But it turns out that the piece, titled Hammock, is a little more involved than that. It didn’t just come out of the blue. As dancers with the Takoma Park-based Dance Exchange, Wegman and Levitt had been on the go for months at a time, moving around the country in residencies and performances with the company. “We both have lived a life in the last couple of years of a lot of touring and traveling,” explains Wegman. “There’s a lot of pros to it, but for 32 weeks out of the year, it gets really hard on your body, really grueling.”

No wonder the two were pondering concepts of rest and restlessness, of being in the moment versus being on the go—all of which, they say, shows up in the piece. Don’t expect kinesthetic pyrotechnics; Hammock, according to its choreographers, is more about putting a lens on the human body and the space it inhabits.

But that hammock—the one that inspired the piece—will be onstage too, in a tangible, non-metaphorical way. Audience members who arrive to the theater early will treated to a short, site-specific installation piece as Levitt and Wegman assemble their prop.

Hammock kicks off the Kennedy Center’s three Local Dance Commissioning Project performances this fall. The program, which is the KenCen’s tip of the hat to the local dance community, provides recipients with $7,500 stipend, a forum for critical feedback, and produced performances at Dance Place and Baltimore’s Theatre Project, as well as on the Millennium Stage.

Tonight and tomorrow night at 6pm on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage. Free.

Photo by Emily Macel Theys

Out of fear that Robert Mugabe’s government will have him arrested, the Zimbabwean singer and guitarist Thomas Mapfumo has lived in exile in Eugene, Ore., since 2000. Mapfumo's chimurenga music, or music of struggle, is banned from the airwaves in his home country. But the 66-year-old musician known as The Lion of Zimbabwe will make a rare local appearance with his seven-piece band The Blacks Unlimited Saturday evening at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. He spoke with Arts Desk via e-mail about his music and the controversies dogging him at home.

Mapfumo spent his teen years singing Wilson Pickett and Beatles covers in English, but began penning socio-political songs in Shona during his country's revolutionary 1970s. The white minority-led Rhodesian government consequently jailed him for subversion. Nevertheless, his bouncy, melodic Chimurenga music, which combines traditional mbira (metal-pronged thumb piano) with Southern African pop, was already the unofficial soundtrack to the uprising that overturned that rule in 1980.

That year, Mapfumo sang at a Zimbabwean independence concert with Bob Marley; by 1989, he had soured on Mugabe's reign, and released his album Corruption. About a decade later, he relocated to the United States. But he still faces trouble from the Zimbabwe Republic Police, who allege that Mapfumo, on a visit to Zimbabwe in 2001, bought and sold four stolen cars and failed to respond to an open police docket on the case. Mapfumo insists there was no docket opened against him at all, and he does not know why this is being brought up now. “I told the police exactly who I sold the cars to and nothing was ever done about it,” he notes, adding, “This is probably a political maneuver intended to tarnish my name.”

In May, he made a surprise appearance in Johannesburg with Zimbabwean singer Oliver Mtukudzi, and he is now touring in support of his 2010 album Exile. He says he consciously made this album more pan-African than his prior releases. He grew up listening to Congolese rumba and South African township jazz in addition to soul and rock, and on Exile, he incorporates West African guitar sounds into his already unique, hybridized Zimbabwean sound.

Why did the controversial legend choose to live in Eugene? "It's a quiet place and good for my children, unlike big cities," he says. "It has better education, also.” But despite his distance from Zimbabwe, Mapfumo keeps up with news from home. He's resigned himself to the possibility that Mugabe will stay in office until he dies. “It's possible because others in power are supporting him," he says, "and want him there to maintain their own positions.”

Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited perform Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, 2700 F Street NW. kennedy-center.org. Free.

But for this program, the real draw is not the soloist but the composer: Augusta Read Thomas, who was in attendance Thursday as the NSO gave the inaugural stateside performance of her third violin concerto.  The NSO has a long history with Thomas, having performed eight of her works under three music directors – including four debuts—going back to Air and Angels in 1992 under Mstislav Rostropovich. Maybe someone who was around then can fill us in on how they fared with audiences; this piece got mostly blank stares and a smattering of polite applause. Retiring principal trumpet Adel Sanchez got a more enthusiastic response when he was hauled up to receive his farewell plaque.

