Dear Students, Colleagues, Alumni, and Friends,

These past months have been an unprecedented time of intense challenge. As our nation is fighting two pandemics--the COVID 19 virus and the pandemic of racism in America, our music faculty and staff have worked extraordinarily hard to forge positive paths forward. 

The Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music is united against intolerance of any kind. We are committed to equality, justice and freedom for all members of our School of Music community and our world, through our collective voice, our creative energy and our love for music. We are dedicated to living up to our Mason mission to be an "inclusive academic community committed to creating a more just, free, and prosperous world."  We have established new initiatives for this academic year with an emphasis on (1) integrating a broader set of musical experiences and styles into our music curriculum, (2) commissioning two new works by Black Composers (premiered by our students in May 2020), (3) establishing a Black Artists Series to include masterclasses and round-table discussions, and (4) inviting guest artists from diverse backgrounds for a Global Music Series with our student artists. 

We are thrilled to invite you to our Grand Piano Celebration on September 13th at 3 pm featuring extraordinary student and faculty artists (including piano, voice, and trumpet ensemble). With a tribute from Mason President Gregory Washington, this virtual concert celebrates the renaming of our School in honor of the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family.

We look forward to a wonderful semester of awesome music at Mason and hope you will be joining us virtually!

Warm regards,

Dr. Linda A. Monson, Director

The George Mason University School of Music has been renamed the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music, in honor of the Dewberrys' extraordinary legacy of giving and support of our school. Please read the wonderful article about the school's renaming to find out more.

Get ready for a fantastic afternoon of joyous music during Mason’s own “All-Steinway” event, featuring live-streamed and recorded performances. Showcasing the Dewberry School of Music's extraordinary student and faculty artists and including a tribute from Mason President Gregory Washington, this concert celebrates the renaming of the School in honor of the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family. Dr. Linda Apple Monson, the director of the school and International Steinway Artist, and her colleagues will perform alongside gifted student artists; dedicating their performances to the family who made the “All-Steinway School” possible.

Join us online for an evening like no other with A Celebration of ARTS by George! Saturday, September 26. Streamed live on social media and GMU-TV, the event will take a look back at the tremendous success of ARTS by George! during the past 14 years.

All student recitals this semester will be live-streamed! View the full list of recitals here.

We have 2 violin recitals this weekend:

Prof. John Kocur is an Assistant Professor of Music in Jazz Studies, teaching saxophone and directing Mason's Jazz Workshop. Read more about Prof. Kocur here.

Prof. Dorothee Schubel will be teaching Introduction to Music Research to our Music Students this semester. Read more about Prof. Schubel here.

Heather Darnell is the Music, Film, and Media Librarian for George Mason University. Read more about Ms. Darnell here.

Cello student Eddie Adams (BM Performance) was recently featured in a YouTube mini documentary, talking about his musical background and how he fell in love with the cello. Check out the video above!

Dr. Darden Purcell (Director of Jazz Studies) and Prof. Matt Trkula (Guitar) were both selected to present at this year's virtual Virginia Music Educators Association Conference. Chosen from a competitive pool of applicants, Dr. Purcell will be presenting on "Shaping the Sound: Attaining Artistic Authenticity in your Jazz and Pop Vocal Ensemble" and Prof. Trkula's presentation will focus on teaching the mixed level high school guitar class.

Professor Victor Provost (Jazz Studies/Steel Pan) has been selected as a member of the Jazz Touring Network! The JTN is a presenter-based membership program designed to expand the presentation of jazz throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Find out more here.

Dr. Elaine Rendler (Music Theory) has been named the 2020 Jubilate Deo Award Recipient! This award is given in recognition of a substantial contribution to the development of pastoral liturgy in the United States. Read more here.