As a premier destination for the arts in Northern Virginia, the Center for the Arts presents some of today's most talented artists, from promising students to internationally-acclaimed stars.
Relaxing on the lawn outside the Center for the Arts
The Best of Performing Arts
A Mason Arts venue, the Center for the Arts is the centerpiece of performing arts on George Mason University’s Fairfax campus. Each year, the Center welcomes hundreds of thousands of community members into its nearly 2,000-seat Concert Hall. The Center presents an annual season of national and international professional artists through its Great Performance at Mason Series and Family Series—offering the best of classical music, opera, jazz, global music, dance, theater, and more.
Managed by Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Center hosts many student and faculty performances presented by the Schools of Music, Theater, and Dance and supports the events of the School of Art, Film and Video Studies, Computer Game Design, and Arts Management programs. The Center brings distinguished visiting artists as Mason Artists-in-Residence for extended engagements designed to engage and inspire diverse audiences both on and off campus. The Center for the Arts serves as a performance home for many community arts organizations in the greater Washington, D.C. area.
The Center for the Arts is part of Mason Arts, which represents the academic programs, community arts programs, ensembles, galleries, performing arts venues, public art, and research initiatives of George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. Learn more about the Mission, Vision, Values, and Strategic Priorities of Mason Arts.
The Center's Great Performances at Mason and Family Series programming is integral to the Mason Arts mission, providing a diverse program of challenging and entertaining cultural experiences for the entire University community, as well as Northern Virginia and the greater Washington, D.C. area. Each year, CVPA students have opportunities to interact with artists from the Great Performances at Mason season through master classes and residencies. Through the Free Tickets for Mason Students program, all George Mason students are invited to experience the many inspiring performances at the Center.