhibition looks at illness, wellness and health through the eyes of the visual artist. (Now to 4/13) Drawing for Art -- Every ticketholder on the closing day of this exhibition leaves with a work of art, per a drawing. (4/18-4/28) Creative Crafts Council 29th Biennial (5/4-6/13) No Strings Attached -- The art of the puppet show and the effect of puppetry on contemporary visual art are the themes strung along here. (6/22-8/17)

NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM

Independence Avenue and 6th Street SW202-633-2214airandspace.si.edu

Time and Navigation -- Revolutions in timekeeping over three centuries have influenced how we find our way. (Opens in April)

NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM

401 F St. NW202-272-2448nbm.org

Green Schools -- Examples of what is possible in green school design. (Now to 1/5/14) PLAY WORK BUILD -- An immersive, hands-on installation featuring molded foam blocks of all shapes and sizes and an original virtual block play experience. (Now to 1/18/14) Palaces for the People: Guastavino and America's Great Public Spaces -- Rafael Guastavino Sr. was arguably one of the most influential architectural craftsmen working in America a century ago, designing tiles in New York's Grand Central Terminal, the Baird Auditorium of the National Museum of Natural History and the Washington National Cathedral, among other venues. (Now to 1/20/14) House & Home -- A long-term exhibition surveys houses both familiar and surprising, through past and present – including a same-sex couple – challenging ideas about what it means to live at home in America. (Now to 5/1/17) Designing for Disaster -- Examining how to create policies, plans and designs yielding safer, more disaster-resilient communities. (Opening 2014)

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

Constitution Avenue and 3rd Street NW202-737-4215nga.gov

Faking It: Manipulated Photography before Photoshop -- Photograph is -- and always has been -- a medium of fabricated truths and artful lies, as documented by the first major exhibition devoted to the history of manipulated photographs before the digital age. (Now to 5/5) Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Art and Design, 1848-1900 (Now to 5/19) Color, Line, Light: French Drawings, Watercolors and Pastels from Delacroix to Signac (Now to 5/26) Albrecht Durer: Master Drawings, Watercolors and Prints from the Albertina -- Widely considered the greatest German artist, many of this turn-of-the-16th century master's superb watercolors, drawings, engravings and woodcuts are on display in this groundbreaking exhibition. (3/24-6/9) Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909-1929: When Art Danced with Music -- Showcasing costumes, set designs, paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings, photographs and posters from the most innovative dance company of the 20th century. (5/12-9/2) In The Tower: Kerry James Marshall -- One of the most celebrated contemporary American painters, one whose art reflects on African-American history and culture. (6/28-12/7) Yes, No, Maybe: Artists Working at Crown Point Press -- Exploring the accidents, false starts or failures that inform the creative process, as viewed through working proofs and final prints of art produced over a recent 38-year-span (9/1-1/5/14)

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MUSEUM

1145 17th St. NW202-857-7700events.nationalgeographic.com

Birds of Paradise: Amazing Avian Evolution (Now to 5/12) Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship -- Artifacts recovered from the first authenticated pirate ship found in U.S. waters, a technologically advanced 18th century vessel that was a slave ship until it was captured by pirates on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic. (Now to 9/2) Gardens by Night: Photographs by Diane Cook and Len Jenshel -- Exploring the unexpectedly colorful world of gardens photographed during nighttime hours. (Now to 9/8) Beyond The Story: National Geographic Unpublished 2012 -- Unused images by photographers on assignment for the magazine get a second chance at public exposure. (Now to 7/7) A New Age of Exploration -- Celebrating the National Geographic Society's 125 years of vivid storytelling through stunning photography, film and interactive experiences. (Opens 6/12)

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY

1400 Constitution Ave. NW202-633-1000americanhistory.si.edu

Not Lost in Translation: The Life of Clotilde Arias -- Exhibit offers a window in key moments in the past century of American history, all through the lens of this Peruvian immigrant who translated the American national anthem into its official Spanish version. (Now to 5/12) Changing America: The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863 and the March on Washington, 1963 -- Celebrating milestone moments in American civil rights history, in collaboration with the National Museum of African American History and Culture. (Now to 9/15)

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Constitution Avenue and 10th Street NW202-633-1000mnh.si.edu

2011 Nature's Best Photography Awards – Exhibition celebrates the work of nature photographers, specifically recipients of the Windland Smith Rice International Awards. (Now to 4/7) Orchids of Latin America (Now to 4/21) Portraits of Planet Ocean: The Photography of Brian Skerry -- Amazing underwater photographs from some of the most beautiful, diverse and threatened environments on the planet. (Opens Summer 2013)

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN

Independence Avenue and 4th Street SW202-633-1000nmai.si.edu

Ceramica de los Ancestros: Central America's Past Revealed – Ceramics made over the past 3,000 years, plus works made from gold, jade, shell and stone, illustrate the region's richness, complexity and dynamic qualities. (3/29-2/1/15) Grand Procession: Dolls from the Charles and Valerie Diker Collection – Five female artists from plains and plateau tribes are represented in this exhibition, featuring 23 colorful and meticulously detailed dolls originally created as both toys and teaching tools in their communities. (4/17-1/5/14)

