Camille Cintrón Devlin

Recipients Announced for the 2024 Young Alumni Commissioning Project Awards

Pam Muirheid — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 20:12:03 +0000

Recipients Announced for the 2024 Young Alumni Commissioning Project Awards  Pam Muirheid Wed, 01/10/2024 - 15:12

��ӽ紫ý’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) is pleased to announce the recipients of the fifth round of its Young Alumni Commissioning Project Awards. Two alumni were chosen based on the artistic excellence, career impact, and feasibility of their proposals and will receive financial, marketing, and production support to have their projects presented by the College at a Mason Arts venue during the 2024–2025 season.

"As previously supported projects reach completion, it is a real joy to see our recent graduates adding new work to the world on such a high professional level. Stay tuned for great things on the horizon from this year’s awardees.”
—Rick Davis, Dean of Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts

“In this fifth round of the project’s commissions, the creative energy of Mason Arts alums continues to shine brightly,” said Rick Davis, dean of Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. “The two projects awarded this year both use the medium of film in fascinating ways, whether to celebrate movement and dance through the lens of Arabic poetry or to explore both the comic and the darker sides of reality TV.”

Davis continued, “As previously supported projects reach completion, it is a real joy to see our recent graduates adding new work to the world on such a high professional level. Stay tuned for great things on the horizon from this year’s awardees.”

Rebecca Wahls (left) and Jumana Al Refai

Jumana Al Refai, BFA Dance ’17, received the Young Alumni Commissioning Project Award and $5,000 in commissioning support for Tashkeel َتْشِكيل, a collaboration that explores all aspects of “Haraka”—the Arabic word for movement—including language, landscape, music, and connection. The final product will be a short film, featuring four dancers from Kuwait and abroad as well as Al Refai as dancer and choreographer. She is of Kuwaiti and Japanese heritage, and founder of the Haraka Center for Movement Arts in Kuwait. Al Refai shared, “This project will make art coming out of the Middle East accessible to larger audiences and challenge the prevailing western perception of the region.”

Rebecca Wahls, BFA Theater ’15, received the Young Alumni Creative Development Award and $3,000 in commissioning support of Him, a feature-length ensemble comedy film. The film follows the final five contestants on a reality dating show, whose world is turned upside down as they discover a dark truth about their “suitor.” Wahls directed, co-wrote, and co-produced Him, alongside actor and writer Trey Higgins. Screenings are slated to take place at Carnegie Mellon University’s Los Angeles Campus and ��ӽ紫ý’s Fairfax Campus.

Over the past five years, 16 CVPA alumni have been granted awards anywhere from $2,500 to $5,000 to support the creation of a new artistic work for projects in film, dance, visual art, music, and game design. To be considered for this year’s award, applicants must have graduated from CVPA from the class of 2013 and after. Proposals could include original new work in any art form suitable for performance, exhibition, or screening in a Mason Arts venue. The size, length, duration, magnitude, and content are at the artist’s discretion. Potential venues include Mason’s traditional theater spaces, galleries, and cinemas, but proposals for nontraditional venues, including digital spaces, were also considered.

The Young Alumni Commissioning Project is made possible by a generous bequest from the estate of Linda E. Gramlich for the support of young artists, and by donors to Mason’s previous Giving Day, including Shugoll Research.

About the 2024 Award Recipients

Jumana Al Refai is a choreographer, teacher, and professionally trained dancer based in Kuwait. She started dancing from the young age of four and has well over 20 years of dance training in ballet, modern, contemporary, and improvisation. Al Refai earned a BA in Graphic Design from the American University of Kuwait and a BFA in Dance from Mason. After completing her bachelor's degrees, Al Refai joined The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater School–The Ailey School in New York City and completed dance programs at the University of Southern California and the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s choreographic dance intensive. Al Refai returned to Kuwait in 2018 and established a center for dance training and dance education in 2021: the Haraka Center for Movement Arts.

Rebecca Wahls directs, writes, and produces film, theater, and new media. She is a catalytic leader who tells ensemble stories about the formation of family and the romance of friendship. In 2017, she founded the nonprofit theater Who What Where Productions, where she produced and directed several world premiere plays, including Spills by Ruthie Rado, which has gone on to successful runs in New York City and London. Other favorite projects include Rebecca and Becca in Space, a socially distant comedy web series co-created with writing partner Rebecca Ballinger, which was awarded a grant through the Alumni Artist Support Initiative and presented as part of Mason Arts at Home in 2020 Memory Card, a 20-minute fully live digital horror piece with playwright Alec Seymour; and this old haunt, a new musical co-created with Maggie Marie Rodgers and SMJ. Rebecca holds an MFA in Directing from Carnegie Mellon University, where she was a John Wells Fellow from 2020 to 2023, and a BFA from Mason.

