Lunar New Year Festival
Gallop into 2026, the year of the horse, and celebrate Lunar New Year with us! This year we're hosting a festival and market pop-up at the nearby Smithsonian Arts + Industries Building (AIB). Experience cultural performances, lion dances, food, makers, and more! Plus, enjoy curator talks and tours at the museum throughout the day.
Catch family-friendly activities at the museum from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
You must register in advance. Activities have a limited capacity, with entry on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration link coming soon.
Participating Food Vendors @ AIB AmLux Cafe , bit bakery , Bun'd Up , Chinese Street Market , Cocoi's Sweets and Pastries , Noonchi by Bun'd Up , Roll Play , Teas'n You , Toimoi Bakery , Yume Asian Fusion, Participating Makers @ AIB Chaotic Neutral x Covers (jewelry and zines) , Fawne (jewelry and charms) , Lofi Ceramics (ceramics) , Made With Love DC (wellness journals) , MinMin Handmade (jewelry) , Plants & What Knot (botanicals, kokedama, and floral art), …
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Asian Art Museum, East Building. Event Location: National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Arts + Industries Building. Cost: Free. Register in advance (required). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lunar-new-year-festival-tickets-1977922345981?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp. Categories: Celebrations. Gallery Talks & Tours. Performances. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, February 21, 2026, 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
Shanghai Quartet
Seating is limited. Reserve your seat in advance to pick where you sit ($6 fee per seat). Join the standby line for remaining seats on the day of the concert, free of charge.
Over the past forty-two years, the Shanghai Quartet has become one of the world’s foremost chamber ensembles. Their elegant style, impressive technique, and emotional breadth allow the group to move seamlessly between masterpieces of Western music, traditional Chinese folk music, and cutting-edge contemporary works. In their long history of championing new music, the quartet highlight works that juxtapose the traditions of Eastern and Western music.
Formed at the Shanghai Conservatory in 1983, soon after the end of China’s harrowing Cultural Revolution, the group came to the United States to complete its studies and were based in the US for more than thirty-five years while touring throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. In September 2020, the Shanghai Quartet moved back to China to join the resident faculty of The Tianjin…
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shanghai-quartet-tickets-1977543413584?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: After Five. Performances. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 9, 2026, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Musicians from Marlboro III
Seating is limited. Reserve your seat in advance to pick where you sit ($6 fee per seat). Join the standby line for remaining seats on the day of the concert, free of charge.
This season’s third Musicians from Marlboro ensemble showcases three outstanding, emerging singers performing vocal duets by Schumann, Britten, and Brahms, alongside a pair of Haydn’s most inviting piano trios. For 60 years, the Musicians from Marlboro touring program has brought memorable performances from Vermont’s legendary chamber music school and festival to national audiences.
The program features: Haydn’s Piano Trio No. 41 in E-flat minor, Hob. XV:31 , Brahms’s Three Duets, Op. 20 , Britten’s Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac , Schumann’s Four Duets, Op. 78 , Haydn’s Piano Trio in C major, Hob. XV:27, Artists include soprano Bridget Esler, mezzo-soprano Chihiro Asano, tenor Patrick Bessenbacher, pianists Lydia Brown and Solomon Ge, violinist Oliver Neubauer, and cellist Judith Serkin. This performance is part of the Bill and Mary…
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/musicians-from-marlboro-iii-tickets-1977527540106?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: After Five. Performances. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Traversées – Constantinople and Ablaye Cissoko
Seating is limited. Reserve your seat in advance to pick where you sit ($6 fee per seat). Join the standby line for remaining seats on the day of the concert, free of charge.
Join ensemble Constantinople and griot Ablaye Cissoko for an evening of musical storytelling that blends traditions from Iran, Senegal, and beyond. The kora and setar, traditional string instruments from two different cultures, meet with vocals, double bass, and percussion. In this collaboration, these traditions merge as though they had always existed side by side. Constantinople and Cissoko’s music has been heard over one hundred times in various festivals and halls around the world.
About Constantinople
Constantinople aims to anchor music in the heart of our community and encourage cross-cultural exchange among artists from around the world. Since its founding, the ensemble has promoted the creation of works that incorporate diverse musical traditions, drawing a range from medieval manuscripts to contemporary aesthetics, from…
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/traversees-constantinople-and-ablaye-cissoko-tickets-1977649047538?aff=oddtdtcreator. Categories: Performances. After Five. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.