From Rock Creek Conservancy:
“The gates to the Carter Barron Amphitheater will swing open to welcome audiences for three vibrant nights of music this summer. Though the storied amphitheater has been dormant for a decade, it will awaken from August 20 – 22 for Rock Creek Conservancy’s Summer in the Parks, a concert series in partnership with the DC Jazz Festival and Washington Performing Arts.
Summer in the Parks creates a unique opportunity for DC’s residents to peer beyond the gates into the historic venue. The sounds of DC will brighten the stage for just three nights, including the legendary JazzDC All-Stars, Sylver Logan Sharp, Black Alley, and Chester Burke Jr. & Company.
“For decades, the music that filled Carter Barron was the summer soundtrack for Washingtonians,” said Dan Puskar, executive director of Rock Creek Conservancy. “Though the amphitheater continues to suffer from a massive deferred maintenance backlog, we are enormously grateful to the National Park Service and our partners for helping the Conservancy to bring jazz, gospel, and go-go back. We can’t wait to welcome everyone to the Carter Barron.”
The Carter Barron Amphitheater in Rock Creek Park is a cornerstone of the city’s musical history. Built in 1950 to celebrate Washington DC’s 150th anniversary as our nation’s capital, it was one of the first racially integrated outdoor performance venues in the United States. From Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington to Bruce Springsteen, Chuck Brown, and Shakespeare, Carter Barron brought national stars to DC to perform for sold-out audiences.
“Every great city has places that hold its collective memory, and the Carter Barron Amphitheater is one of Washington’s sacred cultural spaces. To hear music resonate here again is to reconnect with generations of artists, audiences, and shared experiences that define our city,” said DC Jazz Festival President and CEO Sunny Sumter. “DC Jazz Festival is proud to join our partners in bringing this remarkable venue back to life, reminding us that while buildings may rest, the spirit of music and community never does.”
“Carter Barron is a jewel of Northwest DC, where music and live performance filled the air night after night for generations. As one of the first racially integrated outdoor performance venues in the United States, its founding spirit resonates deeply with Washington Performing Arts’s own guiding principle: Everybody In, Nobody Out,” said Washington Performing Arts President & CEO Jenny Bilfield. “We are delighted to help carry that spirit forward as part of this August’s three-night revitalization celebration.”
The three-night concert series builds on the historic Summer in the Parks event series, through which the National Park Service (and later, in partnership with Rock Creek Conservancy) has brought together city residents through music and performances. In keeping with the “arts for all” tradition of Summer in the Parks and Carter Barron Amphitheater’s history, tickets will be general admission and cost $15.
The Carter Barron Amphitheater concluded its last full season in 2016. In partnership with the National Park Service, Rock Creek Conservancy is helping to develop a vision for an updated amphitheater through its Carter Barron Alliance program. DC’s residents are invited to imagine its future together with the Conservancy over three unparalleled nights of performances. Wander the tree-covered paths where thousands of residents have walked down into the heart of the amphitheater. File into rows of seats where past attendees jumped up to dance. Watch as performers fill the venue with sound and life, illuminating a temporary stage built to offer this celebration of DC music. A long road remains ahead of the Carter Barron before it is fully functional, but its quintessential spirit will welcome the city back for Summer in the Parks.
Tickets are on sale now for all three nights and more information on the Carter Barron Amphitheater and Summer in the Parks is available on Rock Creek Conservancy’s website.
About Rock Creek Conservancy
Rock Creek Conservancy protects, restores, and celebrates Rock Creek Park and its watershed by inspiring stewardship, engaging communities, and building partnerships. The Conservancy applies science-based approaches to restore and strengthen ecological systems, while also enhancing the historic, cultural, and recreational assets that draw people to the Park and make it more accessible. The Conservancy is an official philanthropic and stewardship partner of the National Park Service.
About DC Jazz Festival
The DC Jazz Festival® (DCJF™) organization provides enriching and entertaining jazz performances and programs that introduce students and adults from all walks of life to jazz, our nation’s singular original art form. DCJF presents a selection of the jazz genre’s most acclaimed artists as well as emerging artists, and provides enhanced exposure for the rich treasure trove of musicians from the Washington, DC area.
About Washington Performing Arts
Washington Performing Arts is an award-winning, independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in the nation’s capital. Since 1966, Washington Performing Arts has presented both established and early career artists and ensembles in dozens of unique spaces and places—from parks to concert halls—throughout the D.C. region. The enduring principles of founder Patrick Hayes’s “Everybody in, nobody out” ethos continue to guide Washington Performing Art’s work in serving a vast community grounded in the power of the arts.”