Hylton

Celebrate the Holidays at the Center for this Arts

Zoe Harr — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 15:24:55 +0000

Celebrate the Holidays at the Center for this Arts Zoe Harr Fri, 10/27/2023 - 11:24

Explore Holiday Performances at the Center

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The holidays are right around the corner and if you listen closely, you can hear the quiet jingle bells and merriment heading to the Center this season. From family-favorite classics to brand-new traditions in the making, the Center has a wide offering of performances that will leave your heart shining with holiday spirit!

Never too early to celebrate the season of joy, GRAMMY Award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer is coming to town to spread warmth and light with A Chanticleer Christmas on November 25. Showcasing an inspired and far-ranging repertoire full of new a cappella arrangements of well-known tunes, these 12 expressive voices ranging from soprano to bass harmonically meld for unparalleled beauty and clarity. For a preview of “the world’s reigning male chorus” (The New Yorker) and musicality that is “breathtaking in its accuracy of intonation, purity of blend, variety of color and swagger of style” (The Boston Globe), watch the video below.

Returning to the Center for the Arts on December 2, Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy present A Celtic Family Christmas! The charming duo invites you and your family into their holiday traditions on Cape Breton Island with charming stories of family, farming, food, and plenty of music. “Nothing short of jaw dropping… There are performances here that will raise you up and performances that will leave you misty-eyed” (The Guardian).

Artistic Director Peter Wilson joins American Festival Pops Orchestra at the Center on Dec. 9.

Next, the American Festival Pops Orchestra (AFPO) presents Holiday Pops: Songs of the Season, a cherished tradition and Center for the Arts audience favorite, on December 9. Now in his second season, Artistic Director and Conductor Peter Wilson welcomes old friends and new to the stage for a festive program of musical favorites, including an uplifting audience singalong of beloved carols and a pre-performance discussion with Bryan Kidd, AFPO Chief Arranger and Composer-in-Residence.

Can’t attend the Center’s AFPO performance? No problem! American Festival Pops Orchestra will perform Holiday Pops: Songs of the Season on December 8 at the Center’s sister venue, Hylton Performing Arts Center! For more information, please visit the event webpage.

Concluding the holidays for the Center for the Arts’ Great Performances 2023/2024 season is Mariachi Herencia de México on December 10! In A Mariachi Christmas, the trailblazing Latin GRAMMY-nominated group brings the Latin American tradition of Las Posadas to the Center with songs of the season, such as “Feliz Navidad,” “Los Peces en el Río,” “Ave Maria,” and more! Representing a new generation of mariachi artists, this vibrant group of Mexican American musicians propel the art and traditions of mariachi music to new heights. Check out the group’s spirited rendition of the classic holiday song “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”:

It’s never too early to start thinking about the holidays and the memories to be made with loved ones. Visit the Center for the Arts holiday webpage and experience the arts this season!

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CFA

Hylton

Center for the Arts

Meet the Maestro

Zoe Harr — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 17:11:28 +0000

Meet the Maestro Zoe Harr Mon, 10/31/2022 - 13:11

Artistic Director and Conductor Peter Wilson leads the American Festival Pops Orchestra at the Hylton Center on December 9 and the Center for the Arts on December 10.

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, and we’re excited to see his official AFPO conducting debut in Holiday Pops: Songs of the Season at the Hylton Center (12/9) and the Center for the Arts (12/10). In the meantime, we sat down with AFPO's new maestro to learn a little bit more about him.

As we know, you are a skilled violinist and conductor, but if you could learn to play any additional instrument overnight, what instrument would you choose? Why?

PW: I’ve always had this fantasy of being a rock or jazz drummer. Even when I was a little boy studying the violin, I was drawn to the drum set parts in pop songs on the radio. Let’s face it; there’s something really cool about being able to lay down some great drum solos! Coincidentally, my dear friend and amazing AFPO drummer, Harold Summey, started out as a violinist when he was growing up, so I guess I’ll just have to live vicariously through him! He got to live my dream!

You have played at countless venues, including the Kennedy Center and the American Embassy in Paris. If you could perform anywhere in the world, where would you want to perform and what piece would you open the concert with?

PW: I have never been, but think I would love to conduct a concert at the Hollywood Bowl, just because of its rich history and the magical performances that have happened there. Perhaps I could take the AFPO there one day and conduct a concert of film music, featuring John Williams! I might have to open that concert with Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man.”

