Nadia Pessoa and Snehesh Nag and More Best Bets for Sept. 28–Oct. 4

Saturday: Nadia Pessoa and Snehesh Nag at Pen Arts

In July 2022, Northern Virginia-based harpist Nadia Pessoa saw Baltimore-based sitarist Snehesh Nag playing a concert; afterwards the two connected. Agreeing that sitar and harp would make a cool combination, they decided to get together and jam. In May 2023, the jam happened—both shared a video on Instagram of them covering UK trip hop band Massive Attack’s song “Teardrop.” Pessoa says via email that they aren’t aware of any other harp/sitar duos. Now, as part of this weekend’s Art All Night festivities, imaginative local promoter District of Raga will be present the musical twosome’s debut public performance that will feature an expansive range of genres. Pessoa grew up playing the Paraguayan harp, but is best known now for playing the larger 47-string pedal harp with the Washington Ballet and Alexandria Symphony as well as at gigs at the White House. Both musicians were first taught to play their respective instruments by their fathers. Nag, who will be part of the 2024 Strathmore Artist in Residence program, has played traditional Hindustani classical music with his acclaimed multi-instrumentalist father Sugato Nag, and adventurous sounds with local hip-hop artist Christylez Bacon. At this show Pessoa will also use a Celtic folk harp, and she and Nag will both plug their instruments into effects pedals. They’ll be combining the ethereal sound of the harp, the buzzing jangle of the sitar, and the altered sounds via the pedals on Hindustani classical pieces, Brazilian folk by Luiz Gonzaga, spiritual jazz from Alice Coltrane, and covers of Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi,” and Hiatus Kaiyote’s “Red Room.” For more Art All Night options, see our 2023 Fall Arts Guide. Nadia Pessoa and Snehesh Nag perform at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 30 at Pen Arts, 1300 17th St. NW. districtofraga.com. Free. —Steve Kiviat

Saturday: Slowdive at 9:30 Club

Slowdive is still reinventing themselves nearly 30 years after they helped define shoegaze. The band’s upcoming show at 9:30 Club bears testament to that slow-burning journey, most notably providing a stage for this past month’s LP, Everything Is Alive. Though it’s the group’s second album after a more than two-decade hiatus, Everything Is Alive contains indications of the six years passed since 2017’s self-titled album. Songs like “alife” and “kisses” incorporate familiar spacious dreamscapes but in a manner more subdued than 1993’s Soulvaki and less experimental than 1995’s Pygmalion. The sound is cleaner than past releases, a clear marker that the band has aged into a mellower, more polished era. Those lucky enough to catch the landmark group live will get what they’re looking for whether they’re longtime fans, Gen X newcomers looking for well-mastered indie music, or Gen Z dream pop enthusiasts interested in the genre’s roots. Drab Majesty will open for Slowdive, performing a blend of shoegaze and more ’80s-inspired new wave and goth rock. The group has collaborated with Slowdive singer-songwriter and guitarist Rachel Goswell, but comes fresh out of the 2010s, making it a full-circle addition to the show. Slowdive and Drab Majesty play at 10 p.m. on Sept. 30 at 9:30 Club, 815 V ST. NW. 930.com. Sold out. —Dora Segall

Ongoing: Nature’s Tapestry at the American University Museum

There’s no single standout image in Nature’s Tapestry, an exhibit of works by Northern Virginia-based photographer Bernis von zur Muehlen. Rather, Nature’s Tapestry is all about connection, flow, and evolution. Curated by Georgetown University professor Ori Z. Soltes, the exhibit is composed of multiple series. One consists of images of “bald cypress knees”—surreal protuberances from cypress tree roots that grow in wet soil or shallow water. Many of these images, taken at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, show the cypress knees in hyperreal shades of ochre and beige, often surrounded by lily pads, dreamy blue-green reflections of the sky on water, or weathered, jungle-like surroundings. Other cypress knee images are moodier—rough, narrow-plane-of focus, sepia-toned images that could have been made in the mid-19th century. Another series presents views of the same patch of trees captured during different seasons, at turns offering pointillistic autumnal shades of orange and a winter view in which white dominates any darker shade. A final collection features the lively twirls of koi fish, also at Meadowlark, including one evocative water-surface abstraction that pairs a patch of indigo against a patch of yellow-green, punctuated by an arched koi. Perhaps most unexpectedly, von zur Muehlen makes the most of her go-to printing paper, Kodak Premier Endura; in her hands, the texture of her images range from flat to highly reflective and metallic. (Sculptor Rachel Rotenberg‘s works are also on view at the Katzen Arts Center.) Nature’s Tapestry runs through Dec. 10 at the American University Museum, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. american.edu. Free. —Louis Jacobson

For more happening this week—from tonight’s kick off of the Prince George’s Film Festival to Goblin performing Dario Argento’s Demons to Phillips@THEARC latest exhibit To the East: The Rise of Murals East of the River opening Wednesday, Oct. 4—check out our 2023 Fall Arts Guide.

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