Dear Mason Music Family,

It is an honor to host the Virginia Music Teachers Association State Conference this weekend at George Mason University with fantastic seminars, workshops, and concerts.  We are excited for our upcoming events at Mason featuring our amazing Dewberry School of Music students. 

Please purchase your tickets now for Mason Jazz Vocal Night on Monday, November 10 and Jazz4Justice "The Latin Tinge" on Friday, November 14. Proceeds from the Jazz4Justice Concert benefit Legal Services of Northern Virginia, providing legal aid to those in need, and George Mason Jazz Department educational initiatives.

Additional outstanding ticketed events in our Dewberry Fall Concert Series include Mason Bands on December 4, Mason Opera on December 5-6, and Mason Symphony Orchestra and Choirs Winter Festival concert on December 7. 

Many free concerts featuring our Dewberry School of Music chamber ensembles are highlighted throughout this newsletter, including Percussion Ensemble this Sunday, November 9 at 1 pm, and also Steel Pan Ensemble and Jazz Combos on Wednesday, November 12. You are invited to join us (free admission) for our daytime Departmental Recitals and our many Student Recitals, as showcased throughout this newsletter. 

We are thrilled to celebrate the Friends of Music at Mason 20th Anniversary throughout this Fall 2025 season of concerts. Thanks to our marvelous Friends of Music at Mason for your ongoing support of our students!

Warm regards,

Dr. Linda A. Monson, Director
Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music

Join Dr. Darden Purcell, the Mason Jazz Voice Studio, the DOWNBEAT award-winning Mason Jazz Vocal Ensemble and special guests, Stone Bridge High School, ENCORE Vocal Jazz Choir, (director Christine Tarrant) for an evening of swinging standards and classic hits from the Great American Songbook.

Featuring the Mason Jazz Ensemble (Director, Jim Carroll), the Mason Jazz Vocal Ensemble (Director, Dr. Darden Purcell), and very special guest conductor, George Mason University President, Dr. Gregory Washington! 

Celebrate the vibrant rhythms and soulful melodies of “The Latin Tinge” — a tribute to the essential influence of Afro-Cuban, Caribbean, and South American sounds on the evolution of jazz. Enjoy an exciting evening featuring student and faculty ensembles, special guests, and dynamic arrangements that highlight the enduring connection between jazz and Latin musical traditions. Proceeds benefit Legal Services of Northern Virginia, providing legal aid to those in need, and George Mason Jazz Department educational initiatives. 

Article published October 30, 2025

The event raises funds to support vital legal services for low-income Northern Virginians, as well as financial support for the Mason Jazz Studies department, including scholarships, trips, recordings, and student projects. Jazz4Justice™ is presented in partnership with Legal Services of Northern Virginia (LSNV), a nonprofit legal aid organization that has served the region for more than 45 years. LSNV is the largest legal aid organization in Virginia and assists thousands of clients every year.

In the second concert of the Mason Bands' 55th Anniversary season, the Mason Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony reflect on perseverance, remembrance, and the radiant arrival of joy after struggle. Titled “But Joy Comes...,” this evocative program journeys through music that speaks to loss and longing, resilience and remembrance, light and triumph.  The Symphonic Band opens the evening with Brian Balmages’s Joy in All Things—an uplifting work that sets the tone with infectious energy and a message of gratitude. That spirit continues in Rossano Galante’s Life Eternal, a cinematic and deeply heartfelt tribute to enduring memory and love. Richard Saucedo’s Heroes Near and Far honors everyday acts of bravery and service, while Harrison Collins’s Unstoppable pulses with determination and optimism, capturing the drive of a new generation.  

The Wind Symphony offers Richard Wagner’s Trauersinfonie, a solemn and majestic work composed for large wind band. Shuying Li’s Luminance follows with striking contrast—its shimmering textures and propulsive rhythms illuminating the space between darkness and light. The concert culminates in John Mackey’s The Frozen Cathedral, a powerful sonic monument inspired by majestic landscapes. 

The Mason Bands are proud to welcome the Independence High School Wind Ensemble as a featured special guest for this concert, under the direction of Kyle Harrington (Mason BM alumnus – Music Education ’14).   But Joy Comes... is a reminder that in the face of sorrow and silence, we continue to rise, to sing, to shine.

Hilarity and glorious music abound in Puccini’s one-act comedic masterpiece as the Donati family’s grief over their “Dear Uncle Buoso’s” death quickly turns to greed as they scheme to keep their inheritance. The clever and creative Gianni Schicchi comes to the rescue – or does he? Featuring the beloved aria “O mio babbino caro,” brilliant ensembles, and lively characters, it’s no wonder that Gianni Schicchi remains a perennial favorite among opera lovers and newcomers alike. 

