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A Contemporary Composer Fuels a New Mason Collaboration

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Growing up in the Black church, Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Concert Bands, Dr. William Lake, Jr., deeply understands the power of music and movement.

After hearing Come Sunday by composer Omar Thomas, Lake dreamed of bringing this work to life with movement, bringing together the 亚洲AV Bands and the School of Dance.聽 Working on such a project would not only expand his students' musical vocabulary but also create an authentic and expansive cultural experience for the Mason community. Associate Professor of Dance, Lawrence M. Jackson, had similar experiences, growing up in 鈥渢he southern Black church, a very charismatic church鈥 and reflected on his own upbringing and research into African diasporic dance forms. This collaboration came to life onstage in the Center for the Arts on Mason鈥檚 Fairfax Campus on February 28.

Mason School of Dance students pose center stage during the performance of Omar Thomas's "Come Sunday" with the Mason Wind Symphony on February 28 in the Center for the Arts. Photo by Will Martinez
Students from Mason's School of Dance performing with the Mason Wind Symphony to Omar Thomas's Come Sunday on February 28. Photo by Will Martinez.

As a composer, arranger, and educator, works with some of the most respected names in composition and education, including multiple GRAMMY-winning composer and bandleader Maria Schneider, Ken Schaphorst, and Frank Carlberg. Born to Guyanese parents in Brooklyn, New York, Thomas pursued music diligently, completing his Master of Music at Berklee College of Music and becoming the first Black composer to ever receive the National Bandmasters Association/Revelli Award for Come Sunday. His compositions are described as 鈥渢hought-provoking, multi-layered masterpiece[s],鈥 which made embarking on a partnership around this piece even more exciting for Jackson and Lake.

鈥淚 really hold dear my experiences as a musician in the Black church (I started playing the piano for my children鈥檚 choir around age 6) to my musical upbringing.聽 Since I know gospel and other sacred music intimately, I can infuse the music with the extra nuances that can鈥檛 be described using notation but are true to the style. This piece has been performed by many great ensembles across the country鈥 however, there hasn鈥檛 been a performance that centers movement and these great sounds.鈥 said Lake.

Professor Jackson鈥檚 career often includes collaborations, a hallmark of his practice at other universities before coming to Mason in the fall of 2022. While the invitation to work with Dr. Lake at the end of the fall semester was a surprise, it also felt reassuring to find this partnership so early on and to begin exploring what this experience would mean for Mason students from both the School of Dance and the Dewberry School of Music.

A student from the School of Dance smiles at the audience during the performance of "Come Sunday" by Omar Thomas, performed by the Mason Wind Symphony. Photo by Will Martinez.
A student from the School of Dance smiles at the audience during the performance of "Come Sunday" by Omar Thomas, performed by the Mason Wind Symphony. Photo by Will Martinez.

Building a vocabulary for the dancers was an opportunity for Jackson鈥檚 students to explore the storied culture of the Black church's sacred space and develop an understanding of the types of movement vocabulary that would reflect the energy and history of these spaces and traditions. From watching Alvin Ailey鈥檚 Revelations and clips of a particular scene from the movie Blues Brothers, Jackson offered context to his creative process, 鈥渂lending contemporary dance forms, African diasporic dance forms, and pedestrian movement that is derived from the Black church, all merged into an amalgamation of movement vocabulary uniquely designed for this work.鈥

鈥淭he Mason School of Dance students are excited to work with the musicians,鈥 said Jackson. 鈥淭hese dancers, most of them, if not all of them, have never had the experience of working alongside a symphony or a band. I鈥檓 excited for them to experience the unique energy of the symphony and adapt in the moment.鈥 All of the dancers performing in this piece are seniors in their final semester with the School of Dance, which made Jackson that much more eager to share this experience with them before they embark on the next stage of their careers.

The dancers are not the only ones expanding their understanding and skills with this performance. 鈥淭he jazz and gospel musical vocabulary is foreign to my students,鈥 said Dr. Lake.

鈥淚t鈥檚 inspiring to see how invested our students are in something that they realize is new and different.聽 My hope is that through music and collaborations, my students have a gateway to appreciate cultures different than their own,鈥 Lake adds.

Dancers from Mason's School of Dance perform Professor Lawrence M. Jackson's original choreography to "Come Sunday" by Omar Thomas, performed by the Mason Wind Symphony on February 28. Photo by Will Martinez
Dancers from Mason's School of Dance perform Professor Lawrence M. Jackson's original choreography to Come Sunday by Omar Thomas, performed by the Mason Wind Symphony on February 28. Photo by Will Martinez.

Unlike most concerts, the Wind Symphony will be moved further upstage than normal and without the acoustic shell to allow for the choreography to be presented downstage.聽 This has resulted in the assistance of the Center for the Arts Artistic Staff to add audio, lighting, and stage-managing support.聽 This unique concert has been chosen as one of the Mason Arts at Home features that will be captured via six cameras in the hall and even GoPros! Dr. Lake shared, 鈥淚鈥檓 jealous of the audience, I won鈥檛 get to experience the concert from their vantage point 鈥 I鈥檓 thankful that the School of Music and the College of Visual and Performing Arts have agreed to record, edit, and professionally mix our hard work鈥.

The duo is optimistic that this is just the beginning of collaborations between the Mason School of Dance and the Dewberry School of Music.

The Wind Symphony鈥檚 performance from February 28, 2023, including Come Sunday featuring the School of Dance,聽.