HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
KRISTIN CHENOWETH, DIANNE REEVES, THE CHIEFTAINS,
JERUSALEM QUARTET WITH PINCHAS ZUKERMAN & AMANDA FORSYTH,
ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA WITH KIAN SOLTANI,
CIRQUE ÉLOIZE, EDGAR MEYER AND THE SCOTTISH ENSEMBLE,
LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO, AND LILA DOWNS
FIVE MASON ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE:
KANEZA SCHAAL WITH CARTOGRAPHY,
SPHINX VIRTUOSI, CAMILLE A. BROWN & DANCERS,
THE JOYCE THEATER’S SWING OUT, AND MARIA SCHNEIDER
RETURNING FAVORITES:
MARK MORRIS DANCE GROUP, PILOBOLUS, VIRGINIA OPERA,
CANADIAN BRASS, VIENNA BOYS CHOIR, METROPOLITAN JAZZ ORCHESTRA,
KEYBOARD CONVERSATIONS® WITH JEFFREY SIEGEL,
AND THE AMERICAN FESTIVAL POPS ORCHESTRA
PLUS, THE RETURN OF THE FAMILY SERIES:
THE MAGIC OF BILL BLAGG LIVE!, LIGHTWIRE THEATER, POPOVICH COMEDY PET THEATER, AND HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON
(FAIRFAX, VA)—The Center for the Arts at George Mason University announced the 2021/2022 season of Great Performances at Mason during a digitally streamed announcement for Friends and Subscribers, Thursday, May 13 at 7 p.m. The announcement includes a return to in-venue performances, featuring an outstanding lineup of national and international artists and ensembles across the disciplines of classical music, opera, jazz, global music, modern dance, and theater. The season kicks off Saturday, September 25, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. with Art Emerging: A Celebration of Renewal. The family-friendly event celebrates the return to live in-person performances as well as the 20th anniversary of Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.
“It is with overwhelming enthusiasm that we announce our 2021/2022 season of incredible artists,” shared Director of Programming Adrienne Bryant Godwin. “You will be able to join us once again to witness artistic excellence in action—Broadway royalty, world music icons, NEA Jazz Masters, as well as some of the most thought-provoking rising cultural leaders. It will be a season to remember, for so many reasons.”
The highly-anticipated season of in-person performances welcomes many new artists and ensembles into the Center, including Emmy® and Tony Award-winning musical theater icon Kristin Chenoweth; South African cultural ambassadors Ladysmith Black Mambazo; virtuosic husband and wife duo Pinchas Zukerman and Amanda Forsyth with the Jerusalem Quartet; the acclaimed Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring world-renowned cellist Kian Soltani; the high flying, family-friendly circus act Cirque Éloize; bassist Edgar Meyers and the Scottish Ensemble; and Latin powerhouse Lila Downs.
The Mason Artist-in-Residence Program will continue with five collaborations in its third year. These innovative artists will spend time in the community surrounding performances, interacting with our audiences both on and off-campus through activities designed to broaden the reach and deepen the impact of the Center’s artistic programming. The 2021/2022 cohort of artists includes visionary director Kaneza Schaal, co-creator of CARTOGRAPHY; Sphinx Virtuosi, the dynamic self-conducting chamber orchestra of top Black and Latinx musicians; company members from Camille A. Brown & Dancers; acclaimed choreographer Caleb Teicher with Lindy Hop champions Evita Arce, LaTasha Barnes, and Nathan Bugh performing Swing Out, which was co-commissioned by the Center for the Arts; and 2019 NEA Jazz Master Maria Schneider leading the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra.
The Center is pleased to announce the homecoming of some favorite performers in the 2021/2022 season, including traditional Irish masters The Chieftains, modern dance companies Mark Morris Dance Group and Pilobolus, as well as a co-presentation with Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, featuring pianist Simone Dinnerstein. The singular Jeffrey Siegel will grace the Concert Hall stage again with his popular Keyboard Conversations® performances. Virginia Opera eagerly returns to Fairfax with La Bohème, Three Decembers, and The Marriage of Figaro. During the holidays, Canadian Brass, the Vienna Boys Choir, jazz legend Dianne Reeves, and the American Festival Pops Orchestra will brighten the season and the Center with festive concerts.
In addition, the Center will offer a series of performances to engage, inspire, and thrill the youngest audience members and their families, including top illusionist Bill Blagg in his mind-bending and hilarious new show The Magic of Bill Blagg!; electromagnetic puppet wonder Lightwire Theater in A Very Electric Holiday; everyone’s favorite clown and his menagerie of scene-stealing pets, Popovich Comedy Pet Theater; and celebrated picture book turned imaginative stage adaptation Harold and the Purple Crayon by Enchantment Theatre Company.
Undeniably the most exciting part of the season is the safe return of patrons to the Center for the Arts. Bryant Godwin reflects, “It takes a village to put a season together, and that is true now more than ever. I want to commend the artists for their tenacity and creativity against all odds, and the Center’s staff, who have worked tirelessly to make it possible for us to gather safely together.”
