Mason Community Arts Academy

Category: Events

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Events Private Music Lessons

Announcing the Academy’s 2026 Music Competition

We are thrilled to announce that registration for the 2026 Academy Music Competition is now OPEN, and we are accepting applications! Our Academy Music Competition is open to Academy and non-Academy instrumentalists and vocalists of all ages, including adult amateurs.

Competition entries will be adjudicated by George Mason University’s Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music faculty. Students who receive qualifying scores will be invited to perform in the Competition Honors Recital at Harris Theatre. Net competition proceeds will go towards funding Academy scholarships and outreach programs.

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Events Music

Monson-Balakerskaia Piano Duo: Scholarship Benefit Concert

Join us for a very special program with Dr. Linda Apple Monson, Director of the Reva and Sid Dewberry School of Music, and esteemed Dewberry School of Music faculty member Dr. Anna Balakerskaia on May 30 at 7:30 p.m. 

These renowned pianists are donating their time and incredible talent for this benefit performance, raising funds for scholarships for the Mason Summer Piano Academy. This is a rare opportunity, for all to enjoy!

Free and open to the public! Donations will benefit student scholarships for this summer’s Mason Summer Piano Academy.

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Acting Events

Student Playwrights Festival

afyp teachers posing for a photo

Congratulations to the student playwrights of AFYP’s 8th Annual Student Playwright Festival! This year’s selected playwrights ranged from ages 7–18. The playwrights received mentoring to develop their scripts, culminating in a staged reading performance with professional actors on Sunday, April 27 at the Sherwood Center. The Festival was part of Fairfax’s Spotlight on the Arts Festival. 

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Events Faculty News

May the 4th Be With You: 2025 Spotlight on the Arts Festival

vocal teacher performing in front of an audience

Congratulations to our music faculty for a splendid evening of music and voice at yesterday’s Fairfax, Spotlight on the Arts festival performance. Our theme this year was music from film and television.

Pieces ranged from the main theme of Interstellar, performed by Dr. Nayoon Choi on flute and Dr. Estrella Hong accompanying on piano, to a selection of pieces from Star Wars and The Hobbit, performed by a guitar trio of Geoff Sawyer, Brian Slaymaker, and Hang Yin. 

This year was our highest attendance to date with 150 attendees! We look forward to more performances by our faculty in the future and we hope to see you for next year’s Spotlight performance.

This performance was made possible with the generous support of the City of Fairfax Commission on the Arts.

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Events Music

Summer Piano Academy Scholarship Gala Concert

Summer Piano Academy Scholarship Gala Concert

February 28 at 7 p.m

United Christian Parish
11508 N Shore Dr
Reston, VA 20190

Message from the director, Dr. Misha Tumanov:

Join us in celebrating Mason Summer Piano Academy’s (MSPA) 10th anniversary with a wonderful evening of piano music, featuring MSPA faculty, alumni, and students! MSPA is a week-long comprehensive music experience for dedicated and passionate piano students. For 10 years, MSPA has been the highlight of many piano students’ summer—we have had over 200 students over the years join us for an inspiring week fully immersed in music. Now more than ever, we need your help in supporting these wonderful young pianists to ensure that we can keep our program accessible and inclusive while enhancing the quality of the MSPA experience year after year. 

The concert will be held at United Christian Parish in Reston, Virginia, and live-streamed via YouTube on the Mason Community Arts Academy channel. Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $20. All donations will go towards student scholarships for the Mason Summer Piano Academy, which will take place at George Mason University on June 23–27, 2025.

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