For more than a year, the pandemic has impacted many aspects of the day-to-day at the (CVPA). One thing that hasn鈥檛 changed is our faculty and staff鈥檚 commitment to providing outstanding educational experiences. This moment has enhanced our resilience and creativity in order to satisfy the needs of the student community. The most recent examples took place in March 2021, during which four masterclasses were held over the span of a single week. These ranged from virtual classes via Zoom webinar, to a hybrid session (half in-person, half virtual) utilizing .
An important element of the College鈥檚 instructional offerings is and the Hylton Performing Arts Center, which enables Mason students to learn directly from today鈥檚 top artists. When performers and touring ensembles appear in the professional season of music, dance, and theater offerings, CVPA ensures that masterclasses or similar educational opportunities are part of what they bring to the table. This learning exchange is in line with the College鈥檚 longstanding mission to 鈥渆ducate the artists of tomorrow.鈥 In spite of the current restrictions, CVPA and its two performing arts centers have continued to provide these exceptional experiences to Mason students.
Beginning on March 2, Lawrence Brownlee鈥攚ho is recognized as one of America鈥檚 foremost modern opera singers鈥攍ed a Zoom masterclass for a group of Vocal Studies and Opera majors from . The class was held the day after he participated in The Artist-Activist: Centering Black Voices series as part of Mason Arts at Home.
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Of her experience, Rosie Wright (Vocal Performance 鈥22) commented, 鈥Singing for Mr. Brownlee was an infinitely valuable experience for me. He was an absolute joy to work with. I had the privilege of singing a Rossini aria for him and, since that鈥檚 one of his specialties, I was very nervous. I had so much fun learning from him and it was so inspiring to get a coaching from him听on the piece. This masterclass was one of the highlights of my college career.鈥
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The following day, School of Theater students were welcomed to participate in a masterclass with Broadway singer and actress Laura Osnes鈥攚ho appeared in Broadway Princess Party on March 21. For this session, students gathered in person (physically distanced) on the Center for the Arts鈥 stage while Osnes was projected live onto the Moving Story Window Wall. Sophia Inserra (Theater 鈥21) explained, 鈥the innovativeness of the set up and how we connected with Ms. Osnes was excitingly effective and, of course, getting the opportunity to meet and work with her virtually was amazing. This experience made my entire year; I am so grateful.鈥
Similarly, on March 8, instrumentalists from the Dewberry School of Music had the opportunity to study with clarinetist Thomas Lessels and cellist Will Schofield of the world-class Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. These two, separate masterclasses were held via Zoom webinar and they preceded the ensemble鈥檚 Mason Arts at Home virtual performance on March 13. Teresa Jenkins (Clarinet Performance 鈥22) summarized her involvement as follows, 鈥渢he masterclass was fantastic and enlightening. I really enjoyed the musical ideas that Mr. Lessels recommended and shared with me regarding my playing. The Zoom masterclass experience is one full of silver linings, and I am so appreciative to have been chosen to participate!鈥
These testimonials both confirm and reinforce the importance of making masterclasses, workshops, lectures, and artist conversations available to our student community.
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In addition to the abovementioned masterclasses, the School of Art鈥檚 lecture series continues to feature nationally-recognized visiting artists and designers each month in an online format. Recent guests included Wendy Red Star, Rozeal, and Mia Rollow. Film and Video Studies鈥 is also thriving in the digital space, highlighting films and artists who are committed to innovation, social justice, and diverse and inclusive filmmaking. Most recently, the series featured film director Stefon Bristol and TV writer Hank Jones.
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CVPA is proud to offer these opportunities to students, and we look forward to increasing their reach throughout the academic year.
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