Arts & Entertainment
A lasting legacy
‘Poetry into Song’ at National Presbyterian Church on March 5

“Poetry into Song”
Washington Master Chorale
March 5 at 5 p.m.
National Presbyterian Church
4101 Nebraska Ave., N.W.
$40-60
washingtonmasterchorale.org
After 10 years as a singer and board member with Washington Master Chorale, Diane Kresh decided to end her tenure. But before leaving, she wanted to express her gratitude by gifting the group with something truly beautiful.
The result is composer David Conte’s “The Unknown Sea” a commissioned chorale piece based on the texts of famed American poet Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979). Originally the piece was slated to end the chorale’s 10th season in 2020, but because the pandemic had other plans, it’s now debuting as part of WMC’s “Poetry into Song” on March 5 at the National Presbyterian Church.
The idea, Kresh explains, was to create a legacy project, a gift to the chorale from her for many years of making music with a special group of people including WMC artistic director and dear friend Thomas Colohan. Also, Kresh wanted to include a salute to Bishop, whose detailed yet non-confessional style she greatly admires.
Kresh’s affinity with Bishop is partly based on similarities, both gay and feminists. Also, Kresh, who enjoyed a long career at the Library of Congress, appreciates that Bishop spent a brief stint as a consultant of poetry at the library many in 1949. But mostly, Kresh loves the work of women writers, and that’s something she wants to celebrate.
Bishop knew great success, friendship and romantic love, but her early years were marked by tragedy. She was a baby when her father died, and just a few years later her mother was permanently institutionalized with mental illness. For a time, Bishop lived happily with her maternal grandparents in Nova Scotia and then her father’s wealthy parents spirited her off to New England. She graduated from Vassar in 1934.
Using inherited private income, Bishop travelled broadly and frequently. Evident from her life and work is a search for home and an interest in coasts. She lived in Brazil for some time.
When Kresh’s commission was still just a thought, she and Colohan reached out to Conte, a prolific San Francisco-based composer who has written 150 works of which 40 involved the words of poets, both living and dead. Kresh wanted twenty minutes of music based on Bishop’s words with a mezzo soprano solo built in.
Initially Conte, who is gay, wasn’t sure if he was the right man for the job. He knew of Bishop’s poetry but not well. But the deeper he dove the more excited he became. And he had no objections to Kresh’s requests, so they moved ahead.
For his new choral orchestral work, Conte draws on Bishop’s “One Art,” a widely admired poem that’s at once deeply personal yet a throwback to tradition and reserve.
“It’s about losing keys, a house, and finally losing a loved one. Increasingly, the losses become more intense,” he says. “The tone of the poem is so interesting, a quiet but confident acceptance of loss as a part of life, wry and humorous and brave all at the same time. It took me a while to penetrate the personality that’s in the poetry.”
The commissioned work is an amalgam of queer talent. When a gay composer sets the words of a gay poet, there’s no question of shared experience. Conte says “While we have more freedom than Bishop experienced, there’s still a shared oppression, feeling like an outsider, having to discover identity because yours is inexact.”
For both artistic and practical reasons, WMC is pairing “The Unknown Sea” with Ralph Vaughan Williams’s cantata, “Dona Nobis Pacem,” based on work by gay poet Walt Whitman and texts from the Hebrew Bible and Latin Mass, re-orchestrated by British composer and conductor Jonathan Rathbone.
Both Kresh and Conte will be in attendance for this long-anticipated premiere.
“I’m excited, but a little sad I won’t be singing,” says Kresh. “It’s a sometimes bright, sometimes elegiac piece that has legs; I hope other groups and audiences will experience the same kind of joy that we’ve had making it.
Theater
Local theater scene heats up for the season
David Sedaris, Tituss Burgess, opera, and more on tap

