Dear Mason Music Family,

We are excited to announce our Dewberry School of Music Fall 2024 Concert Series.  Individual tickets are now on sale!  We hope you will join us for our opening concert of the season on Sunday, September 22 at 3 pm for our Grand Piano Celebration.  

How thrilled we are to welcome our many new and returning students to our Dewberry School of Music for the upcoming academic year.  We are very pleased to welcome nine new music faculty for our Fall 2024 semester.  How proud we are of our Mason Music alumna, Carlehr Swanson, who was recently crowned Miss Virginia 2024! 

We hope to see you at our upcoming Dewberry School of Music concerts and events in the fall semester as we share the joy of music. Thank you for your support of our extraordinary music students and faculty. 

Warm regards,

Dr. Linda A. Monson

Director, Dewberry School of Music

Grand Piano Celebration

Sunday, September 22 at 3:00 p.m.

Join us for a spectacular opening of our 2024 Fall Concert season with A Grand Piano Celebration on Sunday, September 22 at 3 p.m. in Mason's Center for the Arts. This concert honors Mason's All-Steinway School. Outstanding student and faculty artists of the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music at George Mason University will be on stage to display their marvelous talents. The concert will be led by Dr. Linda Apple Monson, International Steinway Artist and Director of the Dewberry School of Music. Additional piano faculty artists include Dr. Anna Balakerskaia, Dr. John Healey, and Dr. Eunae Ko Han.



Exciting and dramatic solo piano, duo-piano works, and collaborative piano works will be performed. Mason's faculty piano ensemble (8 hands) will also be showcased!

Mason faculty artists Prof. Jennifer Casey Cabot (soprano), Dr. Caroline Steiger (horn), and Dr. Linda Monson (piano) will be featured in a beautiful work by Dr. Andrea Reinkemeyer, Mason's Director of Composition. Additional composers showcased in the Grand Piano Celebration concert include Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, daFalla, Ginastera, Piazzolla, and more!

Tickets: $20 General Public, $15 Seniors, $5 Students

Dewberry School of Music

Fall 2024 Concert Series

Announcing New Director of Brass

Associate Professor

Dr. Caroline Steiger

Dr. Caroline Steiger is the newly appointed Director of Brass at George Mason University, effective Fall 2024. She is an active teacher, clinician, and performer. She holds degrees from the University of Michigan (D.M.A., B.M. Music Performance with Teacher Certification) and Penn State University (M.M. Music Performance).

Dr. Steiger has held positions at Texas State University (Associate Professor of Music and Artist/Teacher of Horn, 2016-2024), SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music (Visiting Assistant Professor of Horn, 2014), Penn State University (Teacher Assistant), and the University of Michigan (Graduate Assistant). While at Texas State, Dr. Steiger led the TXST Horn Ensemble in performances at regional and international conferences, as well as regular recitals on campus.

Dr. Steiger’s work as a musician has included performances with the San Antonio Philharmonic, Mid-Texas Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, and the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra during its 2015 US tour.

Committed to chamber music, Dr. Steiger has played with the Potsdam Brass Quintet, faculty quintet-in-residence at SUNY Potsdam, the Emblems Woodwind Quintet, an Ann Arbor-based quintet focused on performing new and underrepresented works, and is a founding member of the Cobalt Quartet (Winner, 2018 International Horn Society Quartet Competition-Professional Division; Featured Artists, 2023 Mid South Horn Workshop). Dr. Steiger presents and performs frequently at conferences including Texas Music Educators Association, International Horn Society, and International Women’s Brass Conferences.

Dr. Steiger’s main teachers include Adam Unsworth, Bryan Kennedy, Lisa Bontrager, Sören Hermansson, and Corbin Wagner.