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

F and 8th Streets NW202-633-1000npg.si.edu

Bound for Freedom's Light: African Americans and the Civil War -- Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation with a focus on the roles individual African-Americans played during the course of this hard-fought conflict. (Now to 3/2/14) One Life: Amelia Earhart – Portraits of the aviator in all artistic media, with a focus on her role in breaking barriers for women. (Now to 5/27) A Will of Their Own: Judith Sargent Murray and Women of Achievement in the Early Republic – Portraits of eight prominent American women of the late 18th century. (Now to 9/2) Poetic Likeness: Modern American Poets -- A survey of poetry in America and its impact on society. (Now to 4/28) Portraiture Now: Drawing on the Edge -- The sixth exhibition in a series explores the boundaries that once defined drawing and portraiture. (Now to 8/18) Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2013 -- Juried exhibition of 48 portraits, including a few made from rice, glitter and thread. (3/23-2/23/14) Mr. Time: Potraits by Boris Chaliapin -- Time's most prolific artist created 413 covers for the magazine. (5/17-1/5/14)

THE OLD PRINT GALLERY

1220 31st St. NW202-965-1818oldprintgallery.com

RED -- A group show of both contemporary and 100-year-old printmakers, whose work features the show's namesake lively and passionate hue (Now to 4/13) 2013 Capital Art Fair -- The Old Print Gallery will be just one of 27 dealers from across the country participating in this fourth annual event focused on collectible and desirable art. (4/6-7, Holiday Inn-Rosslyn Westpark Hotel, Arlington)

THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION

1600 21st St. NW202-387-2151phillipscollection.org

Angels, Demons and Savages -- Exhibition reveals a rare cross-cultural artistic dialogue among American painter Jackson Pollock, American artist and patron Alfonso Ossorio and French painter Jean Dubuffet. (Now to 5/12) Next Stop Italy -- A Journey into Italian Contemporary Photography features 12 works, ranging from landscape to surrealist figures, by established and emerging Italian photographers. (Now to 4/28) Intersections: Jeanne Silverthorne -- Vanitas! features rubber sculptures as meditations on the brevity of life. (Now to 6/2) Intersections: Sandra Cinto – One Day, After the Rain is composed of intricate ink and acrylic drawings on canvas that cover the café walls. (Now to 12/30) Georges Braque and the Cubist Still Life, 1928-1945 -- The first in-depth study of still life in Braque's career after he pioneered cubism alongside Picasso. (6/8-9/1) Ellsworth Kelly: Panel Paintings 2004-2009 -- Seven large-scale works featuring a spectrum of colors and geometric forms that have dominated the prolific career of this painter, who turns 90 in May. (6/22-9/22) Myth and Archaeology in the Work of Giorgio De Chirico -- Early bronze sculptures and drawings from late Italian artist (4/13-6/15) History in the Making: 100 Years after the Armory Show -- New York's controversial 1913 Armory Show, the first major modern-art exhibition in the U.S., was controversial, but among other things it had a transformative effect on this museum's namesake founder, reflected by the acquisitions Duncan Phillips made in the decades afterward. (8/1-1/5/14)

PROJECT 4 GALLERY

1353 U St. NWNo. 302202-232-4340project4gallery.com

Thomas Muller: Nothing Rhymes with Orange -- Los Angeles-based artist has created ceramic letterform sculptures that spell out expressions in three dimensions on the gallery floor. (3/23-4/27)

RED DOOR GALLERY

1607 West Main St.Richmond804-358-0211reddoorgalleryrichmond.com

Richard Fraumeni, Jane Woodworth and Jocelyn Braxton Armstrong -- Abstracts by Fraumeni and Woodworth and sculpture by Armstrong. (Now to 3/30) Peter Batchelder and Dallas Mosman (4/5-27)

SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM

F and 8th Streets NW202-633-7970americanart.si.edu

The Civil War and American Art -- Exploring the impact of the Civil War and its aftermath on the visual arts in America using some of the finest artworks made during this period. (Now to 4/28) Pictures in the Parlor -- The advent of photography allowed for everyday Americans, not just the rich and famous, to display art in their homes. (Now to 6/30) Nam June Paik: Art and Process -- Unprecedented view into the Korean-American artist, whose innovative, media-based artwork was grounded in the practices of avant-garde music and performance art. (Now to 8/11) Thomas Day: Master Craftsman and Free Man of Color -- The story of this free black man who owned and operated one of North Carolina's most successful cabinet shops prior to the Civil War. (4/12-7/28) A Democracy of Images -- Photographs from the collection, amassed during the past 30 years, offering a survey of photography in America, tracing its evolution from a purely documentary medium to a full-fledged artistic genre. (6/28-1/5/14) Landscapes in Passing: Photographs by Steve Fitch, Robbert Flick and Elaine Mayes (7/26-1/20/14)

THE TEXTILE MUSEUM

2320 S St. NW202-667-0441textilemuseum.org

Out of Southeast Asia: Art That Sustains -- Historic textile artworks from the museum's collection plus the work of four contemporary artists and designers demonstrate how contemporary artists are preserving the traditional arts even as they interpret them in new and innovative ways. (4/12-10/13)

TOUCHSTONE GALLERY

901 New York Ave. NW202-347-2787touchstonegallery.com

Steve Alderton: Icons, Timothy Johnson: It's Greek To Me -- Both interpretations of classic images, such as Byzantine icons and Greek mythology. (Now to 3/31) Leslie Johnston: Journey to Lo Manthang, Janet Wheeler: Pagan Dreams (4/5-28)

VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

200 North BoulevardRichmond804-340-1400vmfa.state.va.us

Domestic, Wild, Divine: Artists Look at Animals -- Drawn from VMFA's entire collection, this exhibition examines the way artists have responded to the significant but often enigmatic roles that animals have played in human life. (Now to 8/4) Aaron Siskind and Abstract Photography of the 1950s and 60s (Now to 6/16) Pop Art and Beyond: Tom Wesselmann -- A survey of one of the leading figures in the vanguard of American Pop Art, who was famous for his ''Great American Nude'' series. (4/6-7/28) The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: 50 Works for 50 States (7/27-10/20) Catching Sight: The British Sporting Print (8/31-12/29)

THE WALTERS ART MUSEUM

600 North Charles St.Baltimore410-547-9000thewalters.org

Threshold to the Sacred: The Ark Door of Cairo's Ben Exra Synagogue -- An intricately decorated and inscribed wood panel believed to come from Cairo, which has captivated public imagination for over a century (Now to 5/26) New Eyes on America: The Genius of Richard Caton Woodville -- Early 19th century painter of iconic works of American genre. (Now to 6/2) New Eyes on America: Student Response (Now to 6/9) The Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize Finalists Exhibition -- The greater Baltimore area's most prestigious arts competition, earning its visual artist winner a $25,000 fellowship, and held in conjunction with Artscape, billed as America's largest free arts festival. (6/29-8/11) Site Unseen. Gregory Vershbow -- Contemporary artist captures art objects while in transit or under restoration, and wrapped in plastic or protective foam. (7/6-9/8) Living by the Book: Monks, Nuns and their Manuscripts (7/13-9/29)

TRANSFORMER

1404 P St. NW202-483-1102transformerdc.org

Expansions -- Artists Eames Armstrong, Benjamin Edmiston, Matt Hollis, Victor Koroma and Megan Mueller expand on their small- to medium-sized two-dimensional works on paper to create larger-scale mixed-media installations, paintings, video animation and sculptural works. (Now to 4/20)

WASHINGTON PRINTMAKERS GALLERY

Pyramid Atlantic Art Center8230 Georgia Ave.Silver Spring301-273-3660washingtonprintmakers.com

Max-Karl and Ed -- Woodcuts by Max-Karl Winkler and Ed McCluney. (Now to 3/30) Impressions -- A juried exhibition of printmakers from PrintMatters Houston. (Now to 3/30) April Membership Exhibition -- In conjunction with Pyramid Atlantic's Annual Juried Show. (4/3-28)

WASHINGTON PROJECT FOR THE ARTS

Capitol Skyline Hotel101 I St. SW202-234-7103wpadc.org

OPTIONS 2013 -- WPA's 15th biennial exhibition of works by emerging and unrepresented artists in the Washington region, this year 16 of them. (4/10-6/9, Arlington Arts Center)

Next month, Christopher K. Morgan & Artists will put the ''men'' in movement in a new dance piece focused on male choreographers. But Morgan isn't alone out there. Kyle Abraham and Daniel Phoenix Singh will present works by their namesake dance companies, and The Washington Ballet's Septime Webre will offer his world-premiere adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises. But ladies and lady lovers, don't fret – from Jane Franklin to Monica Bill Barnes to even the late, great Isadora Duncan (at least via a play at Georgetown University) – the other sex is very well represented.

Photo by Paul Kolnik

THE ALDEN

McLean Community Center1234 Ingleside Ave.Mclean, Va.703-790-0123aldentheatre.org

Christopher K. Morgan & Artists: MoveMENt – D.C.-based contemporary dance company, led by gay namesake, is the Alden's resident dance company, and performs a thrilling piece focused on a diverse group of male choreographers. (4/12-13) Furia Flamenca -- Dance company combines flamenco's gypsy heritage with modern flamenco choreography, all set to original jazz/flamenco music composed for them. (5/11)

AMERICAN DANCE INSTITUTE

1501 East Jefferson St.Rockville301-984-3003americandance.org

Doug Elkins Choreography, etc. – Program includes Scott, Queen of Marys, originally created to showcase the talents of the late vogue legend Willi Ninja, as seen in Paris Is Burning. (4/13-14) ZVIDance – Israeli-born Zvi Gotheiner aims to celebrate an ancient, cross-cultural and cross-religion Middle Eastern folk dance style that Israelis call ''dabke.'' (5/4-5) Joshua Beamish – This year's ADI National Incubator artist offers a look at the dark side of love in Pierced. (5/18-19) Festival of New Works – This year's ADI Metro Incubator artists, Vincent Thomas, Erica Rebollar and Karen Reedy, present pieces they've cooked up while in residence. (7/7-9) Imprints From There To Here – A collaboration featuring Ballet ADI, Christopher K. Morgan & Artists and Dance Exchange. (6/15-16)

BALTIMORE THEATRE PROJECT

45 West Preston St.Baltimore410-752-8558theatreproject.org

Baltimore Dance Invitational -- The Collective, Baltimore's hub for professional dancers and choreographers, hosts its annual event in which dancers/choreographers seek feedback from the audience on new works or works-in-progress in an open-mike format, culminating in a showcase of artists selected by an adjudication process. (Now to 3/22) The Collective and ClancyWorks Dance Company – A shared bill full-length concert featuring new work from the season and the final event in the Baltimore Dance Invitational. (3/24) Next Reflex Dance Collective – en Route! A Touring Dance Project. (4/19) Dance Baltimore – Ageless Grace, the annual concert featuring dancers age 40 and older. (4/21) Deep Vision Dance Company – Company performs heady collectables, a witty evening of dance based on ''head'' wordplay, by company's artistic director Nicole A. Martinell. (4/26-28) Dance & Bmore – All the Way Live! is part music concert, part theatrical production and part concert dance from this ensemble made up of dancers, singers, poets and musicians. (5/19) Stephanie Thibeault Dance (6/20-23)

