Center for the Arts

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About Mason Arts

Mason Arts encompasses the seven academic programs of George Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, six community arts programs, seven galleries, the Center for the Arts, the Hylton Performing Arts Center, and the digital venue Mason Arts Amplified. The college prepares students for careers as creators, performers, teachers, scholars, arts leaders, and arts entrepreneurs, and provides them opportunities to perform, create, and exhibit their work in the wide variety of Mason Arts venues. Learn more at cvpa.gmu.edu.

Mechanical engineering students build motorized Vitruvian man for a School of Music performance

Shayla Brown — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 20:23:35 +0000

Mechanical engineering students build motorized Vitruvian man for a School of Music performance Shayla Brown Mon, 04/08/2024 - 16:23

In This Story

Dr. Lisa Billingham

Nathan Kathir

A group of ��AV mechanical engineering students are building a motorized Vitruvian man for a Center for the Arts (CFA) performance of "Flying to the Stars," a choral concert dedicated to the beginnings of flight from the time of Leonardo da Vinci to the exploration of space.

Team members Kevin Kuck (left) and David Gosselin working on their project in the Machine Shop. Photo provided.

Lisa Billingham, director of choral activities at the Dewberry Family School of Music, said she wanted the concert to be an immersive experience for the audience, and reached out to the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) for help. There she connected with Nathan Kathir, a mechanical engineering professor, who shared the project idea with his students.

“This project is exciting because we are partnering with another unit at Mason outside of CEC,” said Kathir, who is the director of senior capstone projects for mechanical engineering students.

“There is already a lot of art involved in engineering, and this collaboration between music and our department will be very inspiring for future students,” said Kathir.

The four students assigned to the project are working in the Machine Shop on the SciTech Campus and call themselves The Polymaths.

“We were thinking about the show’s theme of Leonardo da Vinci and we knew that the Vitruvian man is kind of his staple,” said Mellany Ayala, a senior mechanical engineering student. “I drew a very rough sketch of the Vitruvian man inside a gyroscopic figure, and it ended up being what our team decided to build.”

The device, which will hang from center stage throughout the show, has two spotlights as well as projections that will shine down on the students as they perform.

“We’re aiming for something similar to the immersive Van Gogh experience in D.C.,” said Kevin Kuck, a senior mechanical engineering student and the team leader.

The Polymaths met once a week with Billingham and her student research assistant and choir member, Ross Calvin, to discuss the project and work on a proposal for funding. They applied for and received a grant from Mason’s University Life.

Billingham also created a QR code fundraiser on Facebook and received anonymous donations, she said.

“Hopefully these cool project collaborations keep happening in the future. It was really refreshing to work with people from CVPA; they were so easygoing and in such happy spirits,” said Ayala.

The Polymaths worked with the CFA’s electrician and did a run-through a week before the performance. They will also give a presentation about the project on Capstone Day to showcase the final product.

“This project has been one of the more hands-on experiences I’ve had at Mason so far,” said Kuck. “Being able to build something with my own hands was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed seeing it go from an idea on a page to something real. I think that's been the most satisfying part for me.”

During the concert, students will perform Jocelyn Hagen's “The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci” and “Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine” by Eric Whitacre. A piece by alum Peter Kadeli will also be performed.

Topics

senior capstone projects

Tech Talent Investment Pipeline (TTIP)

Dewberry School of Music

mechanical engineering

TTIP

Tech Talent Investment Program

Mason Artist-in-Residence Small Island Big Song Leads Events Across Campus and Community

Zoe Harr — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 20:41:10 +0000

Mason Artist-in-Residence Small Island Big Song Leads Events Across Campus and Community Zoe Harr Fri, 03/29/2024 - 16:41

In This Story

Buy Tickets

Learn About Mason's Artist-in-Residence Program

Mason Artist-in-Residence Small Island Big Song will perform at the Center on April 20. Photo taken by Gelée Lai, Tony Tsai, Samra Teague, and Kimmi Cranes.

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. Indigenous artists from Pacific and Indian Ocean island nations mix their diverse styles to establish a contemporary musical dialogue between cultures as far afield as Madagascar, Taiwan, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, Tahiti, and Indonesia.