Announcing New Adjunct Applied Faculty

New Adjunct Applied Harp Faculty,

Prof. Taylor Fleshman

"Praised by the Pizzicato Magazine as “enchanting,” Prof. Taylor Ann Fleshman is an award-winning soloist and active ensemble performer with a diverse performance history. Prof. Fleshman performed the world premiere of Mosolov’s Harp Concerto with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra in Russia and recorded the work with Naxos Records in 2019. After her performance in Moscow, she was invited to perform the North American premiere of the concerto at the PRISMA Festival in Canada. In 2018, she made her solo debut in Asia with Mozetich’s The Passion of Angels concerto with the Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra. Most recently, she performed Dóhnanyi’s Harp Concertino in New York with The Orchestra Now.

Prof. Fleshman serves as the harpist with “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in Washington, D.C. and has been a part of the organization since July of 2023. As a member upholding the "The President’s Own" revered mission of providing musical support for the President of the United States, she regularly performs at the White House as well as in the Washington D.C. area and across the country during the band’s national concert tour. She has been a featured soloist with the Marine Band and Marine Chamber Orchestra on multiple occasions, most notably on Augusta Read Thomas’ “Absolute Ocean” and Jan Koetsier’s “Introduction and Variations on the Vyšehrad Theme.”

Prior to her appointment in the Marine Band, she was the principal harpist with The Orchestra Now in New York, associate member with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and co-principal with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. Prof. Fleshman has also performed as guest principal harp with the Albany Symphony and Virginia Symphony Orchestra and second harp with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her classical performances, she has performed with the Grammy-winning rock band Evanescence and Irish singing group Celtic Thunder.

New Adjunct Applied Trombone Faculty,

Prof. Katie Franke

Prof. Katie Franke, tenor trombonist, is the newly appointed adjunct applied trombone professor of George Mason University’s Dewberry School of Music, effective Fall 2024 semester. In October 2023, Prof. Franke commenced her role as the first-ever female trombonist and low brass player in the history of the “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band. As a member of “The President’s Own,” she regularly performs at ceremonies and concerts at the White House, as well as around the D.C. area and throughout the United States.

Originally from Falls Church, VA, Prof. Katie Franke earned a Bachelor of Music from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, studying under Peter Ellefson, and a Master of Music from the New England Conservatory, studying under Steve Lange. Her other primary trombone teachers include Craig Mulcahy and William McElheney.

In addition to her duties with “The President’s Own,” she is an active orchestral trombonist and has performed throughout the United States with ensembles such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, New Mexico Philharmonic, and the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. She has also been a participant in the National Orchestral Institute, Festival Napa Valley’s Blackburn Music Academy, the Kennedy Center Summer Music Institute, and the Pacific Region International Summer Music Academy (PRISMA) in Canada.

As an active music educator, Prof. Franke has presented masterclasses at The Ohio State University and The University of Maryland, and recently spoke on the education panel at The American Trombone Workshop. She has taught students of all ages around the country and looks forward to serving as the new Adjunct Professor of Trombone at the George Mason University Dewberry School of Music. Prof. Franke strives to be a leader in her field and set an example for the next generation of female brass players.

New Adjunct Applied Flute Faculty,

Dr. Laura Kaufman Mowry

Dr. Laura Kaufman Mowry is a soloist, orchestral, and chamber musician who has been hailed by the Washington Post for “absolutely gorgeous flute-playing.”

Dr. Mowry has served as Principal Flute of the Maryland Symphony Orchestra since 2023. In addition, she has performed with a variety of renowned ensembles, including the National Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Smithsonian Chamber Players, Annapolis Symphony, Fairfax Symphony, Alexandria Symphony, DC Public Opera, Buffalo Philharmonic, and New World Symphony as a guest musician. She performs in District5, a DC-based wind quintet dedicated to innovative ways of presenting classical music.  

Dr. Mowry is a passionate educator. She maintains a private flute studio and has also coached wind players at the University of Maryland, University of Maryland at Baltimore County, American Youth Philharmonic, and the University of Maryland High School Academy. She is also the Director of the American Youth Philharmonic Flute Ensemble.  