CITYDANCE

CityDance Studio Theater at Strathmore5301 Tuckerman LaneNorth Bethesda202-347-3909citydance.net

Asanga Domask: Nruthya Manjarie -- Choreographer celebrates the dance heritage of Sri Lanka. (4/27) The DREAM Celebration with Rasta Thomas -- Internationally renowned dancer and producer Thomas teams up with CityDance plus the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities for an evening of world-class dance, a benefit supporting CityDance's DREAM community program. (5/4-5, Lincoln Theatre) The Conference of the Birds -- Conservatory/Select and School dancers from CityDance Center showcase their skills through this Sufi fable incorporating a variety of dance genres. (6/16) Conservatory Dancers in Concert 2013 (6/16)

CLARICE SMITH PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

University of MarylandCollege Park301-405-ARTSclaricesmithcenter.umd.edu

UMD Dynamic Dance Team – Campus hip-hop team hosts a regional battle for bragging rights as ''the hottest dance team on the East Coast,'' as selected by a panel of locally grown, widely known choreographers and dancers. (3/30) Nora Chipaumire - Miriam – Renowned choreographer and dancer creates her first character-driven work exploring the struggles women can face in pursuing their dreams and their own measures of beauty. (4/4-6) Maryland Dance Ensemble – Springing from Fantasy offers a preview of the emerging talent of the next generation of dance artists. (4/18-21)

DANCE PLACE

3225 8th St. NE202-269-1600danceplace.org

TAKE Dance – New York company's Salaryman takes audiences through a day in the life of overworked Japanese executives. (3/23-24) Kyle Abraham/Abraham.in.Motion – New work inspired by the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood from ''the best and brightest creative talent to emerge in New York City in the age of Obama,'' according to Out Magazine. (4/6-7) Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Company – Local company premieres a reconstruction of Anna Sokolow's iconic Magritte Magritte along with a new work by gay namesake Singh. (4/13-14) Karen Sherman – Minneapolis-based artist Sherman offers One with Others, which uses choreography both desperate and delicate, grappling with desire, communication, humiliation and destiny. (4/20-21) ReVision Dance Company – Just Be explores the raw emotions and personal experiences of working with people with disabilities. (4/27-28) Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble – Colorado dance ensemble that draws from the African-American experience. (5/4-5) Arachne Aerial Arts & In-Flight Theater – Two area companies at the forefront of aerial performance join forces to create a bold new piece on the myth of Demeter and Persephone. (5/10-11) Christopher K. Morgan & Artists and skybetter and associates – Two contemporary dance companies perform the joint work commissioned by the Kennedy Center's Local Commissioning Dance Project in addition to works by each company. (5/18-19) DanceAfrica DC 2013 – The 26th annual festival celebrating the dance and music of the African Diaspora. (6/1-2) Peter DiMuro/Public Displays of Motion – Celebrated local dance educator leads a band of dancers and choreographers creating multi-genre dances to the preludes of Rachmaninoff in Future Preludes. (6/22-23) alight dance theater (6/29-30) New Releases Choreographers' Showcase – Intended as a lab for choreographers to create dances through improvisation and shared critique. (7/20-21) Choreographers Collaboration Project (7/27-28) Glade Dance Collective & UpRooted Dance (8/3-4)

DAVIS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Georgetown University3700 O St. NW202-687-ARTS

performingarts.georgetown.edu

Ballet Folklorico Mexicano de Georgetown and Ritmo Y Sabor – 5th annual spring showcase. (4/18) Once Wild: Isadora in Russia, a Word Dance Theater co-production – New play brings to life the choreography of Isadora Duncan from her time in Russia nearly a century ago. (5/3-5)

JANE FRANKLIN DANCE

703-933-1111janefranklin.com

The Big Meow – Adapted from the book by Elizabeth Spires. (3/23, Woolly Mammoth; 4/6, Artisphere) Three degrees of JFD – A ''Whitman's Sampler'' of choreography by Jane Franklin and current and former company members. (3/23, Woolly Mammoth) From One Place -- A new work for ''Forty+,'' Jane Franklin's performing group of community-based dancers past age 40. (4/7, Artisphere) Penelope's Pesky Pen -- A production for kids and the young-at-heart inspired by Frank Dormer's latest children's book The Obstinate Pen. (4/13, Artisphere) Zip Through a Tight Space -- An evening celebrating dance, the spirit and food of Spain, plus a silent auction. (5/15, Jaleo Crystal City)

KENNEDY CENTER

2700 F St. NW202-467-4600kennedy-center.org

New York City Ballet – Company will dance two signature mixed repertory programs. (3/26-31) Malavika Sarukkai – Significant player in the Indian classical dance style Bharatanatyam. (3/29-30) Bowen McCauley Dance -- An Evening of Dance & Music features collaborations with local theater creators and musicians by what The Washington Post calls ''D.C.'s premier contemporary dance company.'' (4/5-6) Monica Bill Barnes & Company – ''One of the wittiest young choreographers around,'' according to the Village Voice. (5/8-9) Shen Wei Dance Arts – Undivided Divided is a site-specific piece featuring dancers interacting with multimedia, including video and sculpture. (5/23-25)

