Guests for The Grandsons' November show

When The Grandsons play The Barns at Wolf Trap on Friday, November 24 and celebrate 20 years as a band, they'll have several special guests. Joining them that night on stage will be Bill Hansen, Jon Danfort, Jon Carroll, Scott McKnight, Carol Arthur, and Diana Keene Carr.

Richard Jeni in On Tap

Comedian Richard Jeni comes to The Barns at Wolf Trap for three shows in mid-November and writer Nick Kolakowski just caught up with the comic for a piece that appears in the November issue of On Tap magazine. Jeni recently appeared in his third HBO Comedy Hour, “A Big Steaming Pile of Me,” and has been called "one of the best comics who ever lived" by Chris Rock.

MySpace video of Battlefield Band

Battlefield Band will be at The Barns at Wolf Trap next week on Wednesday, November 8. Here's some video from the band's MySpace page that shows them in concert earlier this year.

Battlefield Band In Concert 2006

The New Media

With nearly 100 shows taking place every May through September at the Filene Center and nearly 100 more at The Barns from October through May, it's impossible to get a major publication here to cover every single show.

However, there are still people looking online for reviews of many of the shows that take place at Wolf Trap. A good number of the hits this blog gets through search engines come from people searching for "[insert artist name here] Wolf Trap review." The demand for reviews seems to outweigh the supply.

But, just because a major publication can't send a writer to every show doesn't mean you can't find a review of the show, thanks to the internet. After many shows, I'm able to search the blogosphere using Google Blog Search or Technorati and find fans who've posted their thoughts on a show they attended at Wolf Trap, sometimes even before a newspaper has hit the newsstands. You don't always get in-depth coverage of the band's entire set, although sometimes you do. Many times you simply get one fan's quick recap of their evening, but this can sometimes provide great perspective and, in some cases, it's being read by hundreds or thousands of people.

Here are a couple of examples from over the weekend. This fan attended Friday's show by The Avett Brothers and said "they were incredible!," while this fan was "thoroughly entertained" by Saturday's Paul Thorn show after a friend brought them as a surprise.

So, if you have a blog, keep posting about your Wolf Trap experiences and I'll keep linking to some of the ones I come across.

Holiday Sing-A-Long on Dec. 3

Believe it or not, Wolf Trap's annual Holiday Sing-A-Long is just a little over five weeks away. Taking place on Sunday, December 3 from 4-5:30pm (gates open at 3pm) at the Filene Center, the free event features the United States Marine Band, vocal groups from the Washington metro area, and approximately 7,000 audience members.

As part of this celebration of Christmas and Hanukkah through song, Wolf Trap will be collecting voluntary donations of new, unwrapped toys for Toys for Tots. No tickets are needed. All you have to do is show up with a candle and a bell, plus a new, unwrapped toy if you’d like. Parking is free but limited, so please carpool and arrive early. There will NOT be a Metro shuttle for this event.

Photo by Sam Kittner

Sold Out Dates & New Shows

The following Barns shows are now SOLD OUT:

October 18 - Bonnie Rideout Scottish Trio
October 25 - Celtic Fiddle Festival
October 27 - The Avett Brothers
November 2 - Chad & Jeremy
December 1 - Schooner Fare
January 5 - WINDHAM HILL WINTER SOLSTICE

Check back in at wolftrap.org for last minute ticket availability. For performance information, call (703) 255-1868. For a look at the full Barns schedule, check out the Quick Sheet.

NEW BARNS SHOWS ANNOUNCED THIS MORNING
A dozen new Barns shows were announced this morning, with tickets going on sale this Friday at 10am on wolftrap.org and at 877-WOLFTRAP: Jon Carroll & Love Returns; Johnny Winter; Buckwheat Zydeco; John Hammond; Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys; Roomful of Blues; Aztec Two-Step; BeauSoleil avec Michael Ducet; Vienna Teng; Hothouse Flowers; Pam Tillis; and The Bobs.

Figaro in November Opera News

The November issue of Opera News is out, with a review and picture of the Wolf Trap Opera Company's production of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro.

Written by Tim Smith, the review begins:
"The fundamental strengths of the Wolf Trap Opera Company – a highly competitive audition process, abundant preparation time to develop keen ensemble instincts, incisive mentoring – were everywhere apparent in a buoyant new production of Le nozze di Figaro that capped the troupe’s thirty-fifth anniversary."

A Dozen More Barns Shows

A dozen new shows at The Barns at Wolf Trap will be announced Monday, October 16 on wolftrap.org and will go on-sale to the general public on Friday, October 20 at 10am. See The Barns at Wolf Trap Quick Sheet for a look at everything that's been announced to date.

Grammy Winning Classical Music This Friday at The Barns at Wolf Trap

The Turtle Island String Quartet and the Ying Quartet—dual winners of the 2005 GRAMMY for Best Classical Crossover Album for their collaborative release 4 + Four—perform together this Friday, October 13, at The Barns at Wolf Trap.

The show will kick off the 2006-2007 Discovery Series, Wolf Trap's annual chamber music series. Selected portions of Discovery Series shows are broadcasted on over 250 radio stations nationwide as part of Center Stage from Wolf Trap. Friday's performance also marks Founder's Day, which honors Wolf Trap's founder, Catherine Filene Shouse (1896-1994).