The Dewberry School of Music is proud to present: Winter Festival, an exhilarating concert featuring the Mason Orchestras and Choirs. The orchestras will perform dynamic works, including Karl Stamitz’s Concerto in Bb for Clarinet, Bassoon, and Orchestra, featuring Dr. Kathleen Gardiner Mulcahy on clarinet and Christopher Jewell on bassoon. Mason Choirs are proud to perform traditional music of the season including contemporary settings of O Come Emanuel,  Ose Shalom, Gretchaninoff's Cantate Domino and Felix Mendelssohn's There Shall a Star from his oratorio Christus. Join us as we perform selections of diverse styles, culminating in a combined performance featuring the Mason Symphony Orchestra and the Mason Choirs performing some of your holiday favorites.

 This performance will take place in the Concert Hall at the George Mason University’s Center for the Arts on Sunday, December 7th at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available online and at the door. Additional information and tickets are available at music.calendar.gmu.edu. We hope you’ll join us for this exciting performance!

This concert will include porcelain bowls, wood blocks, African drums, and tambourines, as well as marimba and vibraphone. There is even a piece featuring 4 hi-hats. At this dynamic performance listeners will experience a wide variety of percussion sounds, from mellow to pulsing. The Percussion Ensemble is under the direction of Prof. John Spirtas and Prof. Jonathan Bisesi.

Free admission

The Mason Steel Pan Ensemble (directed by Victor Provost) and Jazz Combos (directed by Wade Beach) perform their fall concert. 

Free admission

We are Mason Choirs Groove Theory, a non-credited student organization run through the Mason Choirs program. This group specializes in a cappella music with a variety of music genres. We are inviting all students to come see our concert "A Night to Remember", on Thursday November 13 at 8 p.m. This is a free event for all students to enjoy - come support Groove Theory A Cappella! 

Free Admission

Unwind with an evening of brass and winds chamber groups featuring Mason Music students. This performance is coordinated by Dr. Caroline Steiger, Director of Brass and Dr. Kathleen Gardiner Mulcahy, Director of Woodwinds. 

Free Admission

The Braddock Road Brass Band (directed by Graham Breedlove) and Jazz Combos (directed by Dr. Shawn Purcell) perform their fall concert! Enjoy performances in multiple Jazz styles (Bebop, Hard Bop, Brazilian, Fusion, etc.) and music from the New Orleans Brass Band tradition! 

Free Admission

Featuring the students of Dr. Anna Balakerskaia, Professor of Piano and Chamber Music performing works by Chopin, Schumann, Medtner, Kapustin, Stravinsky and more.

Free Admission

Featuring the students of Professor June Huang, Director of Strings, performing works by Bartok, Beethoven, Dvorak, Franck, Korngold, Sarasate, Sibelius. 

Free Admission

The String Chamber Concert will feature student performances of works by Smetana, Dvorak, and Moszkowski. This concert is coordinated by Professor Huang, Director of Strings.

Free Admission

Mykia Buford, Oboe, Senior Music Education Recital
Saturday, November 8 at 12:00 p.m.

Jenna Renee Hoffman, Euphonium, Senior Music Education Recital
Sunday, November 9 at 5:00 p.m.

Megan Slay, Piano, Doctoral Lecture Recital
Sunday, November 9 at 7:00 p.m.

Zoe Bockman, Composition, Senior Recital
Monday, November 10 at 7:00 p.m.

George Benskin, Composition, Senior Recital
Friday, November 14 at 5:00 p.m.

Jennifer Mills, Voice, Junior Recital
Friday, November 14 at 7:00 p.m.

Grace Fullinwider, Piano, Senior Music Education Recital
Saturday, November 15 at 12:00 p.m.

Daniel Olenick, Voice, Senior Music Education Recital
Saturday, November 15 at 6:00 p.m.

Samuel Kim, Piano, Junior Recital
Saturday, November 15 at 8:00 p.m.

Emma Yuzheng Yang, Piano, Senior Recital
Tuesday, November 18 at 7:00 p.m.

Annie French, Voice, Junior Recital
Friday, November 21 at 7:00 p.m.

Alyssa Cabassa, Viola, Senior Recital
Saturday, November 22 at 3:00 p.m.

Nate Casey, Saxophone, Junior Recital
Saturday, November 22 at 8:00 p.m.

Estefany Garcia, Violin, Senior Music Education Recital
Sunday, November 23 at 2:00 p.m.

Congratulations to the George Mason vocal students and their teachers who participated in the 2025 Virginia State NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) Voice Competition,  October 24 & 25 held at Shenandoah University, Winchester, Virginia. Mason’s talented vocal students competed and won recognition in both classical and musical theater categories.  Student winners range from freshman to post graduate level. 

Professor June Huang, Director of Strings and Alyssa Cabassa (Senior - BM Performance and Music Education) presented "Building Citizenship Through Music" at the College Music Society’s national conference in Spokane, Washington. The session discussed ways in which belonging, inclusion, and participation are the building blocks of music-making.