The sky’s the limit this week, D.C. Check out a gorgeous display of orchids in a Smithsonian courtyard, see a new experimental jazz quartet live, and learn about the art of light from an expert artist. Scroll to the bottom of To Do This Week to see the latest arts news and reviews and ticket sales. —Kayla Randall
FRIDAY
Orchids: Amazing AdaptationsCome, stop, and smell the orchids. From a collaboration between the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Gardens, and the U.S. Botanic Garden comes the vivid and vibrant installation Orchids: Amazing Adaptations. Read more>>> The exhibition is on view to April 28 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th and F streets NW. Free. (202) 633-7970. americanart.si.edu. (Malika T. Benton)
Los Angeles house music DJ and producer Mija performs at Rock & Roll Hotel. 9 p.m. at 1353 H St. NE. $15–$20.
Pop singer-songwriter Greyson Chance, of viral YouTube video and The Ellen DeGeneres Show fame, performs at DC9. 7:30 p.m. at 1940 9th St. NW. $15–$45.
The Barns at Wolf Trap hosts pianist Wu Han and a long list of collaborators, including violinist Philip Setzer and cellist David Finckel, for a night of chamber music. 7:30 p.m. at 1635 Trap Road, Vienna. $40.
SATURDAY
Columbia IcefieldColumbia Icefield, the new quartet project of experimental jazz trumpeter Nate Wooley, is named for a large expanse of glaciers in the Rocky Mountains. The music sounds glacial, too. Not just because of its slow pace—although that’s no small part of it—but because of the chill of its demeanor, the aloofness of its soundscape, the majestic heights to which it deliberately builds. Read more>>> Columbia Icefield perform at 7 p.m. at The Corner Store, 900 South Carolina Ave. SE. $10–$15. capitalbop.com. (Michael J. West)
Comedian Dane Cook brings his Tell It Like It Is tour to DAR Constitution Hall. 7 p.m. at 1776 D St. NW. $37.50–$57.50.
New Orleans-born rapper Jay Electronica performs at The Howard Theatre. 9 p.m. at 620 T St. NW. $35–$59.99.
Big Sam’s Funky Nation, a jazz-funk big band from the Crescent City, perform at The Hamilton. 8 p.m. at 600 14th St. NW. $19.75–$25.75.
SUNDAY
The Art of Light: A Conservation with Charles Ross and James MeyerSuspended from the ceiling of a darkened chamber, 36 prisms reflect and refract the light that sneaks into the space. It’s minimalist magic––a precise exploration of the relationship between luminescence and shadow, between depth and dimension. This is “Hanging Islands,” an art installation conceived in 1966 and refabricated in 2015 by artist Charles Ross and one-fifth of the National Gallery exhibition Spaces: Works from the Collection, 1966–1976. Read more>>> Charles Ross and James Meyer speak at 2 p.m. at the National Gallery of Art, 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Free. (202) 737-4215. nga.gov. (Amy Guay)
Legendary soul vocalist Jeffrey Osborne performs at The Birchmere. 7:30 p.m. at 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. $79.50.
French-Caribbean modern disco singer-songwriter and bass player Adeline performs at Union Stage. 8 p.m. at 740 Water St. SW. $12–$15.
Surrey, England rock band You Me At Six performs at 9:30 Club. 7 p.m. at 815 V St. NW. $20.
MONDAY
The-DreamAs The-Dream, Terius Nash has written and produced a decade of pop-R&B jams, whether for himself (“Shawty Is Da Shit,” “I Luv Your Girl”) or others (Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies”). While the latter have been stratospheric hits, the former have been the focus of his energies. Read more>>> The-Dream performs at 8 p.m. at U Street Music Hall, 1115 U St. NW. $25. (202) 588-1889. ustreetmusichall.com. (Chris Kelly)
Soulful pop singer-songwriter Hailey Knox, who made her festival debut at Austin City Limits in 2018, performs at Songbyrd Music House. 7:30 p.m. at 2477 18th St. NW. $13–$15.
Kyle Bryant, author of Shifting Into High Gear, a memoir about his tricycle ride across the United States in the wake of his diagnosis of the genetic disease Friedreich’s ataxia, reads from his book at Solid State Books. 7 p.m. at 600 H St. NE. Free.
Indie musician and actor Tyler Hilton, known for his role as smarmy singer Chris Keller on teen drama One Tree Hill, performs at Jammin Java. 8 p.m. at 227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna. $15–$20.