Dr. Mowry has received national recognition from prize-winning performances at the National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition, National Society of Arts and Letters Wind Competition, New York Flute Club Competition, Flute Society of Washington Young Artist Competition, Pasadena Instrumental Competition, among others. Her experiences have inspired her to assist other musicians with competition preparation and overcoming performance anxiety. She holds degrees from Eastman School of Music, The Colburn School, and the University of Maryland.

New Adjunct Applied Flute Faculty,

Prof. Thomas J. Wible

Award-winning flutist Thomas J. Wible has garnered international acclaim for his accomplishments. He holds top-prizes in competitions sponsored by the National Flute Association, Music Teachers National Association, Pittsburgh Concert Society, New York Flute Club, Atlanta Flute Club, James Pappoutsakis Memorial Foundation and the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. As a soloist, he has performed extensively across the United States and Eastern Europe, including appearances at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Germany; Dvorak Hall in Prague, Czech Republic; Franz Liszt Hall in Budapest, Hungary; Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in New York, and Boston’s Jordan Hall. Recent highlights include performances hosted by Washington Performing Arts, Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Goethe-Institut of Washington, Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Active as a chamber musician, orchestral player, and educator, Prof. Wible has performed with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Portland Symphony Orchestra, Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Smithsonian Chamber Players, Inscape Chamber Orchestra, York Symphony Orchestra and Great Falls Philharmonic. Prior to relocating to the DMV area, he completed a three-year appointment with The Orchestra Now, an innovative orchestral training academy in New York, performing regularly at Carnegie Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Alice Tully Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, and other landmark concert halls across New York City. During his time with the orchestra, he performed under esteemed conductors such as JoAnn Falletta, Fabio Luisi, Neeme Järvi, Gerard Schwarz and Oleg Caetani. He can be heard on the Hyperion Records and Sorel Classics labels on multiple recordings with the orchestra. His performances with the orchestra can be heard on APM’s Performance Today and public radio broadcasts across the country. Prof. Wible has performed at the Brevard Music Center, Eastern Music Festival, Bard Music Festival and the Grafenegg Music Festival in Austria.

Mason Alumna Carlehr Swanson Crowned

Miss Virginia 2024

"On the Heels of Previewing Her Debut EP, A CVPA Alum Brings a Crown to George Mason"

July 16th, 2024, by Emily Schneider

"It’s safe to say that this is a banner year for George Mason University College of Visual and Performing Arts alumna Carlehr Swanson. On February 24, 2024, Swanson returned to George Mason’s Fairfax Campus to perform an album preview concert for her upcoming EP, “Growing Pains.” Then, on June 29, Swanson was officially crowned Miss Virginia 2024...Now a third year PhD student at the University of Virginia, Swanson’s time at George Mason helped to set the stage for her continued growth and success as a performer, speaker, and entrepreneur. As a student of Darden Purcell, the director of Jazz Studies in the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music, Swanson explored advanced vocal techniques and built upon her already impressive talents, performing with the talented student ensembles led by Dr. Purcell.

Even after Swanson graduated from George Mason, she maintained close ties with her alma mater. Her new EP was partly funded by her win of the 2023 Young Alumni Creative Development Award from the Young Alumni Commissioning Project, an initiative of George Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. Recipients of certain awards from the project are afforded a fully produced event in a George Mason venue to launch their work, in addition to funding to support their project.

Announcing New Adjunct Classroom Faculty

New Adjunct Choral Faculty,

Prof. Thomas Colohan

Prof. Thomas Colohan, Artistic Director of the Washington Master Chorale, is an award-winning conductor, composer, and teacher. The Washington Post has acclaimed Colohan's work with the Master Chorale as "skillfully wrought and moving." He has led choruses at Carnegie Hall, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington National Cathedral, The Library of Congress, Prague's Rudolphinum Concert Hall, and the Stephansdom in Vienna. Colohan is active as a guest conductor, teacher, and clinician on both the East and West Coasts, and for served 6 years as Artist-in-Residence at the distinguished Walden School Creative Musicians Retreat in Dublin, N.H. He has received a number of well-regarded choral commissions from churches and schools including St. Luke Catholic Church in McLean, Va., and the Montgomery County Public Schools. In his choral/orchestral engagements he has conducted members of the Prague Radio Symphony, the National Symphony Orchestra, the San Jose Symphony, the California Chamber Symphony, and the Richmond Symphony. Colohan has earned numerous honors, including regular recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts and the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities. He has twice been the recipient of a Choralis Foundation Washington Area Choral Excellence Award.

