Creative Alliance provides venue space for
Music, Performance & Film, Youth & Family, Festivals & Community, Exhibitions, Classes, Fundraisers, and Signature Events.
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The wildly popular Mortified Baltimore, produced by Alex Hewett and Adam Ruben, stars everyday adults sharing their most embarrassingly real teenage diary entries, poems, love letters, lyrics, and locker notes...in front of total strangers. Witness a night of adults sharing the embarrassing things they created as kids in front of total strangers. This edition will celebrate National Poetry Month with sappy lyrics and bad poetry.
The musical partnership between consummate performer Alasdair Fraser, "the Michael Jordan of Scottish fiddling," and brilliant Californian cellist, Natalie Haas, spans the full spectrum between intimate chamber music and ecstatic dance energy. Over the last 16 years of creating a buzz at festivals and concert halls across the world, they have truly set the standard for fiddle and cello in traditional music. They continue to thrill audiences internationally with their virtuosic playing, their near-telepathic understanding, and the joyful spontaneity and sheer physical presence of their music.
In 2013, a group of jazz players and Korean traditional musicians started to play jam sessions based on traditional Korean folk melodies and shamanistic rhythms, eventually forming SE:UM. The eclectic quintet is composed of saxophonist Hachul Song, trumpeter Jongsang Park, bassist Jaeha Lee, traditional percussionist Minhyeong Lee, and gayageum (twelve-stringed Korean zither) player and music director, Joon Lee. The members of SE:UM have learned to respect one another’s musicalities over the years, and succeeded in breaking down the borders between their musical conventions, finding balance and harmony in their own music.
The wildly popular Mortified Baltimore, produced by Alex Hewett and Adam Ruben, stars everyday adults sharing their most embarrassingly real teenage diary entries, poems, love letters, lyrics, and locker notes...in front of total strangers. As we celebrate Pride Month in Baltimore, this edition of Mortified features adults sharing their childhood and adolescent diaries, poetry, locker notes, etc. exploring sexual and gender identity, coming out, and other LGBTQ stories.
Montreal-born Grenadian-Canadian Kaia Kater's jazz-fueled voice and deft songcraft have garnered acclaim from NPR's Tiny Desk, The Guardian, Rolling Stone and No Depression. Through her artful banjo playing and lush songwriting, Kaia draws on influences rooted in Quebec, the Caribbean, and Appalachia, all of which reflect the diversity of her background; her ties to the Canadian folk music scene; her college years spent soaking up Appalachian music in West Virginia, her father’s experience growing up in Grenada, and her recent work in film composition. Joined by Black Assets, whose southern roots combined with her Baltimore Charm molded her into a powerhouse soul, funk, indie, rock songstress. Black Assets is soul personified and a shining example of how eliminating self-doubt can transform a once negative perception into positivity, she’s captivatingly passionate, and pure talent. This is a night not to be missed!
Seo Jungmin is a Korean Gayageum artist and composer who pushes the boundaries between traditional and contemporary music with her exceptional skills on the 25-string Gayageum. As a member of the renowned Korean traditional music duo Su:m, Seo has earned global recognition through performances at major festivals such as WOMEX, WOMAD, and SXSW.
Be part of history! Tonight's concert will be recorded live for an album release. Join us for an enchanting evening as we pay homage to the unparalleled Duke Ellington, an iconic figure whose musical genius transcended boundaries, leaving an indelible mark on the fabric of modern music. A true pioneer in the realm of jazz, Ellington's compositions surpassed mere entertainment—they emerged as a compelling voice against racial inequality. Through his innovative and emotive arrangements, Ellington not only highlighted the struggles and triumphs of African Americans but also mesmerized diverse audiences with his unique ability to weave intricate stories through sound. His influence reverberates through time, traversing the infectious rhythms of the Harlem Renaissance to the soul-stirring melodies of the Civil Rights era and beyond, encompassing Jazz, swing, fusion, pop, and theatre. In commemoration of his 125th Anniversary, we are honored to be joined by four world-class solo pianists. Baltimore-based Lafayette Gilchrist and Marc Cary, along with Philadelphia-based Orrin Evans and James Hurt, will interpret and expound on Ellington's legacy. Together, they will guide us through the rich tapestry of Ellington's musical journey, bringing to life the enduring power of music to inspire change.
