Coming up at the Alden: Highlights From the 2021 Schedule
The Borisevich Duo, DDAT, Alexandria Kleztet, and more celebrate returning and reconnecting
The Robert Ames Alden Theatre, located inside Virginia’s McLean Community Center, has officially reopened in the wake of the pandemic with a handful of live performances scheduled over the next two months. The programming was inspired by the sense of returning and reconnecting, as well as by what the musical note “re” signifies in the solfege scale, according to Daniel Singh, the center’s new executive director, who curated the season along with Sarah Schallern Treff, the center’s performing arts director.
“The note re is about transitions, about returning or going towards something,” Singh says. “From this context, ‘re’ embodies the tension of our times — the venturing out into the world away from home base, the uncertainty of the future, and the pull between the two.”
The new season continues this weekend with a Sunday afternoon performance by The Borisevich Duo, the internationally acclaimed, Baltimore-based married duo of violinist Nikita Borisevich and pianist Margarita Loukachkina (10/24, at 2 p.m.). A few days into November comes the special Virtual Workshop “Native American Fusion Music,” during which musicians of all ages and abilities can learn more about the culture and creativity driving DDAT. The free workshop on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m., serves as a preview of a January performance by the American Southwest-based group, a four-piece featuring vocals, trumpet, bass, and drums, and blending elements from jazz and hip-hop into a Native Southwest style to create a sound all their own.
Arguably the highlight of the fall season is the special 50th Anniversary performance “Come to Your Senses” from Pilobolus. The acclaimed movement masters will showcase both classic and new dance theater pieces examining human biology that engage the senses “in a refreshing immersion in the biosphere.” (11/7, at 7:30 p.m.)
Finally, the Alden will close out 2021 with two holiday-themed musical programs, kicking off the month of December with “Joy to the World: A Christmas Musical Journey” led by multi-genre recording artist and educator Damien Sneed performing his own original arrangements of gospel, jazz, and classical favorites on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. Ten days later brings “A Klezmer Hanukkah” with Virginia’s own Alexandria Kleztet performing festive Klezmer tunes plus a little jazz tossed in for good measure on Dec. 11 at 7 p.m.
The Alden Theatre is located inside the McLean Community Center at 1234 Ingleside Ave. in McLean, Va. Ticket prices vary. COVID-19 policies include a mask-wearing requirement for everyone while inside the facility and reduced theater capacity for proper social distancing. Call 703-790-0123 or visit www.aldentheatre.org.
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