Best Music 1. The Washington Chorus opens the season with the premiere of a major new work by Music Director Julian Wachner. His inspiration for “Come My Dark Eyed One” came from Turkik poet Ali-Shu Nafa’I together with poems by Sarah Teasdale, Emily Dickinson, e.e. cummings and others. The chorus also performs Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor.
Where: Kennedy Center Concert Hall
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Info: $15 and up; 202-467-4600, 800-444-1324; kennedy-center.org
2. Manhattan Transfer with Jon Hendricks: The eight-time Grammy winners perform with National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master and “Father of Vocalese” Jon Hendricks for his 90th birthday year, together with a cappella collegiate groups. Part of Swing, Swing, Swing.
Where: Kennedy Center Concert Hall.
When: 7 p.m. Sunday
Info: $20 and up; 202-467-4600, 800-444-1324; kennedy-center.org
3. National Symphony Orchestra: Christoph Eschenbach conducts Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 (“Pastoral”) and Leonidas Kavakos performs Brahms’ Violin Concerto. An AfterWords discussion with Eschenbach, Kavakos and NSO Director of Artistic Planning Nigel Boon follows the Thursday concert.
Where: Kennedy Center Concert Hall.
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, 1:30 p.m. Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday
Info: $20 and up; 202-467-4600, 800-444-1324; kennedy-center.org
4. Melissa Manchester: The Grammy-winning vocalist/songwriter returns to the Barns with an invitation to “Come In From The Rain” and enjoy an evening listening to her renditions “Through the Eyes of Love.”
Where: The Barns at Wolf Trap
When: 8 p.m. Thursday
Info: $35; 877-965-3872; wolftrap.org
5. Salute to Our Veterans: Anthony Maiello conducts the American Festival Pops Orchestra in a concert paying tribute to America’s veterans. Soprano Angela Knight and trombonist Scott Shelsta are featured soloists.
Where: Hylton Performing Arts Center
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Info: $30 to $46; 888-945-2468. Family-friendly! Youth through 12th grade half-price accompanied by an adult.
Best Galleries
1. Degas’ Dancers at the Barre: Point and Counterpoint: A Phillips Collection exclusive, this show brings together 30 paintings, works on paper and bronzes created over a four-decade period documenting Degas’ lifelong fascination with the ballet.
Where: The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW
When: Through Jan. 8
Info: $12, seniors and students $10, 18 and younger free; 202-387-2151; phillipscollection.org
2. Traveling Light: Five Artists from Chile: Five contemporary Chilean artists have completely taken over the first-floor galleries of the museum, creating a site-specific work from locally sourced materials that explores how history is preserved within architecture.
Where: Art Museum of the Americas, 201 18th St. NW
When: Through Jan. 22
Info: Free; museum.oas.org/exhibitions.html
3. Andy Warhol’s ‘Shadows’: This is the first time Andy Warhol’s 30-year-old monumental painting installation has been displayed with all 102 of its component canvases hung edge to edge as their creator intended. The piece extends 450 linear feet around the outer circumference of the Hirshhorn’s second-floor gallery.
Where: Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW
When: Through Jan. 15
Info: Free, 202-633-4674; hmsg.si.edu
4. Harry Callahan: Photographs: This small but well-curated exhibition acknowledges the 100th anniversary of American photographer Harry Callahan’s birth by compiling some of his most iconic imagery. A natural companion piece to the National Gallery of Art’s concurrent Harry Callahan at 100.
Where: Marsha Mateyka Gallery, 2012 R St. NW
When: Through Dec. 7
Info: Free; 202-328-0088; marshamateykagallery.com
5. Half Light: Paintings by Brad Aldridge: Aldridge’s landscapes combine 19th century Romanticism with 20th century brushwork and a 21st century awareness of an interconnected globe.
Where: Susan Calloway Fine Arts, 1543 Wisconsin Ave. NW
When: Through Dec. 31
Info: Free; 202-965-4601; callowayart.com
Best Brainfood
1. National Acrobats of the People’s Republic of China: In its inaugural North American tour, the troupe executes daring feats with common objects such as tables, chairs, ladders, poles, bowls and plates accompanied by traditional Chinese music.
