This column is sponsored by Arlington Arts/Arlington Cultural Affairs, a division of Arlington Economic Development.
South Arlington’s neighborhoods were undoubtedly fertile ground for women musicians of color. The area was home to both the legendary vocalist and pianist Roberta Flack as well as the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, an all-female, multi-ethnic big band that toured to national acclaim in the 1930’s and 40’s. Now, two contemporary women musicians uplift the legacies of these Arlington legends with a weekend showcase at Theatre on the Run, at 3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive, in Arlington.
The world premiere of Suite for Sweethearts by Amy K Bormet takes place on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025 (shows at 7:00 and 9:00 p.m.). The following evening hear Killing Me Softly: A Love Letter to Roberta Flack by vocalist Munit Mesfin and the First Take Band on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025 (shows at 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.). Reservations for this FREE event are available on Eventbrite.
Additionally, Bormet and Mesfin will each offer youth-oriented presentations at the same location on Sunday, Oct. 5. Bringing Flack’s children’s book, The Green Piano to life via an interactive performance, Munit and z Lovebugs Celebrate Roberta, Music and You! occurs at 11:00 a.m. Amy K Bormet offers an improvisation workshop for all experience levels (Age 14+) at 2:00 p.m. Bormet also offers a free Open Rehearsal, Wednesday Oct. 1 (8:00 – 10:00 p.m.).
Suite for Sweethearts by Amy K Bormet.
At the height of the Swing Era, a racially integrated women’s big band called the International Sweethearts of Rhythm attracted the finest women jazz instrumentalists and toured to national acclaim in the 1930s and 40s. From 1942 through 1949, the band’s home base was at 908 S. Quinn St. (no longer extant). Inspired by their journey, Ms. Bormet has composed a suite of new music for her large ensemble, Bitter Sweethearts. In addition to the performance, the rehearsals of “Suite for Sweethearts,” will be open to the public in the Theatre on the Run. The project will include a zine of photos and memorabilia from the Washington Women in Jazz Archives and the International Sweethearts of Rhythm collection at the Smithsonian American History Museum.
Amy K Bormet is a performer, composer and director who tours the U.S., Europe, South America and Asia. Amy was an artist-in-residence for Betty Carter Jazz Ahead, and a Mary Lou Williams Emerging Artist at the John F. Kennedy Center. An advocate for women musicians, Amy is the founder and artistic director of the Washington Women in Jazz Festival. Her 17-piece jazz orchestra, Celestial Spang-A-Lang, co-led with Baritone Saxophonist Dr. Leigh Pilzer, premiered at the Atlas Performing Arts Center for the Washington Women in Jazz Festival in March 2023. A proud graduate of D.C.’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts and Howard University, Amy is the chair of the alumni board at University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance where she studied with Geri Allen.
Killing Me Softly: A Love Letter to Roberta Flack by Munit Mesfin
Using both original compositions as well as music from Flack’s cannon, Munit Mesfin and the First Take Band convey the story of the five-time Grammy-award winning musician. Flack, who passed away on Feb. 24, 2025, lived her formative years in Arlington’s historically African American Green Valley neighborhood. She attended the Hoffman-Boston High School where she was voted “Most Musical”! This project will celebrate Roberta Flack’s place in Arlington’s history using her music, her social justice activism, and her children’s book for a multi-generational, multi-disciplinary experience. Munit had the tremendous honor of having played for Roberta Flack at her apartment in New York in 2023 and 2024.
Munit Mesfin is an award-winning Ethiopian American singer, songwriter, teaching artist, MC and a Pan-African who uses her art to advocate for peace, human rights and justice. Munit has performed in Ethiopia, Egypt, South Africa, Germany, Spain and across the U.S. Regionally she has appeared at the Smithsonian National Museum for African Art, the Kennedy Center, Mr. Henry’s and Blues Alley. She has been featured on Voice of America, SABC in South Africa and Deutschewelle Radio among other media outlets. Mesfin loves creating community through music for all ages in her own soul, jazz or reggae band, with her children as Munit and z Lovebugs and through the global music collective, Project Locrea!
Arlington Arts received one of the top-ranking awards from the National Endowment for the Arts American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant. It then launched a competitive Artists In Residence (AIR) Grant which awarded grants to four different artists. The winning artists-in-residence included: the two performing artists in the upcoming showcase — Jazz musician Amy K Bormet, and vocalist Munit Mesfin (Sefanit Mesfin-Champagne); visual artist MasPaz (Federico Frum) and visual artist Adam Henry. The work of the two visual arts winners will be realized over the coming year.