Koh performed only the Thomas piece, which, while written for a full orchestra, is basically a long solo with the NSO performing a supporting and mostly percussive role. Like too many contemporary classical composers, Thomas substitutes mood for melody, that mood usually being either whimsy or anxiety. (Thomas manages to straddle both.) It begins with a languid violin line that picks up jarring interjections from the orchestra haphazardly, like raindrops on a tin roof.  The concerto evokes the score of an Alfred Hitchcock movie, whereas its unfortunate title, Juggler in Paradise, brings to mind Jimmy Buffett.

Thomas explicitly wrote Juggler in Paradise to be physically demanding, and Koh muscled through it gamely.  She broke several bow strings throughout the performance, while the stage lighting showed off her toned biceps and deltoids, contrasting with a regal purple dress. Her preferred stance is to lean way forward when she plays, as if scolding a small child. The orchestral responses are surprising, involving wooden blocks, plucked piano strings and a really long bongo sequence that reflects Thomas’ flirtation with jazz. Those in attendance at Thursday’s performance were treated to an additional accompaniment by a malfunctioning hearing aid belonging to some guy seated around row HH.

Juggler in Paradise was bookended by two works by Robert Schumann: his overture to Die Braut von Messina and the better-known Symphony No. 2.  The first, an interpretation of a play by Friedrich Schiller, is a product of Schumann’s fanboy obsession with the German playwright, second only to that of Lyndon LaRouche. It’s a caterwauling sonata evoking the sadness of both Schiller’s tragedy and Schumann’s own life. But the emotion was lacking on Thursday, with the violins coming off meekly in the lighter themes. The symphony was better, though it took a while for the orchestra to build to its thrilling conclusion. Comprising a manic-depressive first movement, a repetitive OCD motif in the second, a just-plain-depressive third and an exuberant freakout in the fourth, it’s a slow-motion nervous breakdown by the guy who so out-romanticized Ludwig van Beethoven that he died in the loony bin after a failed suicide.

This weekend concludes Christoph Eschenbach’s first season as music director of the NSO, and, on paper at least, it should be his ideal program.  The disparate composers link Eschenbach’s two great loves and strengths, German romanticism and contemporary classical (although Eschenbach favors European composers, and Thomas is American).  But the nowhere-near-capacity audience was underwhelmed, and was quick to head out after a short ovation. If Eschenbach is, as we are told, enjoying a first-season love affair, it’s more apparent on the orchestra and management end than from the audience. But the maestro has plenty more opportunities to don his Nehru jacket and show D.C. what he’s about, both as a conductor and musician. He accompanies Koh on the piano for Saturday’s informal—and, once again, free—pre-game recital at the Millennium Stage.

The performance repeats Friday, June 10 and Saturday, June 11, both at 8 p.m., at the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW.  $20 – $85.  (800) 444-1324.

Are you curious about rock music’s influence in Asia? This weekend offers a couple of examples, plus a rare visit from a Cuban band, a return visit from a soul music veteran, and more.

Friday September 24

Los Angeles band Dengue Fever has a Cambodian lead singer, Chhom Nimol, and instrumentalists in love with 1960s Khmer rock and other international genres. The 2009 documentary Sleepwalking through the Mekong follows the band on its 2005 trip to Cambodia. Zac Holtzman and Senon Williams of Dengue Fever will attend tonight's screening along with director John Pirozzi. 7 p.m.  at the Sackler Gallery. Free.

The NEA National Heritage Fellowships Concert will honor a wide swath of musicians, including Yacub Addy, a Ghanaian drum master from Latham, N.Y. ; Jim "Texas Shorty" Chancellor, a fiddler from Rockwall, Texas; Del McCoury, bluegrass guitarist and singer from Nashville, Tenn.; Kamala Lakshmi Narayanan, Bharatanatyam Indian dancer from Mastic, N.Y.; Mike Rafferty, Irish flute player from Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.; and Ezequiel Torres, an Afro-Cuban drummer and drum builder from Miami. 8 p.m. at the Music Center at Strathmore. No advance free tickets are left, but a stand-by line begins at 7 p.m. for seats unclaimed by 7:45 p.m.