STRATHMORE

5301 Tuckerman LaneNorth Bethesda301-581-5100strathmore.org

Ferla de Sevilla -- The Centro Espanol de Washington D.C. presents a free outdoor flamenco festival, complete with Spanish tapas. (6/2)

THE WASHINGTON BALLET

202-362-3606washingtonballet.org

Cinderella – Septime Webre's adaptation of the classic tale, set to Prokofiev's score. (Now to 3/24, Kennedy Center) Hemingway: The Sun Also Rises – Webre offers another world premiere classical adaptation following on his success with last season's The Great Gatsby. (5/8-12, Kennedy Center) Peter and The Wolf – The Washington Ballet Studio Company performs this piece based on the popular Russian children's story and set to Prokofiev's world-famous score. (5/18-19, THEARC)

WOLF TRAP

1645 Trap RoadVienna703-255-1900wolf-trap.org

Golden Dragon Acrobats from China -- The premier Chinese acrobatic company offering astonishing balancing acts, gravity-defying juggling and colorful costumes. (7/7) Aspen Santa Fe Ballet -- Company presents a world-premiere commission by emerging choreographer Norbert de la Cruz III. (7/30)

Where do your film tastes lead you in warmer weather? Is it time for a buddy movie, romance or blockbuster adventure flick? Whatever you're craving, Hollywood's got your flavor. Be wary, however, as there's likely to be a miss for every hit. Keep your sun-block and cinematic discretion at the ready, apply liberally.

Star Trek Into Darkness

MARCH

SPRING BREAKERS -- "Springggg breakkkk forrrrevvvverrrr." Harmony Korine's latest calculated scandal-maker meanders between being the sort of movie you've never seen before and the sort of movie you never want to see again. One-time Disney stars Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens play college girls who get roped into the scummy criminal life of a Florida rapper named Alien (James Franco). Yes, it is as ridiculous as it sounds. (3/22)

OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN -- There are two action movies out this year about terrorists seizing the White House and holding the president hostage. One of these movies is directed by Roland Emmerich. This is not that one. (3/22)

ON THE ROAD -- Read the book, skip the movie. (3/22)

ADMISSION -- Tina Fey and Paul Rudd star in a romantic comedy about a Princeton admissions officer who thinks the gifted high-school student she's recruited might be the son she gave away for adoption years ago. Blerg. (3/22)

G.I. JOE: RETALIATION -- Here's the thing about the sequel to a blockbuster movie: Nobody needs to know what it's about. Retaliation probably has something to do with Joes and Cobras and whatever new toys Hasbro wants to unload this summer, but that's not putting anybody in the seats. The Rock and Bruce Willis, though? That'll do it. (3/28)

THE HOST -- Twilight with aliens. (3/29)

THE SAPPHIRES -- An Australian musical comedy, set in the late 1960s, about an Aborigine girl group that sings for U.S. troops in Vietnam. Think That Thing You Do! meets Dreamgirls, with a sprinkle of M*A*S*H thrown in for good measure. (3/29)

TYLER PERRY'S TEMPTATION -- I can convince you to not see this movie in five words: Kim Kardashian is in it. (3/29)

APRIL

UPSTREAM COLOR -- Seven years ago, Shane Carruth made a small movie about time travel. He called it Primer, and it broke nearly every rule there is about storytelling, exposition and narrative coherence. It was also the only movie he made -- until now. All we know is that it's inspired by Henry David Thoreau's Walden and that the plot involves the life cycle of "an ageless organism." Nonetheless, it appears to be as technically and artistically brilliant as Carruth's debut. (4/5)

JURASSIC PARK 3D -- Okay, Hollywood. It was cute when you started re-releasing great movies in 3D a few years ago. It was a decent gimmick. You've had your fun -- it's time to stop. (4/5)

EVIL DEAD -- Scratch that -- in Hollywood, gimmicks never die. This remake of Sam Raimi's cult classic appears to have twice the horror and half the wit of the original. (4/5)

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES -- Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper and Eva Mendes star in a crime drama about a motorcycle stuntman who robs banks to provide for his wife and newborn son. There's talent behind the camera, too -- Derek Cianfrance, of Blue Valentine fame, writes and directs. (3/5)

ROOM 237 -- Heeeeere's Stanley! The documentary, presented in nine segments, spellbindingly dissects the themes and motifs of The Shining. Interpreting one of the most baffling horror movies ever made is no small feat -- theories about Kubrick's intent range from allegories about the Holocaust to proof that the moon landing was faked -- but whatever the reading, Room 237 will stick with fans forever. And ever, and ever…. (4/12)

TO THE WONDER -- Yes, Terrence Malick is an acquired taste. Yes, The Tree of Life was a difficult movie. And, yes, To The Wonder will be just as challenging to watch. That's still no excuse not to try. (4/12)

42 -- Chadwick Boseman suits up as famed baseball player Jackie Robinson in this biopic also starring Harrison Ford and Christopher Meloni. Shockingly, this is the first major movie about Robinson's life since 1950. (4/12)

OBLIVION -- Tom Cruise stars as a former Marine-turned-drone-repairman who works on the scarred remains of Earth, decades after an alien invasion nearly destroyed the planet. Dystopian sci-fi, in all of its bombast, is an oddly fitting frame for Cruise's nonstop intensity. Joseph Kosinski (TRON: Legacy) directs. (4/19)

