Notes from the Director
Dr. Linda A. Monson
Dear Mason School of Music Family,

What an incredibly full season of beautiful music-making and forward momentum in our School of Music! We are in the midst of student and faculty recitals, ensemble concerts, arts galas, vocal competitions, concerto competitions and Honors Recital auditions, as well as outstanding research projects and academic conferences. We are proud of our amazing students, faculty, and staff and have highlighted their recent achievements and accomplishments in this newsletter. 

We have farewell receptions planned during April to honor two outstanding adjunct faculty members who are retiring at the end of this semester: Dr. Patricia Parker (piano, vocal accompanying) and Professor Wayne Taylor (class strings, string pedagogy, and lab orchestra). Words cannot adequately express our profound gratitude to both of these extraordinary faculty colleagues. Each has given so much to our Mason School of Music during their many years of exceptional teaching, artistry, and service. 

It is my distinct pleasure to announce that Mason's  Employee of the Month for April 2017 is  Molly Baldovin, Assistant to the Director and Marketing Coordinator for the School of Music. Congratulations to Molly on this tremendous achievement and honor! We are so proud of you!
 
Please join us in our Mason's First Giving Day on Thursday, April 6th. Your support of our School of Music will help fund a new music education scholarship for a deserving Mason student.   

Warmest regards,

Dr. Linda A. Monson
Director, School of Music  
Distinguished Service Professor
lmonson@gmu.edu  
Give to the School of Music on Mason's first Giving Day, April 6!
In just 24 hours, from midnight through 11:59 p.m. ET on April 6, everyone in Mason Nation is invited to make their mark by giving to Mason. We encourage you to show your Patriot pride by making a gift that will help Mason to continue to thrive.
 
Help the School of Music create a scholarship for a third-year music education major. Your Giving Day donation will support a deserving music student as he or she embraces the music ed methods classes, pursues student teaching, and masters the many skills needed to become a licensed K-12 music teacher in the public schools. This new music education scholarship will enable a dedicated student to receive the training necessary to spread the joy of music to countless future musicians. Your gift will truly make a difference! 
Upcoming Performances

Chorale Showcase: Broadway Royalty
Friday, April 7 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, April 8 at 2:00 PM & 8:00 PM
Harris Theatre

Broadway Showcase is featuring songs from Aladdin, Something Rotten, Carole King’s Beautiful and many more! Join for an evening of Broadway Song.
Percussion Festival
Monday, April 17 at 8:00 PM
Center for the Arts

Ragtime to Rock and Roll!
Presented by George Mason University Percussion Ensemble
Jonathan Bisesi, Director
Guest Ensemble: Vienna Jammers  Percussion Ensemble
David Reynolds Jr., Director
Featuring music by George Hamilton Green, George Gershwin, Henry Fillmore, Frank Zappa, King Crimson, The Beatles, The Black Eyed Peas, and more!

Jazz Combos & Traditional Jazz Ensemble Concert
Wednesday, April 19 at 8:00 PM
de Laski Performing Arts Building Room 3001 
FREE

Two Jazz Combos (directed by Wade Beach) and the Mason Traditional Jazz Ensemble (directed by Dave Robinson) perform. Selections will be announced from stage.

Jazz Brews & BBQ

Friday, April 21
6:30 - 9:00 PM

Country Club of Fairfax Ballroom
5110 Ox Rd
Fairfax, VA 22030

The George Mason University School of Music's Jazz Studies Department invites you to the recently remodeled Country Club of Fairfax (non members welcome) for a fun evening of BBQ and brews, followed by an energetic performance by Mason's talented jazz students. Net proceeds will benefit scholarships for jazz artists of tomorrow. 
Mason Opera:
Gilbert & Sullivan's Iolanthe
Friday, April 28 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, April 29 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, April 30 at 3:00 PM

Gilbert and Sullivan Forum

April 29, 2017 at 10:00 AM

A full-day experience including noted scholars, a guided tour of the Gilbert and Sullivan exhibition in Fenwick Library, and lunch. The forum will be followed by a performance of Iolanthe by the School of Music. An optional dinner benefitting the Friends of Music will be held at 5:45 p.m. Forum participants should meet in the lobby of Fenwick Library at 10 a.m.