Be part of history! Tonight's concert will be recorded live for an album release. Join us for an enchanting evening as we pay homage to the unparalleled Duke Ellington, an iconic figure whose musical genius transcended boundaries, leaving an indelible mark on the fabric of modern music. A true pioneer in the realm of jazz, Ellington's compositions surpassed mere entertainment—they emerged as a compelling voice against racial inequality. Through his innovative and emotive arrangements, Ellington not only highlighted the struggles and triumphs of African Americans but also mesmerized diverse audiences with his unique ability to weave intricate stories through sound. His influence reverberates through time, traversing the infectious rhythms of the Harlem Renaissance to the soul-stirring melodies of the Civil Rights era and beyond, encompassing Jazz, swing, fusion, pop, and theatre. In commemoration of his 125th Anniversary, we are honored to be joined by four world-class solo pianists. Baltimore-based Lafayette Gilchrist and Marc Cary, along with Philadelphia-based Orrin Evans and James Hurt, will interpret and expound on Ellington's legacy. Together, they will guide us through the rich tapestry of Ellington's musical journey, bringing to life the enduring power of music to inspire change.
The Stoop Storytelling Series, in partnership with the Queer Jewish Arts Festival, presents B-more Proud: Queer Tales of Charm City! For this show, we are seeking individuals who identify as queer and Jewish to share a true, personal tale. Stories can be about anything related to identifying as queer and Jewish—how you met your partner, your bubbie ally, how your chosen family is your tribe—we want to hear them all! The Stoop Storytelling Series is a Baltimore-based live show and podcast that features “ordinary” people sharing the extraordinary, true tales of their lives. It showcases the stories of “ordinary" people, told in front of live audiences as large as 1,400. Stoop stories are weird, wonderful, hilarious, and heartbreaking—and, above all, intimate.
Celebrate Elvis' Half Birthday with a virtual rebroadcast of the 2024 Elvis' Birthday Fight Club. If you missed this SOLD OUT January event, or if you just want to see it again, buying a ticket gives you streaming access to watch for ONE WEEK! This legendary underground fight club offers a "glamorously sleazy" show of cartoon-like violence, flim-flam fisticuffs, below-the-belt comedy, and hot tah-tahs overseen by co-hosts "Elvis" and Kittie Glitter. Grab a horseshoe, rabbit foot, or bowl of Lucky Charms to stream the 13th Elvis' Birthday Fight from the comfort of your own couch or wherever you call Graceland. Impress your friends and get them ready for 2025 coming to DC Jan 3-4 and the Creative Alliance Jan 17-18.
Baltimore's own Rusty Sal releases their debut album as a band! They'll be joined by fiddle super star Patrick McAvinue. Join us for a night of planned and spontaneous collaborations aimed at getting you dancing! Rusty Sal helped start the Baltimore Honky Tonk with the help of buckets full of tears from all the sad, but joyfully danceable country songs they sang. Rusty Sal is: Letitia VanSant, Alex Lacquement, Luke Chohany, & EJ Thompson. Come get your two-stepping on!
Blind singer, songwriter, and guitarist Raul Midón is nothing if not prolific. His 14th and latest album, Lost & Found, is a blend of what he calls smooth folk, alt-pop, and jazz or "folk with harmonic surprises." It is a celebration of redemption with lyrics inspired by Bob Dylan’s poem "Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie." A master at combining genres, “his music suggests a three way fusion of Stevie Wonder, Bobby McFerrin, and José Feliciano” (New York Times). Midón debuted the album’s first single, the uplifting bluesy pop song "Keep On Keeping On" on the The Jennifer Hudson Show in December 2023.
