School of Music

World Premiere Compositions to Debut this Weekend

Pam Muirheid — Wed, 05 May 2021 15:23:44 +0000

World Premiere Compositions to Debut this Weekend Pam Muirheid Wed, 05/05/2021 - 11:23

In This Story

Renowned composer Evelyn Simpson-Curenton and Mason’s own Associate Professor of Music and Director of the Green Machine Ensembles Michael W. Nickens (Doc Nix).

The Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music presents A Song of Freedom: Featuring World Premieres by Evelyn Simpson-Curenton and Michael W. Nickens, Saturday, May 8 at 8:00 p.m. as part of Mason Arts at Home. The concert celebrates unity and resilience in the face of division and uncertainty and showcases works by Black composers as well as selections inspired by the African-American experience.

The program’s world premieres are commissions by the Dewberry School of Music from renowned composer Evelyn Simpson-Curenton and Mason’s own Associate Professor of Music and Director of the Green Machine Ensembles Michael W. Nickens (Doc Nix).

“This magnificent concert is a true collaboration across our Dewberry School of Music students, staff, and faculty and is a celebratory finale to an unparalleled year. We heard clearly from our students that ‘representation matters,’ and our music faculty resolved to commission and highlight works by gifted Black composers for our May concert,” shared Dewberry School of Music Director Linda A. Monson. “Together we are using our gifts as artists to demonstrate the power of working together. I am so proud of the performances by our students and honored for the opportunity for the Dewberry School of Music to commission two remarkable compositions.”

Simpson-Curenton’s world premiere of Passages will feature current students from across the University Choirs, a guest solo appearance by School of Music alumna and Metropolitan Opera artist Aundi Marie Moore, as well as solos by current students Rosie Wright, Case Hope, and Eliyahu Young. Under the direction of the Director of Choral Studies, Stanley Engebretson, Passages uses phrases from the Bible and other sources and lifts up the ideals of justice and of loving the common good. Lyrics such as “sing now a song of freedom where all are inherently free” and “let justice roll down as water with righteousness, like an ever-flowing stream” guide the beautiful imagery within the music.

Reflecting on the piece, Engebretson shared, “Teaching and rehearsing this premiere by one of Washington’s most famous composers has been a great honor and privilege. It was a great delight to introduce her to Mason’s singers via Zoom so they could experience her amazing talents for themselves. Her brilliant piece captures the majesty of freedom with the call for us to ‘come together as one’ in a most empathic way.”

Nickens’s original work, titled The Orator, The Abolitionist, The Man: Frederick Douglass is based on the 1893 biography written by his great-great grandfather James Monroe Gregory, a contemporary of Douglass. His piece features the Mason Wind Symphony, members of the Green Machine, and spoken word derived directly from the biography and Douglass’ speeches, delivered as narration by Nickens himself.

Nickens’s piece is inspired by composers such as Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein as well as 90s hip hop artists including Wu-Tang Clan, who all unapologetically brought the local culture to the sound of the time. The piece’s musical style ebbs between orchestral, go-go, and hip hop layered with spirituals and Protestant hymns.

Nickens shared, “As a work very much in progress (the second movement of a larger composition I am creating), I am grateful to our students collaborating with me to bring this nine-month project to life. I hope all who experience it hear the narration both as an artifact of our American history and as an opportunity to connect with the enduring issues that are being addressed today.”

This pre-recorded digital concert features more than 100 students performing as part of the momentous event, including additional works ranging from works by distinguished Black composers such as William Grant Still and George Walker, to Antonin Dvorák, and U2’s “MLK.” The performance highlights students from the Mason Symphony Orchestra, University Choirs, Wind Symphony and Green Machine, Trombone Choir, Percussion Ensemble, and Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble.

Topics

Dewberry School of Music

College of Visual and Performing Arts

Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music

School of Music

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) School of Music

Third Coast Percussion to Reach Students and Community Members with Virtual Residency

Stacey Schwartz — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 17:10:21 +0000

Third Coast Percussion to Reach Students and Community Members with Virtual Residency Stacey Schwartz Fri, 10/16/2020 - 13:10

In mid-October, the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the Center for the Arts welcome the Grammy® Award-winning Third Coast Percussion as the first virtual Mason Artist-In-Residence for the 2020-2021 season. As previously announced, this initiative—along with most of the College’s and Center’s programming for Fall 2020—has shifted online due to the ongoing pandemic. Nonetheless, this unexpected yet necessary pivot allows Third Coast Percussion and other Artists-In-Residence to engage with the Mason community in varied and meaningful ways, while also connecting with audiences beyond the campus and the Northern Virginia area.

