MONDAY, MARCH 5
PERFORMANCE The Kennedy Center is celebrating contemporary culture with a two-week series called DIRECT CURRENT which focuses on interdisciplinary works that are new to Washington. the series also features performances at several venues outside the Kennedy Center. DIRECT CURRENT kicks off with the all-female mariachi band Flor de Toloache on Monday on the Millennium Stage. The series includes two performances by legendary composer Philip Glass: his Kennedy Center debut on March 9 to perform his 20 Etudes with four other pianists, and his collaboration with the Washington Chorus on March 16 to perform the live score to the 1982 film Koyaanisqatsi. Performances are also featured at other venues: Check out Mason Bates’s Mercury Soul, a “classical rave” featuring the music of modern composers, at the 9:30 Club on March 15. Through March 19. Prices vary.
MUSIC Singer David Archuleta was the runner-up (to David Cook) in the seventh season of American Idol. In his new album, Postcards in the Sky, he collaborates with a number of Nashville songwriters, including former Civil Wars singer Joy Williams with songs that reflect on his two-year missionary work in Santiago, Chile. Archuleta will perform at the Birchmere. $29.50, 7:30 PM.
TUESDAY, MARCH 6
BOOKS Executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno will discuss her latest book, There Are No Dead Here: A Story of Murder and Denial in Colombia, at Politics & Prose at the Wharf. Sánchez-Moreno, who investigated Colombia for the Human Rights Watch for six years, tells the stories of three men who were determined to expose the truth about the conflict between the Colombian government and the left-wing guerrilla FARC movement. Free, 7 PM.
LECTURE British food rarely has the reputation for high cuisine, but it’s been influential in the cooking of fish, seafood, beef, and lamb—and London is the capital of the world wine trade. As part of the Smithsonian Associates’ lecture series on culinary hotspots, this month’s lecture at the S. Dillon Ripley Center delves into the food of London, presented by historian and cookbook author Fred Plotkin. $45, 6:45 PM.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7
SPORTS The only March Madness action in DC this year is the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship series, which starts on Wednesday night at Capital One Arena with two games: La Salle vs. Massachusetts and George Washington vs. Fordham. George Mason, VCU, and Richmond will play on Thursday. The conference champion will win an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament—so consider it research for your March Madness bracket. Through March 11. $20-$199.
FILM Die Expats will be released on Amazon’s entertainment platform next month, but for those who can’t wait, Landmark’s E Street Cinema is hosting a special screening. The film follows four characters in Berlin struggling with love, sex, and relationships. There will be a post-screening Q&A with co-producer Marti Hines, moderated by political strategist and CNN contributor Symone D. Sanders. $30, 7 PM.