Patrons attending in-person programming will need to comply with current health and safety protocols at the time of performances, following guidance from George Mason University. Current protocols include completing the Mason COVID Health✓™ survey before coming to the Center and wearing a face covering during the entire visit. Audience members will be seated with their party at a distance from other attendees that is deemed safe according to current CDC guidelines at the time. For more information on Mason’s safety precautions and what to expect when attending indoor events, visit:https://cfa.gmu.edu/plan-your-visit/indoor-performances.
Tickets for events in the fall of the 2021/2022 Season of Great Performances at Mason will go on sale for Friends of the Center for the Arts on Tuesday, August 3 and for the general public on Tuesday, August 10. For information about becoming a Friend of the Center for the Arts, visit: https://fcfa.gmu.edu.
Select in-person performances and additional events produced by Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts will be digitally livestreamed through Mason Arts at Home. Details regarding digital performances will be announced at a later date.
For the most up-to-date programming information, visit: cfa.gmu.edu.
Center for the Arts Great Performances at Mason 2021/2022 Season:*
Arts Emerging: A Celebration of Renewal
Saturday, September 25 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Mason Artist-in-Residence
CARTOGRAPHY
Co-created by Kaneza Schaal and Christopher Myers
Produced by ArKtype / Thomas O. Kriegsmann
Saturday, October 2 at 7 p.m.
Mason Artist-in-Residence
Sphinx Virtuosi
Tracing Visions
Sunday, October 17 at 3 p.m.
Jerusalem Quartet
Featuring Pinchas Zukerman, violin/viola and Amanda Forsyth, cello
Sunday, November 7 at 4 p.m.
Virginia Opera
La Bohème
Saturday, November 13 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, November 14 at 2 p.m.
Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel
The Glorious Music of Chopin
Sunday, November 21 at 7 p.m.
Canadian Brass
Making Spirits Bright
Saturday, November 27 at 8 p.m.
Dianne Reeves
Christmas Time is Here
Saturday, December 4 at 8 p.m.
Vienna Boys Choir
Christmas in Vienna
Friday, December 10 at 8 p.m.
American Festival Pops Orchestra
Holiday Pops: Songs of the Season
Saturday, December 11 at 8 p.m.
Mason Artist-in-Residence
Camille A. Brown & Dancers
Saturday, January 22 at 8 p.m.
Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel
Fantastic Fantasies
Sunday, January 23 at 7 p.m.
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko, music director
Kian Soltani, cello
Saturday, January 29 at 8 p.m.
Virginia Opera
Three Decembers
By Jake Heggie with libretto by Gene Scheer
Saturday, February 5 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 6 at 2 p.m.
Kristin Chenoweth in Concert
For the Girls
Saturday, February 12 at 8:00 p.m.
Pilobolus
BIG FIVE-OH! A 50th Anniversary Celebration
Sunday, February 20 at 7 p.m.
Mark Morris Dance Group
Featuring the MMDG Music Ensemble
Saturday, February 26 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Sunday, February 27 at 7 p.m.
The Chieftains
Irish Goodbye Tour
Monday, March 14 at 8 p.m.
Mason Artist-in-Residence
Swing Out
A Joyce Theater Production
Sunday, March 20 at 7 p.m.
Edgar Meyer and the Scottish Ensemble
Sunday, March 27 at 4 p.m.
Cirque Éloize
HOTEL
Friday, April 1 at 8 pm.
Saturday, April 2 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel
Evocative Visions
Sunday, April 3 at 7 p.m.
Virginia Opera
The Marriage of Figaro
Saturday, April 9 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, April 10 at 2 p.m.
Mason Artist-in-Residence
Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra
Featuring Maria Schneider, conductor
Saturday, April 16 at 8 p.m.
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
Christopher Zimmerman, music director and conductor
Featuring Simone Dinnerstein, piano
Saturday, April 23 at 8 p.m.
Lila Downs
Sunday, April 24 at 7 p.m.
Center for the Arts Family Series 2021/22 Season:*
The Magic of Bill Blagg Live!
Saturday, October 16 at 7 p.m.
Lightwire Theater
A Very Electric Holiday
Sunday, November 28 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Popovich Comedy Pet Theater
Saturday, February 19 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Enchantment Theatre Company
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Sunday, March 6 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
*Programs, artists, and dates are subject to change.
Center for the Arts Ticket Office:
703-993-2787/cfatix@gmu.edu
Center for the Arts 2021-2022 Sponsors:
The Mather, ManTech International, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, Sandy Spring Bank, and the Seeley Foundation.
The Center for the Arts is the premier destination for the arts in Northern Virginia. Each year, the Center welcomes hundreds of thousands of community members into its 2000-seat Concert Hall. The centerpiece of artistic programming within the Center, Great Performances at Mason, is an annual season of national and international artists, featuring the best of classical music, opera, jazz, global music, dance, theater, and more. As a part of George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Center hosts many student and faculty performances presented by the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music, Mason’s School of Theater, Dance, and events for School of Art and the Film and Video Studies, Computer Game Design, and Arts Management programs. Understanding that an education in the arts is deepened by regular contact with the work of distinguished visiting artists, the Center for the Arts serves arts enthusiasts of all ages in the greater Washington, D.C. area.
George Mason University is Virginia’s largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls nearly 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility.
For more information, please visit:
George Mason University’s Center for the Arts
