Center for the Arts 2020/2021 Spring Season Brochure

Spring 2021 cfa.gmu.edu

30 YEARS OF THE BEST OF THE PERFORMING ARTS

Center for the Arts 30 YEARS OF THE BEST OF THE PERFORMING ARTS

The 30 th Anniversary Season For the past three decades, the Center for the Arts at George Mason University has been a leader within the arts community of Northern Virginia. Help us continue to celebrate 30 years of inspiring arts experiences, as we resume performances inside the concert hall once again for an exceptional schedule of Great Performances at Mason and the Family Series, beginning in January of 2021.

The most up-to-date performance information is available at cfa.gmu.edu, even as changes or cancellations occur.

Your Safety is Our Priority When you attend a Center for the Arts performance, you can be assured that all necessary safety precautions are in place. From rigorous cleaning routines and physically distanced seating to face covering requirements and new ticketing procedures, our safety measures allow you to relax and enjoy the in-person performances you’ve missed so much. Details about what to expect when you return to the Center for the Arts are available at cfa.gmu.edu/covid.

Tickets Tickets for 2021 performances go on sale later this fall.

Online:

cfa.gmu.edu

Phone:

703-993-2787

In Person:

Ticket Office Tues.–Sat., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Visit the website for the most up-todate information about purchasing tickets and Ticket Office operations.

Email: cfatix@gmu.edu

The Center for the Arts is proud to be part of George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA), supporting and enriching the student experience with worldclass performances throughout the academic year and with a state-of-the art venue for student performances.

Great Performances at Mason

Mason Artist-inResidence

CARTOGRAPHY Co-created by Kaneza Schaal and Christopher Myers Five young refugees set out in search of a new place to call home in this “stunning” (The New York Times) and timely theatrical work. Inspired by the artists’ creative work with refugees from around the world, this interactive performance charts a new map for its characters using visual arts, storytelling, and filmmaking. A truly innovative and visually stunning performance, CARTOGRAPHY creates an onstage virtual storm that rises up in response to the actors’ voices, uses cell phones to depict memories being made, and features live sculpture creation to represent the characters’ journeys. From the minds of author and illustrator Christopher Myers and director Kaneza Schaal comes “A wonder of theater-making…honest and authentic…full of cracking storytelling” (DC Metro Theater Arts). Recommended for ages 10 and older. $46, $39, $28 ff Saturday, January 23 at 7 p.m.

This engagement of Kaneza Schaal and Christopher Myers’ CARTOGRAPHY is made possible through the ArtsCONNECT program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Spring 2021

ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Great Performances at Mason

Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel

®

Celebrating Beethoven Welcome back to the stage virtuoso pianist and exceptional storyteller Jeffrey Siegel. In his first concert of the season, he celebrates the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth with some of the composer’s best-loved works. This concert features the beloved “Moonlight” Sonata, Op. 27 and the Sonata in A-flat major, Op. 110, which Beethoven wrote after deafness had engulfed him. “A musical bridge-builder in action…Siegel showed just how illuminating the combination of words and abstract music can be,” (Toronto Star). An interactive question and answer session will conclude this program. $48, $41, $29 ff Sunday, January 24 at 7 p.m.

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ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Great Performances at Mason

Sankofa Danzafro The City of Others Through the lens of Afro-Colombian dance, The City of Others explores racism and social disparity in Colombia, a country home to Latin America’s second largest population of people of African descent. This dance style draws from capoeira, contemporary dance, hip-hop, and African forms, and is accompanied by live drumming and singing. Based on company founder Rafael Palacios’ own experiences, this stirring work of dance theater calls for the city to be a place of coexistence—a place for everyone, not only the few.

“We dance, more than to be seen, to be heard,” Sankofa Danzafro’s motto proclaims and the company is making a name for itself in the realm of dance and social change. The company has performed throughout the world and was recognized by the United Nations for its “good practice of Afro-descendant social inclusion in Latin America.” The New York Times said, “[A] revelation . . . an episodic work about urban struggle and resilience combining elements of hip-hop and Afro-Colombian dance.” $48, $41, $29 Saturday, January 30 at 8 p.m.

Spring 2021

ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Great Performances at Mason

Virginia Opera

La Voix Humaine and Gianni Schicchi Virginia Opera returns to the Center for a double-bill of Francis Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine (The Human Voice) and Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. An up-close-and-personal exploration of the whims of the human heart, La Voix Humaine is an intimate operatic adaptation of Jean Cocteau’s 1928 play, sung by a single soprano. In her Virginia Opera mainstage debut, Jessica E. Jones performs the role of Elle.