Co-Founder BaoBao Chen joins Small Island Big Song at the Center on April 20.

“For us, the goal of Small Island Big Song is to bring the audiences to some places that we might not have the courage of going alone, to celebrate, to confront, to inspire, to mourn, to feel hopeful. Our performance goes to all these emotions and shares the stories of ‘Our Island’, but ultimately, ‘Our Island’ is the one we all share,” notes BaoBao Chen, co-founder of Small Island Big Song.

Want to learn more about Small Island Big Song? Read more on the official website.

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, detailed below:

Open-to-the-Public Residency Events

Climate Change: Our Response as Artivists on April 18 will explore ways in which artists can use their voices to expand global conversation on political, economic, social, and cultural questions at the root of the climate crisis. This event is co-presented with the Inclusive Collaborative Arts at Mason (ICAM) project with panelists BaoBao Chen, Co-Founder and Producer of Small Island Big Song; Mark Cooley, Associate Professor and Director of New Media Arts, Mason School of Art; founder of Green Studio; Moderated by Edward Maibach, distinguished professor at ��AV and director of Mason’s Center for Climate Change Communication; and is a part of the Artist-Activist Speaker Series, an initiative of the Inclusive Collaborative Arts at Mason (ICAM) project. This event is free, but registration is required.
Small Island Big Song artist Sammy from Madagascar hosts "Trash to Music" on April 20.
On April 19, Small Island Big Song invites local students to experience a schooltime performance that includes participatory dance and rhythmic activities, as well as an open Q&A with students. This performance is free, but registration is required.
Also on April 19 and in collaboration with Mason Dining, Small Island Big Song artists will introduce Mason community members to a traditional island dish, fish curry. Led by Emlyn from Mauritius, the Cooking a Traditional Meal with Local Twists workshop will include food samples and musical accompaniment. The event is free to Mason students, faculty, and staff, but registration is required.
Led by Small Island Big Song artist Sammy and hosted by UpCycle Creative Reuse Center, Trash to Music on April 20 is an inspiring hands-on workshop demonstrating how to make musical instruments from trash, commonly recycled, and/or reused materials. Participants will be making a Malagasy-style berimbau and shaker. Recommended for ages 10 and up, minors must be accompanied by an adult. Limit of 20 participants with waitlist to notify if spots become available.

Additional Residency Activities for Mason and Local Community

Co-presented by the City of Fairfax and Center for the Arts, Small Island Big Song hosted a Friends of the Center for the Arts Artists in Conversation event, Our Shared Seafaring Heritage, Alive in Rhythm and Song, on April 2 at the Stacey C. Sherwood Community Center in Fairfax, VA. This lecture-demonstration provided geographical and historical background about the great oceanic migrations that affected the featured island nations of Small Island Big Song, and included musical demonstrations and an interactive Q&A.
Small Island Big Song artists Sammy, Yuma, Mathieu, and Small Island Big Song Co-Founder Tim Cole will visit Mason’s Dewberry School of Music program’s “Music History in Society III” course taught by Professor Greg Robinson.
In this Dancing Mauritian Sega workshop, approximately 100 second grade students from Hunters Woods Elementary School are invited to learn the Sega dance from Mauritius, led by Mathieu Joseph (Mauritius) with support from Sam Roem (West Papua).
Small Island Big Song artists and co-founders BaoBao Chen and Tim Cole will lead a discussion on the topic of “Artivism in Action - Managing Cultural Initiatives” with students of Mason’s Arts Management and Folklore programs’ “Folklore and Festival Management” course.

In addition to these special residency events, a pre-performance discussion with Small Island Big Song Co-Founders BaoBao Chen and Tim Cole will take place in Monson Grand Tier prior to the performance on April 20. The discussion will be moderated by Center for the Arts Programming and Engagement Manager Vic Adebusola.

Buy tickets to Small Island Big Song on April 20 and be transported to the musical islands that are just around the corner.

This engagement of Small Island Big Song is made possible through the ArtsCONNECT program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Mason Artist-in-Residence program is supported in part by the Wendy Frieman and David Johnson Fund.

