Dear Mason Music Family,

Our Dewberry School of Music has shared fantastic evening concerts this week with our Mason Choirs on October 14 and our Mason Symphony Orchestra on October 15.  Additionally, our Mason Symphony Orchestra presented an inaugural Children's Concert to hundreds of school children from the community in a joyous matinee performance. 

We hope you will join us next week for thrilling music presented by our amazing Dewberry School of Music students and faculty. We are excited to present Mason Opera Scenes on Monday October 20, Mason Jazz Ensemble on Thursday October 23,  OcTUBAfest performance on Friday October 24, Faculty Artist Showcase Recital on Sunday October 26 at 3 pm, and Brass Ensemble Concert on Sunday October 26 at 7 pm!  Additional outstanding concerts for the following weeks are also highlighted in 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 fabulous Friends of Music at Mason for all that you do for our students!

Warm regards,

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

This is your chance to spend an evening seated among the performers on the Mainstage of the Center for the Arts. With general admission, on-stage café table seating, and a cash bar, you will want to arrive early to claim your table and settle in to experience the talents of our wonderful students in this unique transformation of our wonderful theater into the CFA On-Stage Café. We will visit many of your favorite masterpieces such as Madama Butterfly, Rigoletto, The Magic Flute, Lakmé, The Marriage of Figaro, and Carmen among others. You won’t want to miss it. 

Admission is Free (Limited Seats) | Online Registration Requested
7:00 p.m. Doors and cash bar open ~ 8:00 p.m Curtain

Join the Mason Jazz Ensemble for an unforgettable evening celebrating the spirit, history, and future of America’s music. This fall, our concert honors United States House Resolution 57, which declared jazz “a rare and valuable national treasure” — a testament to its enduring power to inspire, unite, and tell the American story.

The ensemble’s entire semester has been devoted to exploring what Jelly Roll Morton called “the Latin Tinge” — the vibrant Afro-Latin influences that have shaped jazz from its earliest days to the present. Through this lens, the concert will present an eclectic and exciting program that spans continents and generations, showcasing both the breadth of the tradition and the artistry of our student soloists.

Highlights of the evening include Aaron Copland’s stirring Fanfare for the Common Man reimagined through a jazz ensemble lens; Dizzy Gillespie’s iconic Afro-Cuban masterpiece Manteca; Yoko Kanno’s explosive and genre-blurring Tank! from Cowboy Bebop; and Chucho by Paquito D'Rivera — a joyful preview of Paquito’s upcoming visit.

From swing to bebop, concert music to Latin jazz, this program reflects the living, evolving mosaic of jazz itself — a music that remains, in every sense, a rare and valuable national treasure.

Directed by Dr. David Porter and Dr. Mark Jenkins

Selections include:
Old Comrades March by Carl Teike, arr. Norlan Bewley
Dark Chocolate Suite by Barbara York - Enjoy chocolate sweets that match the movements!
The Tinker Polka by Ray Dorschner, arr. Norlan Bewley
Haufbrau Haus Medley, arr. Norlan Bewley
Beer Barrel Polka by Jaromir Vejvoda, arr. Skip Gray

Free admission

The Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music presents its annual showcase recital featuring its stellar faculty artists in magnificent solo and chamber performances. Performers include Mason Faculty Artists Prof. June Huang, Violin; Dr. Patrick LeStrange, Viola; Prof. Gerald Fowkes, Cello; Dr. GaYoung Lee, Piano; Dr. David Porter, Tuba; Dr. Ina Mirtcheva Blevins, Piano; Prof. Jonathan Bisesi, Percussion; Prof. Lisa Berger, Soprano; Dr. Dennis Edelbrock, Trumpet, and Prof. Matt Trkula, Guitar.

Free admission

This concert includes music for brass choir, brass quintet, low brass quartet, and horn and trombone duet, featuring works by Katahj Copley, Giovanni Gabrieli, David Biedenbender, Cait Nishimura, and Dr. Andrea Reinkemeyer,  Dewberry School of Music Director of Composition. Students are undergraduate and graduate brass performance majors studying with Dr. Denny Edelbrock, Dr. Caroline Steiger, Professor Katie Franke, Dr. Mark Jenkins, and Dr. David Porter.

