Savory Soiree: “The Food of Love” – An Earth Day Celebration of Shakespeare

711 Princess Street,Alexandria VA 22314

17 April, 2021

Description

An exquisite socially-distanced dining experience complemented by live music A musical birthday feast for William Shakespeare, featuring a musical program of musical works by John Dowland and anonymous popular tunes from the Elizabethan era, performed by Grammy-nominated lutenist Ronn McFarlane – and accompanied by an Earth Day-inspired farm-to-table dinner and wine pairings.In collaboration with Seasons Culinary Services, served in the enchanting Secret Garden at the historic Rectory on Princess Street in Old Town Alexandria. MenuOpener /FirstSpring Pea Vichyssoise leeks, gold potato, crème fraîche Wine Pairing MainChicken Diavolapan seared free range Bells & Evans farm chicken breast, preserved lemon, herbed new potatoes, spring peas, baby carrots, sherry-citrus emulsion Wine Pairing Closer / DessertNorth Carolina Strawberry Shortcakewhite chocolate sabayon, meddled strawberries, buttermilk scone, tahitian vanilla anglasie, candied lemon rind Coffee and Tea Service *Vegetarian options available upon request Tables will be socially distanced and appropriate precautions will be in place to protect the safety of guests, artists, and staff; surfaces will be disinfected between seatings and face masks required except when seated. Served at 4pm and 7pm, on Saturday, April 17. Rain date will be the following Sunday. Seating will begin 15 minutes before; service will begin promptly and there will be no late admission. GRAMMY nominated lutenist, Ronn McFarlane strives to bring the lute he most popular instrument of the Renaissance into today’s musical mainstream and make it accessible to a wider audience. He has over 40 recordings on the Dorian/Sono Luminus label, including solo albums, lute duets, flute & lute duets, lute songs, the complete lute music of Vivaldi, a collection of Elizabethan lute music and poetry, and recordings with the Baltimore Consort. Ronn has composed new music for the lute, building on the tradition of the lutenists/composers of past centuries. His original compositions are the focus of his solo CD, Indigo Road, which received a GRAMMY Award Nomination for Best Classical Crossover Album of 2009. In 2010 Ronn founded Ayreheart, an ensemble brought together to perform new compositions as well as early music. Ayreheart’s first CD release, One Morning, consists of all-original music by Ronn McFarlane. Ayreheart’s 2016 release, Barley Moon, blends folk music and art music from Renaissance and Medieval England, Scotland and Wales. Ronn’s newest solo album, The Celtic Lute, released in 2018, features his arrangements of traditional Scottish and Irish music from the 17th and 18th centuries. And his 2020 release, Fermi’s Paradox, with Carolyn Surrick, viola da gamba, features an eclectic blend of Renaissance, Baroque, original music, hymns, and folk tunes from Ireland, Scotland, England, and Sweden. "…some of the most ravishing lute playing to be heard anywhere" The Washington Times Chef Ryan Houde (Corporate Executive Chef) and Chef Zubin Joseph of Seasons Culinary (Senior Executive Chef) will join forces to create the culinary portion of the "The Food of Love" experience. The methodology behind Seasons menu is creative cuisine with an interpretive play on classic flavors from each featured composer’s locality using the best local ingredients our region has to offer. “Music and food are two of the greatest forces of unity. In that spirit, we look forward to creating a meal to remember!” Classical Movements will take precautions to limit the risk as much as within our power and requests the cooperation of the guests in these preventative measures, so that we can again enjoy dinner and live music and support artists in our community. Please note: Seating will be provided, with chairs wiped down and disinfected between dinners. Tables will have at least six feet among them. Vegetarian or gluten free meals will be available upon request in advance. For special requests and wheelchair accessibility; please contact: [email protected] or call (202)390-4520. Classical Movements will provide more information about alternative forms of transportation to access The Rectory on Princess Street, 711 Princess St by email before the event. You can also go to https://www.alexandriava.gov/GOAlex for more information about available options. We encourage all patrons to park off-street through the provision of nearby garages or lots. Many parking garages and lots are located conveniently in the area. There is a parking garage at N. Alfred St Garage, 117 N. Alfred St, $5/hr ($25 daily max, $10 evening max) and a surface parking lot at Cameron/St Asaph Lot, 517 Cameron St, $2.50/hour ($10 daily max, $5 evening/weekend max). Visitors are encouraged to bike, walk or take the Metrorail Yellow or Blue lines to the King Street Station and take the free King Street Trolley, or DASH or Metro buses. For DASH schedule information visit, www.dashbus.com. For Metrobus schedule information, visit www.wmata.com. Bicyclists may visit www.alexandriava.gov/GOAlex for the City’s Bikeways Map, which features the City's best on-street and off-road bikeways, as well as locations of grouped bicycle parking. We discourage you from using the on-street parking especially on N Columbus St where many of our supportive neighbors live. To ensure legal parking, read all posted signs before parking. Parking limits are strictly enforced. About the Rectory Built in 1785 and the home of Classical Movements’ offices since 2014, the building formerly served as the rectory of the nearby historic Christ Church, once the church of George Washington. Since then, it has been owned by several distinguished Virginians and has been a commercial space since the 1960’s. Located in the heart of beautiful Old Town Alexandria at 711 Princess Street, the Rectory is minutes away from the shops and restaurants of bustling King Street and is easily accessible by bus and metro. 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