Dear Dewberry School of Music Family,
We want to thank, honor, and celebrate three outstanding faculty members who are retiring after this Spring 2021 term. We are deeply grateful to Prof. Elizabeth Blakeslee, Dr. Stanley Engebretson, and Dr. Dennis Layendecker for their devoted teaching, artistry, and service to our Mason School of Music. Their legacy lives on through our many Mason music students and alumni who have been taught and mentored by these distinguished faculty members. To our respected colleagues, we wish great happiness for each of you in your upcoming retirement and please know that our hearts remain with you.
Please join us for our upcoming Global Artist Series, Mason Jazz Mondays, Dewberry Faculty Artist Series, Percussion Ensemble Concert, student recitals, and guest artist masterclasses presented throughout this month.
With my warmest regards,
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Dr. Linda A. Monson, Director
Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music
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Prof. Elizabeth Blakeslee,
Harp Adjunct Professor
Congratulations to Prof. Blakeslee on her upcoming retirement! She has taught applied harp at Mason since 2012. Her artistry and teaching will be deeply missed by all of us. We are so very grateful for Prof. Blakeslee's many contributions to our Strings Area.
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Dr. Stanley Engebretson,
Director of Choral Studies
Congratulations to Dr. Engebretson on his upcoming retirement! Dr. Engebretson has taught at Mason since 1990--a total of 31 years! His lifetime of teaching, artistry, and service to our University is beyond compare. We are deeply indebted to him for the legacy of great choral music and for the many global connections that he has developed and led at Mason for three decades.
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Dr. Dennis Layendecker,
Heritage Chair in Music,
Director of Orchestral Studies
Congratulations to Dr. Layendecker on his upcoming retirement! He has taught at Mason since 2009 and has directed our Mason Symphony Orchestra, Mason Opera, and Mason musical theater productions. We are deeply grateful to Dr. Layendecker for his esteemed service as Director of our School of Music for many years and for his exceptional service as Heritage Chair of Music and Director of Orchestral Studies.
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Global Artist Series
Jennifer Grim, Flute
Monday, March 15th, 12:00 PM
Dr. Jennifer Grim will present a flute masterclass and discuss her artistic career as a performer and teacher.
Hailed as "a deft, smooth flute soloist" by the New York Times, Jennifer Grim's remarkable depth and breadth as a performer of solo and chamber repertoire has gained broad national acclaim. She has performed with such renowned ensembles as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble and is the flutist of the award-winning Zéphyros Winds and the New York Chamber Soloists. She also serves as Principal Flute of the Mozart Orchestra of New York and the Santo Domingo Festival Orchestra and has given solo and chamber performances throughout the United States and in China, Colombia, Panama, Dominican Republic, Ukraine, the Netherlands, and Spain. A passionate advocate of diversity initiatives in the field of classical music, Ms. Grim has programmed a series of concerts featuring African American, Latin American, and Latino composers, leading to solo performances of works by Diego Vega, David Sanford, and Valerie Coleman, among others. She has also worked with the National Take a Stand Festival, which invites students from El Sistema inspired programs across the United States to perform in a national youth orchestra performance at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California.
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Meeting ID: 976 5875 6039
Passcode: 981618
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Jeff Grubbs and Tania Grubbs
"Bare Bones - From the Bottom Up
Bass/Voice Duo"
Monday, March 15th, 12:30 PM
Jeff Grubbs is a bassist with the Pittsburgh Symphony and a fantastic Jazz player. Tania Grubbs is a wonderful vocalist who writes grants and artistic programs. They will discuss the intersection between Classical and Jazz music and making a living in both.
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Meeting ID: 976 3112 3124
Passcode: 166219
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Dewberry Artist Series:
Percussion, Saxophone, and Steel Pan!
Tuesday, March 16th, 7:00 PM
Recorded from the Center for the Arts Concert Hall, this concert will feature Mason faculty John Kilkenny and Jonathan Bisesi on percussion; Victor Provost on steel pan; and John Kocur on saxophone. Mason alumnus Cristian Perez will accompany Kocur on guitar. The program will feature composers including Stanley Cowell, Carlos Aguirre, Irving Berlin, Carlos Gardel, Kenny Garret, and Peter Klatzow, as well as faculty compositions from John Kocur and Victor Provost.
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Mason Percussion Ensemble Concert
Sunday, March 21st, 3:00 PM
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Percussion Masterclass with Teddy Hall Jr.
