WHAT’S ON W A S H I N G T O N IN SERIES’ WOMEN COMPOSERS FESTIVAL AT GALA IN Series’ Women Composers Festival is a two-day festival celebrating female composers. It centers on two new stagings of operas by living artists—Here Be Sirens by Kate Soper (USA) and Ana y su Sombra by Gabriela Ortiz (Mexico). The festival on March 6 and 7, at GALA Theatre, 3333 14th St. NW, also features an opening gala concert, a Dorothy Fields cabaret and a love songs cabaret. All tickets are $25. inseries.org.
Get your steps in with this climb to a spectacular view. Photo: Danielle E. Thomas/Washington National Cathedral
NATIONAL CATHEDRAL ANGELS AND MONSTERS TOWER CLIMBS On Saturday, Feb. 1, 10:30 a.m. and Fridays, Feb. 14 and 21 at 2 p.m., you can climb the National Cathedral’s two western towers and get a close-up look at the many gargoyles and grotesques while visiting the open-air walkway wrapping around these two towers (about 125 feet above the ground). The climb ends on the very top of the northwest tower, which provides the best views of the Cathedral itself, and 360-degree views of the surrounding area (over 200 feet above the ground). $50. cathedral.org.
THE SCIENCE OF CBD: ANECDOTES AND EVIDENCE Gabriela Ortiz, composer of “Ana y su sombra,” a family opera. Presented by IN Series as part of the Women Composers Festival in March 2020 at GALA Hispanic Theatre. inseries.org. Photo: Martierene Alcántara
MARDI GRAS AT THE WHARF
Photo: Patrick Revord for The Wharf
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Can’t go to New Orleans? On Saturday, Feb. 22, 4 to 7 p.m., at the District Pier, the Wharf is celebrating Mardi Gras with a community-wide extravaganza featuring a spirited parade down Wharf Street, a dance party with live music on District Pier, and a special finale. Get special treats at your favorite neighborhood restaurants. They’ll also have activities and crafts for kids. And don’t forget to stop by the Caps Campfire at Camp Wharf for s’mores. wharfdc.com.
Of the more than 100 related chemicals found in cannabis plants, cannabidiol (CBD) has become almost as wellknown as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), seemingly overnight. Now widely available in retail stores and websites, it has suddenly emerged as a popular consumer product. Much remains unknown about the effects, mechanism, long-term consequences and legality of CBD. On Thursday, Feb. 20, 6:45 p.m., join Steven Grant, a neuroscientist at the National Institutes of Health, for an examination of what research has—and more importantly, has not—discovered about this elusive chemical’s potential benefits and risks. $45. smithsonianassociates.org.
