Around Town

Reston Town Center is extending its free summer concerts into the fall this year with a Shrek-themed ogre-haul.

The inaugural Rocktoberfest will kick off a week before the concert with a special 25th anniversary screening of “Shrek” in the Pavilion at 11900 Market Street on Friday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m.


Around Town

Fans of bloodshed and Bikini Bottom can both get their fill at the Workhouse Arts Center (9518 Workhouse Way) over the next few months.

The Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton announced last week that its 2025-2026 performing arts season will include four popular plays, all featuring live music.


Around Town

Acclaimed musicians representing a range of genres, from rock and country to jazz and classical music, are coming to The Barns at Wolf Trap to celebrate the venue’s 300th anniversary.

The Barns are rebuilt and renovated iterations of a pair of barns at the site, built in the 18th century. The larger German barn was built in 1725 and features a “unique” swing beam design that enabled horses to maneuver in the building’s original hayloft, according to the venue’s website.


Around Town

Acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma is tuning up for a visit to Fairfax County later this year.

Ma, a household name even outside the classical music world, will perform with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra (FSO) at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts on Dec. 6 as part of the local ensemble’s 2025-2026 season.


Countywide

Fairfax County supervisors were all singing from the same songbook yesterday (Tuesday), unanimously declaring the county to be the “Music Capital of Virginia.”

Others across the commonwealth might disagree, but Fairfax leaders said the sheer breadth of musical performances throughout the year, but particularly in summer, made the county deserving of the title.


Around Town

A group of Northern Virginia residents who bonded through their shared love of live music now hopes to translate that passion into support for a worthy cause — and a memorable goodbye for a local band.

NoVA Live Music Mingle will host its first-ever fundraiser tonight (Thursday) at Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern (697 Spring Street) in Herndon to benefit the music education program StudioRock of Northern Virginia.


Around Town

The Town of Herndon is expanding its summer programming this year with a new “Town Square Tuesdays” concert series.

The free, outdoor concerts will kick off next Tuesday, June 17 on Herndon’s Town Square patio (730 Station Street) with Mystic Warriors, a band based in the D.C. area that plays Andean music.


Around Town

Temperatures are warming, school is nearly out for the year, and a full slate of free, outdoor summer entertainment is coming to Fairfax County parks.

The Fairfax County Park Authority will kick off its annual Summer Entertainment Series tonight (Friday), with Grist Mill Park in Mount Vernon hosting the swing and jazz group Seth Kibel & The Kleztet at 7:30 p.m.


Around Town

A Taylor Swift tribute band is coming back to Reston Station this summer as part of an extensive array of free seasonal concerts organized throughout the area by Reston Community Center (RCC).

The community center kicked off its annual summer concert and entertainment series over Memorial Day weekend with a jazzy happy hour at Reston Town Square Park (11900 Market Street) on May 23, courtesy of the Tania & Jeff Grubbs Quartet.


News

A nonprofit music studio in Arlington is hoping to get more donors and supporters to tune in, so it can expand a program that offers free piano lessons to low-income students into Fairfax County.

Piano and More currently has two participants from Fairfax and three from Arlington in its Play It Forward program, which provides free lessons, keyboards and other resources to students at Title I schools.


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