For the second part of the evening, Gianni Schicchi explores love’s more jovial tones with a cavalcade of wry laughs and cheeky twists around every corner. Is true love even possible? In this case, yes— as long as you are willing to pose as a dead man and falsify some documents to smooth the way. But when has the path of true love ever been smooth—much less with a will in the mix? Gianni Schicchi includes one of Puccini’s most beloved and breathtaking arias: “O mio babbino caro.” Troy Cook sings the title role, Benjamin Werley the role of Rinuccio, and Jessica E. Jones returns to the evening’s stage to play Rinuccio’s love interest, Lauretta. $110, $70, $40 La Voix Humaine Sung in French with English supertitles.

Gianni Schicchi Sung in Italian with English supertitles.

Saturday, February 13 at 8 p.m. / Sunday, February 14 at 2 p.m.

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ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Great Performances at Mason

Dervish Welcome Irish music icon, Dervish, to the Center for a rousing celebration of Irish heritage just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. For more than 30 years, the sextet hailing from Ireland’s rugged and wild coast has become one of the biggest names in traditional Irish music. The internationally acclaimed ensemble includes some of Ireland’s finest traditional musicians, including Cathy Jordan (vocals and drums), Shane Mitchell (accordion), Liam Kelly (flute/whistle), Brian McDonagh (mandola/mandolin), Tom Morrow (fiddle), and Michael Holmes (bouzouki). From music festivals to an impromptu performance on the Great Wall of China, Dervish delights crowds across the continents with its passion, lyricism, and high energy. Recent recipients of the BBC Folk Lifetime Achievement Award, The Guardian says, “Dervish are simply brilliant…They carry Irish history with them.” $46, $39, $28 ff Friday, February 26 at 8 p.m.

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ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Great Performances at Mason

Ladysmith Black Mambazo Sharing a heartfelt message of love, peace, and harmony, Ladysmith Black Mambazo performs an uplifting concert showcasing traditional South African vocal styles. Already successful in their own right in South Africa, the group rose to worldwide prominence in 1987 when they collaborated with Paul Simon on his hit album Graceland.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s richly harmonious vocals take inspiration from isicathamiya, a traditional music that developed in the mines of South Africa. The group has won five Grammy® Awards and has been nominated 19 times. They have recorded with Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, Sarah McLachlan, Josh Groban, Emmylou Harris, Andy Grammer, and many others. Their music has been featured on many film soundtracks including Disney’s The Lion King, Part II; Eddie Murphy’s Coming to America; and Clint Eastwood’s Invictus. Ladysmith Black Mambazo had the deep admiration and respect of Nelson Mandela, who designated the ensemble “South Africa’s cultural ambassadors to the world.” $55, $47, $33 ff Saturday, February 27 at 8 p.m.

Spring 2021

ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Great Performances at Mason

The Chieftains

ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Rescheduled from 2019/2020

The Irish Goodbye Irish music legends, The Chieftains, return to the Center for a thrilling night of their signature blend of traditional and contemporary Celtic music on “The Irish Goodbye” tour. The six-time Grammy® Award winners are celebrated for reinventing traditional Irish music and popularizing the form on a global scale. The group has made numerous cross-over collaborations with artists like Elvis Costello, The Rolling Stones, Alison Krauss, and Luciano Pavarotti. Since forming in Dublin over five decades ago, these cultural ambassadors

Spring 2021

have been linked with seminal historic events, such as being the first Western musicians to perform on the Great Wall of China, participating in Roger Water’s “The Wall” performance in Berlin in 1990, and being the first ensemble to perform a concert in the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Don’t miss your chance to experience a memorable evening of music, song and dance on this final journey. $75, $60, $45 Monday, March 8 at 8 p.m.

