After garnering support for its construction, work gets underway to make the Center for the Arts the centerpiece of performing arts on Mason's Fairfax campus.
After more than 10 years of fundraising and a few years of construction, the Center for the Arts Concert Hall opened on October 6, 1990, with award-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch serving as host on opening night with a star-studded concert featuring Jean-Pierre Rampal, Robert Klein, and Roberta Peters among others. Since then, the venue has welcomed millions into the Concert Hall for arts experiences from renowned artists across the globe. The Center for the Arts has presented more than 120 Grammy winners, been the home for important world premieres such as Mark Morris' Serenade, and opened its doors for political events and debates. Over the years, the Center has been established as a cultural hub and arts centerpiece of George Mason University and the Fairfax region. For the past 29 years, the Center’s planners have worked each season to bring the most innovative world-class performers to campus in an effort to make the arts an integral part of student life and establish the center as the premier performing arts venue in the Northern Virginia community.