After serving 30 years as String Section Commander for “The President’s Own” U. S. Marine Band, what lessons did you learn from that experience that you try to implement in personal and musical endeavors now?

PW: Of my 30 years as a Marine violinist of The White House, I served 13 years as String Section Commander, and I learned so many things along the way that shaped who I am today as a person and a leader. In my subordinate role in middle management, I learned to listen to everyone else’s ideas during meetings before offering my own opinion on matters; and as a leader of those in my section, I learned to celebrate the uniqueness of each member and champion them to have their own voice rather than expecting the same from everyone. As long as folks are meeting their responsibilities, the job is far more engaging with the diversity of personalities and artistry.

You take pride in your goal to promote new works of music. What elements draw you to a particular piece of music?

PW: I appreciate composers who offer a unique voice within the traditions of our art form. There’s never only one way to be introduced to new music, and sometimes one discovers a composer by accident because his or her work appears on a concert you are attending. Circumstances can also play a role in how music is received. I’m drawn to anything that moves me, but I always seek out the contrasts in works. In my experience, drawing attention to contrasts, whether dynamic, textural, or tonal, is what brings out the magic in a work, old or new.

Who is a musician, alive or deceased, that you wish you could share dinner with, and what would you talk about first?

PW: Honestly, even having worked with John Williams on two occasions, I never was able to have dinner with him! That would be an absolute delight, and I would enjoy asking him questions about how he conceived some of his most iconic themes. I would then dive deeper into his career as a conductor and perhaps explore how he got orchestras to create the sound he had in his head as a composer. He is an idol as well as a mentor to me, and simply being in his orbit is a thrilling experience.

You’ve had the privilege of meeting many musical legends including Sting, John Williams, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, and Bruce Springsteen. Who are the top three musicians with whom you wish you could collaborate?

PW: Well, two of those five were musicians I had the privilege of collaborating with (John Williams and Stevie Wonder), and those experiences were mind-blowing and life changing. Billy Joel has been a lifelong idol of mine, and he’s had violinists in his band from time to time when touring. He might have to be first on my list, and it would be an absolute dream-come-true to collaborate with him. I’m a big fan of Bruno Mars and Silk Sonic, so finding a way to collaborate with them would be a bucket list event. As a conductor, it would be thrilling to collaborate with violinist Gil Shaham, as I have always been an enormous fan of his artistry.

What are you looking forward to most in your new post as Artistic Director and Conductor of the American Festival Pops Orchestra?

PW: I have such a deep respect for all the musicians who make up the AFPO. After all, they have been my friends and colleagues for at least 12 years, and this tremendous ensemble has become family to me. I look forward to not only making great music with them but finding new ways to showcase their amazing talents. Equally important to me is maintaining the engagement we have with our wonderful audiences who have supported us for so many years. This is truly one of the unique elements of the AFPO concert-going experience. We break the fourth wall and connect with our audience at every level. I loved this during my many years serving as AFPO concertmaster. I look forward to our Hylton Center and Center for the Arts communities taking greater ownership of their orchestra. It belongs to them as much as to the musicians on stage, and there is nothing greater than the magic that is created when the AFPO and the audience combine their energies. I cannot wait to continue this great journey of celebrating the best of this Pops Orchestra genre!

Purchase your tickets now for Holiday Pops: Songs of the Season at the Hylton Center (12/9) and the Center for the Arts (12/10), and welcome Maestro Wilson to the podium.

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AFPO Holiday Pops: Songs of the Season Returns with Premieres by Mason Alum Vincent Oppido

Zoe Harr — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 19:06:23 +0000

AFPO Holiday Pops: Songs of the Season Returns with Premieres by Mason Alum Vincent Oppido Zoe Harr Tue, 11/30/2021 - 14:06

In This Story

Rick Davis

Prof. Anthony Maiello

Center for the Arts Tickets

Tis the season to be jolly! And it’s time to celebrate the holidays with the winter season’s favorite music once again! After a two-year hiatus in response to COVID-19, the American Festival Pops Orchestra (AFPO) returns to the Hylton Performing Arts Center and Center for the Arts at George Mason University this December with Holiday Pops: Songs of the Season. Rick Davis, Dean of Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) and Executive Director of the Hylton Performing Arts Center, shares, “AFPO is always a festive attraction and I'm particularly excited this year. It's such a thrill to stand on stage in front of the majestic sounds, Maestro Maiello’s baton keeping everything in order while the twinkle in his eyes keeps it festive.”