Great Performances at Mason

Virginia Opera

The Marriage of Figaro Mozart’s beloved four-act comic opera, The Marriage of Figaro, is the kind of mad and frantic bedroom farce of which guilty (and not-soguilty) pleasures are made, all driven by the music of Mozart at his most spirited, and conceived in collaboration with his most entrusted and successful librettist, Lorenzo Da Ponte. Full of scheming and wooing, flirting and folly, Figaro’s joyful and absurd twists and turns pile the outrageous on top of the scandalous to joyful effect. This is an opera that proves that the art form itself can be counted on not only for the most awe-inspiring aspects of the human condition, but also for its abilities to provide us what we wish for—the very happiest of endings. Last performed by the Virginia Opera in 2013, this 2021 staging—conducted by Adam Turner with live music by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra—once again promises captivating performances that will leave you walking on air. Sung in Italian with English supertitles. $110, $70, $40 Saturday, March 20 at 8 p.m. / Sunday, March 21 at 2 p.m.

This performance is sponsored by The Mather in Tysons.

Spring 2021

ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Great Performances at Mason

Rescheduled from 2019/2020 Mason Artist-inResidence

Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra Featuring Maria Schneider, conductor Grammy® Award-winning composer and conductor Maria Schneider leads Northern Virginia’s own Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra in a night of cool, expressive jazz. The evening’s repertory includes instrumental excerpts from Winter Morning Walks, a set of song cycles composed by Schneider.

Witness jazz perfection with Schneider, named 2019 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, and the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, comprised of the most remarkable jazz performers in the metro region, in this highly anticipated event. “To call Schneider the most important woman in jazz is missing the point...She’s a major composer–period,” (TIME Magazine). $46, $39, $28 Saturday, April 3 at 8 p.m.

Spring 2021

ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Great Performances at Mason

Lila Downs Lila Downs is one of the most influential artists in Latin America. Whether it’s a full-throated mariachi song, an achingly tender bolero, or sultry jazz tune, this six-time Grammy® Awardwinning singer-songwriter draws audiences in with her unmistakable charisma and inspiring storytelling. Singing in Spanish, English, and several Native American languages, Downs is known for her impressive range and joyous performances with her longtime band. She grew up in both Minnesota and Mexico, the child of a Scottish-American man and Mixtec mother. Drawing from her multicultural heritage, Downs’ songs often focus on justice, immigration, and women’s issues. “Downs is a consummate performer whose threeoctave vocal range shines in songs of comedy or tragedy, be they from Central America or Glasgow,” (The Guardian). $60, $51, $36 Sunday, April 18 at 7 p.m.

Spring 2021

ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Great Performances at Mason

Jerusalem Quartet Featuring Pinchas Zukerman, violin/viola and Amanda Forsyth, cello Bruckner: Adagio from String Quintet in F major Dvor̆ák: Sextet for Strings in A major, Op. 48 Brahms: Sextet for Strings in B-flat major, Op. 18 Grammy® Award-winning conductor, violinist, and violist Pinchas Zukerman, and Canadian Juno Award-winning cellist Amanda Forsyth join forces with the Jerusalem Quartet for a trio of radiant Romantic-era works by Bruckner, Dvor̆ák, and Brahms. The husband and wife duo of Zukerman and Forsyth create a sextet with the four Israeli artists in a dazzling display of virtuosity. Receiving glowing praise for their extensive repertoire and depth of expression, this quartet of musicians displays “passion, precision, warmth, [and] a gold blend,” (The New York Times). Recognized as one of the top international chamber ensembles, the Jerusalem Quartet has left its mark on stages around the world. $60, $51, $36 Friday, April 23 at 8 p.m.

This performance is sponsored by The Mather in Tysons.

Spring 2021

ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Great Performances at Mason

Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel

®

Evocative Visions Virtuoso pianist Jeffrey Siegel is popular with classical music lovers and newcomers alike.

In his final concert of the season, Siegel plays the visually inspired masterpieces of Rachmaninoff, Liszt, Debussy, Mendelssohn, and Grieg. This “concert with commentary” makes connections about the works and the context in which they were composed to bring these piano masterpieces to life. “Jeffrey Siegel is a pianist who literally overflows with music,” (Berlin Die Welt). An interactive question and answer session will conclude this program. $48, $41, $29 ff Sunday, April 25 at 7 p.m.

Spring 2021

ANNIVERSARY SEASON

2020/2021 Mason Artist-in-Residence Program We are excited to announce this season’s cohort of the Mason Artist-inResidence program. These visionary artists and ensembles will spend time interacting with our audiences through a variety of residency activities designed to broaden the reach and deepen the impact of the Center’s artistic programming.

Kaneza Schaal, theater artist

Maria Schneider, conductor

Third Coast Percussion

Schaal will conduct a virtual research residency and work closely with Mason’s Game Design Program leading up to her January 2021 performance of CARTOGRAPHY.