Monday, March 22nd, 12:30 PM
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Teddy Hall, Jr. is an active performer, educator, clinician, and writer. He received a Master of Music in Music Education from the University of Mississippi and a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of Alabama- Birmingham. Currently, he holds the position of Instructor of Percussion at Point University in Georgia. Mr. Hall has vast and diverse playing experiences serving as a freelance musician with such groups as the Cobb Wind Symphony, Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, the Joe Hill Experience, UAB Community Winds, West Side Winds, Atlanta Music Project, and the Tuscaloosa Big Band. Mr. Hall is a contributing writer for the Percussive Notes journal and Rhythm Scene. He is proud to be an educational artist for Vic Firth, Pearl, Sabian, Mike Balter, and REMO.
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Meeting ID: 927 5500 9770
Passcode: Bj5BZb
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Global Artist Series
Shawn Jones, Bassoon
Monday, March 29th, 12:00 PM
Join Prof. Shawn Jones as he presents a masterclass and a Q&A to our Mason Music students.
Bassoonist Shawn Jones is a graduate of the Juilliard School and Rice University. He has performed as a member of the Colorado, Detroit, and San Francisco Symphonies as both a bassoonist and contrabassoonist. During the summers he has taught at the renowned Interlochen Arts Camp, performed with the Grand Tetons Music Festival Orchestra, traveled to Japan to perform with the Pacific Music Festival, toured Russia with the American Russian Youth Orchestra, and currently performs as a member of the Colorado Music Festival. Shawn is also very active as a freelance musician in the San Francisco Bay area, playing as a member of the Santa Rosa Symphony as well as a frequent Substitute with the San Francisco Ballet and Opera Orchestras. He is also a member of the ensemble group, Quinteto Latino.
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Meeting ID: 953 6344 2567
Passcode: 458007
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Kevin McDonald
"Hearing the American Civil Rights Movement in the Music of Max Roach"
Monday, March 29th, 12:30 PM
Mason Jazz faculty member Kevin McDonald has spent years researching this topic and will present his dissertation.
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Meeting ID: 957 2641 7041
Passcode: 640667
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Dewberry Artist Series:
Brilliant Brass!
Tuesday, March 30th, 7:00 PM
The Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music faculty resume their free recital series with digital pre-recorded performances as part of Mason Arts at Home. Recorded at the Hylton Performing Arts Center, this performance features the brass faculty including Alan Carr (trombone), Denny Edelbrock (trumpet), Mark Jenkins (euphonium), and Dave Porter (tuba) as well as pianist Ina Mirtcheva Blevins. Repertoire in this concert will include compositions by Franz Joseph Haydn, Eric Ewazen, Robert Thurston, Daniel Schnyder, and more.
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New Sound Collective and
Percussion Ensemble Concert
Wednesday, March 31st, 8:00 PM
Join us online for a virtual performance by the Dewberry School of Music's New Sound Collective and Percussion Ensemble. This evening concert will include an electric selection of contemporary chamber and percussion works.
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Dewberry Artist Series:
Musical Theater Voice and Duo-Piano!
Tuesday, April 13th, 7:00 PM
The Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music faculty resume their free recital series with digital pre-recorded performances as part of Mason Arts at Home. Recorded at the Hylton Performing Arts Center, this performance features musical theater faculty vocalist Jim Van Slyke as well as piano faculty members Anna Balakerskaia and Linda Apple Monson playing duo piano works.
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View Upcoming
Student Recitals
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We are proud to present many wonderful virtual student recitals this semester! Be sure to mark your calendars for upcoming recitals, including:
Gabriel Rivera-Martinez, Junior Jazz Saxophone Recital - March 14th, 1:00 PM
Dominique Bianco, Junior Jazz Voice Recital - March 14th, 4:00 PM
Kristina Bhardwaj, Junior Piano Recital - March 20th, 5:00 PM
Jackson Hollaway, Junior Jazz Guitar Recital - March 21st, 1:00 PM
Allan Fogelson, Junior Jazz Guitar Recital - March 21st, 4:00 PM
Grayson Boatwright, Junior Jazz Guitar Recital - March 21st, 7:00 PM
Julianna Williams, Clarinet Music Education Recital - March 27th, 1:00 PM
Hannah Pennisi, Junior Steel Pan Recital - March 28th, 1:00 PM
Ronald Lee, Junior Steel Pan Recital - March 28th, 4:00 PM
Jason Seiler, Senior Jazz Guitar Recital - March 28th, 7:00 PM
View the full recital calendar here!
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Mason alumnus Pablo Rieppi (BM Percussion, 1992) has been appointed as a Visiting Associate Professor of Percussion at Oberlin Conservatory. A full-time member of the New York City Ballet Orchestra and a regular performer with the New York Philharmonic and on Broadway, Rieppi has appeared in masterclasses across the U.S. and around the world, and has served as a teaching artist with Carnegie Hall, the New York Philharmonic, and the American Composers Orchestra. |
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Percussion faculty member Prof. John Bisesi has just released his first solo album, THEN/NOW. An album 19 years in the making, THEN/NOW features a variety of contemporary percussion works by living composers. |
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