PAIN & GAIN -- Could it be? Is this … a decent-looking Michael Bay movie? Mark Wahlberg and Anthony Mackie play meatheads-turned-kidnappers in this swollen true-crime story, inspired by a 1999 story in the Miami New Times. Pain & Gain will be small by Bay's gargantuan standards -- he hasn't made a movie with a smaller budget in nearly two decades. (4/26)

THE BIG WEDDING -- An ensemble comedy based on the 2006 French movie Mon frère se marie, the movie pits Robert De Niro against Diane Keaton as a divorced couple forced to feign a happy marriage at their son's wedding. Justin Zackham (The Bucket List) directs, so expect an awful lot of unthreatening, warm humor. (4/26)

THE ANGELS' SHARE -- A Scottish comedy by Ken Loach about a ne'er-do-well slacker who schemes to steal a cask of priceless whiskey. It was very well received at Cannes, so keep your eyes out for it. (4/26)

AT ANY PRICE -- Zac Efron is still trying to be a ''very serious actor.'' In this family drama, he plays a young man who doesn't want to take over his father's farm. Instead, he'd rather be a race-car driver. Sounds like a wise career choice. (4/26)

GIMME THE LOOT -- Adam Leon's debut feature about two Bronx teens who try to tag an iconic New York landmark with graffiti made a big splash at South by Southwest last year. A year later, it's finally getting a wide release. Funny, quirky, and downright unique, Gimme The Loot could be the surprise hit of the season. (4/26)

MUD -- Matthew McConaughey's renaissance continues with this Mark Twain-inspired coming-of-age drama from Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter), where two boys stumble upon a fugitive and vow to help him escape the bounty hunters hot on his trail. If Stand by Me were made for an art-house crowd, it'd look like this. (4/26)

MAY

IRON MAN 3 -- The first surefire blockbuster of the season. At this point, we all know the drill: Robert Downey Jr.'s sarcastic wit, the best special effects money can buy, and a handful of mind-numbing action sequences. That doesn't make it any less riveting. (5/3)

THE ICEMAN -- Michael Shannon stars as Richard Kuklinski, a notorious Mafia hit man who killed more than 100 men between 1948 and 1986 while raising his family in suburban New Jersey. Ray Liotta, Winona Ryder and Chris Evans co-star. (5/3)

THE GREAT GATSBY -- Baz Luhrmann is the perfect director to adapt F. Scott Fitzgerald's metaphor-thickened ode to the American dream. Seriously, both of these guys are about as subtle as a train wreck -- which is appropriate, to say the least. Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton and Isla Fisher star. (5/10)

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS -- J.J. Abrams returns to the USS Enterprise for a victory lap before switching his nerd allegiances to Star Wars. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Benedict Cumberbatch star. (5/17)

STORIES WE TELL -- This is an odd, wonderful sort of documentary. Filmmaker Sarah Polley turns the camera on herself and her family -- namely, the complicated marriage from which her family sprouted. Polley's insistence on making her private life so public invigorates the portrait of her family, which has helped make Stories We Tell a darling of the festival circuit last year. (5/17)

FAST & FURIOUS 6 -- The Fast and the Furious came out 12 years ago. Since that first movie's debut, the series has grossed more than a billion-and-a-half dollars. The lesson? It pays to be mediocre, so long as you look good while you're doing it. (5/24)

THE HANGOVER PART III -- Are you excited to see this? You must be drunk. (5/24)

BEFORE MIDNIGHT -- It's that time of the decade. Eighteen years after Before Sunrise, and nine years after Before Sunset, Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy return to play our hearts like harpsichords. This movie will be supremely important to anyone who saw the first two, and supremely inconsequential to everyone else. I encourage you to be a part of the former group. (5/24)

THE EAST -- An environmental terrorism thriller heavy on political commentary, The East appears to be a radical fantasy about punishing the corporations who poison the planet and its most vulnerable inhabitants. Zal Batmanglij (Sound of My Voice) directs; Brit Marling, Ellen Page and Alexander Skarsgård star. (5/31)

NOW YOU SEE ME -- Louis Leterrier directs this slick-looking heist mystery about a Las Vegas super-group of magicians who rob a bank on a different continent during a magic show. Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Isla Fisher and Woody Harrelson star. (5/31)

JUNE

AFTER EARTH -- Centuries after humanity abandons Earth, a father and son (played by Will Smith and Jaden Smith) crash land on the now unrecognizably hostile planet during a scouting mission. The catch? After Earth is directed by infamous director M. Night Shyamalan. The surprise? It doesn't appear to be as terrible as his last few movies. (6/7)

THE INTERNSHIP -- Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson play a pair of salesmen who apply for internships at Google after finding themselves unemployed in the digital age. Insensitive jokes about a weak job market in the wake of a recession, an anachronistic fear of technology, and an awed reverence for Silicon Valley? Yikes. (6/7)

MAN OF STEEL -- Forget the Superman you've seen in movies for years. Zack Snyder's Man of Steel aims to rekindle the chief conflict of the world's most famous superhero: How can humanity trust an outsider to defend it? This is easily the most intriguing mainstream movie of the season. If it works -- and many have a hunch that it will -- it will do for Superman what Christopher Nolan's ''Dark Knight'' trilogy did for Batman. Henry Cavill and Amy Adams star. (6/14)

THIS IS THE END -- What would happen if a group of Hollywood's funniest young actors were stuck in an apartment together during the apocalypse? Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, James Franco, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson play vaguely fictional versions of themselves in this ironic sci-fi comedy. (6/14)