“We are so lucky to be working with such an innovative ensemble who is embracing these challenging times and circumstances,” said Adrienne Bryant Godwin, Director of Programming at George Mason University’s CVPA. “Thanks to their flexibility and creativity, we are able to continue serving our community in new and exciting ways!”

Based in Chicago, Third Coast Percussion is a percussion quartet whose members are committed to redefining the classical music experience. The ensemble accomplishes this mission through exploration and experimentation in music-making, the commissioning of new arrangements and works, and extensive touring across the nation and abroad. Its members have been praised for offering “commandingly elegant” (New York Times) performances and for exuding “an inspirational sense of fun and curiosity” (Minnesota Star-Tribune).

Third Coast Percussion’s virtual residency at Mason will provide students a glimpse into the group’s unique approach to building a music career, as well as complement their learning through digital masterclasses and in-depth discussions. The ensemble will also amplify its outreach to the community through online programs designed for school-aged youth and adults, partnering with over 15 schools and organizations across Fairfax and Manassas.

Third Coast Percussion Executive Director and ensemble member, David Skidmore, shared the following regarding the collaboration, “we are so grateful to George Mason University for being creative and proactive in finding new ways to connect with their students and audiences during this unprecedented time. Third Coast Percussion is so excited to engage with this community!”

The following events are part of Third Coast Percussion’s month-long virtual residency:

Mason Student Masterclasses
Monday, October 19 and Wednesday, October 21 at 12:30 p.m. ET
Digital masterclasses between Mason School of Music percussion students on-campus in Fairfax, VA and Third Coast Percussion members from their studio in Chicago, IL.
Private livestream for Mason students only.

Community Lecture-Demonstration
Friday, October 30 at 2 p.m. ET
Closed webinar for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services, and Lifelong Learning Institute-Manassas.
Registration required via Zoom.

Mason Arts at Home: Discussion on Entrepreneurship in the Arts
Tuesday, November 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Moderated conversation about innovation during the era of COVID-19 and endeavoring to create opportunities for more diverse representation in music composition and performance.
Free and open to the general public via the Center for the Arts’ website, YouTube and Facebook.

Virtual Field Trips
Throughout October and November
Instructional video session created specifically for middle and high school students in Fairfax County Public Schools, Prince William County Public Schools, Manassas City Schools, and Manassas Park City Schools; this experience also provides an opportunity for questions to be submitted and answered by the ensemble as a supplement to their virtual learning.
Private link available to educators who signed up in advance.

Note: These activities are made possible in part through an NCC Akron Satellite Residency.

To learn more about Third Coast Percussion, including their commissioning projects and performance schedule, visit thirdcoastpercussion.com. More information about the Mason Artist-In-Residence Program can be found at cfa.gmu.edu/about/mason-artists-residence.

The Grammy Award-winning percussion ensemble Third Coast Percussion kicks off their time as Virtual Mason Artists-in-Residence.

Grand Tier III to be Renamed the Dr. Linda Apple Monson Grand Tier

Stacey Schwartz — Sun, 08 Oct 2017 17:50:21 +0000

Grand Tier III to be Renamed the Dr. Linda Apple Monson Grand Tier Stacey Schwartz Sun, 10/08/2017 - 13:50

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The Center for the Arts’ Grand Tier III has been renamed the Dr. Linda Apple Monson Grand Tier.

In honor of a $1,000,000 gift to the College of Visual and Performing Arts from local philanthropist Sid Dewberry, the Center for the Arts’ Grand Tier III has been renamed the Dr. Linda Apple Monson Grand Tier.

Sid Dewberry is a former Chairman of Mason’s Board of Trustees and has long been a champion of the arts at Mason. This transformative gift benefits the College of Visual and Performing Arts for years to come. The Center for the Arts and the entire College of Visual and Performing Arts are incredibly fortunate to have such dedicated supporters of the arts in our community like Sid Dewberry. To find out more about making a meaningful gift to College of Visual and Performing Arts, please contact CVPA Director of Development Susan Graziano. Gifts of any size, including planned gifts, make a difference.