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Events

Recent Student, Faculty, and Staff Graduates

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Mason Community Arts Academy celebrates our students, faculty, and staff who recently graduated!

Faculty

 

Ashlyn Rock, Instructor – Voice

University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music

Masters in Vocal Performance

Ashlyn plans to continue teaching, taking lessons and coachings in Cincinnati between visits back home to Virginia, and auditioning for Young Artist Programs in Opera throughout the year.

 

Danae Powers, Oboe Teacher

Danae Michelle Powers, Instructor – Oboe

George Mason University

Masters of Music in Oboe Performance

Danae is building her oboe studio in the area while taking orchestral auditions.

 

 

Lucas Kremer, Jr Instructor – Saxophone

George Mason University

Bachelor’s of Music in Music Education

Lucas will continue working as a saxophone instructor and staff member at Mason Community Arts Academy.

 

 

Madelyn Marie Austin

George Mason University

Master’s in Instrumental Conducting and Oboe Performance

Madelyn hopes to continue teaching music and oboe to students in surroundings schools.

 

 

Vincent Muscarella, Teaching Artist – Guitar

Towson University

Master of Music, Classical Guitar

Vincent plans to attend George Mason University as a DMA student and teach and perform in his new community of Fairfax, VA.

 

 

Ariel Williams Saxophone Lessons

Ariel Williams, Instructor – Saxophone

University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Master of Music, Saxophone Performance

 

Staff

 

Yiming Yang

George Mason University

Master of Arts in Arts Management

Yang will be helping with MCAA’s Summer 2022 Arts at Mason camps.

 

Students

 

Anastasia Groccia

Instructor: Claire Allen, Teaching Artist – Violin

Marshall High School

Anastasia is headed to Virginia Tech to study neuroscience.

 

Sophie Prabhakar

Instructor: Claire Allen, Teaching Artist – Violin

Woodson High School

Sophie is headed to St. Andrews University in Scotland to study astrophysics.

 

Eric Wolpert

Instructor: Claire Allen, Teaching Artist – Violin

Fairfax High School

Eric is headed to University of Virginia to study computer science.

 

Brighid McNiff

Instructor: Dr. Misha Tumanov, Teaching Artist – Piano

Brigid will be enrolling in the Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance program at Ball State University, Indiana.

 

Alana Lyons

Instructor: Seon Gyu Park, Teaching Artist – Voice

George Mason University

Alana earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Mason’s Theater program, with a concentration in Performance.

Alana will also be teaching with AFYP, as a front of house manager for Workhouse Performing Arts OnStage series, and she will soon be performing in the staged reading of “Midsummer Rekindled” through the GMU’s Professional Artist Residency in Theater (PART).

 

Ky Dermott

Instructor: Seon Gyu Park, Teaching Artist – Voice

Lake Braddock Secondary School

Ky will be enrolling in the Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Theater program at George Mason University.

 

Christian Orrico

Battlefield High School

Christian will be attending James Madison University (JMU) next year and majoring in physics with hopes to participate in the JMU Chamber Orchestra.

 

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Community Outreach Instruments in the Attic

April 23rd Instruments In The Attic Gotcha Day A Resounding Success

Instrument Repair Workshop

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Last Saturday, local music teachers joined Mason Community Arts Academy staff at Day Violins for a special IiA Gotcha Day, hosted by Day Violins owner and MCAA Board Member Jenna Day.
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Luthier Workshop
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As part of the event, luthier Ben Jones-Hayes led an excellent string instrument repair workshop for the teachers, demonstrating basic instrument repairs, teaching them solutions for instrument emergencies in the classroom, and discussing the intricacies of string instrument construction and restoration.
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Instrument Repair Event
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Afterwards, teachers shared ideas and thoughts on how IiA can continue to better serve our local schools’ string programs and the community. At the end of the event, string instruments from the IiA collection previously repaired by Day Violins technicians were made available for the teachers to take back to their string programs for students in need.
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Violin Repair Workshop
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Thanks so much to everyone involved in making this a great community event, especially Day Violins for hosting!

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR INSTRUMENTS IN THE ATTIC OUTREACH PROGRAM

 

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Announcements

A Warm Farewell From Our Executive Director…

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Dear MCAA faculty, students, families, and friends:

It is with a profound sense of gratitude and deep appreciation to you all that I announce my retirement as Executive Director of Mason Community Arts Academy effective August 1, 2022.

It has been my distinct honor and privilege to serve in this capacity over the past 14 years. I am indebted to so many of you and am eternally grateful for the generous support and kindness you have shown me over the years. Everyone has made being at the helm of this beloved organization a joyous journey as we’ve worked together to build a place where the arts flourish, learning thrives, and relationships are formed that will last a lifetime.

I’m leaving this position knowing that the Academy will be in excellent hands as it continues to grow and prosper in the coming years. I’m so excited to see what the future brings!

Please know that you will forever be in my heart.

Libby

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Art Events

Spring 2022 MCAA Student Art Showcase

Spring 2022 Art Showcase Fairfax VA

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Mason Community Arts Academy features student works from Spring 2022 Art Classes—Art Adventures (ages 4-7), Art Foundations (ages 8-11), and Art Explorations (ages 12-18)—on Saturday, April 30th, 11 am -12 pm at Buchanan Hall Atrium. The Art Adventures class created works about commemorative and magical objects in Ancient Egypt, the Art Foundations class explored art through Popular Culture, and the Art Explorations class focused on historical art making methods and contemporary art. Free and open to the public, the showcase provides the perfect sneak-peak into our art curriculum and classrooms, which are located in the Art & Design Building on the Mason Fairfax Campus.

WHAT: Spring 2022 MCAA Student Art Showcase
WHEN: Saturday, April 30, 2022, 11am-12pm
WHERE: Buchanan Hall Atrium, Mason Fairfax Campus
COST: FREE
PARKING: Visitors can park in the adjacent Lot A for free (this Saturday only) or the Shenandoah Parking Deck for $8.

Due to one class cancellation, all three classes will meet at 10 am at the School of Art Building on April 30th. Classes will migrate to Buchanan Hall before the exhibition. We ask that families do not remove any student work from the gallery before 11:45 a.m. so that all may enjoy the work of our students & teachers. Academy staff and instructors will be available for questions. Please call the Academy office during regular business hours at 703-993-9889 if you need more information.

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Music

Calling All Young Violinists Who Want To Go On An Adventure

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Calling young violinists (ages 7-14) who want to go on an adventure! One of a musician’s greatest adventures is performance. What are the essential skills of a great performer? How do we get more comfortable in front of an audience? And how can music from adventure movies inspire us? Join us for eight exciting Friday night sessions, culminating in a thrilling recital performance in June!

SEE SAMPLE VIDEO FROM ACADEMY TEACHING ARTISTS CLAIRE ALLEN AND HANNAH PRICE

This compact 8-week session starts Friday, April 22nd and runs through June 3rd, with an exciting recital performance on Saturday, June 4th. Get in on the action now!

Take a look at some final performance snippets from our recent “Storytelling & Movie Magic” Violin Class held earlier this semester:

 

 

GET FULL VIOLIN CLASS DETAILS HERE