The Small Island Big Song residency is supported in part by Eloise Stinger.

Thank you to the City of Fairfax Parks and Recreation Everybody Plays Grant program for making free tickets possible for the schooltime matinee program. This grant was funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

Topics

CFA

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) Arts Management Program

folklore

Friends of the Center for the Arts

Mason Artists-in-Residence

Mason Dining

Sustainability

Course collaborates with Mason artists-in-residence to transport students across the globe

Shayla Brown — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 13:44:21 +0000

Course collaborates with Mason artists-in-residence to transport students across the globe Shayla Brown Mon, 10/30/2023 - 09:44

HNRS 360: The Silkroad and the Railroad is the kind of course that could only happen at ��AV. With artists-in-residence Silkroad Ensemble as partners, 25 Honors College students from 17 majors are exploring cultures and histories, music and narratives, impacts and legacies of the Transcontinental Railroad.

CVPA Dean Rick Davis teaches the HNRS 360 course. Photo by Cristian Torres/Office of University Branding.

It was a natural fit for Rick Davis, the dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

“Transportation is my lifelong passion and obsession—railroads, planes, ships, anything that moves people or objects,” said Davis, who as a young boy, would ride his bike to the closest train station several miles away from his home.

As far as the development of the United States, the transcontinental railroad was a game changer, said Davis, but “there are also undercurrents that were devastating to certain groups and all of it created art— paintings, photography, poetry, and other narratives—and the beauty of the Silkroad Ensemble’s insight is that you can make a concert by readapting old songs and creating new material.”

Alexandra Tyler is a junior forensic science major and second year captain on Mason’s Swim and Dive team.

“I've really enjoyed having Dean Davis as a professor,” said Tyler. “We started off the first class with singing and it caught me off guard at first, but it was a pleasant surprise. It was something new and definitely a different form of learning that I haven't been exposed to before.”

The class is split into two teams—Eastbound and Westbound, mirroring the way the transcontinental railroad was constructed. Each student is responsible for a research vector, some aspect of the transcontinental railroad or its impacts that they will present as a final project.

“The range of topics is phenomenal,” said Davis. Some students choose to follow their vocational training, and others are looking into areas that simply interest them. For example, there are economics and government majors who are researching the financing of the transcontinental railroad, including hardball politics and credit fraud scandals.

Music alumna and Mason staff member Caitlyn Loweth Rivero playing guitar for the HNRS 360 students. Photo by Cristian Torres/��AV.

“The most interesting parts of the class are the artist visits over Zoom. They all came to us from different parts of the world,” said Nafisa Weeks, a junior double majoring in government and international politics and Korean language. “Mazz [Swift] who is from an African American background and Pura Fé, who is a part of the native indigenous Taino community—we got to hear their different styles of music and that experience made me really happy. I love seeing what they're doing and how it connects to what we're doing in class.”

“[This course] really allows us to step out of our comfort zones, and I feel like this is another way to get a global perspective,” she added.

The Silkroad Ensemble will perform their current project, American Railroad, at Mason’s Center for the Arts on Nov. 5.

“The theme behind this concert is uplifting the voices of the folks who built the transcontinental railroad as well as other railroads within the United States; what those interactions were like and what those heritages are,” said Mazz Swift, a Silkroad Ensemble performer. “We are really focusing on Irish, Indigenous, Black Americans and Chinese communities, and so there is representation from all of those countries and communities.”

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Meet the Mason Nation: Will Gautney, assistant master electrician and Staff Senate chair

Lauren Reuscher — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 18:11:21 +0000

Meet the Mason Nation: Will Gautney, assistant master electrician and Staff Senate chair Lauren Reuscher Thu, 10/19/2023 - 14:11

Will Gautney

Job: Assistant Master Electrician, Center for the Arts, and Chair of Staff Senate

Will Gautney started working at ��AV’s Center for the Arts as a part-time stagehand in 2013. The job involved lots of lifting, building, and prep work for shows. In 2018, he was hired full-time as assistant master electrician, his current role. He helps plan shows, leads the stagehands, and manages the technical aspects of lighting and design.