Saturday, September 25

Troker performs for free (and over webcast) from 6 to 7 p.m. at Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. This Mexican band melds hip-hop break beats, funk, jazz, fusion, pop, and cumbia.

Trombone Shorty (from New Orlean) and M.I.A. (U.K. via Sri Lanka)  perform at the sold-out Virgin FreeFest at Merriweather Post Pavilion.

Sunday, Sept. 26

The Bluebird Blues Festival includes Clarence Carter (the veteran  Southern soul artist known for “Patches” and “Strokin”), Diunna Greenleaf & Blue Mercy (highly touted Houston group), Charles "Big Daddy" Stallings, M.S.G. – The Acoustic Band Trio, Barry Lee Pearson, Phil Wiggins & Rick Franklin, and Warner Williams and Jay Summerour. 12:30 to 6 p.m. at Prince Georges Community College. Free.

Locos por Juana performs for free (and via webcast) from 6 to 7 p.m. at Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. This Miami Latin alternative band plays a combination of cumbia, reggae, rock, and more.

Veteran Japanese pop-punk trio Shonen Knife performs at the Rock & Roll Hotel. 8 p.m.$15.

Orquesta Bamboleo, a large, funky Cuban timba band with plenty of horns and percussion, at performs the Star Lounge in Annandale.  $30-40.

Malian singer Khaira Arby and her band will appear for free tonight at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage as part of their first U.S. tour, which coincides with the release of Arby's first North American album, Timbuktu Tarab, on the Clermont Music label. Arby sings in a brash, raw-edged voice in Sonrai, Arabic, and Tamashek over her band’s mix of noisy electric guitar, traditional Malian percussion, and stringed instruments.

Arby has been singing professionally for two decades.  The daughter of a Songhai/Tamashek Islamic mother and a Berber father, she began singing as a child in her Saharan village home just north of Timbuktu, but was discouraged from continuing to do so by her father, who married her off at age 14.  At 22 she was divorced, and began singing regularly with a band, and on occasion with her cousin, the late guitarist Ali Farka Toure. In Mali she and her group have released a number of cassettes including the effort Ya Rassoul, which according to the Awesometapesfromafrica blog, was “enormously popular in Timbuktu, where you will hear this tape playing out of a ghetto blaster in a shop or the cassette deck of a car. This is not 'world music,' this is just plain old awesome music that straddles the linguistic and cultural divide of a place like Timbuktu.”

Timbuktu Tarab has its awesome moments, as well.  Arby’s voice is loud and husky as she roars out a mixture of praise songs and social criticism over her two desert-blues electric guitarists, the ngoni lute, the njarka one string fiddle, bass, drums, and backing vocalists.  Not all of it works.  It’s a bit samey-sounding at times, as Arby does not display here the wide melodic range of her fellow countrywoman Oumou Sangare. However, videos of older material show that she can sing more softly when she wants to.

Khaira Arby and band perform for free  from 6 to 7 p.m. (the concert will also be webcast) today at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage,  2700 F St., NW.  (800) 444-1324.

Friday

• Jakob Dylan, Three Legs, Neko Case, Kelly Hogan, Mimicking Birds. 9:30 Club. $25.
• Lucy Kaplansky. Wolf Trap. $20.
• Gist, Gary B. & the Notions, The Courtesy Line. The Red & The Black. $8.
• Eilen Jewell, Little Pink. IOTA Club & Cafe. $12.
• The Blue Line, Poor But Sexy, The Very Small. Rock and Roll Hotel. $10.
• Buckshot Blues. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.
• The Last Monarchs, Nick Coward and the Last Battle, Bobby Lee and the Sympathizers. Velvet Lounge. $8. 21+.
• The Tallest Man on Earth, Nurses. Black Cat mainstage. $12.
• Mavis Staples. Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. $38.
• Oranges Band, Doug Gillard Electric, The Andalusians. Comet Ping Pong. $8.
• Cannibal Corpse, Skeletonwitch, Diabolic, Lecherous Nocturne, C.O.B.C. Jaxx. $24.50 in advance, $28 day of.
• Dragonette, Think About Life. DC9. $8. 18+.

