Dear Mason Music Family,

Please join us this Sunday, May 15th, at 3 pm in Harris Theater for the Dewberry School of Music Honors Recital featuring extraordinary student performers--instrumentalists, singers, and pianists. This is a not- to- be- missed finale concert of the season showcasing our marvelous students!  Additionally, we have eleven outstanding student recitals May 14- 18 presented live in Harris Theater (and available for viewing via live-stream).

Please purchase your tickets for this Saturday night, May 14th, performance of the American Festival Pops Orchestra at the Hylton. This concert will be Maestro Tony Maiello's final performance with the orchestra. Join us to celebrate his 12 years on the podium as founder and conductor of the AFPO!

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. William L. Lake, Jr., will be joining our faculty as the new Director of Concert Bands in the Dewberry School of Music for the upcoming academic year. Dr. Lake has previously been serving as the Associate Director of Bands at the Crane School of Music (SUNY-Potsdam).

We are proud of the many phenomenal student performances that have occurred within recent weeks and for the honors and awards that have been given to our students and faculty. We look forward to congratulating our music graduates on May 20th.

I want to offer my sincere gratitude and appreciation to our Friends of Music at Mason for your tremendous support throughout the entire academic year.  Your presence at our concerts and your scholarship support for our talented students are deeply appreciated.

Warmest regards,
Dr. Linda A. Monson, Director
Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music
Honors Recital this Sunday
Honors Recital
Sunday, May 15, 3pm

Free Admission
Register at this link


The Honors Recital is a premier recital opportunity for Dewberry School of Music performers who auditioned and were selected to perform in this prestigious event. Outstanding instrumentalists, singers, and pianists are featured in this not-to-be-missed Honors Recital.

Proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test result is required for this event.
Announcing our new Director of Concert Bands
We are thrilled to announce that Dr. William L. Lake, Jr., will be joining our faculty as the new Director of Concert Bands in the Dewberry School of Music for the upcoming academic year. Dr. Lake will conduct the George Mason University Wind Symphony and Mason Symphonic Band and will also teach Conducting and Wind Literature classes.  

Dr. Lake has previously been serving as the Associate Director of Bands at the Crane School of Music (SUNY-Potsdam). Please read his full bio below.
Dr. William L. Lake, Jr. is the newly appointed Director of Concert Bands at the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music at George Mason University for the upcoming academic year. In this role, he will conduct the George Mason University Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band. He will also teach conducting and wind literature classes.   
 
Before his tenure at George Mason University, Dr. William L. Lake, Jr., served as Associate Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music Education at the Crane School of Music (SUNY-Potsdam), where he was co-conductor of the Northern Symphonic Winds, principal conductor of the Crane Concert Band, and guest conductor of the Crane Wind Ensemble. In addition to these responsibilities, Dr. Lake taught undergraduate conducting, Secondary Wind Practices, Wind Literature, and the preservice Practicum in Beginning Instruments Course. 
 
Dr. Lake earned his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Instrumental Conducting from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro under the mentorship of Drs. John R. Locke and Kevin Geraldi. As a graduate student, he was the principal conductor of The University of North Carolina University Band and guest conductor of the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Casella Sinfonietta Chamber Ensemble, and Symphony Orchestra.
 
Dr. Lake is the recipient of two master’s degrees, the first from Boston University in Music Education (2011) and the second from the University of Maryland, College Park in Wind Conducting (2014) under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Votta, Jr. In May 2006, Dr. Lake received the Bachelor of Music Liberal Arts -Jazz Studies Piano Performance Degree from the University of Maryland, College Park as a student of Jon Ozment and Christopher Vadala.

Dr. Lake maintains an active performance and clinic schedule as a guest conductor and lecturer throughout the country. He was a finalist for the 2017-2018 Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music and the Band Conducting Division of the American Prize. Recently, Dr. Lake served as a collaborating author for two books, Teaching Instrumental Music: Perspectives and Pedagogies for the 21st Century (Oxford University Press) and Music Education on the Verge: Stories of Pandemic Teaching and Transformative Change (Lexington Books), both to be published in 2022.

As a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, Dr. Lake is the co-founder of I See You: Affirming Representation in Music. In this capacity, Dr. Lake has presented over twenty seminars across the United States on inclusive practices in music education and performance. With co-founder Dr. LaToya A. Webb, Dr. Lake has been invited to present on diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts and practices at the 2021 Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, the 2021 Virginia Music Educators Association Professional Development Conference, the 2022 Texas Music Educators Association Conference, the 2021 National Association for Music Education National Conference and the 2022 National Association for Music Education Music Leaders Forum. 
 
Dr. Lake is a member of the College Band Directors National Association, Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Fraternity, Inc., Pi Kappa Lambda, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He is also honored with membership in Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Fraternity, Inc., and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
AFPO Concert this Saturday Evening
American Festival Pops Orchestra:
Broadway's Best
Saturday, May 14, 8pm
Hylton Performing Arts Center

This will be Maestro Maiello’s final performance with the orchestra. Join us to celebrate his 12 years on the podium as founder and conductor of the American Festival Pops Orchestra!

