Performing Arts
Hear Folkways' Founding Father
Moses "Moe" Asch, the Berry Gordy of Folkways Records, would have turned 104 this past Wednesday. Asch founded the Folkways label in 1948, and he worked with some of the pioneers in folk and blues, including Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly. As a recording engineer, Asch preferred to keep ...
December 08, 2009 |
By Jeff Campagna
Smithsonian Channel: Pearl Harbor from Above
On Saturday night, Aerial America: Hawaii premiered on the Smithsonian Channel. The segment, one in a series devoted to viewing the country’s natural and manmade marvels from air, delivers on its promise to capture breathtaking footage. The video crew travels in a helicopter over Kilauea, one of th...
December 07, 2009 |
By Megan Gambino
Events for the Week of 12/7-11: American Indian Dancing, Inspirational Toys, ZooLights and More!
Monday, December 7: Seasons of LightFor an all-inclusive seasonal celebration, check out “Seasons of Light.” Performed annually for the past ten years, “Seasons of Light” features the customs of winter holidays from different cultures, such as Ramadan, Devali, Hanukkah, Las Posadas, Christmas and W...
December 07, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Homemade Clothes for Hollywood - Made Movies
Rabbit Goody has been the go-to weaver for historically accurate fabric for the movie industry’s biggest period dramas
December 07, 2009 |
By Rachel Dickinson
The Glorious History of Handel's Messiah
A musical rite of the holiday season, the Baroque-era oratorio still awes listeners 250 years after the composer's death
December 2009 |
By Jonathan Kandell
Events: A National Zoo Electric Light Show, Holidays on Display, Celebrations of Winter Holidays
Monday, November 30: Sorry kids, no special events today. But be sure to check this Web site for a listing of regularly scheduled Smithsonian fun.Tuesday, December 1: Seasons of LightFor an all-inclusive seasonal celebration, check out "Seasons of Light." Performed annually for the past ten years, ...
November 30, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Weekend Events: Celebrate American Indian Heritage, Astronaut Art, and Sesame Street's 40th Birthday!
Friday, November 13: Vice Adm. Donald D. Engen Flight Jacket Night: A Conversation with Alan BeanOn November 19th, 1969, Alan Bean became the fourth man to set foot on the Moon during the second lunar landing as the Apollo 12 lunar module pilot. After a distinguished career at NASA, he retired in 1...
November 13, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Sweatin' to the Smithsonian: Exercise With Folkways
Autumn is upon us, which means we must once again turn our thoughts to the Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas triumvirate of culinary evil. No matter how much goodwill you show to your friends, family and neighbors, it won't save your waistline from the smorgasbord of rich foods that you traditionall...
November 06, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Meet Sesame Street's Global Cast of Characters
Over the course of the 40 years that the program has been on the air, Sesame Street has spawned versions in countries around the world
November 06, 2009 |
By Abby Callard
Recording the Ju/'hoansi for Posterity
For 50 years, John Marshall documented one of Africa's last remaining hunter- gatherer tribes in more than 700 hours of film footage
November 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Are Scientists or Moviemakers the Bigger Dodos?
Scientist-turned-filmmaker Randy Olson says that academics must be more like Hollywood in how they share their love for science
October 30, 2009 |
By Abby Callard
Celebrate Halloween with Smithsonian Folkways!
Halloween isn't the most musical holiday out there. Repeated listenings of "Monster Mash" (and it's infrequently heard B-side), the Ghostbusters theme, The Addams Family theme song, the theme from The Munsters. Are you detecting a theme here? I mean, you could also play 101 variations of "Night on ...
October 29, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
DC Latin American Film Showcase Screens "The Accordion Kings"
As part of the Latin American Film Showcase, "The Accordion Kings: The Story of Colombian Vallenato Music," a Smithsonian Networks film, will be shown at the Georgetown Business School - Lohrfink Auditorium tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. The film captures an annual festival of accordion music that takes pla...
October 27, 2009 |
By Abby Callard
Hazel Scott’s Lifetime of High Notes
She began her career as a musical prodigy and ended up breaking down racial barriers in the recording and film industries
October 16, 2009 |
By Karen Chilton
Jewish Songwriters, American Songs
Poet David Lehman talks about the brilliant Jewish composers and lyricists whose work largely comprises the great American songbook
October 07, 2009 |
By Jamie Katz
A Depression- Era Playlist
Poet David Lehman provides a list of his favorite songs from the 1930s, including works by Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen and others
October 07, 2009 |
By David Lehman
Celebrate Oktoberfest with Smithsonian Folkways!
As summer segues into autumn, it's time once again to dust off your lederhosen, crack out the sauerkraut, throw the best bratwurst on the barbie and raise a stein to Oktoberfest! This 16-day celebration originated in Munich in the early 1800s and has since been celebrated the world over thanks to h...
October 01, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Motown Turns 50
For years, the recording industry excluded black artists. Along came Motown, and suddenly everyone was singing its tunes
September 29, 2009 |
By Marian Smith Holmes
Jewish Bluegrass
Lovers of the banjo, fiddle and mandolin blend cultural identity and religious faith to create a uniquely American sound
September 24, 2009 |
By Jen Miller
Dancing Around Abraham Lincoln
Bill T. Jones, one of America’s foremost living choreographers, tackles Lincoln’s complicated legacy in his newest work
September 11, 2009 |
By Rebecca Milzoff