Saturday

• Patti LuPone. Strathmore. $25-$85.
• Buskin & Batteau. Wolf Trap. $22.
• The Protomen, The Prigs. The Red & The Black. $8.
• The Walkaways, The Kate Moran Band, Stella Schindler. IOTA Club & Cafe. $12.
• Amanda Blank, Ninjasonik, DJ Jackie-O. Rock and Roll Hotel. $16.
• Outliers. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.
• Quasi, Let's Wrestle. Black Cat mainstage. $12.
• The Nields, Trina Hamlin. Jammin Java. $15.
• In Alcatraz 1962, Lakeview, Behold the Flood, Discover Her Remains, Kendal Burke, Viliska, This Murder Means More, Anubis, Vile Infection, Failing the Fallen. Jaxx. $10 in advance, $12 day of.
• Charlie Wilson, Chuck Brown. DAR Constitution Hall. $45-$65.

Sunday

• Tim Be Told, Omar of Crash Boom Bang. IOTA Club & Cafe. $12.
• Municipal Waste, Toxic Holocaust. Black Anvil. Rock and Roll Hotel. $12.
• Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Magical Beautiful. Black Cat backstage. $10.
• The Clark Sisters. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Free.
• Anais Mitchell and the Hadestown Orchestra, Michael Chorney Sextet. Jammin Java. $15.
• The RLC Explosion, Gomorrah, Zero Shift, Streaking on Seneca, Radamanthys, The Bourbon Devils, Failing the Fallen, Silence the Blind, The 6th Degree, Touching Elbows, Histrionic Witch. Jaxx. $8 in advance, $10 day of.
• Dosh, White Hinterland, Andrew Black and Malari Moore. DC9. $10 in advance, $12 day of. 18+.

Friday

• Martin Sexton, Ryan Montbleau Band. 9:30 Club. $25.
• Jamie McLean Band. Strathmore. $10 in advance, $12 at door.
• Livingston Taylor. Wolf Trap. $22.
• Horsehead, Hiding Places, Deutschmarks. The Red & The Black. $8. 21+.
• Laura Tsaggaris, James Maddock. IOTA Club & Cafe. $12.
• Pissed Jeans, Cloak/Dagger, The Wayward. Rock and Roll Hotel. $10 in advance, $12 at door.
• Rhododendron Road. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.
• Little Bigheart & the Wilderbeast, Sean K. Preston, East Coast Caravan. Velvet Lounge. $8. 21+.
• Shortstack, Birds of Avalon, Suns of Guns. Black Cat mainstage. $12.

Saturday

• Jedi Mind Tricks, Mr. Lif. 9:30 Club. $17.
• DeLeon, The Torches. The Red & The Black. $10. 21+.
• RPM, Brad Sanzerbacher and the Purveyors. IOTA Club & Cafe. $10.
• Beltway Rockers. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.
• Alvin Risk, TightenUp!/McWorm, City Rain. Velvet Lounge. $8. 21+.
• The Remnant Concert Choir of Mt. Ararat Baptist Church. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Free.
• Strotter Inst., Pilesar, Blue Sausage Infant. Comet Ping Pong. $8.
• Jason Reeves, Chelsea Lee. Jammin Java. $10 in advance, $13 day of.
• Crash Boom Bang, Conditions, Life on Repeat, Rescue the Hero, Escape the Armada. Jaxx. $10 in advance, $12 day of.
• Francis and the Lights, Ryan Holladay. DC9. $10.