Before coming to the Washington, D.C., area, Colohan served as Director of Choral Activities at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, Calif., Music Director of the Santa Clara Chorale, and Founder and Artistic Director of the James River Singers in Richmond, Va. His teachers have included renowned choral musicians such as Robert Shaw, Dale Warland, Morten Lauridsen, Helmuth Rilling, Donald McCullough, and William Dehning. Colohan has held the post of Music Director for a number of well-known churches, including All Souls Church, Unitarian, in Washington, D.C., St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Palo Alto, Calif., and Little River United Church of Christ in Annandale, Va. A lyric baritone who maintains an active voice studio, Mr. Colohan has sung professionally with the Washington Bach Consort and on Public Television Great Performances series at the Kennedy Center with the Washington Opera Chorus. He holds a Master of Music in Choral Music from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

New Adjunct Classroom Faculty,

Dr. Charles West, Aural Skills

Dr. Charles West is thrilled to teach Aural Skills at George Mason University, effective Fall 2024 semester. He has performed clarinet recitals and concertos throughout the United States, Europe, Latin America, Australia, and Asia. He has recorded repertoire ranging from standard sonatas to avant-garde on labels including Klavier, Wilson Audiophile, Centaur, CRI, Crystal, and on a Grammy Award-winning Telarc CD. A Fulbright Scholar and Past President of the International Clarinet Association, his career includes nearly thirty years as Principal Clarinetist in six professional orchestras and opera companies. Dr. West has held teaching positions in three North American universities, with guest professorships in South America, Asia, and Australia. Before retiring from Virginia Commonwealth University, West received the VCUArts' highest faculty award, the Award of Excellence. He is a Buffet Crampon USA performing artist, an Honorary Member of the International Clarinet Association, Professor Emeritus at VCU, and his books on woodwinds are published by GIA and carried by the Hal Leonard Company.

New Adjunct Classroom Faculty,

Dr. Robert Rocheteau, Musicianship Skills

An educator and concert percussionist, Dr. Robert Rocheteau is excited to begin teaching at George Mason University in Fall 2024. Dr. Rocheteau is a percussion clinician at universities across the United States and he runs a private percussion studio. As a concert percussionist, he is an in-demand artist performing as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician. Dr. Rocheteau performs extensively throughout the DMV as well as throughout the United States. Recent concert highlights include a gala performance at the Sala Sinfónica Pablo Casals in Puerto Rico, an album recording with Naxos Records, a residency at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and performances at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Dr. Robert Rocheteau earned the Doctoral of Musical Arts in Percussion Performance and Literature from the University of Maryland College Park; Graduate Performance Diploma in Percussion Performance from the Peabody Conservatory; Masters of Music in Percussion Performance from the Peabody Conservatory; and the Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance and Music Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

New Adjunct Classroom Faculty,

Prof. Joseph Benitez, Music Technology

Prof. Joseph Benitez is a Northern Virginia and Washington DC native. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in Music Technology from George Mason University where he learned to hone his craft in music production and sound design from Dr. Robert Gillam. He also obtained a master's degree in Songwriting from Berklee College of Music where he was given the opportunity to learn songwriting and music production techniques from industry professionals such as Scarlet Keys, Prince Charles Alexander, Pat Pattinson and more. 

In addition, Prof. Benitez is also certified in Somatic Voicework™ - The LoVetri Method (CCM) the original vocal pedagogy method for commercial contemporary music. In 2023 he also gained an additional certification in working with Trans and Non-Binary Voices from the LoVetri Institute. He has maintained a private voice and songwriting studio for the past five years and has worked with students of all ages and backgrounds to develop their literal and metaphorical voices as artists.