Where: George Mason University Center for the Arts, Route 123 and Braddock Road, Fairfax
When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Info: $24 to $48; 202-234-7174; cfa.gmu.edu
2. CityDance: Reveal: CityDance Artist in Residence Christopher K. Morgan opens the CityDance Black Box Theater at the Music Center at Strathmore with the world premiere of “Halcyon,” a dance with an original score by cellist Ignacio Alcover.
Where: The Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda
When: 8:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 and 7 p.m. Sunday
Info: $25; 301-581-5100; strathmore.org
3. “Washington Redskins: The Complete Illustrated History”; David Elfin’s fifth book on the Redskins looks back to 1932, when the then-Boston Braves entered the NFL. That team became the Redskins when they moved to Washington in 1937. Covering nearly 80 seasons, this is the essential book for the Redskins fan. Art Monk, who wrote the forward, also attends.
Where: Politics and Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday
Info: Free; politicsandprose.com
4. Zarzuela Di Si & Teatro de la Luna present: “Luisa Fernanda”: All the joy and richness of music, song and dance in this famous celebration of the Spanish art of zarzuela.
Where: Theatre Two, Gunston Arts Center, 2700 S. Lang St., Arlington
When: 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Sunday
Info: $30 to $35, children under 4 free; 703-548-3092; teatrodelaluna.org
5. “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot”: Mother Teresa, Sigmund Freud and Satan give testimony in the trial of Judas.
Where: Silver Spring Stage, 10145 Colesville Road, Silver Spring
When: Through Saturday
Info: 301-593-6036
Best Family
1. “Twas the Night Before Christmas”: Take a wild ride with a mouse, an elf and a little girl, written by three-time Tony winner Ken Ludwig.
Where: Adventure Theatre, 7300 MacArthur Ave., Glen Echo
When: Friday through Jan. 2
Info: $18; 301-634-2270; adventuretheatre.org
2. Mark Jaster: “Picollo”: Kids will be delighted by Picollo, a gentle, engaging character whose antics are inspired by the great clowning traditions of Italian commedia dell’arte. Picollo travels with a magical trunk full of spectacular surprises, foolish antics, playful participation and wordless fun for all!
Where: The National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
When: 9:30 and 11 a.m. Saturday
Info: Free; 202-783-3372; nationaltheatre.org
3. Exploring the Universe: A series of planetarium programs surveys the universe. Topics for these programs include the sun, moon, stars, planets and other space phenomena.Ages 7 and older.
Where: The Planetarium, Rock Creek Park, 5200 Glover Road NW
When: 4 p.m. Saturday
Info: Free; 202-895-6070; nps.gov
4. Snakes Alive: Families with children ages 4 and older. Find out everyting you ever wanted to know about these amazing creatures. You can even meet some personally.
Where: Long Branch Nature Center, 625 S. Carlin Springs Road, Arlington
When: 4 to 5 p.m. Saturday
Info: $5; registration necessary: 703-228-4747; program No. 612851-K
5. American Indian Heritage Month Campfire: Join with others for some old-fashioned fun. There will be stories, animal friends, singing and s’mores.
Where: Long Branch Nature Center, 625 S. Carlin Springs Road, Arlington
When: 6 to 7:15 p.m. Saturday
Info: $5; registration required: 703-228-4747; program No. 612951-H
Best Gatherings
1. Beijing Dance Company: Chinus Cultural Productions presents the celebrated Beijing Dance Company in its Kennedy Center debut, with a spectacular array of classical and contemporary dances.
Where: Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW
When: 7:30 Thursday and Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Info: $58; 202-467-4600; kennedy-center.org
2. Sulu: Celebrate two years of showcasing local and regional Asian-American artists in spoken word, music, theater, film and comedy.
Where: Artisphere, 1101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Info: $20 in advance, $25 at door; 703-875-1100; artisphere.com
3. “The Legend of Buster Neal”: With a cast of six black male actors, this play tells of afearless civil rights activist who appears after 60 years to face his greatest challenge, his great-great-grandson. The themes of the play are timely: absent parenting; the difficulty of relating to the struggles of past generations; responsibility for self and family.
