George Mason University's Center for the Arts

Lang Lang, piano
Christoph Eschenbach, conductor
with the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra
(http://www.langlang.com/landing)

Each year, 100 of the world’s finest musicians are handpicked through a rigorous auditioning process to join this extraordinary orchestra, and participate in one of Europe’s most important classical music festivals, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. Taking up residence at the Festival’s Orchestra Academy, which was founded by Leonard Bernstein in 1987, these musicians receive an unparalleled opportunity to study and perform with some of the most important names in classical music. Under the remarkable leadership of Maestro Christoph Eschenbach and in its first tour of the United States, the orchestra performs a program that includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1. Virtuoso pianist Lang Lang joins the orchestra to perform Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3. The New York Times dubbed Lang Lang the “hottest artist on the classical music planet,” and the San Francisco Chronicle raved, “Lang Lang’s playing is effortlessly sparkling and dramatic, full of showmanship and excitement.”

Single Tickets are on sale now!

Paintings

Opening Reception: Wednesday, April 7, 6 to 8 PM

Jo Ganter, "Print as Craft and Concept"

Featuring the GMU Symphony and Chamber Orchestra

Acclaimed for his Tony Award-winning choreography for Broadway’s The Lion King, Garth Fagan remains one of the great reformers of American dance. For more than 40 years, he has honed his incomparable revelatory technique—a blend of ballet, modern, and Afro-Caribbean movements—with dancers who are unmatched for their individuality, unmannered approach, athleticism, and virtuosity. “The handsome, exotic, completely concentrated dancers move as if they were born speaking Fagan’s language and they love the feel of it in their bodies,” says Vogue. This dazzling company takes the stage at the Center, performing a mixture of classic pieces and contemporary favorites. “A prime example of the versatility and sophistication of concert dance in this new century.” (Los Angeles Times)

Single Tickets are on sale now!

Born in war-torn Uganda, the African Children’s Choir was founded in 1984 by human rights activist Ray Barnett, who wished to show the world that the choir’s members, like the millions of needy and orphaned children in Africa, have beauty, dignity, and unlimited potential. Their joyful performance blends song and dance from the entire continent of Africa; featuring more than ten languages, unique cultural dancing, and of course, uplifting gospel music. This inspirational choir has gained international acclaim performing on Good Morning America, The Tonight Show, and American Idol; alongside Mariah Carey and Sir Paul McCartney in Live 8 in London; and at Nelson Mandela’s AIDS awareness concert in South Africa. “It’s difficult to tell who is having more fun—the choir or the audience.” (The Scotsman)

Single Tickets are on sale now!

In the great tradition of grand ballet, the Moscow Festival Ballet presents the romantic tale of a young peasant girl who falls in love with a count disguised as a villager. When Giselle discovers the truth about her lover’s identity and his engagement, she dies of madness and joins the ghosts of girls who avenge the evil deeds of the men who have jilted them. This masterpiece, which was preserved by Russian dancers and choreographers, is filled with vengeance, betrayal, and death, but love and forgiveness prevail overall. This stunning production by these leading Russian dancers blends Petipa’s brilliant choreography with a haunting score, and resplendent costumes and sets. “The dancers of the Moscow Festival Ballet spoke to the soul through the body performing a magnificent Giselle.” (Post and Courier)

Single Tickets are on sale now!

This astonishing company presents a brilliant new choreography of this charming ballet about a young villager who falls in love with a life-size dancing doll. Franz becomes infatuated with Coppélia, the creation of the diabolical Dr. Coppélius, much to the chagrin of his fiancée Swanhilde, who decides to show him his folly by dressing as the doll and pretending to come to life. The exquisite costumes, flowing music, and comical characters make the presentation of this masterpiece an occasion not to be missed. Sergei Radchenko formed the company in 1989, bringing together leading dancers from across Russia, to stage new productions of the classics as well as new works, preserving the timeless traditions of Russian Ballet. “They deserved bravos within minutes of the opening steps.” (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Single Tickets are on sale now!

Julian Rachlin, violin

Sir Neville Marriner says that the small ensemble he founded in 1958 “had no intention of giving any concerts or continuing forever.” Fifty years and countless performances later, it seems they had a change of heart, and the music world has been better off for it. Academy of St. Martin in the Fields has firmly established itself as one of the world’s leading chamber orchestras, and boasts more than 500 recordings, making it the most recorded chamber orchestra worldwide. “As you travel around the globe, the Academy’s name has an aura possessed by no other British orchestra,” extols The Times of London. Lithuanian virtuoso Julian Rachlin leads this celebrated orchestra, and serves as violin soloist in a program that includes Astor Piazzólla’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, a delightful blend of stirring violin and Tango Nuevo, evocative of the city that Piazzólla called his home.

Single Tickets are on sale now!

Paintings

Opening Reception: Wednesday, April 7, 6 to 8 PM

Fire and Be Damned: The Militia in Nineteenth Century Riots

Zachary Schrag
Assistant Professor, History & Art History

Americans may recall the outrage following the May 1970 killing of four students at Kent State University by members of the Ohio National Guard. Both the students and the guardsmen were heirs to an unpleasant American tradition: the use of lethal force against crowds by largely untrained, part-time soldiers. Historian Zachary Schrag will explore the origins of this tradition in the 19th century. Militia companies of the period functioned as social clubs. Yet in time of urban unrest, elected officials charged them with the grave responsibility of restoring order, using musketry if necessary. Schrag tells the story of specific riots, such as those in Baltimore in 1812, Philadelphia in 1844, and Pittsburgh in 1877, where militias fired into crowds, shedding blood that may have been spared had cities invested more in civilian police.

With an unforgettable score by George Gershwin and lyrics by his brother Ira, this beloved masterpiece is the quintessential American folk opera. An innovative mixture of classical music, jazz, blues, and popular music, Porgy and Bess tells the story of a crippled Black beggar and his headstrong lover struggling to survive in the slums of the fictional Catfish Row in Charleston, South Carolina. This incomparable work features Bess’ soulful “Summertime,” which is among the most recorded songs in all of popular music. Filled with heartfelt passion, poignant despair, and the astonishing voices of the Virginia Opera, this is a performance not to be missed.

Single Tickets are on sale now!

Classic and contemporary bluegrass meet in this dynamic performance that will bring audiences to their feet. Center favorite Cherryholmes unites with bluegrass legend Dr. Ralph Stanley for an evening that celebrates the diversity of this American musical art form. Cherryholmes plays in their own unique style: driving it hard and serving it straight up. This extraordinary family band has taken the world by storm, earning four Grammy nominations in three years, most recently for their recording “Don’t Believe.” More than 60 years after he formed the Clinch Mountain Boys in rural southwest Virginia, banjoist Dr. Ralph Stanley continues to preserve traditional bluegrass, old-time, and mountain music. As the first person inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in the 21st century and a recipient of the National Medal of the Arts, he is a testament to the endurance of this American art form. Families, young and old, will not want to miss this incredible night of music.

Single Tickets are on sale now!

With an unforgettable score by George Gershwin and lyrics by his brother Ira, this beloved masterpiece is the quintessential American folk opera. An innovative mixture of classical music, jazz, blues, and popular music, Porgy and Bess tells the story of a crippled Black beggar and his headstrong lover struggling to survive in the slums of the fictional Catfish Row in Charleston, South Carolina. This incomparable work features Bess’ soulful “Summertime,” which is among the most recorded songs in all of popular music. Filled with heartfelt passion, poignant despair, and the astonishing voices of the Virginia Opera, this is a performance not to be missed.

Single Tickets are on sale now!