Strathmore Music Center in North Bethesda is throwing itself a 20-year family-friendly Birthday Bash Saturday.
While the mansion opened with programming in 1983 and the non-profit itself has existed since 1981, the actual music center didn’t open until 20 years ago.
Strathmore is a place to celebrate the arts said President and CEO Monica Jeffries Hazangeles, who has been with Strathmore for 30 years. She is optimistic that people who come to Strathmore for the first time to attend the free 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. event will return to the venue again and again.
While the day is geared to people of all ages, Hazangeles said there will be several events especially for students.
She attended musical events as a child, and that encouraged her to go on and enjoy a career in music. Hazangeles would be very happy if young people fell in love with music after attending a concert at Strathmore.
That is why she is particularly pleased that Strathmore invites second graders to attend what often is their very first classical concert. Fifth graders learn about the blues.
Photo courtesy Margot Schulman
“Commemorating 20 years of the Music Center is a special milestone for our community,” she said. “Together, we’ve experienced so many incredible performances, celebrated artists from around the globe, and inspired generations of students to appreciate the arts. I am deeply grateful for our community’s support and excited for what’s ahead.”
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, a founding partner, will participate in interactive events in the center’s lobby. Also featured are performances by La Marvela and the National Philharmonic, a go-go workshop with Beat Ya Feet, a coloring wall with D.C.-based artist Hiba Alyawer, crafts with Arts on the Block, an engineering project from Kid Museum, Imagination Stage’s roving dog puppet and a sensory break room and reading corner with the Montgomery County Public Libraries.
Free Concert Hall performances include Inez Barlatier and Justin Roberts at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. and Kattam and his Tam-Tams at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Other performances include Barlatier, a Miami native of Haitian descent, who will highlight Ayisyen culture through drumming, singing and dance and Grammy-nominated Roberts blends rock and family music, exploring inclusion and self-discovery in his album Space Cadet
Kattam, a Quebeçois-Moroccan percussionist, will perform African, Cuban, Indian and Moroccan rhythms.
Register for the free concerts at Music Center Birthday Bash.
The Music Center was designed by William Rawn Associates. It is a 1,976-seat concert hall. In 2019, the Bernard Family Foundation Pavilion added 5,000 square feet to the center and doubled the number of seats at the cafe.
It is a public-private partnership. Montgomery County owns the building. Maryland provides funding, and the private Strathmore Hall Foundation, Inc. operates it.
