Dear Mason Music Family,

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and be grateful for all the people who enrich our lives. Thank you for your dedication to our Dewberry School of Music students and for all you do for George Mason University. May the love and comfort of family and friends be yours in abundance this Thanksgiving season and may the beautiful gift of music continue to uplift, inspire, and sustain you.  

With my warmest wishes for a healthy and safe Thanksgiving season,

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

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!