Center for the Arts

Last spring, Maestro Peter Wilson picked up the baton, becoming the new artistic director and conductor of the American Festival Pops Orchestra (AFPO), effective the 2022-2023 season. No stranger to AFPO, Maestro Wilson was the orchestra’s longtime concertmaster and principal violinist. While Wilson has some pretty big shoes to fill, but we’re excited to see his official debut with Holiday Pops: Songs of the Season.

Mason Artists-in-Residence Nrityagram Dance Ensemble and Chitrasena Dance Company Lead Campus/Community Events in Addition to their Nov. 5 Center for the Arts Performance

Rising star Meghan Kasanders has already been hailed by The New York Times for her “authentically Wagnerian sound" and by Opera News for her "rich dramatic soprano. See her make her Wagnerian debut as Sieglinde in Virginia Opera’s production of "The Valkyrie" at the Center for the Arts on Oct. 8 and 9.

The venerated Preservation Hall Jazz Band brings its classic New Orleans sound to the Center for the Arts at George Mason University in November 2022.

Baritone Kyle Albertson discusses Virginia Opera's "The Valkyrie," which will be presented at the Center for the Arts Oct. 8 and 9, 2022.

Still tapping our toes, the Center for the Arts looks back on SW!NG OUT's time within the community, George Mason University, and the Center. As an Artist-in-Residence, SW!NG OUT company members engaged with local swing dance groups, area students, Hylton Performing Arts Center’s Veterans and the Arts Initiative, and community members to share the history of swing and Lindy Hop—and get dancing too! After a wonderful collection of community activities, SW!NG OUT concluded its time at George Mason University with its highly anticipated performance at the Center for the Arts on March 19.

The Center for the Arts at George Mason University announced its 2022/2023 season of mainstage performances, featuring a diverse lineup of artists and ensembles across many genres, as part of Great Performances at Mason and the Family Series. 

GRAMMY-winning composer and Mason Artist-in-Residence Maria Schneider worked with students, faculty, staff, and community members during her April 2022 residency at the Center for the Arts.

Longtime Friend of the Center for the Arts (FCFA), Bob Warakomsky, shares his personal history of being a Friend and collected memories of Friends who attest to the incredible experience of supporting the arts through FCFA. We invite you to get to know some of our Friends.

“An artist of strikingly original ideas and irrefutable integrity” (The Washington Post), pianist Simone Dinnerstein will join the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra (FSO) performance on April 23 at the Center for the Arts.