Founded and conducted by Dewberry School of Music professor Anthony Maiello, AFPO includes professional musicians from George Mason University’s music faculty, United States military bands, and regional orchestras from across the Northern Virginia and Metropolitan D.C. region. Its mission for the American pop music genre aims “to present the best of a treasured musical genre employing some of the country’s most distinguished performing artists.”

Maestro Maiello with Vincent Oppido on the Concert Hall stage in 2009.

Among the music featured in this exciting performance will be that of Vincent Oppido, a Mason Dewberry School of Music alumnus (BA in Music with a Minor in Jazz Studies (2008) and MM in Music with Concentration in Conducting (2010). Called “Vinny” by his friends at Mason, the young professional composer and musician has already garnered praiseworthy credits in the world of the performing arts, his music having been performed across the U.S. and abroad. Oppido’s AFPO connection rekindled this past summer when Maestro Maiello commissioned him to write a new arrangement for the AFPO’s traditional Hanukkah repertoire. Oppido happily agreed, additionally offering his new musical accompaniment for Yes, Virginia, a Christmastime narrative set to music that accompanies an 1897 newspaper editor’s response to an eight-year-old’s question: “Is there a Santa Claus?” Audiences will be in for a treat with Dean Davis’s live narration during the performances.

We had the incredible opportunity of conversing with Maestro Maiello and Oppido about the upcoming AFPO performances. Learn more about their collaboration in this exclusive Q&A:

Audiences are so excited to have the American Festival Pops Orchestra return this year! What are you most excited about?

MAIELLO: I'm thrilled to once again make music with AFPO and perform for such enthusiastic listeners, especially after this two-year break. I wish I could put into words the “magic” of music-making and how it deeply touches our hearts and souls as human beings. Sharing that magic with others musically is the best holiday gift ever.

OPPIDO: I’m really looking forward to reconnecting with so many old friends and colleagues. I’ve known Tony Maiello and Rick Davis for almost 20 years now, which is impossible, because I still feel like a current student! They’re both some of the most influential people in my life and has been great champions of music and the arts. It’s a wonderful gift for a composer to work with them. It really is something special to collaborate with both of these friends after so many years.

What makes this annual AFPO holiday concert so special each year?

MAIELLO: There is great joy in performing holiday music for everyone and getting everyone into the holiday spirit. Bryan Kidd, composer and arranger for AFPO, and I are like two kids in a candy store when it comes to planning the annual AFPO Holiday Concert program. There are so many musical selections to choose from but one of our favorite things to do is find a standard holiday piece and put a new “twist” on it. Music touches our hearts and transforms our minds and souls—especially holiday music—so being part of sharing it with others is incredibly gratifying.

OPPIDO: I absolutely adore Christmas music—I might go so far as to say some of my favorite music is from the Christmas holiday canon—so in the pandemic-driven height of a pretty crummy time, or just a generally stressful time of year, it feels good to share positive energy.

Can you share more about Vinny’s original pieces and how these came to be?

MAIELLO: I was looking for something different, a new arrangement for our traditional Hanukkah selections. I knew Vincent would create a masterpiece. He is a “bright shining star” composer in the Hollywood movie industry. In addition, Vincent also arranged the music for Yes, Virginia, which will also be performed in our December concert. It features narration by Rick Davis, as well as child narration that was pre-recorded by Sylvia London. She nailed the recording on her very first try! What a pro!

OPPIDO: Yes, Virginia is inspired by the famous 1897 Christmastime editorial “Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus.” In summary, a young girl wrote a letter to the New York Sun, asking the age-old question: Is Santa Claus real? The paper published a response in the form of an editorial—I’ve always loved this piece because of its warmth and loving optimism. As for the new Hanukkah medley, I reached out to a number of friends who celebrate Hanukkah, and collectively came up with six of the more popular songs, including the classic “Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel.” I sought to create an arrangement that perhaps pushed the harmonic and orchestral color boundaries a bit while, hopefully, honoring the original integrity of these beautiful songs.

Performance Information for American Festival Pops Orchestra: Holiday Pops: Songs of the Season
Hylton Performing Arts Center: Friday, December 10 at 8 p.m.
Center for the Arts at George Mason University: Saturday, December 11 at 8 p.m.

Evelyn Kiley, a longtime Friend of the Center for the Arts, contributed to this article.

Topics

CFA

Hylton

Center for the Arts

Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music