Free admission

The New Sound Collective (NSC) performs their Fall concert in collaboration with the Mason student chapter of the Society of Composers, Inc. (SCI-GMU) and faculty composer Dr. Brendan Sweeney. NSC specializes in the performance of music by living composers and is directed by Dr. Andrea Reinkemeyer, Director of Composition.

Free admission

Multi-Grammy Award winner and critically acclaimed musician Paquito D'Rivera joins audience favorite Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra for an evening of sizzling Latin jazz. Born in Cuba, D’Rivera is “a marvelous soloist in Latin—and mainstream—jazz contexts” (JazzTimes), with rich skills on clarinet, saxophone, and in composition, all rooted in a background of classical and traditional Cuban music. With more than 30 solo albums, a National Medal of the Arts, and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award, D’Rivera is celebrated both for his artistry in Latin jazz and his achievements as a classical composer. Founder, artistic director, and virtuoso saxophonist Jim Carroll leads the orchestra, comprising some of the area’s finest musicians.

The Mason Jazz Workshop explores the intersection of improvisation and composition in a large jazz ensemble. The name of the Mason Jazz Workshop is inspired by ensembles led by innovative jazz composers Charles Mingus, George Russell, and Hal McCusick. Attendees will enjoy rare and beautiful compositions by jazz legends Wayne Shorter, Gil Evans, Chuck Israels, and Pat Metheny. The program also features songs made famous by Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, and Laufey.

Free admission

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

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.

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

Free admission

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. 

Malcolm Taylor, Percussion, Doctoral Recital
Saturday, October 25 at 2:00 p.m.
deLaski 3001

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For 55 years, the Mason Bands have inspired, uplifted, and united our community through the power of music. From April 16-18, 2026, experience three unforgettable days of celebration, including rehearsal of the Mason Alumni Concert Band (Thursday, April 16), featuring the Mason Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band Concert (Friday, April 17), and Anniversary Luncheon (Saturday, April 18). 

The 55th Anniversary Mason Alumni Concert Band will be conducted by the directors of bands who have shaped our program through the decades: Professors Anthony Maiello, Mark Camphouse, and our current Director of Bands William L. Lake Jr., DMA. Whether you’re an alum returning to play, a longtime supporter, or a lover of great music, this is your moment to celebrate the tradition, excellence, and spirit of the Mason Bands.

Registration for playing in the Mason Alumni Concert Band and attending the Anniversary Luncheon is coming soon! General admission tickets to the 55th Anniversary Concert on Friday, April 17, 2026, are now available through the Center for the Arts Ticket Office.  Contact William L. Lake, Jr. (wlake@gmu.edu), Director of Concert Bands, for additional information.

Shawn Purcell,  DMA, Mason Jazz Guitar Professor celebrated his latest release, OBLIVITY, on Origin Records, with a CD release party at historic Washington DC Jazz club, Blues Alley on Tuesday, September 30.  originarts.com/recordings/oblivity

With a wide-ranging virtuosic fluidity, D.C.-based guitarist Shawn Purcell draws on an abundance of musical influences and a refined ensemble cohesion in crafting the journey that Oblivity leads. Inviting the acclaimed saxophonist Walt Weiskopf to share the front line, they energize this dynamic quintet set of all original compositions, along with Purcell's longtime bandmates Chris Ziemba on piano, bassist Jeff Reed, and drummer Steve Fidyk. Darden Purcell also orchestrates several melodies with her wordless vocals and trombonist Ben Patterson guests on two compositions. From searing, fusion-adjacent moments, to fiery post-bop, and spacious, sensitive ballads, Oblivity displays an artful and compelling sonic experience.

"Every once in a while, an album will come your way that both delights and impresses the ear. Like shooting stars, these are not completely rare occurrences but it's the fortunate person who gets to enjoy the experience... This album makes a statement and says a lot."
-Peter Erskine