News

Dean Rick Davis of the College of Visual and Performing Arts shares the news of Bill Reeder's passing, and highlights Reeder's contributions and impact as the Founding Dean of the college.

Renowned American composer Ricky Ian Gordon will offer masterclasses, coaching, and public presentations in a week-long residency with the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music. During Mason Opera’s spring performances of his opera “27”, Gordon will introduce each performance with his insights about this unique and engaging opera, based on Gertrude Stein's famed Paris salon at 27 Rue de Fleurus.

Carlehr Swanson (Bachelor of Music, 2019) was crowned Miss Virginia 2024 on June 29, 2024, just months after performing a preview concert or her upcoming EP on George Mason's Fairfax Campus.

At George Mason University's College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Mason Wind Symphony is a testament to musical excellence and community strength. Under the guidance of Dr. William Lake, Jr., this ensemble, composed primarily of music majors, is one of the highest levels of artistry and dedication within the School of Music. Students assigned to this ensemble are chosen through a screen audition process that sets a standard for excellence throughout the performance season.

A group of George Mason University mechanical engineering students are building a motorized Vitruvian man for a Center for the Arts (CFA) performance of "Flying to the Stars," a choral concert dedicated to the beginnings of flight from the time of Leonardo da Vinci to the exploration of space. 

For the second year in a row, Mason's own Green Machine Ensembles performed for delighted locals at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, an event where roughly 40,000 guests were welcomed throughout the day's festivities.

At George Mason University Dewberry School of Music, the Mason Jazz Vocal Ensemble, directed by Dr. Darden Purcell, has notably marked the past year with accolades that spotlight not just their musical aptitude but the inclusive spirit that defines the university.

We applaud Dr. Monson's remarkable commitment and her significant influence on the world of piano music. Her inclusion in the 2023 Steinway Teacher Hall of Fame is a well-deserved recognition of her outstanding contributions to music education.

Professors from Mason's Dewberry School of Music and Mason's School of Dance collaborated to create a performance that brought together dancers and musicians live onstage.

The GRAMMY Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble debuted their newest program, Uplifted Voices, at the Center for the Arts on January 29, launching their multi-year participation as a Mason Artist-in-Residence. Championing women and non-binary members of the Silkroad Ensemble, alongside special guest Tuscarora/Taíno musician Pura Fé, Uplifted Voices featured a musical tapestry connecting the sounds and rhythms of indigenous North America to the World. Silkroad Ensemble’s radical cultural collaboration seeks to build bridges of understanding to combat fear and build a more hopeful and inclusive world.

Julianna Nickel, a professional flutist and adjunct professor at Mason, shares how she deals with focal dystonia, a rare neurological condition that nearly derailed her career, and where she is now.

Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors. A perennial favorite since its 1951 debut, this cherished holiday favorite was the first opera specifically composed for television in the United States.