Will Gautney, assistant master electrician at the Center for the Arts, and chair of the Staff Senate. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Beyond his role in the Center for the Arts, Gautney was elected to Mason’s Staff Senate in 2021. He joined the advisory body to advocate for wage and non-traditional staff at the university—staff like him, who are working in non-desk jobs, or outside traditional business hours. In June 2023, Gautney was nominated and elected as chair of the senate, and he started that two-year term in July.

The show goes on: The main performance season at the Center for the Arts runs from September to May. Most days during the season are spent preparing for shows or reviewing the technical requirements for a performance. During the summer months, Gautney and his colleagues take the opportunity to organize and perform maintenance on theatrical equipment.

Lighter than air: When working on a show, Gautney spends most of his day in the theater space—running the crew, communicating with tour and artistic clients, and doing hands-on work. Sometimes with his feet on the ground, but sometimes not: “I enjoy being able to climb into a safety harness or ride up in a lift; really wherever I can be of assistance,” Gautney said.

“I enjoy making sure the production is as close to an artist’s vision as we can safely accomplish with our equipment and time available,” Gautney said. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

An art, not a science: Besides the technical and safety aspects of the show, Gautney works with the artistic staff to achieve their vision. “Because a lot of what we do is artistically-charged, there can be quite a bit of time devoted to ‘zhuzhing’ finer details to make something look artistically ‘pretty’ on top of necessary safety and functionality,” Gautney said.

Showtime means go time: “Some shows require a few hours of checking that the lights turn on and then pressing ‘go’ on the light board, or sliding faders,” Gautney said. “Other shows can require 18-hour days—including load-in of gear, set up, rehearsal, the performance itself, load out, and setting up another show for the next day.”

Variety is the spice of life: Gautney enjoys working with the broad range of performances at Mason, including both internal and external groups. “Everything from the student step show and fashion show to Mason’s schools of music, theater, and dance, Game Mason, Virginia Opera, and TheaterWorks children’s matinees.”

The magic of showbiz: Gautney appreciates the chance to help generate the thrill of the theater. “I enjoy making sure the production is as close to an artist’s vision as we can safely accomplish with our equipment and time available,” Gautney said.

Vote of confidence: Becoming the chair of Staff Senate was not something he expected. “With leadership, I typically follow a philosophy that people who strive for power are those who probably shouldn’t have it, and those who would be great in a role of power do not always want it,” Gautney said. He felt honored to be nominated and elected chair.

Representation matters: Since 2020, the chair of the Staff Senate has also served as staff liaison to the university’s Board of Visitors. Gautney wants to make sure staff voices are heard at the highest levels of the university. “The largest issues for staff at the moment are increased workloads, fair market compensation, outside misconceptions of staff whose work involves Mason’s diversity goals, and the acute need to support staff morale,” Gautney said. He said he will continue looking for solutions to these issues and advocating for staff interests.

Fun and games: When he isn’t busy with his many responsibilities at Mason, Gautney enjoys a good board game. If not playing in-person, he plays digital games with friends and family across the country.

Feeling (or feline) spirited: Gautney and his wife, who is a Mason alum, have a cat named Binx, named after the one in the film Hocus Pocus. He and his wife enjoy taking weekend excursions to escape the day-to-day hustle and bustle of Northern Virginia. Breweries and distilleries are some of their favorite destinations.

More about the Center for the Arts

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Around Mason (E-Files)

Learn how to dispose of waste appropriately to make Mason even more sustainable.

Staff Senate

Revamping Recycling at the Center for the Arts

Lauren Reuscher — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 13:40:36 +0000

Revamping Recycling at the Center for the Arts Lauren Reuscher Wed, 09/13/2023 - 09:40

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The Center for the Arts on ��AV’s Fairfax Campus has revamped its zero-waste infrastructure, thanks to the support of University Sustainability's Patriot Green Fund.

Sleek new waste and recycling stations at the performing arts venue will improve Mason’s waste diversion rate, helping to reach Mason's goal of diverting at least 90% of waste from the trash.

Digital event programs are readily available for patrons at the Center for the Arts (CFA), but the need for paper programs and their subsequent recycling still exists. Maura Glascock, CFA production coordinator, recognized the potential for increased waste diversion and spearheaded the effort to enhance the zero-waste infrastructure.