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY -- Pixar's favorite scary beasts return in this prequel to Monsters Inc., which tells the story of how Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) met Sulley (John Goodman). The original movie was one of the most inventive in Pixar's impressive collection, so while the studio doesn't have an excellent track record with sequels, the returning cast and stellar crew suggest this will be a worthy exception. (6/21)

WORLD WAR Z -- Based on a bestselling book by Max Brooks, this bloated-looking globetrotter of a zombie movie stars Brad Pitt as a United Nations employee interviewing survivors of the undead plague. While Brooks's book told a thrilling, complex story, the early trailers for World War Z suggest that director Marc Forster may not be able to tie it all together as adeptly. (6/21)

THE HEAT -- A buddy cop movie starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, directed Paul Feig. Leave it McCarthy and Feig -- two of Hollywood's funniest, who made magic together in Bridesmaids -- to make a tired comedy premise seem worthwhile. (6/28)

WHITE HOUSE DOWN -- Remember when I told you that there are two action movies out this season about terrorists seizing the White House? Well, this is the other one. It's directed by blockbuster king Roland Emmerich, so it's also the one you'll want to see. (6/28)

I'M SO EXCITED -- Very little is known about Pedro Almodóvar's first comedy in seven years, but on the strength of his name alone it will be worth catching. So, what do we know about it? The movie is almost entirely set on an airplane, it stars Almodóvar regulars Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas in minor roles, and it looks utterly delightful. (6/28)

JULY

THE LONE RANGER -- Why will this be the flop of the season? Let's count the ways. First: Johnny Depp is playing the Lone Ranger's comically stereotypical Native-American sidekick, Tonto. Second: Disney allegedly sunk a quarter-billion dollars into the movie's problematic, oft-delayed production. Third: It's a movie about the Lone Ranger! (7/3)

THE WAY, WAY BACK -- Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, the Oscar-winning co-writers of The Descendants, haven't revealed much about their follow-up movie about a 14-year-old boy who spends his summer working at a water park. If it's even half as awkward, funny and endearing as their debut, though, it will be a highlight of the year. Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Liam James, Toni Collette and Amanda Peet star. (7/3)

GROWN UPS 2 -- Nope. (7/12)

PACIFIC RIM -- When giant monsters rise from an underwater rift in the Pacific Ocean, scientists devise a plan to build massive robots in hopes of saving the world. Pacific Rim is Guillermo del Toro's first directing credit in five years, and he's calling it his "beautiful poem" to monster movies. It looks every bit as inventive and awesome as the Mexican director's previous work, but wildly more ambitious. Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba and Rinko Kikuchi star. (7/12)

R.I.P.D. -- After a cop dies in the line of duty, he's resurrected to join the R.I.P.D. -- the Rest In Peace Department -- to track down the man who killed him. The comic miniseries that inspired this movie is best remembered for its campy, whimsical style, but don't count on too much of that carrying over to the big screen. Ryan Reynolds, Mary-Louise Parker and Jeff Bridges star. (7/19)

THE WOLVERINE -- Hugh Jackman's grumpy, slashy mutant antihero is back for another movie of his own. Allegedly based on Frank Miller and Chris Claremont's iconic limited comic-book series in the early 1980s, this follow-up to X-Men: The Last Stand finds Wolverine in Japan, where he faces off against a Yakuza crime boss. (7/26)

AUGUST

THE SPECTACULAR NOW -- Keep your eyes on this one. A hit at Sundance, The Spectacular Now is about the budding romance between an alcoholic high-school senior and the girl who challenges his reckless, live-in-the-moment philosophy. Under the able guide of James Ponsoldt (Smashed) and (500) Days of Summer scribes Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, this curious-looking teen romantic-comedy has a lot of potential. Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller star. (8/2)

ELYSIUM -- If I could only pick one movie to see this season, Elysium would be it. The first release from director Neill Blomkamp since District 9, this ambitious sci-fi movie quite literally casts income inequality and class warfare into space. More than a century from now, the wealthiest humans live on a space station called "Elysium," while the rest of humanity lives in squalor on a crime-ridden, overpopulated Earth. As we saw in District 9, Blomkamp excels as plumbing metaphors for social injustice to invigorate the worlds he creates. Expect him to do much of the same with Elysium. Matt Damon and Jodie Foster star. (8/9)

KICK-ASS 2 -- Kick-Ass was of the weirdest, most profane, all-around peculiar superhero movies ever made. This sequel won't raise eyebrows in the same way -- it's too sexed up, and slightly more traditional -- but it does have one thing the first did not. Jim Carrey, comedy's man of many disturbing faces, plays a psychotic, born-again Christian vigilante named Colonel Stars and Stripes. So, at least it's got that going for it. (8/16)

NO RELEASE DATE SET, BUT WORTH WATCHING FOR

TRANCE -- Danny Boyle's last two movies, Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours, were great but highly uncharacteristic for the director. This is a return to the sort of twisted, complex thriller he clearly loves to make. In Trance, an art thief hires a hypnotherapist to help cure his amnesia and recover the priceless painting he stole. James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson and Vincent Cassel star.

ONLY GOD FORGIVES -- The first time Ryan Gosling and director Nicolas Winding Refn worked together, they made Drive, a shockingly cool, ethereal movie. Their second act is a similar sort of crime thriller that casts Gosling as an American in Thailand who has to dole out justice to the man who killed his brother. On the merits of Gosling and Refn alone, Only God Forgives could be one of the best movies of the year.