The American Festival Pops Orchestra presents a musical tribute to Broadway in an evening of popular melodies, timeless ballads, and nostalgic favorites. Maestro Anthony Maiello reunites with Broadway veteran and soprano Lisa Vroman, who starred on Broadway as Christine in The Phantom of the Opera, and was the first to play both Fantine and Cosette in Les Misérables, among other acclaimed opera roles. Regarded as a “musical and theatrical marvel” (The San Francisco Chronicle), Vroman is a regular guest artist with symphonies around the world, including San Francisco, Cleveland, Hong Kong, the Boston Pops, and New York Pops. Don’t miss this exciting program of Broadway classics featuring “one of American Musical Theater’s most beautiful voices” (Sir Cameron Mackintosh) performing the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and more!
Upcoming Student Recitals
in Harris Theater on the Fairfax Campus
Joe Antonucci, Doctoral Trumpet Recital
(student of Dr. Kevin Gebo)
May 14, 10 am

Willis Rosenfeld, Doctoral Choral Conducting Recital
(student of Dr. Lisa Billingham)
May 14, 12 pm

Anh Nguyen, Doctoral Piano Recital
(student of Dr. Linda Monson)
May 14, 2 pm

Yingfei Li, Doctoral Piano Recital
(student of Dr. Linda Monson)
May 14, 4 pm

Hao Zhang, Doctoral Piano Recital
(student of Dr. Anna Balakerskaia)
May 14, 6 pm

GaYoung Lee, Doctoral Piano Recital
(student of Dr. Linda Monson)
May 16, 6 pm

Jiye Kim, Doctoral Piano Recital
(student of Dr. Linda Monson)
May 16, 8 pm

Wenru Yang, Doctoral Piano Recital
(student of Dr. Anna Balakerskaia)
May 17, 6 pm

Yiran He, Doctoral Piano Recital
(student of Dr. Linda Monson)
May 17, 8 pm

John Sutherland Earle, Piano Recital
(student of Dr. Linda Monson)
May 18, 5 pm

Kristina Bhardwaj, BM Senior Piano Recital
(student of Dr. Anna Balakerskaia)
May 18, 8 pm


All student recitals will occur live and in-person in Harris Theater. A live-stream link will be available as the recital date approaches.
University Commencement and CVPA Convocation
University Commencement
Friday, May 20, 10am
Eagle Bank Arena

Congratulations to all graduates!

George Mason University is pleased to announce a return to in-person Commencement. The Spring 2022 Commencement ceremony will take place at EagleBank Arena on Friday, May 20, at 10:00 am.

Learn more about Commencement on the university's website.
College of Visual and Performing Arts
Degree Celebration
Friday, May 20, at 3:00 p.m.
Center for the Arts Concert Hall
 
The College of Visual and Performing Arts, in cooperation with the school or program of your major, invites all 2022 spring and summer graduating students and their families, to the CVPA Degree Celebration.

Learn more about the College of Visual and Performing Arts Degree Celebration here.
Student Kudos!
Congratulations to Mason students, faculty, and alumni for the May 8th performance at The Kennedy Center for the AANHPI (Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific-Islander ) Concert, organized/directed by Dr. Mira Yang (Mason voice faculty member). Mason performers included Yerin Choi, Piano; Nayoon Choi, Bamboo Flute; Lisette Joo, Flute; Taylor Hoang, Percussion; Kris Taylor, Trumpet; and Mason Singers. 

The Mason String Sextet performed the Washington D.C. premiere of Ching-Chu Hu’s “Spheres of Influence” for string sextet with Professor June Huang and students from the GMU strings studio. The string sextet members included Annette Lee, Violin; Joanna Zakzewski, Viola; Jaclyn Kitcoff, Viola; Eddie Adams, Cello; and Brian Bera, Double Bass. 
NAMM President's
Innovation Award
Kristine Tran
Ryan Strong
Two students from the GMU Music Technology program were awarded the NAMM President’s Innovation Award which honors college students who demonstrate excellence in the field of music and who are interested in pursuing a career in the music industry. Kristine Tran and Ryan Strong will be attending the NAMM show, the annual global music products trade show, being held from June 3-5, 2022 in Anaheim, CA.

They will have the opportunity to attend professional development sessions, concerts, industry panels, networking sessions and visit more than 7,000 music products, pro-audio, and live event technology exhibits. For many students, attending the NAMM show is the first step in the door to a career in the music products industry.
This award includes a scholarship that helps cover the cost of travel.

Learn more about the NAMM show and the President’s Innovation Award here.

Faculty Retirement Kudos!
(left to right) Teresa Jenkins, Prof. Mark Camphouse, Samantha Clark
A retirement ceremony/reception was held for Prof. Mark Camphouse on April 28th on the Monson Grand Tier following the Wind Symphony's finale performance of the season.  Teresa Jenkins (senior clarinetist) and Samantha Clark (doctoral conducting student) presented Prof. Camphouse with a beautiful, signed gift from the Wind Symphony members. 
(left to right) Prof. Glenn Dewey, Dr. Linda Monson, Prof. Glen McCarthy
A retirement reception was held for Prof. Glen McCarthy (class guitar) and Prof. Glenn Dewey (applied bass) on May 10th.   Prof. McCarthy has been teaching at Mason for 31 years and Prof. Dewey has been at Mason for 28 years.
Summer Music Camps
Mason Jazz Camp 
June 20-24 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 


The Mason Jazz Camp, held on the George Mason University Fairfax Campus, is an inclusive, intensive program, for musicians (instrumental and vocal) of all levels, with a desire to advance their musical artistry and professionalism. Our special guest artist for Summer 2022 is trumpeter, bandleader, composer and educator, Sean Jones! (Responsible people of all ages are welcome to attend) 

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