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Center for the Arts engagement activities with Mason Artist-in-Residence Ballet Hispánico include a master class and classroom visits with George Mason students, workshops for area schools and community groups, Latin social dances for the public and Mason community, and a free school time performance.

Headlined by award-winning singer and actress Lea Salonga, the annual benefit event raises funds for student scholarships at the College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA). Since its launch in 2006, ARTS by George! has raised more than $4.1 million for Mason Arts.

Right before Earth Day, Small Island Big Song presents a "jaw-dropping" (Billboard) concert experience at the Center for the Arts on April 20, combining music, spoken word, and stunning projections to showcase unique oceanic grooves and soulful island ballads, while shining a light on the devastating effects of climate crisis on our world’s oceans. As a Mason Artist-in-Residence, Small Island Big Song will also deeply engage with the community through a series of education and engagement programs.

Honor Earth Day weekend with Small Island Big Song on April 20 for a moving musical experience that combines music, spoken word, and stunning projections to showcase the sounds of various island nations of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, while shining a light on the devastating effects of climate crisis on our world’s ocean.

Join us on Feb 17 for an extraordinary evening of visionary works using various dance and music styles that uncover the relationships between identity, history, and geography.

Returning for their second of three years as a Mason Artist-in-Residence, Silkroad Ensemble and Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens present the world premiere of American Railroad, an initiative that maps American music through the various communities involved in building the late-1800s Transcontinental Railroad and its connecting railways. As a Mason Artist-in-Residence, Silkroad artists will also work with the community through classes and workshops surrounding the performance, which are detailed within.

ARTS by George! returned on Saturday, September 30, 2023, hosted by the College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) at ����AV. The benefit event, which was headlined by GRAMMY and Tony Award winner Renée Elise Goldsberry, raised more than $275,000 for student scholarships in visual arts, dance, music, theater, game design, film, arts management, as well as for the Mason Community Arts Academy, Green Machine Ensembles, and the Great Performances at Mason season at the Center for the Arts.

In March 2023, the GRAMMY Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble debuted their program, Uplifted Voices, at the Center for the Arts, launching their three-year arc as a Mason Artist-in-Residence. Now, Silkroad Ensemble returns for its second year of residency with the world premiere of its program American Railroad on November 5.

Check out this Q&A with Silkroad member and cellist/composer Karen Ouzounian, whose playing The New York Times has described as “radiant” and “expressive.”

Pianist Jeffrey Siegel celebrates 30 years of Keyboard Conversations® at Mason, and talks with a Friend of the Center for the Arts.