Join Baltimore’s reigning Mistress of Smut, Jocelyn Loverling, as Naughties compete in a randy retro beauty pageant to be crowned this year’s “Miss Mistress of Smut!” Featuring judges Betty O’Hellno, Ruby Rockafella, and Milk & Ice Vintage as well as vintage vinyl from dj eDDible. Sponsored by Rust-N-Shine. Proud performance of ha!
Mortified + Improv = FUN!!! The wildly popular Mortified Baltimore, produced by Alex Hewett and Adam Ruben, stars everyday adults sharing their most embarrassingly real teenage diary entities, poems, love letters, lyrics, and locker notes…in front of total strangers. Featuring special guests Baltimore Improv Group (BIG)! Hailed as a “cultural phenomenon” by Newsweek, this is a comic excavation of the strange and extraordinary things we created as teens.
The Eight Annual Patsy Cline Collaboration is back! Patsy Cline is one of the most influential and acclaimed vocalists of the 21st Century. She was a true pioneer for women in the country music industry and a wild character whose personal stories shine in their retelling, again and again. Emotive and sultry, her contralto could describe the depths of the human condition with rare poignance. Hers was a voice of the century. This unique performance will honor her in song and story.
The 2nd Annual Charm City Burlesque and Variety Festival runs Friday September 27 through Saturday September 28, 2024 at Baltimore’s Creative Alliance, home to some of Baltimore’s first burlesque and variety shows. Burlesque is many things. It is sexy. It is sly. It is seductive. It shines a light on the morals and foibles of modern life and mocks them openly. In Baltimore, Burlesque is all of those things, and it is also unabashedly weird, strange, dark, funny, and a little bit twisted. Baltimore’s burlesque and variety stages have always welcomed the different and the avant-garde. Baltimore marvels in the filthy, the strange, the strangely beautiful, and the sometimes questionable and it makes it its own. The Charm City Burlesque & Variety Festival celebrates all.
Rancho Aparte was founded by charismatic singer/composer Dino Manuelle, together with a group of musician friends, to take the chirimía sound beyond Chocó, bringing the music to national and international audiences. Today the group consists of Dino Manuelle (vocals), Dyam Palacios and Emer Davila (chimiria), Fredy Cañandas (euphonium), Rodian Rivas (percussion), Rodolfo Romaña (percussion), and Ronal Campaña (cymbals). The group takes its name from a local slang phrase, “hacer rancho aparte,” which roughly translates as “to set up on one’s own”—reflecting their desire to put their own stamp on this music while preserving and respecting its complicated legacy. Live, Rancho Aparte is a first-tier party band, drawing on not only traditional music, but also on all the music they grew up listening to, embracing the swagger and dynamism of salsa, hip hop, and reggaeton in an omnivorous sound they call “funky punk chirimía.”
The Black Choreographers Festival is a weekend celebrating the talented Black choreographers in Baltimore. Join us at Creative Alliance October 11-13 for dance performances, workshop dance classes, and a thought provoking Chat & Chew discussion. The Black Choreographers Festival is sponsored by the Baltimore Black Dance Collective and Symmetry Arts. www.blackchoreographersfestival.com
Sat, Oct 19th 7:30 pm in the The Theater, Led by acclaimed singer Heather Lloyd (ilyaimy) and mandolinist Joel Michael-Schwartz, an all-star ensemble of musicians is bringing songs of ghosts, monsters, fae, witches, and, (of course), murder most foul to Creative Alliance.
The Third Annual Irish Tenor Banjo Summit takes over Creative Alliance on November 15th and 16th! Join us for a full weekend of dancing, performances, and workshops celebrating traditional Irish music. The brunch, talks, and sessions on November 17 to cap the weekend will take place at the Green Room in Hampden. Full festival passes are available as well as tickets to individual events.
Buy your tickets online, in person, or over the phone by calling 410-276-1651. Members save $3 on almost every show!
Our Box Office is currently open from Noon to 6pm on Fridays and Saturdays and one hour before all ticketed events. We accept cash, cards, and checks. Service fees are waived for in-person ticket purchases.
