Dear Dewberry School of Music Family,

Join us in April for incredible music at Mason! We are excited to present our GMU Chorale Broadway Showcase this Sunday at 4 pm, guitar and jazz guest masterclasses/lectures this Monday, and our final concert of the Dewberry Faculty Artist Series (featuring musical theater voice and duo-piano) this Tuesday, April 13th at 7 pm. 

Please join us for upcoming Dewberry School of Music ensemble concerts, including Wind Symphony, Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble, New Sound Collective, and Percussion Ensemble. We are excited to present Mason Opera live-streamed performances from the Hylton Performing Arts Center on April 24-25.  

April is Jazz Appreciation Month and we are thrilled to present our wonderful vocal and instrumental jazz students in performance for International Jazz Day on April 30th at 8 pm.  Stay tuned for Music at Mason during the month of April and your spirits will be singing! 

Warmest regards,
Dr. Linda A. Monson, Director
Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music
Upcoming Events
Chorale Broadway Showcase
"When You Believe"
Sunday, April 11th, 4:00 PM

The University Chorale presents a series of Broadway classics for their 2021 outdoor showcase on Mason Pond Lawn. These favorites include "Seize the Day" from Newsies, "Circle of Life" from Lion King, "When you Believe" from The Prince of Egypt, and more.

This performance will take place on Mason Pond Lawn.

Tickets for the general public are not available at this time. Free tickets for Mason students are still available through Mason360.
Guitar Masterclass with Matt Palmer
Monday, April 12th, 10:00 AM

Matt Palmer has appeared as a soloist throughout the United States, Europe, Mexico, Canada, South America, and the Caribbean. A recent recipient of the “Up and Coming Guitarist of the Year” award by Guitar International Magazine, Matt has been described by critics as “a young artist about to make a real dent in the world of classical guitar” (Premier Guitar Magazine).

Contact mtrkula2@gmu.edu for Zoom access information.
Mason Jazz Mondays with Harry Schnipper, Executive Director of Blues Alley
"The Future of Jazz in a Post-Pandemic Culture"
Monday, April 12th, 12:30 PM

Email dpurcel2@gmu.edu for Zoom access information.
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 by Gershwin, Bach, Brahms, Sibelius, Milhaud, and Lecuona.
GMU Tuba Euphonium Chamber
Ensemble presents:
Concert in the Park
Saturday, April 17th, 11:00 AM
Olney Park Shelter, 1840 Olney Road, Falls Church, VA

Enjoy a morning of diverse styles including jazz, ballade, patriotic, and movie music. Free to the public. Masks and distancing required.
Violin Master Class with Sibbi Bernhardsson
Friday, April 23rd, 12:30 PM 

Icelandic violinist Sibbi Bernhardsson joined the faculty of Oberlin Conservatory in 2017. During his 17-year tenure as a member of the Pacifica Quartet (2000-2017), he performed more than 90 concerts each year worldwide in many of the leading concert halls including Wigmore Hall, the Vienna Konzerthaus, Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw, Suntory Hall, and New York’s Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall. 

Contact jhuang15@gmu.edu for Zoom access information.
Mason Opera Presents:
Acts of Love and Marriage
Saturday, April 24th, 8:00 PM &
Sunday, April 25th, 3:00 PM

The Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music’s talented Mason Opera students will present an evening of works featuring Dream Lovers by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Act II of Le nozze di Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  
Mason Jazz Mondays with Michelle Blandburg
"Erroll Garner - Virtuoso Pianist"
Monday, April 26th, 12:30 PM

Erroll Garner was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. He was considered by many as "one of the most distinctive of all pianists" and a "brilliant virtuoso." Using an "orchestral approach straight from the swing era but open to the innovations of bop," his distinctive style was like no other. Yet some of his best recordings are ballads, such as his best-known composition, "Misty" which has become a jazz standard - and was featured in Clint Eastwood's l971 film Play Misty for Me. This presentation will feature music and DVDs of this brilliant musician in action. 
 
Michelle had a special connection to Erroll Garner. Her father, bassist Eddie Calhoun, was a member of Erroll's trio for more than ten years. She will share childhood memories of summer travels on the road with "the guys." She will also read reminisces about Erroll from her father's unpublished memoir "Big-Time Sharecroppers." Michelle Blandburg is an OLLI Board member and officer, a FOMM member, a music and movie lover, and an active member of the OLLI Players.