Sunday

• Kidz in the Hall, 88-Keys, Izza Kizza, Donnis, Tabi Bonney. 9:30 Club. $20.
• National Philharmonic. Strathmore. $29-$79.
• Blankus Larry. IOTA Club & Cafe. $10.
• The Apples in Stereo, Generationals, Laminated Cat. Rock and Roll Hotel. $15.
• Jazz Jam. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.
• Greg Ginn and the Texas Corrugators, CSC Funkband. Velvet Lounge. $10. 18+.
• The Styrenes. Velvet Lounge. $10. 18+.
• Richard Smallwood & Vision. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Free.
• Heks Orkest, The Fordists. Black Cat backstage. $10.
• Jammin' 4 Haiti. Jammin Java. $8.
• Roman Candle, Paper Bird, Tao Seeger Band. Jammin Java. $10 in advance, $13 at door.
• With the Black Kid, Awaiting the Aftermath, Siren to the Skies, I Am Imagination, Out Forever, Counting Out Loud, Legions Prevail, Vitality, The Grue. Jaxx. $10 in advance, $12 day of.
• Unwed Sailor, Common Loon. DC9. $8 in advance, $10 day of. 18+.

Ryan Montbleau Band photo by Chris Paul, via MySpace.

Friday

• Needtobreathe, Will Hoge, Matt Hires. 9:30 Club. $16.

• Gato & the Palenke Music Co. Strathmore. $10 in advance, $12 at door.

• Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. Wolf Trap. $35.

• East Coast Caravan. The Red & The Black. $8. 21+.

• Shwa, The Royal We. IOTA Club & Cafe. $10.

• Bonjour, Ganesh!, The Jones, Big Chimney, Blankus Larry. Rock and Roll Hotel. $10.

• Andy Poxon. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.

• The Caribbean, Ryan Holladay, Twins of a Gazelle. Velvet Lounge. $8. 21+.

• Tamagawa University Taiko Drumming and Dance Troupe. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Free.

• Maybe Baby, Exactly, John Powers. Comet Ping Pong. Free.

• The Wedding Present, The Jet Age. Black Cat mainstage. $15.

Saturday

• Done & Done Festival. All Souls Unitarian Church. $12-$20.

• Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Strathmore. $30-$90.

• Julie Murphy Wells. Wolf Trap. $25.

• The Honeyguns, The Grit Pushers. The Red & The Black. $8. 21+.

• Honor By August, The Ruse, Luna Halo. IOTA Club & Cafe. $12.

• Wicked Liquid featuring Fuzzy G, Pants Velour, The Canon Logic. Rock and Roll Hotel. $10.

• The Icemen. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.

• Alex Gruenberg, Astronomers, Natives. Velvet Lounge. $8. 21+.

• bob (CD release show), Almost Kings, Feed God Cabbage. Jammin Java. $12 in advance, $15 day of.

• Harmonia Opera Company. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Free.

• Richard Bacchus and The Luckiest, Yell County, DJ Kid Congo Powers. Comet Ping Pong. $8.

• Noon:30, The Aquarium. Black Cat backstage. $8.

Sunday

• Blue October, Stars of Track and Field, Hurricane Bells. 9:30 Club. $25.

• Red Sparowes, Doomriders, Fang Island. Rock and Roll Hotel. $10 in advance, $12 at door.

• Caustic Casanova, Dark Sea Dream, Akris, Disco Machine Gun. Velvet Lounge. $8. 21+.

• I Saw A Ghost, The Kindness of Strangers, A Sense of Urgency, Light Up the Sky, Failing the Fallen, Thatswhatshesaid. Jammin Java. $10 in advance, $13 day of.

• George Benson. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. $20-$45.

• High on Fire, Priestess, Black Cobra, Bison B.C. Black Cat mainstage. $15.

• Rocky Votolato, Brooke Waggoner. DC9. $13 in advance, $15 day of. 18+.

Will Hoge photo by Drew Gurian, via MySpace.

Friday

• Nada Surf, Dawn Landes and the Hounds. 9:30 Club. $20.

• E.M. Spencer. Strathmore. $10 in advance, $12 at door.

• Christine Lavin. Wolf Trap. $20.

• The Bang, Chute. The Red & The Black. $8. 21+.

• Justin Trawick Group, Jason Masi Band, Rene Moffatt, Jamie Marie. IOTA Club & Cafe. $12.

• Midnight Sun, Nunchucks, Downtown Harvest, Blackbells. Rock and Roll Hotel. $10.

• Big Tow. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.

• Bellflur, Drop Electric, Club Scout. Velvet Lounge. $8. 18+.

• Bill Kirchen & Too Much Fun, Austin de Lone. Jammin Java. $20.