Photo by Mason Facilities

Glascock applied for funding through the Patriot Green Fund and awarded $17,500 in May 2023 toward the acquisition of new waste stations.

The Patriot Green Fund is a $100,000-per-year sustainability fund provided by Mason Facilities to make Mason’s campuses more sustainable through infrastructure improvements and student research projects. Funding decisions are made by the Patriot Green Fund Committee, which includes students, faculty, and staff.

The Center for the Arts team collaborated with staff from University Sustainability—Colleen Regan, zero waste specialist, and Amber Saxton, program manager for campus efficiency—to ensure the project was a success. They also sought the expertise of Kevin Brim, supervisor for recycling and waste management with Facilities Management.

The group identified the most effective layout for recycling and trash stations, ensuring proper lid openings and other design standards were included to discourage contamination. The team also prioritized the aesthetics of the design and selected stainless steel bins, ensuring their recyclability at the end of their long lifespan, which is estimated to be 20+ years.

“CFA’s installation aligns with current efforts to improve zero-waste design standards and guidelines across the university,” Regan said. “Co-locating waste streams and standardizing the appearance of bins through consistent labeling and color coding are all key design improvements for increasing access to recycling.”

Individuals with innovative ideas to further enhance sustainability at Mason are encouraged to apply for funding through the Patriot Green Fund.

Topics

Patriot Green Fund

Sustainability

Office of Sustainability

You can watch an in-depth interview with Jackson and Lake on the College of Visual and Performing Arts YouTube channel, including behind-the-scenes footage of rehearsals leading up to the performance.

A Contemporary Composer Fuels a New Mason Collaboration

Emily Schneider — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 19:19:10 +0000

A Contemporary Composer Fuels a New Mason Collaboration Emily Schneider Tue, 03/07/2023 - 14:19

In This Story

Lawrence M. Jackson

Dr. William Lake, Jr.

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 ��AV Bands and the School of Dance. 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 “the southern Black church, a very charismatic church” 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’s Fairfax Campus on February 28.

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, Omar Thomas 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 “thought-provoking, multi-layered masterpiece[s],” which made embarking on a partnership around this piece even more exciting for Jackson and Lake.

“I really hold dear my experiences as a musician in the Black church (I started playing the piano for my children’s choir around age 6) to my musical upbringing. Since I know gospel and other sacred music intimately, I can infuse the music with the extra nuances that can’t be described using notation but are true to the style. This piece has been performed by many great ensembles across the country… however, there hasn’t been a performance that centers movement and these great sounds.” said Lake.

Professor Jackson’s 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.

Building a vocabulary for the dancers was an opportunity for Jackson’s 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’s Revelations and clips of a particular scene from the movie Blues Brothers, Jackson offered context to his creative process, “blending 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.”

“The Mason School of Dance students are excited to work with the musicians,” said Jackson. “These dancers, most of them, if not all of them, have never had the experience of working alongside a symphony or a band. I’m excited for them to experience the unique energy of the symphony and adapt in the moment.” 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. “The jazz and gospel musical vocabulary is foreign to my students,” said Dr. Lake.

“It’s inspiring to see how invested our students are in something that they realize is new and different. My hope is that through music and collaborations, my students have a gateway to appreciate cultures different than their own,” 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.

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. This has resulted in the assistance of the Center for the Arts Artistic Staff to add audio, lighting, and stage-managing support. 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, “I’m jealous of the audience, I won’t get to experience the concert from their vantage point – I’m 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”.

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’s performance from February 28, 2023, including Come Sunday featuring the School of Dance, will be available to watch from March 28 through April 28, 2023 exclusively through Mason Arts at Home.

Topics

College of Visual and Performing Arts

Mason Arts

Dewberry School of Music

College of Visual and Performing Arts School of Dance

Introducing a New Look for Mason Arts at Home!

