The DC Lineup for this weekend: A symphony of events

The Smithsonian has dubbed 2019 the “Year of Music,” and the city seems to be overflowing with musical performances over the next couple of days, both related and unrelated to the campaign. Additionally, there are several sporting events featuring DC’s professional teams, a course on urban beekeeping, comedy and opera showcases, as well as auditions for a community dance performance. The District will also host two large expos: one for antiques and the other for health and fitness. Both happen this weekend, Jan. 11 to 13.

The weather will be cold, with temperatures ranging from 21 to 33 degrees. There will be mostly cloudy conditions on Friday, afternoon show showers on Saturday and morning snow showers on Sunday, with a winter weather advisory in effect from 4 p.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Sunday.

1. Comedy: This is the first weekend to catch Washington Improv Theater’s Road Show production at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. The show will run for three weeks through Sunday, Jan. 27, and includes performances from various ensembles from the Washington Improv Theater, such as Nox!, Love Onion, Madeline, Hellcat and iMusical. The comedy troupe will also debut its tribute to the media, a production called Fourth Estate. Road Show’s opening night was Thursday, followed by showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $15 to $18.

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   Sports: The Washington Wizards play at Capital One Arena, 601 F St. NW, twice this weekend. On Friday evening, they’ll take on the Milwaukee Bucks at 7. Then on Sunday they face the Toronto Raptors at 1 p.m. Tickets for the first game start at $18; tickets for the latter start at $15 — and go all the way up to $5,264 (that’s not a typo) for prime seating. Team members give back to the District through Wizards Care, which includes community programs focused on education, health and fitness, youth basketball, homelessness and hunger, and military and veterans. For example, as part of Activate Wizards Fitness, they visit a middle school in DC once a month for an hourlong workshop to encourage students to engage in physical activity.

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   Nature: Bee CARE Institute starts its Beginning Beekeeping Course in DC with a session on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 1400 Quincy St. NE. The course continues for the next five Saturdays at the same time and place. Attendees will learn about urban beekeeping. The registration fee for the full course is $185, which covers lectures, a textbook and light refreshments. Those who finish the course receive a certificate of completion from the Bee CARE Institute, a local group that aims to preserve the honey bee and other pollinators for the good of the planet.

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4. Dance: The National Building Museum’s creative-in-residence Heather Sultz invites the DC community to audition for a role in a dance performance. Tryouts are on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. at 401 F St. NW. Participants must be 18 years of age or over. No dance skills are needed. Prospective performers just need to come dressed in loose clothing and athletic or jazz shoes; jeans and street clothes are not allowed. Register online for an audition, or explore other opportunities to learn from Sultz, such as workshops and a discussion about her creative process.

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   Jazz and Blues Music: As Pearl Street Warehouse continues to showcase the city’s music, the Ron Holloway Trio and Bobby Thompson Trio will perform at the Southwest venue on Friday from 8 to 11 p.m. DC native Ron Holloway is a jazz musician who regularly collaborated with the legendary Dizzy Gillespie and is listed in the Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Bobby Thompson is a DC-based blues and folk musician. Tickets range from $10 to $12. The event is only for those 21 and over. Located at 33 Pearl St. SW in The Wharf, the Pearl Street Warehouse is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Year of Music, which aims to showcase the “social power of music” throughout 2019. … Listen to more jazz from the District on Sunday at 7 p.m. as CapitalBop’s DC Jazz Loft sets up shop at Rhizome DC, 6953 Maple St. NW. Cellist Janel Leppin and tenor saxophonist Brian Settles, two local musicians known for their improvisational skills, will lead ensembles and combine their groups. There are no tickets; donations for the performers will be collected at the door.

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6. Antiques: The Washington Winter Show, the second oldest charitable antiques show in the U.S., will showcase over 40 dealers this weekend at the Katzen Arts Center at American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW. The expo was founded in 1955 to raise funds for at-risk children and families. This year’s theme is “Elegant Entertaining,” and a related exhibit comes from George Washington’s Mount Vernon. General admission for the entire weekend — Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. — costs $25 per person and includes a catalog. On Sunday, there will be free ice cream sundaes for kids 8 to 12 years old. For additional cost, special events include a lecture by a former White House curator on Saturday.

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7. Sports: The Washington Capitals play Metropolitan Division rival Columbus Blue Jackets at Capital One Arena on Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $67. The Caps won the Stanley Cup in 2018 and closed out the year connecting with the community: Players wore red Santa hats to cheer up patients during a holiday season visit to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
   

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8. Theater: On Saturday, the Washington National Opera will debut three 20-minute operas — 75 Miles, Relapse and Pepito — as part of its American National Opera Initiative. This program was founded in January 2012 to mentor talent in contemporary American opera and provide opportunities to write for the stage. Tickets for the 7 or 9 p.m. shows on Saturday range from $19 to $35. The production runs for about an hour, followed by a Q&A with the artists and creative team.
   

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9. Health: Get the new year off to a healthy start by visiting the largest free consumer health event in the United States, DC’s NBC4/Telemundo 44 Health and Fitness Expo. The fair is celebrating its 26th year this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place NW. Hundreds of exhibitors will be there, including the National Law Enforcement Museum and The George Washington University Hospital Village Experience. Visitors can take part in special sessions such as cooking, dancing, Zumba, and foot and ankle exams as well as breast cancer screenings, all at no cost.
   

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10. Chamber Music: Talented musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra offer free performances in the Columbia Heights, U Street and Shaw areas through the weeklong NSO In Your Neighborhood program, which began earlier this week and continues through Monday. All events are free. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis, and keep in mind that the venues vary greatly in size. There are 13 classical music productions throughout the weekend:

• Two chamber concerts kick things off on Friday, one from 7 to 8 p.m. at St. Augustine Church, 1419 V St. NW, and the other from 9 to 10 p.m. at Bar Roubaix, 1400 Irving St. NW.
• Saturday starts with a family-friendly performance from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Library, 3160 16th St. NW, then continues with a chance to observe a bass clarinet master class from noon to 1 p.m. at St. Stephen & the Incarnation Episcopal Church, 1525 Newton St. NW. In the afternoon, there are two community concerts at the Colony Club, 3118 Georgia Ave. NW — the first is from 1 to 2 p.m. and the next is from 2 to 3 p.m. There are also two chamber concerts on Saturday; the first is from 3 to 4 p.m. at St. Stephen & the Incarnation Episcopal Church, 1525 Newton St. NW, and the second is from 4 to 5 p.m. at The Wonderland Ballroom, 1101 Kenyon St. NW. The night concludes with a full orchestra performance with guest artist Ted Hearne at 9 p.m. at the Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW; doors open at 8:30 p.m.
• Sunday begins with a chamber concert from 2 to 3 p.m. at All Souls Church Unitarian, 1500 Harvard St. NW, followed by a community performance from 4 to 5 p.m. at the African American Civil War Museum, 1925 Vermont Ave. NW. The weekend’s offerings conclude with a trio of chamber concerts: the first is from 5 to 6 p.m. at Right Proper Brewing Co., 624 T St. NW, then from 6 to 7 p.m. at Ben’s Next Door, 1211 U St. NW; and finally at 7 p.m. at Twins Jazz, 1344 U St. NW.