Notes from the Director, Issue 67

Dear Mason School of Music Family,

I am proud of our tremendous School of Music students, faculty, and staff for their dedication, perseverance, and resilience during this time of remote instruction due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During these weeks of quarantine, social distancing and campus closure, we are exploring creative new ways to share our music. We hope you will enjoy watching recent virtual performances by our terrific music students, as highlighted throughout this newsletter. Please watch for additional student ensemble performance highlights coming soon.

We hope you will join us tomorrow, Thursday, April 23rd at 2 pm for a fascinating Music Entrepreneurship Discussion with Ben Schuller. We are also thrilled to present a Conversation with Dan Forrest, esteemed choral composer, on Tuesday, April 28th, 12:00 noon.

We miss you! Please stay safe and healthy. We hope you will enjoy our virtual School of Music student performances during this time of quarantine. Let the music continue!

Warmest regards,

Dr. Linda A. Monson

Director, School of Music

lmonson@gmu.edu

Virtual Performance

Mason trumpet students Steven Blake and Nick Sheehan recently performed Dr. Dennis Edelbrock's arrangement of "America the Beautiful" with trumpeters from all over the country! Thank you to our students and faculty for helping to keep the music alive. Read more about these artists here.

Watch the Performance

Upcoming Virtual Events

Music Entrepreneurship Discussion

with Ben Schuller

Hosted by Dr. Andrew Cote

Thursday, April 23rd, 2:00 PM

Streaming on the Mason School of Music Facebook Page

MUSI 300 available

Singer/producer Ben Schuller came up in the age of acoustic covers—and while in school, began building an online following for his simple piano/vocal reworkings of radio hits. Trading his small Michigan town for Nashville in 2014, his debut original set ‘Goodbye is the New Hello’ began carving out his place as a pop-oriented electronic artist in the vein of Calvin Harris and Zedd, mixing in his own emotive coffeeshop-style vocals.

Join us to hear Ben discuss many aspects of today's music industry, including:

How to establish yourself as a musician online
Marketing and music entrepreneurship
How to build a social media following
Recording and production techniques for recording video and audio in a home studio
How to collaborate with other musicians online

A Conversation with Dan Forrest

Tuesday, April 28th, 12:00 PM

Streaming on the Center for the Arts Facebook Page

Join us for a virtual conversation with renowned composer Dan Forrest. Hosted by Dr. Lisa Billingham, this Q&A session will allow audience members to submit questions to Dan about his career, his music, and his journey to becoming one of the most acclaimed composers in today's choral world. Find out more about Dan at www.danforrest.com .

Submit questions for Dan Forrest here !

Kudos!

Congratulations to Mason Junior Erie Liang (Clarinet, BM Music Education) on being named this year's Presser Award winner! A student of Dr. Kathleen Mulcahy, Erie has performed in venues such as the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage and the Virginia Music Educators Conference in Hot Springs, VA. He was a winner of the 2019 Concerto Competition with the Mason Symphony Orchestra, as well as a featured soloist in Frank Ticheli’s Blue Shades with the Mason Wind Symphony earlier that year. Erie has served as the principal clarinetist of the Mason Symphony Orchestra and played with the Mason Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band, Clarinet Choir, and various chamber ensembles. In addition, he is an alto saxophonist with the Jazz Workshop Band.