Topics

Young Alumni Commissioning Project. alumni support

alumni

Alumni

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

Connecting Students with Today’s Top Artists Despite the Pandemic

Pam Muirheid — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 18:25:08 +0000

Connecting Students with Today’s Top Artists Despite the Pandemic Pam Muirheid Mon, 03/29/2021 - 14:25

Learn More About the Window Wall Technology

For more than a year, the pandemic has impacted many aspects of the day-to-day at the College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA). One thing that hasn’t changed is our faculty and staff’s commitment to providing outstanding educational experiences. This moment has enhanced our resilience and creativity in order to satisfy the needs of the student community. The most recent examples took place in March 2021, during which four masterclasses were held over the span of a single week. These ranged from virtual classes via Zoom webinar, to a hybrid session (half in-person, half virtual) utilizing the Moving Story Window Wall technology.

An important element of the College’s instructional offerings is our intrinsic link with the Center for the Arts at ��ӽ紫ý and the Hylton Performing Arts Center, which enables Mason students to learn directly from today’s top artists. When performers and touring ensembles appear in the professional season of music, dance, and theater offerings, CVPA ensures that masterclasses or similar educational opportunities are part of what they bring to the table. This learning exchange is in line with the College’s longstanding mission to “educate the artists of tomorrow.” In spite of the current restrictions, CVPA and its two performing arts centers have continued to provide these exceptional experiences to Mason students.

Lawrence Brownlee giving a Zoom masterclass to students from the Dewberry School of Music.

Beginning on March 2, Lawrence Brownlee—who is recognized as one of America’s foremost modern opera singers—led a Zoom masterclass for a group of Vocal Studies and Opera majors from the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music. The class was held the day after he participated in The Artist-Activist: Centering Black Voices series as part of Mason Arts at Home.

Of her experience, Rosie Wright (Vocal Performance ‘22) commented, “Singing for Mr. Brownlee was an infinitely valuable experience for me. He was an absolute joy to work with. I had the privilege of singing a Rossini aria for him and, since that’s one of his specialties, I was very nervous. I had so much fun learning from him and it was so inspiring to get a coaching from him on the piece. This masterclass was one of the highlights of my college career.”

The following day, School of Theater students were welcomed to participate in a masterclass with Broadway singer and actress Laura Osnes—who appeared in Broadway Princess Party on March 21. For this session, students gathered in person (physically distanced) on the Center for the Arts’ stage while Osnes was projected live onto the Moving Story Window Wall. Sophia Inserra (Theater ‘21) explained, “the innovativeness of the set up and how we connected with Ms. Osnes was excitingly effective and, of course, getting the opportunity to meet and work with her virtually was amazing. This experience made my entire year; I am so grateful.”

Left: School of Theater students participate in a masterclass with Broadway singer and actress Laura Osnes. Photo: Even Cantwell. Right: Clarinetist Thomas Lessels from Academy of St. Martin in the Fields giving a Zoom masterclass to students from the Dewberry School of Music.

Similarly, on March 8, instrumentalists from the Dewberry School of Music had the opportunity to study with clarinetist Thomas Lessels and cellist Will Schofield of the world-class Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. These two, separate masterclasses were held via Zoom webinar and they preceded the ensemble’s Mason Arts at Home virtual performance on March 13. Teresa Jenkins (Clarinet Performance ’22) summarized her involvement as follows, “the masterclass was fantastic and enlightening. I really enjoyed the musical ideas that Mr. Lessels recommended and shared with me regarding my playing. The Zoom masterclass experience is one full of silver linings, and I am so appreciative to have been chosen to participate!”

Students from the Dewberry School of Music participate in a masterclass with clarinetist Thomas Lessels (top left) from Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.

These testimonials both confirm and reinforce the importance of making masterclasses, workshops, lectures, and artist conversations available to our student community.

In addition to the abovementioned masterclasses, the School of Art’s Visual Voices lecture series continues to feature nationally-recognized visiting artists and designers each month in an online format. Recent guests included Wendy Red Star, Rozeal, and Mia Rollow. Film and Video Studies’ Visiting Filmmaker Series is also thriving in the digital space, highlighting films and artists who are committed to innovation, social justice, and diverse and inclusive filmmaking. Most recently, the series featured film director Stefon Bristol and TV writer Hank Jones.

CVPA is proud to offer these opportunities to students, and we look forward to increasing their reach throughout the academic year. Support our educational initiatives beyond the classroom.

Topics

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music

School of Art

Mason Arts at Home

College of Visual and Performing Arts School of Theater

Mason Professor’s Fanfare Music Highlighted During Biden’s Inauguration

Pam Muirheid — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 19:08:38 +0000

Mason Professor’s Fanfare Music Highlighted During Biden’s Inauguration Pam Muirheid Mon, 02/01/2021 - 14:08

Topics

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

Dewberry School of Music

In This Story

Dr. Dennis Edelbrock

Dewberry School of Music Professor, Dennis Edelbrock

If you were one of the nearly 40 million people who tuned in to President Joseph R. Biden’s Inauguration on January 20, 2021, chances are you enjoyed a significant amount of patriotic American music throughout the televised event. One of the pieces highlighted at two points during the ceremony—when Former President Barack Obama and Former First Lady Michelle Obama were first introduced, and again when President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden entered the White House—was composed by a ��ӽ紫ý faculty member.

