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- calendar_today October 22, 2026
DC Events Spotlight: Music, Improv, and Art
This week offers a selection of standout dc events spanning live music, improv theater, and acclaimed art exhibits. Highlights include immersive musical performances, thought-provoking photography retrospectives, and engaging improv comedy featuring renowned guests.
Inner Spaces: Amir ElSaffar and Lorenzo Bianchi Hoesch at Hill Center
On October 22, Hill Center will host Inner Spaces, a collaborative performance from Iraqi American musician Amir ElSaffar and Italian electronic artist Lorenzo Bianchi Hoesch. Drawing from their forthcoming 2025 album, ElSaffar and Hoesch blend evocative Iraqi maqam music with atmospheric jazz and orchestrated sounds, referencing the style of jazz legend Miles Davis with a distinct Arabic influence. ElSaffar, whose musical journey began with jazz and classical music before embracing his Iraqi cultural heritage, now incorporates microtonal melodies and Arabic lyrics, as well as his mastery of the Iraqi santur.
Their track "Spirits" demonstrates this fusion, with ElSaffar's trumpet giving way to vocals in the traditional Iraqi style, accompanied by Hoesch’s innovative live processing of samples from voice, trumpet, and santur. According to ElSaffar, the result is an immersive, sonically rich experience. The event begins at 7 p.m. at Hill Center, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Tickets are $23.
On Background with Kara Swisher at Keegan Theatre
The monthly improv comedy show On Background, co-produced by Shawn Westfall and Dan Kois, returns on October 28 at Keegan Theatre, featuring journalist and City Paper alum Kara Swisher as the guest. On Background has gained popularity with previous guests such as Tom Sietsema, Jonathan Capehart, and Sally Quinn, leading organizers to move to a larger venue to accommodate growing audiences. The premise involves a journalist sharing career stories, which the improv team then transforms into comedic sketches.
The show starts at 7:30 p.m. at Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW. Tickets are $22.49. More information can be found on the event's Instagram.
Light Is a Plastic Medium: Carlotta Corpron at the Hirshhorn Museum
Currently on display at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is Light Is a Plastic Medium: The Photography of Carlotta Corpron. Corpron (1901–1988) engaged with some of the major movements in photography from the 1930s to the 1950s, creating distinctive abstract works. The retrospective traces her evolution from botanical studies recalling Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O’Keeffe, through cameraless photograms and experimental abstractions reminiscent of Man Ray and Margaret Bourke-White. Her use of light and form produced images that remain striking for their inventiveness and modernity.
The exhibition runs through March 14 at the Hirshhorn Museum, Independence Ave. and 7th St. SW. Admission is free.
Much Here Is Beautiful: US Bicentennial Photography at Smithsonian American Art Museum
Another ongoing dc art exhibit is Much Here Is Beautiful: Photography Surveys of the U.S. Bicentennial at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The show revisits more than 70 regional documentary projects sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts in the 1970s, connecting them to a tradition of federally funded photography dating to the 19th century. Works by acclaimed photographers such as Lee Friedlander, Stephen Shore, Bruce Davidson, and Joel Meyerowitz are featured, offering diverse views of American life and landscape during a turbulent era. Notably, Robbert Flick’s matrix of sequential images brings a unique perspective to the collection.
The exhibition highlights the complexity and diversity of American communities in the mid-20th century, with images ranging from Midwestern factories to urban decay in major cities. The exhibition runs through April 18 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th and G Streets NW. Admission is free.
Explore the Best of DC’s Music, Theater, and Art Scenes
This week, dc cultural events allow audiences to experience immersive music with Amir ElSaffar, engaging improv theater with Kara Swisher, and groundbreaking photography by Carlotta Corpron and leading American photographers. Whether you are interested in the latest dc music shows, dc improv theater, or premier dc art exhibits at institutions like the hirshhorn museum and smithsonian art museum, there are events for every interest.
Source: washingtoncitypaper.com.
