veterans and the arts

The Hylton Performing Arts Center Breaks Records with 12th Anniversary Gala

Zoe Harr — Wed, 04 May 2022 17:27:57 +0000

The Hylton Performing Arts Center Breaks Records with 12th Anniversary Gala Zoe Harr Wed, 05/04/2022 - 13:27

In This Story

The Hylton Performing Arts Center hosted a special two-day celebration with the Hylton Center 12^th Anniversary Gala on April 29 and April 30. As the first Anniversary Gala held in-person since 2019, the event welcomed more than 1,000 guests and supported the Hylton Center’s mission of presenting diverse performances and programs of high quality and artistic excellence to inspire, educate, and enrich the community.

Gala guest Erika Spalding raises a paddle in support of the Hylton Center.

The festivities began at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 29 and included a tribute to this year’s honorees, Lovey Hammel and Denise McPhail, for their leadership and many contributions to the Hylton Center and ��AV. The evening started in the Didlake Grand Foyer with an elegant cocktail reception featuring speciality cocktails provided by MurLarkey Distilled Spirits and a special dinner on the Merchant Hall stage, catered by Susan Gage Caterers. The evening also included a live auction featuring travel packages, as well as a “Raise Your Paddle” fundraiser in support of the Hylton Center’s Veterans and the Arts Initiative.

On Saturday, April 30, guests were treated to a Hylton Center EXTRA!  performance by Tony Award-winning star of stage and screen Leslie Odom, Jr. Holding a multifaceted career in theater, television, film, and GRAMMY Award-winning music, Odom, Jr. has earned several award nominations including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Critics’ Choice Award, Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and more.

Leslie Odom, Jr. converses with Northern Virginia students before Saturday evening's concert.

In addition to his performance, Odom, Jr. provided an opportunity for area students to join him in an open dialogue about his career path and what advice he has to offer about achieving goals in the performing arts. Students from Mason's School of Theater, Northern Virginia's Creative and Performing Arts Center (CAPAC), as well as Prince William County's Colgan, Forest Park, Osbourn Park, and Woodbridge High Schools participated with questions and conversation. After Odom, Jr.'s performance, an exclusive dessert reception for Gold+ level Gala Sponsors rounded out the evening.

The event raised a record-breaking amount of more than $225,000, which will support performances and programs at the Hylton Center, as well as the Education Initiative and Veterans and the Arts Initiative. Ten percent of the net proceeds will also fund the Hylton Center’s Endowment, ensuring excellence now and for years to come.

Guests enjoy the cocktail reception at the Hylton Center 12th Anniversary Gala.

During the event, Executive Director of the Hylton Center and Dean of Mason's College of Visual and Performing Arts Rick Davis shared, “Tonight we celebrate our unofficial motto ‘the arts create community’ and we’re here to recognize and thank those artists and community builders who deliver on that promise. The work that Lovey Hammel and her family have done has paved the way for so many artists and arts students who express their creative voice and stretch their artistic wings here at the Hylton Center.”

He continued, “We also recognize the outstanding work of one such artist and educator – Denise McPhail, the co-founder and Executive Director of the Creative and Performing Arts Center. Through performing arts and sciences, CAPAC educates, entertains, and encourages diverse youth, teens, and adults in Northern Virginia to ignite STEAM curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving skills as a formula to diversify and sustain STEAM workforces for lifelong success.”

The Hylton Center’s 12th Anniversary Gala was supported by many regional businesses and individual donors, including Presenting Sponsor Compton & Duling. The Hylton Center EXTRA! performance was sponsored by Carol Merchant Kirby and Peter Kirby, NOVEC, and Buck and Julie Walters.

Event images by Melisa Pasero Photography.

Top Left: Honoree Denise McPhail with family and friends; Top Right: Executive Director Rick Davis and ��AV President Gregory Washington; Bottom Left: President Gregory Washington, Leslie Odom, Jr., and Mrs. Nicole Washington; Bottom Right: Honoree Lovey Hammel with father Marvin Yeates and family.

Topics

Hylton

Hylton Center

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

veterans and the arts

Campus News

A Special Veterans Day Message

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 18:32:20 +0000

A Special Veterans Day Message Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/01/2021 - 14:32

LR: Emily Fasick (Program Assistant), Dr. Niyati Dhokai (Program Director)

Happy Veterans Day! As we honor and celebrate the service of our Veterans and their families, we also look back at the past year and the amazing community we have sustained virtually through the Hylton Center's Veterans and the Arts Initiative. Through countless music and art workshops, we have played guitar and ukulele, taken smartphone photos and videos, and created mixed media. We have not only reflected on our own community's service through the arts, but also inspired others by sharing our work at the Virginia Women Veterans Summit and through the release of an innovative Tele-Arts Engagement Guide. The implementation guide shares how the Initiative created a virtual Ukulele Workshop Series that is inclusive and accessible to our diverse, intergenerational, military-connected community, and provides a template for others to create similar programming in their communities.

As we return to the Hylton Center for hybrid workshops this fall and into 2022, we draw upon our resilience as individuals and especially as a community. As Program Director of the Veterans and the Arts Initiative, I look forward to reflecting on this resilience joyfully through the music of husband-and-wife duo, Michael Trotter and Tanya Trotter of The War and Treaty on Sunday, November 14. The couple first met in 2010 at the aptly titled Spirit of Love festival in Maryland, where their artistic-romantic partnership began. Today, the couple continues to bring their very relatable struggles to their music including Trotter’s battle with PTSD as an Army Veteran. Their music speaks truthfully about their journey, including challenges encountered and the hope that they have sustained.

If you haven't heard about The War and Treaty yet, please read more about them and grab your tickets now! Tickets are free for Veterans and Servicemembers with ID (up to 2 tickets each, must be claimed in-person at the Hylton Center Ticket Office).

I look forward to seeing you at the Hylton Center!

Dr. Niyati Dhokai
Program Director, Veterans and the Arts Initiative, Hylton Performing Arts Center, and Research Associate Professor, College of Visual and Performing Arts

Topics

Hylton Center

veterans and the arts

Veterans Day

Dr. Niyati Dhokai, Veterans and the Arts Initiative Program, ��AV

Pam Muirheid — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 20:17:26 +0000

Dr. Niyati Dhokai, Veterans and the Arts Initiative Program, ��AV Pam Muirheid Wed, 09/15/2021 - 16:17

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Niyati Dhokai

Dr. Niyati Dhokai, the Director of the Veterans and the Arts Initiative Program at ��AV talks in this podcast about how effective music therapy is for Veterans returning from active duty, battling PTSD and other injuries, and how their families and children benefit from these sessions. Among some of the benefits achieved are more feelings of relaxation, improved sense of well-being, more effective social interaction skills and the development of a sense of comfort outside the rehab center. Also find out what additional research she is working on and what areas she sees necessitate additional study.