• Mountain Ridge Jazz Orchestra. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Free

• Meow Vs. Meow, Delfields, Gary B & the Notions. Comet Ping Pong. $8.

Saturday

• Jonathan Edwards. Wolf Trap. $24.

• The Royal We, Black Dog Prowl, The Killer Balloons. The Red & The Black. $8.

• The U-Liners. IOTA Club & Cafe. $15.

• Rattler, New Rock Church Of Fire, Shokkher, DJ Stereo Faith. Rock and Roll Hotel. $10.

• Waverly Milor and The Hall Brothers. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.

• Kids, Jackie O, Starks and Nacey, Lil El'. Velvet Lounge. $5. 21+.

• Willie Nile. Jammin Java. $20.

• National Symphony Orchestra. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. $20-$85.

• Cyberstrike, Envy's Eye, We Have the Summer, Tiik with G.U.T.S, The Blackshire, Li[n]es, La Coterie, The Cliched. Jaxx. $8 in advance, $10 day of.

Sunday

• Sezen Aksu. Strathmore. $60-$120.

• Shapiro, The Winter Sounds, Achtung PandaFr. The Red & The Black. $8.

• In Alcatraz 1962, Life After Hours, Kodiak, A Gentleman Calling, Villiska. Jammin Java. $10 in advance, $13 day of.

• Midlake, John Grant. Black Cat mainstage. $13 in advance, $15 day of.

• Anders Lundegård. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Free.

• Past Lives (Ex-Blood Brothers), Snack Truck. DC9. $8. 18+.

Nada Surf photo by Lionel Flusin, via MySpace.

Friday

• Kinoeye, Maximillion Dunbar, Protect-U, Steve Summers. The Cherch. $5 donation.

• Vladimir Feltsman. Strathmore. $27-$77.

• Ravenous, FOX Japan, Caustic Casanova. The Red & The Black. $8.

• Justin Jones, Down Dexter, Peter Bradley Adams. IOTA Club & Cafe. $12.

• Shearwater, Wye Oak, Hospital Ships. Rock and Roll Hotel. $12.

• Next Door Ellen. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.

• Imperial China, Cephalopods, Lo Moda, Busses. Velvet Lounge. $8. 21+.

• The Hint, Struan Shields, Ever Since Beginnings. Jammin Java. $10 in advance, $13 day of.

• The Washington Chorus. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. $15-$60.

• Moody Blues. DAR Constitution Hall. $48-$68.

Saturday

• Harper Blynn, Drink Up Buttercup. DC9. $12.

• The Dan Band. 9:30 Club. $25.

• National Philharmonic: Brahms' Requiem. Strathmore. $29-$79.

• John Eaton. Wolf Trap. $25.

• Killola, Sick of Sarah, Outernational. The Red & The Black. $8.

• Jupiter One, Heypenny, Kyle Andrews. IOTA Club & Cafe. $12.

• WOODS, Real Estate, Surf City. Rock and Roll Hotel. $12.

• Deb Felz. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.

• Ol Scratch, Cough, Nitroseed, Hollow Leg. Velvet Lounge. $8. 21+.

• Cary Pierce (Jackopierce). Jammin Java. $20.

• John and Susie Beatty Competition for Classical Guitar. Kennedy Center Millenium Stage. Free.

• Death Row Reunion, One Slack Mind, Acid Queen, Make Like Murder. Jaxx. $17 in advance, $20 day of.

• Japanese Choral Society of Washington. Cherry Blossom Festival. Free.

Sunday

• A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Phil and the Osophers, Faux Slang. DC9. $10. 18+.

• Shemekia Copeland. Wolf Trap. $22.

• Benyaro, Chris Merritt. The Red & The Black. $6.

• Mr. Gnome. IOTA Club & Cafe. $10.

• The Escape Artist, Thought and Memory, Pilot Cloud. Velvet Lounge. $8. 21+.

• Army of Me (acoustic), Colleen McCarron, Audra Mae. Jammin Java. $10 in advance, $13 day of.

• National Symphony Orchestra. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. $20-$85.

• Judge Smith. Cherry Blossom Festival. Free.

Imperial China photo by Abby Bysshe, via MySpace.