Dear Mason Music Family,

Happy Groundhog Day! Punxsutawney Phil, Pennsylvania's most famous groundhog, awoke today and saw his shadow. Now we know there will be six more weeks of winter with time to enjoy Mason's outstanding music faculty and student performances!  

Please join us this upcoming Sunday, February 5 at 7 pm for our Dewberry Faculty Artist Series featuring Kerry Wilkerson, bass-baritone; Danielle Talamantes, soprano; and GaYoung Lee, pianist in a beautiful program of Mozart, Bernstein, Ellington, and more!  

Our Dewberry Faculty Artist Series continues on Sunday, February 19 at 3 pm with original works by our wonderful composition faculty-- Robert Gillam, Glenn Smith, Michael Nickens, Jesse Guessford, and John Jansen. February 19 at 7 pm features Eunae Ko Han, collaborative pianist with Gene Galvin, bass-baritone; Min Jin, tenor; cellist Hyun Ji Choi, and oboist Kyungmi Bae performing works by Schubert, Strauss, Faure, Ravel, and Bruch. This program will be dedicated to the memory of John Aler. 

How thrilled we are to host the Mason Jazz Festival on Saturday, February 18 with special guest performances by the Ben Patterson Group, Mason Jazz Ensemble and US Navy Band Commodores. Performances are free! Please join us. 

We hope you will take note of the many special performances highlighted in this newsletter. Please know that your support of our Dewberry School of Music students and faculty is deeply appreciated.  We love sharing our music with you.

Warmest regards,

Dr. Linda A. Monson, Director

Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music

MASON JAZZ FESTIVAL 

Saturday, February 18, 2023 

10 am - 10 pm 

Harris Theatre 

Performances are FREE and open to the public! Special guest performances by the Ben Patterson Group, Mason Jazz Ensemble and US Navy Band Commodores! 

WIND SYMPHONY AND SYMPHONIC BAND CONCERT

Tuesday, February 28

Center for the Arts-Concert Hall

6:45 PM – Pre-Concert Talk

8:00 PM – Shared Concert Feature

Tickets: $12 General Public, $8 Seniors, $5 Students

In collaboration with Dr. William Lake Jr., Director of Bands and the Dewberry School of Music, members of the Mason Dance Company will perform a premiere by Lawrence Jackson to the score "Come Sunday" by Omar Thomas.

Mason Jazz Faculty at BLUES ALLEY

Monday, February 27

7 pm and 9 pm shows 

Mason Jazz Faculty returns to Historic Blues Alley for a special performance.

Congratulations to all of our Mason Concerto Participants and the four chosen soloists; you have all made the Mason community very proud! Each winner (listed in alphabetical order below) will be featured with the Mason Symphony Orchestra as part of their spring semester concert series.

Elliott Moises Godinez, Marimba

Séjourné, Concerto for Marimba and Strings, II. Tempo souple

Yechan Lim, Piano

Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor Op. 16, Mvt. I

Stephen Sim, Saxophone

Ibert, Concertino de Camera, Mvt. I

Hao Zhang, Piano

Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major Op. 15, Mvt. 3

On the first day of class for Mason's Trumpet Ensemble, Dr. Edelbrock and his students never anticipated they'd be featured on the local news. Earlier this week, Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music was visited by WUSA 9 to highlight Dewberry School of Music Professor Dennis Edelbrock and his efforts to help local students with disabilities fund a graduation trip to Disney World.

Dr. Edelbrock's GoFundMe, "Big Kids, Big Dreams," was born from his desire to support his daughter and her classmates, for whom the experience of group travel to destinations like Disney World has been beyond reach. But through the support of the community, it has become a reality.

Dr. Edelbrock and Dr. Linda A. Monson performed a song together for the interview and Dr. Edelbrock plans to continue bringing people together, whether through music or other opportunities to give back to the community.

Article by Naomi Eskenazi

George Mason Athletics will recognize Dr. Michael West Nickens “Doc Nix” at the men’s basketball Black African Heritage Month game on Wednesday, February 1 at 7:00 p.m. at EagleBank Arena. As part of Black African Heritage Month, the Mason vs. UMASS game presentation included performances by Doc Nix and the Green Machine Ensembles with a special halftime presentation.

Dr. David Porter, Tuba Faculty member, is proud to announce his new solo CD "Music in the Mist," recently released and pressed by Mark Records. Dr. Porter states, "the title represents music that is coming out of the mist of COVID and the entire CD was recorded with finale track accompaniment." 

A highlight of this CD is "Concerto for Tuba," composed by Anthony O'Toole, Mason MM Composition Alumnus. The music showcases the tuba's extreme facility and range and the marvelous sounds of tuba and organ together.

Congratulations to Dr. Kevin McDonald, Mason Jazz Faculty who presented at the Jazz Education Network National Conference (JEN) in Orlando, Florida in early January. Dr. McDonald's clinic "Big Band Bass and Drums" was well received by jazz educators and students alike.

Pictured above from left: Dr. Kevin McDonald with Mason students Raymond Mason, Nathan Hockey, and Charlie Gorham. Emily Craine, Auditions and Recruitment Coordinator representing the Mason Jazz at the Exhibit Booth.

Congratulations to Prof. Zackery Pride, Applied Jazz Bass, who authored the article "Why I Serve with Music" published in the School Band and Orchestra Magazine in January. He shares his heartfelt story about his decision to join the Army Band after witnessing the September 11 attacks.

SFC Zackery Pride currently serves in The U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own" and has performed internationally for deployed service members.

Mason hosted Clarinet Day on January 29 for over 50 participants which included masterclasses, clarinet choir rehearsal, faculty performances, and vendors.

Pictured from Left: Dr. Kathleen Mulcahy, Director of Woodwinds, and Prof. Jonathan Bisesi, Percussion Co-Coordinator perform in Faculty Artist Series Recital on January 29. Mason Clarinet Day participants with Dr. William L. Lake, Jr., Director of Bands conducting rehearsal.

Congratulations to Prof. Jim Carroll who was presented with the Orpheus Award on behalf of Phi Mu Alpha. "The Orpheus award is given to a person who has significantly and lastingly contributed to the cause of music in America." His award was presented by Jon Farrington, Student Representative, at a recent music faculty meeting.

Prof. Ed Fraedrich, Prof. John Kocur, and Prof. Xavier Perez presented the Panel Discussion "Flipping the Switch: Classical and Jazz" at the International Saxophone Symposium, hosted by the U.S. Navy Band at the George Mason University Fairfax Campus on January 14.