Email dpurcel2@gmu.edu for Zoom access information.
New Sound Collective, Percussion Ensemble, and Wind Symphony Chamber Concert
Monday, April 26th, 8:00 PM

Tune in and enjoy a sampling of the Dewberry School of Music's finest chamber ensembles! The Wind Symphony Chamber Winds, featuring three graduate conducting students, will perform works by Alfred Reed, Vincent Persichetti, and Gordon Jacob. The New Sound Collective and Percussion Ensemble will round out the evening with a varied selection of contemporary works.
Mason Wind Symphony Concert
Tuesday, April 27th, 8:00 PM

The Mason Wind Symphony and Percussion Ensemble proudly present an evening of music from the Center for the Arts Concert Hall stage! Directed by Profs. Mark Camphouse and John Kilkenny, the Wind Symphony and Percussion Ensemble will perform a variety of classic and contemporary works, including pieces by Dvorak, Ticheli, Arnold, Giannini, and more. This concert will also feature graduate conducting students Madelyn Austin, Samantha Clarke, and Megan Stallings.
Oboe Masterclass with Dr. Jessica Warren
"Effective Practice Strategies, Developing a Time Log System, and the Benefits of Mindful Meditation and Practicing" 
Thursday, April 29th, 12:00 PM

Email efoste2@gmu.edu for Zoom access information.
International Jazz Day Concert
Friday, April 30th, 8:00 PM

Share the vibrancy and vitality of jazz music with Mason Jazz students and faculty on April 30 in a new digital performance! International Jazz Day brings together communities, schools, artists, historians, academics, and jazz enthusiasts on all continents to celebrate and learn about jazz and its roots, future, and impact. 
Tribute to Sonny Rollins
Featuring Members of the Mason Jazz Faculty
Sunday, May 2nd, 3:00 PM

The talented Mason Jazz Faculty salutes tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, long heralded as “the greatest living jazz improviser,” who continues to inspire generations of musicians. To commemorate the Saxophone Colossus’ ninetieth birthday, the Mason Jazz Faculty from the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music will perform repertoire from a portfolio coauthored by Mr. Rollins and Professor Jim Carroll.

This performance will take place on the Mason Pond Lawn.
A Song of Freedom: Musical Reflections Featuring Black Composers
Including Two World Premieres
Saturday, May 8th, 8:00 PM

The Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music presents a pre-recorded digital concert featuring the rich choral, orchestral, and wind ensemble repertoire of Black composers. In addition to works by William Grant Still and George Walker, this concert features two world premieres of commissioned works by Evelyn Simpson-Curenton and Michael Nickens. Simpson-Curenton’s Passages is a moving choral work that powerfully proclaims, "Sing a song of freedom." The program also features a commissioned work for combined bands and narration composed by Michael Nickens (Doc Nix), performed by the wind ensemble and Green Machine. 
Horn Day - April 18th
10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Virtual Horn Day
Sunday, April 18th, 10:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Enjoy a day of celebrating the horn with warm-ups, lectures, Q&A's, performances, Zoom duets, and more!

Horn Day is open to Horn lovers of all ages!
View Upcoming
Student Recitals
We are proud to present many wonderful virtual student recitals this semester! Be sure to mark your calendars for upcoming recitals, including:


Cristina Catterton, Senior Clarinet Recital - April 10th, 1:00 PM

Brendan Schnabel, Doctoral Jazz Saxophone Lecture Recital -
April 10th, 2:00 PM

Lauren Reamy, Senior Vocal Recital - April 10th, 4:00 PM

Case Hope, Junior Vocal Recital - April 10th, 7:00 PM

Eduardo Fajardo, Junior Flute Recital - April 10th, 8:00 PM

Luis Flores, Junior Vocal Recital - April 16th, 7:00 PM

Julianna Lee, Master's Percussion Recital - April 16th, 8:00 PM

Riley Baisch, Senior Trumpet Recital - April 17th, 1:00 PM

Noah Nipp, Senior Jazz Bass Recital - April 17th, 2:00 PM

Dongkeon Kim, Graduate Vocal Recital - April 17th, 4:00 PM

Domenic Lewis, Senior Steel Pan Recital - April 17th, 6:00 PM

Teresa Jenkins, Junior Clarinet Recital - April 17th, 7:00 PM

Chiara Head, Senior Flute Recital - April 18th, 1:00 PM

Sam Gurian, Senior Clarinet Music Education Recital - April 18th, 4:00 PM

Eljhaie Brathwaite, Senior Steel Pan Recital - April 18th, 7:00 PM

Chris Troiano, Doctoral Euphonium Lecture Recital - April 19th, 5:00 PM

Courtney Jennelle, Senior Vocal Music Education Recital - April 23rd, 7:00 PM

Mark Davis, Master's Trumpet Recital - April 24th, 5:00 PM

Nick Sheehan, Junior Trumpet Recital - April 24th, 7:00 PM



View the full recital calendar here!
Spring 2021 Series
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