Grammy® Award-winning composer and conductor Maria Schneider leads Northern Virginia’s own Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra in a night of cool, expressive jazz.

This innovative and Grammy® Award-winning ensemble will engage Mason students and community members in a virtual residency in Fall 2020.

2020/2021 SEASON

FAMILY SERIES

An Inspiring Series with Children in Mind Great Family Entertainment at Affordable Family Prices Rescheduled from 2019/2020

Individual Tickets $15 Adults / $10 Children

The Magic of Bill Blagg Live!

Witness the impossible with top illusionist Bill Blagg in his new mind-bending and hilarious magic show The Magic of Bill Blagg Live! “Unbelievable!” raves USA Today, and “Absolutely Incredible!” echoes The Chicago Tribune. The whole family will rub their eyes in disbelief as the “Houdini Times Ten” (NBC), makes objects disappear, teleports across the theater, levitates in mid-air, and so much more. Don’t miss your chance to experience this thrilling, action-packed, and interactive show that will leave you and your family breathless. Bill Blagg is changing reality one city at a time, and Fairfax is next! Recommended for all ages.

Sunday, February 28 at 2 p.m.

All youth through grade 12 qualify for the children’s price. All patrons must have a ticket.

cfa.gmu.edu

2020/2021 SEASON

FAMILY SERIES

An Inspiring Series with Children in Mind Great Family Entertainment at Affordable Family Prices

Individual Tickets $15 Adults / $10 Children

Collision of Rhythm Collision of Rhythm is the ultimate dynamic duo made up of a tap-dancing percussion virtuoso and a beatboxing, juggling comedian. Imagine a STOMP, Blue Man Group, and Ringling Bros. mash-up and the result is this extraordinary performance perfect for kids and kids-at-heart. Aaron Williams and Bronkar Lee do it all from drumming, tap-dancing, rhythmic juggling, and music-making on multiple instruments, including the marimba, piano, saxophone, flute, and more. The duo gained internet fame when their rhythmic videos went viral and since then, they have appeared on The Tonight Show and America’s Got Talent. The whole family will be thrilled by this high-octane production full of dueling rhythms and musical feats peppered with comic relief and inspirational stories. Recommended for all ages.

Sunday, April 25 at 1 p.m.

All youth through grade 12 qualify for the children’s price. All patrons must have a ticket.

cfa.gmu.edu

PLAY A LEADING ROLE Support the Great Performances at Mason Season at the Center for the Arts As a Member of the Friends of the Center for the Arts, you: Support Arts Education & Community Outreach Programs Your membership gift helps make the Pre-Performance Discussions preceding Great Performances at Mason events possible and open to all ticket holders at no additional charge.

Enjoy Member-Only Benefits to Enhance Your Experience Members receive invitations to special events, including the Artists in Conversation events, which offer the unique opportunity to interact with guest artists and local experts.

Receive Priority Season Ticket Processing Friends receive the highest seating priority for season tickets and have the opportunity to purchase season tickets before the general public.

Receive an Invitation to the Annual Season Preview Event Grand Tier Society Members of the Grand Tier Society play a visionary and leadership role in ensuring that the Great Performances at Mason and Family Series continues to remain vibrant and affordable today and for future generations.

In grateful acknowledgement for their leadership support, the Friends of the Center for the Arts offers its Grand Tier Society members exclusive benefits to further enrich their participation in the life of the Center for the Arts including: • Grand Tier Society acknowledgement in performance programs and on a special recognition wall located in the Concert Hall Lobby all season long • Invitation to Grand Tier Society events each season featuring special guest artists from the Washington Metro area • Grand Tier Society pin

FRIENDS OF THE CENTER FOR THE ARTS Friends Make A Difference.

For more information, email fcfa@gmu.edu or visit fcfa.gmu.edu. fcfa.gmu.edu

Reconnect with the arts through Mason Arts at Home—a digital platform featuring curated arts experiences from the artists you love. Programming features digital concerts from guest artists, releases of previously recorded content, behind-the-scenes talks with artists, and more.

See the full Mason Arts at Home schedule at cfa.gmu.edu.

Chanticleer November 28

Keep in Touch!

For the most up-to-date information about performances, tickets, and procedures, please visit cfa.gmu.edu. Sign up for email updates, and follow us on social media.

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