SHORT TERM 12 -- Destin Cretton's indie drama won accolades at South by Southwest, earning plaudits both for its lovely storytelling and Brie Larson's breakout performance as a 20-something working at a foster care facility. Will it get a wide release before the end of the summer? Here's to hoping it does.

Family is defined in many ways. It's a couple with kids, a couple without, maybe some pets, or maybe a network of friends who are there for you no matter what. My husband Steve and I are a family that consists of our two dogs and a cat, and we are looking forward to one day having children. So we were especially pleased to see Sen. Rob Portman tell the people of Ohio – and, yes, the world – that our family matters too.

Steve serves this country bravely as a major in the Army Reserves, something that is an ever-present backdrop in our lives. When Steve was in Iraq in 2011, I faced many realities: He may be killed, he may be injured, that the Steve who returns may be scarred in ways I cannot see or ever understand, and that the Steve I knew may not be who returns to our home, if at all.

Joshua (Left) and Maj. Steve Snyder-Hill

(Photo courtesy OutServe-SLDN)

Sadly, had any of that happened, as a same-sex spouse I would not have qualified for certain survivor's benefits; there's no guarantee that I would have been the first to know; there would not have been counseling services for me; and I would not even be assured that his body would be released to me and that I could be the one to lead funeral arrangements for the man I am married to.

Sen. Portman's break with many in the Republican Party who have opposed our equality gives me hope, though, that this country is changing. His brave change of position on the freedom to marry inspires me and I know brings me closer to a day when I can prepare my family for the realities of war and not explain why our family isn't recognized.

I won't sacrifice our dream of a fully recognized family because of the intolerance or bigotry of others. There may always be a few who don't believe in equality. But Sen. Portman's position on marriage is paving the way for others like him to change their minds and will eventually bring us to a place of full equality.

My family wanted so many things for me when I was a kid – to a get a good education, a good job, a house, to marry someone I love and have kids of my own. Those are my dreams, too, and Sen. Portman has brought me a little closer to feeling like I can achieve them.

Joshua Snyder-Hill lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his husband, Maj. Steve Snyder-Hill. The two are plaintiffs in OutServe-SLDN's federal court challenge to the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Whitman-Walker Health (WWH), the nonprofit community health center specializing in culturally competent care for LGBT people and individuals with HIV/AIDS, has reported improvements in quality of care and overall financial health while increasing its number of patients during 2012, marking its third consecutive year of financial surplus.

In a March 12 announcement, WWH reported an unaudited surplus of approximately $2.4 million, out of $31 million in total revenues.

''Our health center business model continued to produce strong results in 2012,'' Don Blanchon, WWH's executive director, was quoted as saying in the announcement. ''And we are cautiously optimistic about 2013 and beyond. We are taking necessary steps to compete in a post-health care reform world. Yet there is the very real possibility of reduced federal funding to WWH over time, which in turn will present new challenges for our health center. That is why it is so important for the entire community to support WWH now and in the future.''

WWH also reported providing health care services to 13,618 people in 2012. Since 2009, the health center reported increases ranging from 24 percent to 85 percent in the number of primary medical care patients, dental care patients, mental health care patients, addictions counseling patients and individuals seeking STD/STI clinic services. Nearly three-quarters of patients reside in the District, while 15 percent live in Maryland, 10 percent in Virginia. Half of all patients identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual, and 22 percent of patients were HIV-positive.

According to internal surveys gauging patient satisfaction with services, 96 percent of patients said they would refer family and friends to WWH for health care concerns. WWH also reported high ''quality of care'' indicators, including high percentages of patients with HIV/AIDS on antiretrovirals, controlled blood-sugar levels for patients with diabetes, preventative cervical-cancer screenings, and controlled blood pressure for patients suffering from hypertension.

''Providing the highest quality of care for our patients remains our highest priority,'' Dr. Ray Martins, WWH chief medical officer, said in the March 12 statement. ''Many of the health indicators we track exceed our own performance measures and, in many cases, exceeded national benchmarks for care. This is a testament to the commitment and dedication of our entire health center team.''

Whitman-Walker recently received a Level II PCMH (Patient-Centered Medical Home) designation for the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, at 1701 14th St. NW, from the National Committee on Quality Assurance. Under the PCMH model, patients work with a team of doctors, nurses, medical assistants, public-benefits navigators and lawyers, if needed, in an attempt to provide fully comprehensive, coordinated care.

WWH also reported it will move forward in the next two years with the construction of a patient-centered medical home, to be located at 14th and P Streets NW.

The DC Center, the city's LGBT community center, has kicked off a ''coffee drop-in hour'' for older LGBT adults on Mondays. The coffee hour is sponsored by Alpha People's Drugs (formerly Alpha Drugs), a pharmacy specializing in HIV, hepatitis C and transplant medications, located at 1638 R St. NW.

Joel Colon, who is coordinating the drop-ins, says the coffee klatches are intended to provide a space for older LGBT adults to talk and bond.

Colon adds that the relaxed atmosphere provides an opportunity for older LGBT area residents to socialize without having to rally around a particular political agenda or cause.

The DC Center's older adult coffee drop-in hours are most Mondays, from 10 a.m. to noon, at 1318 U St. NW. For more information, contact The DC Center at 202-682-2245 or visit thedccenter.org.

Ben Horen goes behind the scenes for Metro Weekly at Team DC's annual fashion show and model search at Town Danceboutique. Follow along as the competitors vie for the title, showing off casual wear, swimwear, underwear and other assets before a panel of DC celebrity judges. The Saturday, March 9, event raised funds for the Team DC scholarship program.