TUESDAY
Anthony Abraham JackMiami native Anthony Abraham Jack intimately understands elite colleges and the Ivy League. He’s received degrees from Amherst College and Harvard University, and now serves as an assistant professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. His new book, The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges are Failing Disadvantaged Students, which he will discuss at Kramerbooks, gets inside the climate of elite colleges and how they educate disadvantaged students, with Jack fundamentally challenging their systemic approach and methods. Read more>>> Anthony Abraham Jack speaks at 6:30 p.m. at Kramerbooks, 1517 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free. (202) 387-1400. kramers.com. (Malika T. Benton)
Malian griot Cheick Hamala‘s performs world music—with an assortment of guests—at Bossa Bistro. 9:30 p.m. at 2463 18th St. NW. Free.
Suns Cinema screens Black Wax, a portrait of poet-singer-songwriter Gil Scott-Heron featuring highlights from his performances at the D.C. Wax Museum Nightclub in the 1980s. 8 p.m. at 3107 Mount Pleasant St. NW. $8.
Author Esmé Weijun Wang, a former lab researcher at Stanford and a person diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, explores how the medical community, patients, and society at large view mental illness in her book The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays, which she discusses at Politics and Prose. 7 p.m. at 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free.
WEDNESDAY
The Washington Ballet Presents The Sleeping BeautyOnce upon a time, Princess Aurora, cursed by the evil fairy Carabosse, pricked her finger on a spinning wheel and fell into a deep slumber, one she would only awaken from if kissed by a handsome prince. The Washington Ballet opens a new production of classic ballet The Sleeping Beauty at the Kennedy Center this week, using sets and costumes of a traditional romantic vintage. Read more>>> The ballet runs to March 3 at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater, 2700 F St. NW. $25–$160. (202) 467-4600. kennedy-center.org. (Rebecca J. Ritzel)
Anacostia Arts Center hosts artist and climate change activist Monica Jahan Bose‘s WRAPture Woodblock Workshop, in which participants learn woodblock printing, create artwork that will be displayed, and discuss climate change. 1:30 p.m. at 1231 Good Hope Road SE. Free.
Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Vanity Fair, the story of wily Becky Sharp scaling social ladders, continues its opening week shows at the Lansburgh Theatre. 7:30 p.m. at 450 7th St. NW. $49–$118.
City Winery hosts an evening of custom candle crafting in Mason jars with Yaymaker. 7 p.m. at 1350 Okie St. NE. $45.
THURSDAY
Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful ChaosIn her graphic memoir Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos, author and illustrator Lucy Knisley fixes her gaze on all the complexities of motherhood. Knisley always wanted to be a mother but while trying to get pregnant endured fertility problems and miscarriages. Then, during her successful pregnancy, she experienced health issues and a near-death labor and delivery experience. Kid Gloves is an honest and personal story but also a universal one, the story of so many mothers. Read more>>> Lucy Knisley speaks at 6:30 p.m. at Solid State Books, 600 H St. NE. Free. (202) 897-4201. solidstatebooksdc.com. (Kayla Randall)
U Street Music Hall hosts Georgetown Cabaret, a showcase of Georgetown University’s best vocalists and rock musicians. 8 p.m. at 1115 U St. NW. $14.
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra with vocalist Christina Bianco performs hits from the likes of Hamilton, Les Miserables, and Titanic, at the Music Center at Strathmore. 8 p.m. at 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. $35–$90.
Scientist and bestselling author Sam Harris speaks about the most pressing issues of our time at The Warner Theatre. 7:30 p.m. at 513 13th St. NW. $43–$143.
NEWS & REVIEWS YOU CAN USE
Film: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is an elegant kids’ film for all ages.
Film: Fighting with My Family is chock-full of charming cliches.
Museums and Galleries: Jason Gubbiotti‘s abstract paintings reach for new realms at Civilian Art Projects.
Dance: Gian Carlo Perez is making ballet relevant again.
Theater: Rorschach Theatre’s Reykjavik takes audiences on a twisted trip to Iceland.
Theater: GALA’s El viejo, el joven y el mar teaches audiences about Spanish history.
Theater: BLKS celebrates the intimacy and exuberance of black female friendship.
Music: Form is relative on Jeff Cosgrove, Matthew Shipp, and William Parker‘s Near Disaster.
OFFICE OF FUTURE PLANNING
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. for genre-blending country star Thomas Rhett, performing on July 18 at the Merriweather Post Pavilion. 7 p.m. at 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia. Prices to be released at the time of sale.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. for folk singer and guitarist Jenny Lewis, known as the frontwoman of indie rock band Rilo Kiley, performing on Sept. 5 at The Anthem. 8 p.m. at 901 Wharf St. SW. $40–$70.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. for British electropop sensation Marina, formerly Marina and the Diamonds, performing on Sept. 18 at The Anthem. 8 p.m. at 901 Wharf St. SW. $45–$149.
Tickets go on sale at 12 p.m. for Charlottesville singer-songwriter Nathan Colberg and special guests—the Nashville pop duo Sawyer—performing on April 18 at Union Stage. 7:30 p.m. at 740 Water St. SW. $15.
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