Kirstin Franko — Wed, 09 Nov 2022 19:40:47 +0000

Introducing a New Look for Mason Arts at Home! Kirstin Franko Wed, 11/09/2022 - 14:40

In This Story

Adrienne Bryant Godwin

Create Free Mason Arts at Home Account

More Information and FAQs

Mason Arts at Home is an online platform and “digital venue” featuring curated arts experiences, including livestreamed concerts, releases of previously recorded content, behind-the-scenes talks with artists, and more. It features both free and pay-to-view options from professional touring artists from the Center for the Arts and Hylton Performing Arts Center, as well as faculty, students, and alumni from ��AV’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.

“Over the past few years, artists and audiences learned that we didn’t need a theater to be able to engage with inspiring artistic works,” shared Director of Audience Programming Adrienne Bryant Godwin. “After launching Mason Arts at Home in April 2020, we quickly learned the incalculable benefits of providing access to high quality arts programming on a digital platform. As we have returned to in-person performances, we are committed to continuing offer opportunities for professional artists and our students and faculty to share their work with audiences across the globe on this digital platform, furthering the College’s mission to advance the study, creation, performance, and exhibition of the arts.”

Mason Arts at Home is a constantly evolving digital resource to experience the arts at Mason. Create a free account and explore the current archival offerings in addition to two upcoming performances which offer a pay-to-view limited release: Mason School of Theater’s upcoming performance of Sutta and the Hylton Center’s A Celtic Christmas with Seán Heely.

For more information, including frequently asked questions about the new platform, visit the Center for the Arts' Mason Arts at Home website.

Topics

Mason Arts at Home

Hylton Center

Pianist Jeffrey Siegel: In his own words

Laura Mertens — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 13:40:27 +0000

Pianist Jeffrey Siegel: In his own words Laura Mertens Wed, 11/02/2022 - 09:40

Jeffrey Siegel Keyboard Conversations®: Immortal Impromptus

Pianist Jeffrey Siegel celebrates 30 years of Keyboard Conversations® at the Center for the Arts.

Jeffrey Siegel is presenting Immortal Impromptus on Sunday, November 20 at 7 p.m., his second Keyboard Conversations^® performance of the 2022/2023 Great Performances season. This season also marks the 30th anniversary of Siegel’s appearing at the Center for the Arts at ��AV. The following is from a Friends of the Center for the Arts (FCFA) brief interview with Siegel on Oct. 25, 2022.

FCFA: Since 2022 is your 30th year of doing Keyboard Conversations^® at George Mason’s Center for the Arts, could you comment on the circumstances that led to your first appearance here?

Siegel: Certainly. I was doing a performance at the Kennedy Center and Sarah Lawless from George Mason engaged me in conversation and suggested I consider performing at the Center for the Arts (CFA); she was very persuasive, citing among other things the educational aspects of performing at a university. One of my main goals for Keyboard Conversations is to help educate people and create more interest in good music.

FCFA: Do you have a favorite venue among all the places you have performed?

Siegel: I have performed Keyboard Conversations in 19 cities (all over the U.S. and London) and couldn’t put any other venue above CFA for many reasons, including the building itself, the wonderful support from the CFA staff, and the enthusiastic and knowledgeable audiences.

FCFA: If you could play or listen to the music of only one composer, which one would you choose?

Siegel: I don’t believe I can give a firm answer to that. It depends on which composer’s music I’m playing or listening to at any given time,

FCFA: I guess that would be similar to asking a mother to choose a favorite among all of her children.

Siegel: That’s not a bad analogy. I can’t really contemplate excluding all composers but one.

FCFA: Any advice for budding young pianists?

Siegel: I would hope they can practice and study the music just for the joy it gives.

FCFA: You refer to the music you will be playing and commenting on in the coming performance as immortal. Would you care to compare the classical music we enjoy so much (e.g., what we hear in Keyboard Conversations) to what one might call modern classical music?

Siegel: Well, it all depends on your definition of classical. The works of Beethoven, Bach, et al, have stood the test of time and earned the right to be considered classical; the music of modern-day composers (e.g., Bartók, Copland, et. al.) may reach that point in the future.

You can purchase tickets for Jeffrey Siegel's Keyboard Conversations®: Immortal Impromptus, and also join us before the performance, from 6 p.m.-6:30 p.m. in the Center for the Arts main lobby for a Young Artists Musicale, featuring piano students of Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association members.

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