In the second concert of the Mason Bands' 55th Anniversary season, the Mason Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony reflect on perseverance, remembrance, and the radiant arrival of joy after struggle. Titled “But Joy Comes...,” this evocative program journeys through music that speaks to loss and longing, resilience and remembrance, light and triumph.

The Symphonic Band opens the evening with Brian Balmages’s Joy in All Things—an uplifting work that sets the tone with infectious energy and a message of gratitude. That spirit continues in Rossano Galante’s Life Eternal, a cinematic and deeply heartfelt tribute to enduring memory and love. Richard Saucedo’s Heroes Near and Far honors everyday acts of bravery and service, while Harrison Collins’s Unstoppable pulses with determination and optimism, capturing the drive of a new generation.

As the program deepens, the Wind Symphony offers Richard Wagner’s Trauersinfonie, a solemn and majestic work composed for large wind band. Written to commemorate the moving of composer Carl Maria von Weber’s body from London back to Germany, Wagner’s tribute draws its melodic material from Weber’s opera Euryanthe, transforming themes of lyrical beauty into a powerful meditation on loss, legacy, and national pride.

Shuying Li’s Luminance follows with striking contrast—its shimmering textures and propulsive rhythms illuminating the space between darkness and light. The concert culminates in John Mackey’s The Frozen Cathedral, a powerful sonic monument inspired by majestic landscapes and th. Towering, elemental, and transcendent, Mackey’s work closes the evening with a sense of awe and hope.

The Mason Bands are proud to welcome the Independence High School Wind Ensemble as a featured special guest for this concert, under the direction of Kyle Harrington (Mason BM – Music Education ’14). A dedicated educator and alumnus of George Mason University, Harrington brings his outstanding ensemble to share in this evening of reflection and renewal.

But Joy Comes... is a reminder that in the face of sorrow and silence, we continue to rise, to sing, to shine.

Tickets: $19 General Public, $14 Seniors, $9 Students
Fees apply. Learn More