In the late ’90s and early 2000s, a group of musicians in New York were laying the groundwork for what would become the defining sounds of today’s musical landscapes. That group, The Soulqaurians, featured some of music’s now-most cherished stars and radical visionaries. The music scene in and around D.C. is indebted to The Soulquarians: You can hear it in the moody, lush production of Maryland R&B duo April + VISTA and the jazz and justice charged hip-hop of D.C.’s G.U.M.P. (Give Us More Power). Before Common takes the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall stage to perform selections of Black America Again with the NSO Pops, those groups pay tribute to Common and the Soulquarians. Read more >>> The performance begins at 6 p.m. at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, 2700 F St. NW. Free. (202) 467-4600. kennedy-center.org. (Jackson Sinnenberg)
EAT THIS
Wear polka dots to any of the D.C. area’s Dolcezza Gelato locations today and get free scoop of “Infinity” gelato in honor of the Yayoi Kusama exhibit at The Hirshhorn. The flavor consists of vanilla gelato with with chocolate flakes, a swirl of luxardo, and amaretto-spiced cherries. If you can’t make it today for a handout, the flavor will be on sale until the exhibit closes May 14. Dolcezza Gelato, multiple locations. dolcezzagelato.com. (Laura Hayes)
OH AND ALSO
Elsewhere at the Kennedy Center, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, the humorous, all-male ballet company, performs excerpts from Swan Lake, Don Quixote, and Le Corsaire in the Opera House. 7:30 p.m. at 2700 F St. NW. $39–$99.
Experimental pop act Foxygen takes the stage at 9:30 Club with opening act Gabriella Cohen. 7 p.m. at 815 V St. NW. $25.
Author Greer Macalister reads from her new novel, Girl in Disguise, which follows a female detective in 1850s Chicago, at Kramerbooks. 6:30 p.m. at 1517 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free.
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