View a detailed schedule for the forum.

If you would like assistance with your ticket purchase, please call the ticket office at 703-993-2787.

Tickets:
$15 (forum only)
$30 (forum and 8 p.m. performance of Iolanthe)
Scholarship Benefit Concert:
Concerto Soloists with the
Mason Symphony Orchestra
Sunday, May 7 at 7:00 PM
Center for the Arts
Students auditioned earlier this semester and were selected by a faculty panel to perform with the Mason Symphony Orchestra. 
Joe Antonucci, trumpet (Student of Dr. Kevin Gebo) -  Concerto for Trumpet & Piano - Alexander Arutiunian

Yerin Choi, piano (Student of Dr. Linda Monson) -  Keyboard Concerto in D minor BWV 1052 - Johann Sebastian Bach

Sophie Heeden, viola (Student of Professor Philippe Chao) -  Der Schwanendreher Mvt. 1 "Zwischen Berg Und Tiefem Tal" - Paul Hindemith

Carla Lackey, marimba (Student of Professor John Kilkenny) -  Concerto for Marimba and String Orchestra, Mvt. 2 -  Emmanuel Sejourne

Ava Oaxaca, saxophone (Student of Professor Ed Fraedrich) -  Concerto after Gliere (I. Allegro spirito) -  David DeBoor Canfield

Na Ae Park, voice (Student of Professor Patricia Miller) -  Zueignung, Richard Strauss, and Ebben?… Ne Andro Lontana, Alfredo Catalani

Anjanette Trebing, voice (Student of Professor Patricia Miller) -  Kommt ein schlanker Busrch gegangen from Der Freischutz, Carl Maria von Weber, and Traume from Wesendonck Lieder, Richard Wagner
Honors Recital and Award Ceremony
Saturday, May 13 at 8:00 PM
Harris Theatre
FREE
Students auditioned as soloists or chamber ensembles for a panel of faculty judges. The following outstanding artists were selected to perform in the 2017 Honors Recital.
Sophie Heeden, viola; Caleb Cook: clarinet; Clarissa Foxley, piano  -  Trio for Clarinet, Viola and Piano Op. 82 - Max Bruch

Morgan Sutherland, marimba - Two Mexican Dances, Movt. II - Gordon Stout

Elizabeth Bozhich, soprano - Una donna a quindici anni - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Dawn Meltzer, flute, and Mike Crawford, guitar - Histoire du Tango (Bordel 1900) - Astor Piazzolla 

HeeRak Kim, piano  - I Got Rhythm - George Gershwin

Kelly Monteith, soprano  - Widmung - Robert Schumann

Rosane Castro, piano - Intermezzo in A major, Op. 118, No. 2 - Johannes Brahms

Ava Oaxaca, soprano sax; Ariel Williams, alto sax; Kara Capell, tenor sax; David Anderson, baritone sax - Mountain Roads - Overture - David Maslanka

INTERMISSION

Michael Caracciolo, guitar; Erich Weinroth, guitar; Nick Lee, guitar; Felipe Pedezma, guitar - Austin Tango - Roland Dyens

Veronica Kokas, soprano - "Sul fil d'un soffio etesio" from Falstaff - Giuseppe Verdi

Yechan Lim, piano - Etude Tableau Op. 39. No. 5 - Sergei Rachmaninoff

Christine Connor, soprano - "Snake" from Eve-Song - Jake Heggie 

Zach Whitaker, cello; Sean Michael Ganous, violin; Wenru Yang, piano - Trio no. 1 in D minor, op. 49, Milton Allegro ed Agitato -Felix Mendelssohn
 
Brittany Michaelsen-Mulkey, soprano - "The Silver Swan" and "Alleluia" - Ned Rorem 

