George Mason University's Center for the Arts

Color Constructions

Opening Reception: Wednesday, September 9, 6 to 8 PM

Gordon Moore, "Pursuing Abstraction"

Glenn Quader, Conductor
Jon Manasse, clarinet
Free ConcerTalk at 7:00 p.m., Concert begins at 8:00 p.m.

The October 3rd concert returns to the historical Classical period, with a chamber-size concert focusing on Mozart and Beethoven.  By conducting some lesser played works by these highly popular and well-known composers, Zimmerman gives his players the "meat and potatoes" of the repertoire they love to play and the audiences love to hear.

"And there was a heavenly moment when clarinetist Jon Manasse fluttered above the duet like a cherub tumbling in the clouds of a Mannerist painting." – Milwaukee Journal

MENDELSSOHN: Overture to The Fair Melusine
MOZART: Clarinet Concerto in A Major
Jon Manasse, clarinet
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 4

Jon Manasse photo by Peter Schaaf

In the history of art, Madonna and child images are idealized and cropped at the waist.  The menacing blood and fluids of childbirth - the irreverence of the body - is thrust outside the picture frame.  Safety is maintained by editing the scene.  But when I was pregnant, I wanted to see birth unedited. So I began to paint it.  I asked women for photographs of their births. Each photograph added another piece to the puzzle, and as I painted these births,
I learned more about the unseeable moments.  My thesis show presents these works as a series investigating labor, childbirth, and postpartum.  During my exhibit, there will also be a symposium providing context for the work: "Perinatal: A Symposium on Birth Practices and Reproductive Rights" (www.birthsymposium.com).

The graduate thesis shows are required of graduating MFA students.  They are meant to tie in with a written thesis.  Students typically show recent work, which is a culmination of growth and distillation of ideas developed over their two (or more) years at GMU. Some MFA students, however, choose to show works which are an overview of all the time they've spent here.

Help the Green Machine travel to Puerto Rico to hype the fans for the Men's Basketball Team at ESPN's Puerto Rico Tip-Off!

Tickets:
VIP: $50*
Adults: $25
Students: Pay what you can!

Get your tickets in person at the Concert Hall Box Office or by calling 703-993-2787.

*The VIP ticket level offers preferred seating for the concert and enrolls you as a member of the Green Machine Boosters.

The Green Machine would like to thank you in advance for your support at the concert! We look forward to seeing you there!

This event is planned to start at 9:00 am and end at 1:00 pm.

“An exquisite balm for tired eyes and souls,” says The New York Times about this innovative and entertaining company created by one of Britain’s foremost choreographers. Described by The Times of London as “a choreographer for whom every dance is a love affair with his chosen music,” Richard Alston is renowned for having a close relationship with his music, and combines masterful movement with beautiful melodies to create dance that is simply breathtaking. Launched in 1994 to great acclaim, the Richard Alston Dance Company has become one of the largest and most prominent contemporary dance companies in Great Britain. This dazzling ensemble makes its Center debut this season, performing some of Alston’s latest pieces as well as some of his most seminal works. “A rewarding, refreshing, uplifting ride.” (Newsday)

Single Tickets are on sale now!

They aren’t Russian. They aren’t brothers. And they certainly don't fly. Misnomers aside, this four-member juggling comedy troupe is as wacky as their name implies. A zany combination of theater, comedy, music, and juggling with a bit of philosophy thrown in for good measure, the Flying Karamazov Brothers are the most enduring, immensely popular, and wholly unique phenomena performing today. Chances are, you’ve seen their wild antics on any number of television or theater appearances, from “Seinfeld” to Broadway, and their longtime success is a testament to an extraordinary ability to entertain young and old alike. Beginning as street performers in San Francisco, they have finely honed their juggling skills to the point where they can juggle almost anything, including chain saws and bowling balls!

Single Tickets are on sale now!

Featuring Anna Balakerskaia, Zino Bogacheck and David Teie

Invited Alumni

“Alumni Mix” is an invitational show where each art discipline will be inviting two to three alumni who graduated at least two years ago to exhibit recent work in the new Fine Arts Gallery.

Opening Reception: Tuesday, October 13, 6 to 8 PM

Group Exhibit:  Opening to align with official opening of new building for the School of Art - TBD.

Ruth Lozner, "Teaching and Learning: The Power of Creativity"

This bittersweet romantic tragedy is among the most popular works in the operatic literature. Set in the Latin Quarter in Paris at Christmastime, this melodic masterpiece tells the tale of starving young artists living lives of quiet desperation tempered by love, a lust for life—and of course—friendship and good humor. Poet Rodolfo and beautiful seamstress Mimi briefly find love together, but Mimi’s languishing health and their abject poverty threatens their happiness. This is a story of poignant love, heartbreaking tragedy, and the uplifting creative spirit, illuminated by Puccini’s dramatic score. Sung in Italian with English supertitles.

Single Tickets are on sale now!