Dennis Edelbrock, who is an Adjunct Professor of Trumpet in the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music as well as a retired Sergeant Major of the United States Army Band, originally wrote the fanfare “Salute to a New Beginning” for then-President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. Following the excitement around his composition being re-played for an event of such magnitude, the College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) team was eager to learn more about his musical work.

CVPA: Why and how did you create “Salute to a New Beginning”?

DR. EDELBROCK: When I was in the U.S. Army Band and Ronald Reagan got elected, I was excited about the possibility of writing a new fanfare for use at the White House and other historic events. Knowing his penchant for Hollywood productions, and having performed on some events that he hosted at the White House, I thought there might be a chance that an “updated” fanfare could be exciting to him and his staff. So, I got busy and embedded some commercial pop music rhythms and contemporary harmonies into a new composition.

Dennis Edelbrock, former Sergeant Major of the United States Army Band, originally wrote the fanfare “Salute to a New Beginning” for then-President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s.

CVPA: How would you further describe this piece of music?

DR. EDELBROCK: “Salute to a New Beginning” was written for the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, which are comprised of 14 trumpets of all pitches and sizes (proudly displaying their tabards), as well as two field drums. The piece features rock and roll rhythms, contemporary pop harmonies, and exhilarating scale runs. I also inserted a break that includes a drum roll. This break, and its accompanying drum roll, can be extended indefinitely to get a limousine carrying a head of state around the White House driveway and up to site of the ceremony. Or, in other cases, it can be used to introduce a dignitary and can be extended until that person reaches the dais or speaker’s podium. So, in a sense, it can be used theatrically as “travelling music.”

CVPA: What is your favorite memory of it being performed?

A signed photo from Ronald Reagan to Sergeant First Class Dennis E. Edelbrock

DR. EDELBROCK: That's an impossible choice! “Salute to a New Beginning” has been used at many historic and national events over the years, including every Inauguration since President Reagan, the Olympic Games, Super Bowls, the signing of the International Nuclear Weapons Peace Accords, and at hundreds of White House arrival ceremonies.

Perhaps my most treasured memory is from when, because of my fanfare, the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets were invited to the White House Rose Garden and met President Reagan in person. There, he told me a funny story from when he proudly led the band as a drum major in his middle school in Elgin, Illinois. The parade marshal approached the band—unbeknownst to him—and told the band director that the parade had changed routes. Reagan, leading the band in front, didn't get the instructions and kept marching straight as the band had been instructed to turn a corner, resulting in him marching proudly all by himself…“into the sunset.”

CVPA: What went through your mind as you heard it being played on January 20, 2021?

DR. EDELBROCK: I was thrilled and proud, as always. I think we all have a patriotic duty to do anything that helps our country, and to do it selflessly. Frontline healthcare workers, teachers, artists—are ALL included; not just those in the military, of whom I am also very proud.

CVPA: What would you say to Mason students who dream about having their music performed at that level?

DR. EDELBROCK: I would tell them: follow your dreams—head in the stars, feet on the ground!

We encourage you to check out Dr. Dennis Edelbrock’s composition, “Salute to a New Beginning,” as performed by the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets in this YouTube video, below. Enjoy!

Outpouring of Support for the Live Center Window Wall

Pam Muirheid — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 18:43:45 +0000

Outpouring of Support for the Live Center Window Wall Pam Muirheid Tue, 01/19/2021 - 13:43

See What's Happening at the LIVE Center

Left: A Dance class in front of the Window Wall. Center: Mason Professor, Christopher d'Amboise, creator of the Window Wall. Right: Guest Artist Hope Boykin teaches master classes through the Moving Story Window Wall from New York into all four of the School's studios.

Following the announcement of the LIVE Center—which was officially launched in December 2020 by CVPA and the School of Dance—we received an outpouring of support for this innovative virtual education solution. Below you will find the most recent news items related to the LIVE Center. We invite you to learn more about the LIVE Center concept and to visit this page often for the latest updates.

Broadway World - The LIVE Center Launches at ��ӽ紫ý

Danza Hoy - ��ӽ紫ý Reinvents Education by Launching the LIVE Center

Fairfax Times - ��ӽ紫ý’s University departments collaborate to launch the LIVE Center

Northern Virginia Magazine - GMU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts Launches New Home for Virtual Education

Dance Magazine - One Strategy For Creating Dance During a Pandemic? Digital Now, Live Later

Mason News:

��ӽ紫ý's College of Visual and Performing Arts and the School of Dance Collaborate to Launch the Live Center

Connecting Students with Today’s Top Artists Despite the Pandemic

The LIVE Center Awarded $10,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

The LIVE Center Mentoring Series Brings Big Dance Names to Mason