The Arts in DC

Traveln On Radio will explore the exciting arts scene in our Nations Capital starting with an interview with Silver Springs own, keyboardist and producer Marcus Johnson. Then Traveln On contributor Marsha DuBrow will talk about an upcoming exhibit from Spain at the National Gallery of Art. Ellis Marsalis, patriarch of the famous musical family, will be in Washington, DC for the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival and hell stop by to talk about a special event at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. Finally, resident theatre buff Ray Ficca will update us on the theatre scene in DC and the National Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, and NASCAR's Kyle Petty updates us on his Ride Across America.

Episode Segments:

Marcus Johnson Keyboardist and Producer Marcus Johnson joins Ian and Tonya to talk about his new release Poetically Justified. He also talks about the Washington DC areas music scene, and why musicians across the nation love the DC Bounce.
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Whats New at National Gallery of the Arts Traveln On Contributor Marsha DuBrow recently visited Spain to preview two collections that will soon be on display at Washington DCs National Gallery of the Arts; one on Spanish Royal Armor and the other on Spains greatest still-life painter. Learn more in this segment.
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Ellis Marsalis The Duke Ellington Jazz Festival starts this weekend. As part of its mission, the Jazz Fest honors greats for their lifetime contributions to Jazz. And in this segment, Ian and Tonya are joined by this years recipient, Ellis Marsalis.
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The Summer Season on the DC Stage (and a Special Guest) Ray Ficca from the National Conservatory for Dramatic Arts tells Ian and Tonya about some of the performances youll be able to see this summer on the DC theatre stage. Then, fresh from the track, NASCARs Kyle Petty talks about his Ride Across America & how it went.
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Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode

Marsha Dubrow Marsha Dubrow’s travel and arts stories have run in National Geographic Traveler, Washington Post, Houston Chronicle, among many others. She writes the DC Art Travel Column on examiner.com, and writes also for Kennedy Center. She’s been a Correspondent for Life, People, Britain’s Punch, and Reuters. For Reuters, she also created an arts beat. Dubrow earned her Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in Writing and Literature at Bennington College which published her book, Single Blessedness. She studied writing also as a two-time Jenny McKean Moore fellow at George Washington University in Washington, DC; at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop; and at Columbia University. Dubrow’s nonfiction and fiction have appeared in anthologies including Still Going Strong, Cyber Collaboration, and Looking Back; and in literary journals including the University of Chicago’s Awakenings Review. Her opinion pieces have run in Washington Post, Washingtonian, Providence (RI) Journal, among others. She lives in Washington, DC with her white dove, Nureyev.

Ellis Marsallis Ellis Marsalis is regarded by many as the premier modern jazz pianist in New Orleans. Born on November 14, 1934, he began formal music studies at the Xavier University junior school of music at age eleven. After high school Marsalis enrolled in Dillard University (New Orleans) as a clarinet major. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music education in 1955. Ellis and wife Delores Ferdinand have 6 sons: Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Ellis Marsalis III , Delfeayo Marsalis, Mboya Kinyatta Marsalis, and Jason Marsalis. Branford, Wynton, Delfeayo, and Jason are also jazz musicians. Ellis is a poet, photographer, & network engineer based in Baltimore. Mboya has autism. Ellis started out as a tenor saxophonist, switching to piano while in high school. From his first professional performance with "The Groovy Boys" over fifty years ago, Ellis Marsalis has been a major influence in jazz. At that time, Marsalis was one of the few New Orleans musicians who did not specialize in Dixieland or rhythm and blues. He played with fellow modernists including Cannonball Adderley, Nat Adderley, and Al Hirt, becoming one of the most respected pianists in jazz. Though he has recorded almost twenty of his own albums, and was featured on many discs with such jazz greats as David “Fathead” Newman, Eddie Harris, Marcus Roberts, and Courtney Pine, he shunned the spotlight to focus on teaching. Marsalis' didactic approach, combined with an interest in philosophy, encourages his students to make discoveries in music on their own, through experiment and very careful listening. As a leading educator at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, the University of New Orleans, and Xavier University of Louisiana, Ellis has influenced the careers of countless musicians, including Terence Blanchard, Harry Connick Jr.,Nicholas Payton; as well as his four musician sons: Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo and Jason. In May, 2007, Marsalis received an honorary doctorate from Tulane University for his contributions to jazz and musical education. The Ellis Marsalis Center for Music at Musicians' Village in New Orleans is named in honor of Ellis Marsalis. Click here to visit his website