News

Longtime Friend of the Center for the Arts Bob Warakomsky collected cherished holiday memories at the Center for the Arts from other Friends, compiling snapshots of joyful stories from across the years.

Coming to the Center with new arrangements of classic yuletide carols is the vibrant Latin GRAMMY-nominated group Mariachi Herencia de México with A Mariachi Christmas on December 10. For the holidays, the ensemble shares the Latin American tradition of Las Posadas with songs of the season, such as “Feliz Navidad,” “Ave Maria,” and more. The Chicago Sun-Times notes, “...for freshness and originality, it’s hard to top Mariachi Herencia de México’s south-of-the-border ode to Christmas.”

The Center for the Arts makes it easy for your class or group to attend field trips, which are all offered in person. From their seats, students will be introduced to music, theatrical puppetry, film, and more, with instruments and rhythms from around the world. This spring, experience FREE schooltime performances for Hamid Rahmanian’s "Song of the North" on Friday, January 26 and Small Island Big Song on Friday, April 19.

Renée Fleming, one of the most celebrated singers of our time and a 2023 Kennedy Center Honoree, joins the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra (FSO) for an exclusive evening at the Center for the Arts on November 18.

The holidays are right around the corner and if you listen closely, you can hear the quiet jingle bells and merriment heading to the Center this season. From family-favorite classics to brand-new traditions in the making, the Center has a wide offering of performances that will leave your heart shining with holiday spirit!

Get ready to laugh and cheer for everyone’s favorite barber! Virginia Opera’s 2023-2024 season continues with Gioachino Rossini‘s beloved masterpiece The Barber of Seville running at the Center for the Arts November 11—12.

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.

Audio describer Ermyn King will be joining the Center for the Arts to audio describe the following performances: Virginia Opera: The Barber of Seville on Nov. 12, Virginia Opera: Sanctuary Road on Feb. 4, Peking Acrobats on Mar. 10 at 1 p.m., and Virginia Opera: Madama Butterfly on Mar. 17.

ARTS by George! returned on Saturday, September 30, 2023, hosted by the College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) at George Mason University. 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.

“Mixing Big Band Jazz with James Brown Soul” (The Observer), eight-time GRAMMY Award-winning bassist Christian McBride joins Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra on October 28 at the Center for the Arts. Met Jazz will be led by founder, artistic director, and virtuoso saxophonist Jim Carroll, in an unforgettable night of bravado, improvisation, and jazz swagger. McBride will participate in a pre-performance discussion on Monson Grand Tier 45 minutes prior to curtain. Following the concert, audience members are invited to enjoy the sounds of Mason Jazz students over drinks in the Center’s lobby for the first installment of Jazz Club at the Center. 

Virginia Opera (VAO) opens its 2023/2024 season with a continuation of Wagner’s epic “Ring” cycle, presenting the third installment, Siegfried, on October 7 and 8. Floridian tenor Cooper Nolan whose “powerhouse voice” (Opera News) is increasingly gaining him attention as an important interpreter of some of opera's most demanding tenor roles, makes his debut with Virginia Opera in the title role of Siegfried.

The “sparklingly present… and remarkably strong” (The New York Times), Malpaso Dance Company visits the Center for the Arts on October 20 for a spectacular performance with a perfect balance of head and heart. Recently announced, the evening’s program features the following repertoire: Indomitable Waltz by Aszure Barton, Why You Follow by Ronald K. Brown, and A Dancing Island by Osnel Delgado.