Where: Atlas Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE
When: Through Nov. 26
Info: $20 to $30; 202-399-7993; atlas arts.org
4. “The Table Comes First”: Eat to live or live to eat? Or, as the eloquent New Yorker essayist Adam Gopnik shows in this consideration of current attitudes about food, notice how central the dinner table is to ethnic and religious traditions, family life, and romance. Gopnik approaches his subject by way of 18th century France, where restaurants as we know them developed.
Where: Politics and Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Info: Free; 202-364-1919; politics-prose.com
5. See what’s blooming at the Botanic Gardens: The historicLord & Burnham greenhouse contains eight garden rooms under glass, totaling 28,944 square feet of growing space.These days you can see Golden Passion, Nong Nooch vine, String of Beads and much more in the conservatory alone.
Where: United States Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW
When: 10 to 5 p.m. daily
Info: Free; 202-226-0672; usbg.gov
Best Outdoors
1. Chew the Fat!: Come help the farm family on the Claude Moore Colonial Farm make soap, candles and dubbin, all of which use lard (pig fat) or tallow (beef fat). This 18th century working farm is complete with fields of tobacco and farm animals exactly like those used in Virginia three centuries ago: Devon cattle, hogs, turkeys, geese. Buy flowers, vegetables and herbs grown on the farm.
Where: 6310 Georgetown Pike, McLean
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Info: 703-442-7557; 1771.org
2. Learn Archery: In 5000 B.C., Egyptians used the bow in their war against the Persians, Since then, archery has fascinated people from all walks of life. You’ll be broken into small groups to work on an individual basis with master instructors.
Where: 7700 Bull Run Drive (see website for directions)
When: 10 a.m. to noon Sunday
Info: $40; thingstododc.com
3. Elizabethan Garden Tour: Explore the garden at the Folger Shakespeare Library, inspired by herbal references in Shakespeare’s plays and also incorporating plants popular in his time, including lavender, creeping thyme and English ivy. See Shakespearean statues by American sculptor Greg Wyatt.
Where: The Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 E. Capitol St. SE
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday and before performances; docent tours available first and third Saturdays of each month at 10 and 11 a.m.
Info: Free; 202-544-7077; no reservations necessary; folger.edu
4. While the weather is still good, visit Hillwood Estates, the home of Marjorie Merriweather Post. The many gardens on the Estate’s 25 acres are colorful this time of year.
Where: 4155 Linnean Ave. NW
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday
Info: Free to $15; hillwoodmuseum.org
5. Occoquan Bay Wildlife Refuge: Marsh area, good for bird watching. 3 miles round trip. Easy loop. Fire road/gravel, not good for strollers. Pets prohibited.
Where: Woodbridge
When: Thursdays through Sundays
Info: Potomac River National Wildlife Refuge: 703-490-4079; localhikes.com
Best Theater
1. “Shining City”: A guilt-ridden man believes he has seen his deceased wife and seeks the help of a therapist, who has his own demons.
Where: Quotidian Theatre Company, 4508 Walsh St., Bethesda
When: Through Dec. 11
Info: $20 to $25; 301-816-1023; quotidiantheatre.org
2. “A Second Chance”: Two New Yorkers meet midlife trying to findasecondchanceat love and happiness as they come to terms with their emotional pasts.
Where: Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell St., Arlington
When: Through Dec. 11
Info: $30 to $47; 703-820-9771; signature-theatre.org
3. “Broadway Christmas Carol”: MetroStage’s seasonal salute to Christmas and all things Broadway.
Where: MetroStage, 1201 N. Royal St., Alexandria
When: Through Dec. 18
Info: $25 to $50; 800-494-8497; metrostage.org
4. “The Sound of Music”: The story of the von Trapp family makes this one of the most beloved musicals of all time.
Where: Olney Theatre, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney
When: Through Jan. 1
Info: $26 to $54; 301-924-3400; olneytheatre.org