With all the fun and half the hassle, staycation has a lot going for it, and the performing arts can be a big part of the experience. Here’s some of what’s out there this summer.
At Wolf Trap, the summer program is bursting with song, dance, and laughs. And if you’re quick, you can catch the sardonic wit of gay humorist David Sedaris in his one-night only show “An Evening with David Sedaris” on July 19.
Pink Martini is bringing its 30th anniversary tour to Wolf Trap on July 29. The self-described “tiny orchestra” known for its cosmopolitan musical stylings, features vocalists China Forbes and Storm Large along with special guest out radio journalist Ari Shapiro.
Other shows slated for the Vienna, Va., farm park include Broadway stars Sutton Foster and Kelli O’Hara accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra for an evening of showstoppers by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Sondheim, Cole Porter, Jason Robert Brown, and Joni Mitchell. (8/1) Wolftrap.org
Perfectly timed for summer, Studio Theatre presents “Wipeout” (through July 27). Playwright Aurora Real de Asua’s beach-set story looks to be a promising 110 minutes of humor and poignant moments.
In “Wipeout,” Claudia, played by terrific D.C. favorite Naomi Jacobson, treats herself and her two closest girlfriends to an early birthday present of surf lessons.
Coached by “surf bro” instructor Blaze (played by handsome actor Alec Ludacka), Claudia is determined to slide into her golden years “catching some waves, and settling some scores.”
Olney Theatre presents a fantastic, queer friendly summer program centered mainly around its open-air Root Family Stage (7/31-8/24).
Highlights include hilarious out actor/singer Tituss Burgess in concert on Aug. 7, as well as the U.S. Premiere Concert presentation of “To Wong Foo: The Musical” (8/21) and “Just Arts: From Stonewall to RuPaul Drag Extravaganza” (8/24) featuring big name drag performers Lala Ri and Latrice Royale.
For those looking to beat the heat indoors, Olney has Synetic Theater performing its wordless version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” through Aug. 10.
Replete with fairies, a fantastical forest, star-crossed lovers, and an actor transformed into a donkey, Synetic’s take on the Bard’s enchanting, Athens-set rom com is directed by Paata Tsikurishvili. Olneytheatre.org
If kids (4 years and up) figure into your staycation plans, a trip to Bethesda’s Imagination Stage may be just the ticket. “Dory Fantasmagory” (through Aug. 3) based on the children’s book by Abby Hanlon and adapted to the stage by John Glore, explores family dynamics while remaining both imaginative and fun.
“It’s tough being the youngest. Dory’s siblings won’t play with her and there are monsters to battle all over the house, like the hair-raising Mrs. Gobble Gracker. With the help of her fairy godfather, Mr. Nuggy, her monster-friend, Mary, and her mighty imagination, Dory sets out to win what she wants most: her family’s attention.”
Young theatergoers are encouraged to come in wacky outfits in the spirit of Dory’s playful style, and pajama Saturdays are also encouraged. Imaginationstage.org
Young audiences may also enjoy “The Lightning Thief” (through Aug. 17) presented by Adventure Theatre in Glen Echo Park. With music and lyrics by Rob Rokicki, this dynamic musical adaptation of Rick Riordan’s bestselling book opened on Broadway in 2019.
Here’s the gist of the story. “When teenager Percy Jackson discovers he’s a demigod, he and his friends embark on an epic journey to find Zeus’ missing lightning bolt and prevent a war among the gods.” Kurt Boehm directs. Adventuretheatre-mtc.org
At Signature Theatre, there’s some laid-back cabaret with “Sailing: Yacht Rock” (July 22-Aug. 10) featuring terrific talents Deimoni Brewington and Tracy Lynn Olivera.
Relax and possibly reminisce with chill tunes like “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl),” “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” and “What a Fool Believes.” It’s a chance to enjoy and revisit the sounds of Christopher Cross, TOTO, and the Doobie Brothers. Sigtheatre.org
Washington National Opera (WNO) presents Opera in the Outfield (Aug. 23). The WNO invites theater and baseball fans to the Nationals Park for a free broadcast of Gershwin’s gorgeous classic “Porgy and Bess.” The screening starts at 6:30 p.m.
At the Kennedy Center, summer staycation wraps up with “Parade” (Aug. 19-Sept. 7), a powerful and celebrated 2023 Broadway revival musical. It’s based on the true story of Leo Frank, a Jewish factory superintendent in Atlanta wrongly accused and convicted of the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan in 1913. Co-conceived by the legendary Harold Prince, the production is a collaboration of some Broadway heavyweights including out director Michael Arden, Alfred Uhry (book), Jason Robert Brown (music & lyrics). Kennedy-center.org
Music & Concerts
Cyndi Lauper ready to have fun in Virginia
Superstar to bring final leg of farewell tour to Jiffy Lube Live

Superstar Cyndi Lauper will bring the final leg of her farewell tour “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” to Bristow, Va., on Thursday, July 24 at Jiffy Lube Live.
Lauper’s international Farewell Tour – her first major headlining run in a decade – kicked off in North America last October, and included her first time ever headlining (and selling out) Madison Square Garden. Lauper’s performances have earned raves from the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and many more, and surprise guests have included Chaka Khan, Sam Smith, and Hayley Williams. The tour just visited the U.K. and Europe, and will head to Australia and Japan in April.
Tickets are available on Live Nation’s website.

Rehoboth Beach Pride is back for a day of summer celebration on Saturday.
The Delaware beach town will host its Pride festival at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center on July 19 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., followed by an after-party at Freddie’s Beach Bar and a ticketed event in the evening with a film screening, comedian, and musician.
“It will be a day of community engagement, fun, celebration and learning, all sorts of things rolled into one,” David Mariner, executive director of Sussex Pride, told the Blade. “I think it’s a great opportunity for us to be together, to support each other.”
Pride is organized by Sussex Pride and Gay Women of Rehoboth. The festival will include a free, family-friendly event with vendors offering information and resources, health screenings, and other activities. For more information visit sussexpride.org.
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