Estrella Sejin Hong - Nocturne Op. 48 No. 1 - Frederic Chopin

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS - presented to selected outstanding graduates
Congratulations to Regional Winners of the National Association of Teachers of Singing!
Mason Jazz Vocal Festival
One of the competing high schools, Falls Church High School, directed by Mason alumni, CJ Redden-Liotta, far right.
On March 11, the Mason School of Music hosted our first MASON VOCAL JAZZ FESTIVAL, featuring acclaimed Jazz vocal group, the NEW YORK VOICES! We had five wonderful performances from high schools and universities from Virginia and Maryland, with great feedback from our clinicians, Darmon Meader, Lauren Kinhan, Peter Eldridge and Kim Nazarian.
  • Falls Church High School, directed by Mason alumni, CJ Redden-Liotta 
  • Forest Park High School, directed by Lara Brittain
  • George Mason University, directed by Dr. Darden Purcell 
  • Herndon High School, directed by Dana Van Slyke and Jim Van Slyke 
  • Towson University, directed by Sara Jones 
Later that evening, groups attended the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, directed by Prof. Jim Carroll, featuring the New York Voices in the Center for the Arts.  It was a full day of Vocal Jazz! 
Music for All
Giving back to the community has always been a special mission of the School of Music.  Many of our faculty have relationships with area nursing homes, who arrange for our students to perform at their facilities.  This semester, we also began an outreach to area assisted living facilities, inviting those who are able to join us for our free daytime performances, called Departmentals.  Our students have made the performances fun and engaging and support from the University made the experience easier for residents and their support staff.  Reviews have been enthusiastic and we hope to continue expanding our audience and our relationship with these facilities. 
Mason Music students acting as impromptu ambassadors to new audiences at a recent departmental.
Soundcheque at the Dean's Reception
Soundcheque, Mason's vocal pops a capella ensemble, directed by Dr. Stan Engebretson, performed recently at the CVPA Dean's Reception. This event honored students with a high GPA. We are proud that 177 students from Mason's School of Music were honored at this reception.
Photo: Dr. Stan Engebretson
Awards

Employee of the Month

Molly Baldovin, Assistant to the Director and Marketing Coordinator, has been selected as George Mason University's Employee of the Month for April 2017. Congratulations to Molly!

Advising Excellence

Lynn Wildman, Senior Academic Advisor, has been voted into the top ten Mason Advisors of the Year for the ninth year in a row. In addition she was voted the Mason Advisor of the Year in 2015!
Teacher of Distinction
Prof. Julianna Nickel, flute faculty, has been named a Mason “Teacher of Distinction.” This title speaks to the significant quality of her teaching portfolio and the obvious commitment that she has to her students. Prof. Nickel will be recognized and celebrated at the 2017 Celebration of Teaching Excellence on Monday, April 17, from 3:30pm-5:00pm in the main lobby of the Center for the Arts. 
Mason Music Spotlight
Current Student
Susannah Kelley, BA Music '17, recently accepted a full-time position to serve as a College Coach with the Americorps-affiliated organization College Possible. The organization helps low income students gain admission into college as well as assists them with success throughout college once they are admitted and enrolled. She will be placed in Philadelphia for one year following her graduation from Mason and will be working directly with a cohort of 115-120 students of the program that are currently in college, helping them succeed in school and create a clear path towards graduation.

Faculty
Dr. Amy Horn, horn faculty, was featured in an interview in the February 2017 issue of  The Horn Call, the Journal of the International Horn Society, regarding her retirement from "The President's Own" United States Marine Band.

Dr. Mira Yang, voice faculty, was invited to judge the 2017 Classical Singer International Vocal Competition (University Division) at East Normal University in Shanghai, China.
KEEP US IN THE KNOW
We want to hear about your recent professional or musical accomplishments so that we may share them with our Mason Music family!
DONATE
Support music scholarships by making a tax-deductible gift to the School of Music.