This bittersweet romantic tragedy is among the most popular works in the operatic literature. Set in the Latin Quarter in Paris at Christmastime, this melodic masterpiece tells the tale of starving young artists living lives of quiet desperation tempered by love, a lust for life—and of course—friendship and good humor. Poet Rodolfo and beautiful seamstress Mimi briefly find love together, but Mimi’s languishing health and their abject poverty threatens their happiness. This is a story of poignant love, heartbreaking tragedy, and the uplifting creative spirit, illuminated by Puccini’s dramatic score. Sung in Italian with English supertitles.

Single Tickets are on sale now!

The graduate thesis shows are required of graduating MFA students.  They are meant to tie in with a written thesis.  Students typically show recent work, which is a culmination of growth and distillation of ideas developed over their two (or more) years at GMU. Some MFA students, however, choose to show works which are an overview of all the time they've spent here.

How We Learn: Human Exceptionality and Cognition

Margo A. Mastropieri
Professor, College of Education and Human Development

This presentation will describe how research with exceptional populations can advance our understanding of all human learning and cognition and may contribute to the development of a theory of learning and instruction. In this view, research on individuals with special learning needs can help uncover processes or skills overlooked by a solitary focus on more efficient learners. Mastropieri will discuss what her research has provided and how it informs us about learning. She will examine the future research directions to narrow the difference between what we have learned and what we could learn.

With special guests: Fairfax Wind Symphony and Flutopia

Ah, Wilderness!

The George Mason University Players, committed to bringing the excitement of live theater to the Mason community and the region, produce a wide variety of theatrical performances, from new plays to classics, featuring talented Mason students on stage and behind the scenes, under the direction of faculty or guest artists.

America’s premier radio theater company presents a double bill of chills, thrills, and great literature with two masterpieces of science fiction and adventure. Recreating the breathless pace and convincing details of Orson Welles’ infamous broadcast of War of the Worlds, L.A. Theatre Works shows why H.G. Wells’ classic novel, on which the broadcast is based, is truly the mother of all space invasions. Welles’ live broadcast in 1938 of an “eyewitness report” of an invasion from Mars caused a nationwide panic, and still resonates today. The company also brings to life Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s comedy, The Lost World, the tale of a harrowing scientific expedition into the Amazon. Determined to prove the existence of prehistoric animals, Professor Challenger and his cohort discover a primeval plateau in the Amazon, where dinosaurs and ape-men coexist and the human race hangs in the balance. “Original, exciting and highly theatrical.” (American Theatre Magazine)

Single Tickets are on sale now!

Gallentry by Douglas Moore and The Telephone by Gian Carlo Menotti

Described by the Toronto Star as a “dazzling spectacle,” the Shaolin Warriors bring the remarkable skill, dramatic movement, and spectacular imagery of the Chinese art of Kung Fu to the stage. Performed by disciples of the Shaolin schools, these amazing artists are renowned for their discipline and ferocious martial arts prowess, which combines agility and grace. These incredible masters have trained from a very young age in mental and physical exercises, allowing them to perform astounding feats one only thought possible in movies. “They combine the agility and grace of gymnasts with the showmanship of Cirque du Soleil performers.” (The Washington Post) This awe-inspiring performance is fun for the whole family!

Single Tickets are on sale now!

This performance is taking place at Providence Presbyterian Church located at:

9010 Little River Turnpike
Fairfax, VA 22031-3196
Phone: 703-978-3934

This event is scheduled to last from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm.

China's National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts will perform Highlights of Classical Chinese Theater, which includes excerpts from some of the most famous Peking and Kunqu Operas. Peking and Kunqu Opera are forms of traditional Chinese theater that combine music, vocal performance, mime, dance, and acrobatics with vibrant makeup and costumes. Peking Opera has been performed for more than 200 years and Kunqu Opera, often called the mother of Chinese Opera, has been performed for more than 600 years. In 2001, UNESCO declared Kunqu Opera as a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity." This designation has helped to revive this valuable and endangered art form within China.

For more information call the Confucius Institute at 993-7780.

Prior to the concert at 6:15 pm in Harris Theater there will be a video on Chinese Opera.

Join students and faculty from across the university for a gala concert commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.  The performance features an original movement piece performed by Artists in Action; readings and songs; and as grand finale, the exciting choral movement from Beethoven's majestic 9th Symphony-- the same work chosen by Leonard Bernstein for a performance in Berlin in 1989 to celebrate the Wall's demolition.  Light refreshments will be served at a reception following the performance.  Free admission. 

 “The sheer beauty and potential of the human body magnified,” raves The Washington Post about this mesmerizing company. Since the early 1980’s, choreographer/director Moses Pendleton has transformed the dancers of MOMIX into sidewinders and Gila monsters, floated them weightlessly through extraterrestrial terrains, strapped them into snow skis and hurled them through the air like baseballs. Now, in one evening this company—renowned for works of delightful inventiveness and physical beauty—presents the Best of MOMIX, a collection of figments of the imagination of Moses Pendleton that are unpredictable, sometimes bizarre and often out of this world. 

Single Tickets are on sale now!