Dear Mason Music Family,

We invite you to join us during this month of February for outstanding music presented by our Dewberry School of Music faculty and students. How thrilled we are to present our Dewberry Faculty Artist Series on February 15 and 22 with free concerts on Sundays at 3 pm and 7 pm in Harris Theater. These concerts feature our extraordinary faculty and guest artists in harp/strings, voice/piano, winds, and brass.   

We hope to see you at our Mason Jazz Festival on Saturday February 14 with a special closing free concert at 7 pm featuring our Mason Jazz Ensemble and the USAF Airmen of Note! We are excited to host the Pathos Trio residency on February 16-17 and we invite you to join us for a free concert presented by the Pathos Trio on Monday, February 16 at 8 pm in the deLaski Performing Arts Center (3001). 

Please purchase your tickets now for our Mason Bands Concert on Tuesday, February 24 at 7.30 pm in our Center for the Arts Concert Hall. This concert features the Mason Wind Symphony, Mason Symphonic Band, and also the West Springfield High School Band. The third concert of the Mason Bands 55th Anniversary season, Dope, is a celebration of power, identity, and unapologetic expression. 

Trombonist Vaughn Wiester, Artist-in-Residence at Mason on February 26 - 28, will present a free masterclass on Friday, February 27 at 3 pm. Please purchase your tickets now for the Mason Jazz Ensemble concert on Thursday February 26 at 8 pm with Vaughn Wiester and also for the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra on Saturday February 28 at 8 pm featuring "The Music of Stan Kenton."

We are thrilled to celebrate the Friends of Music at Mason 20th Anniversary throughout this Spring 2026 season of concerts. Thanks to our amazing 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

The George Mason Jazz Festival is a yearly invitational, non-competitive event open to middle school, high school, collegiate, and community jazz ensembles. The next George Mason Jazz Festival will take place on Saturday, February 14th, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. at George Mason University’s Fairfax, VA campus. All concerts and events are free and open to the public-- no tickets are needed.

VAUGHN WIESTER: ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE: February 26-28, 2026 

Trombonist Vaughn Wiester will be an "Artist-in-Residence" with the George Mason Jazz Department, February 26 - 28, 2026.  Wiester is a veteran of groups including the Woody Herman band, the Columbus Jazz Orchestra and his own Famous Jazz Orchestra. He served on the faculty at Capital University as part of the pioneering Jazz Studies degree program and throughout his 17-year association, taught courses in jazz arranging and jazz history and directed the prize-winning big Band Sound Big Band. Wiester's arrangements can be heard on recordings by Woody Herman, Waldo's Ragtime Orchestra and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra.

Join us for an exciting evening of big band brilliance as the Mason Jazz Ensemble welcomes acclaimed arranger, conductor, and trombonist Vaughn Wiester as special guest and artist-in-residence on Thursday February 26 in Harris Theatre. Known for his deep ties to the legacy of Stan Kenton and his own long-running “Famous Jazz Orchestra” in Columbus, Ohio, Mr. Wiester will conduct a program featuring many of his own powerful and sophisticated arrangements. This special residency precedes Mr. Wiester’s guest appearance with the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra in a high-energy Stan Kenton Tribute concert on Saturday February 28.

METROPOLITAN JAZZ ORCHESTRA with VAUGHN WIESTER: February 28, 2026 (CFA)

The Music of Stan Kenton

Miles Skeeters, Trumpet, Senior Music Education Recital
Wednesday, February 18 at 7:00 p.m.
Harris Theatre

Andrew Wood, Trumpet, Doctoral Lecture Recital
Saturday, February 21 at 10:00 a.m.
Harris Theatre

Mackenzie Ward, Clarinet, Non-Degree Recital
Saturday, February 28 at 5:00 p.m.
deLaski 3001

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 (Friday, April 17), and Anniversary Luncheon (Saturday, April 18).  

General admission tickets to the 55th Anniversary Concert on Friday, April 17, 2026, are now available through the Center for the Arts ticket office. 

For more information: https://alumni.gmu.edu/masonbands55