The Main Street Community Band Brass Quintet promoting the upcoming festival at Fairfax City Hall.
Featuring 45 performances spanning six days, the 40th annual Fairfax Spotlight on the Arts Festival promises entertainment for everyone. Over two weekends, April 25-27, and May 2-4, people can choose from a wide variety of live theater, music and dance performances.
There’s even a fashion show, as well as an evening of music from film and television performed by the Mason Community Arts Academy. For the full detailed list of events, including dates, times and places, go to https://www.fairfaxspotlight.org/events/.
The opening reception is Friday, April 25, from 7-10 p.m., at the Sherwood Center, 3740 Blenheim Blvd. in Fairfax. Featuring a Stage Door Canteen theme, it’ll transport attendees to the cheerful places where U.S. troops during WWII could have some food and coffee and dance the night away with hostesses from the USO.
The reception will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of that war, plus the USO, created to boost the morale of service members at home and abroad. And this year’s honorary Spotlight chairperson is former City Councilmember Jennifer Passey, senior director of communications for the USO.
“I am truly grateful for the opportunity to serve as this year’s honorary chair of the Fairfax Spotlight on the Arts Festival, an event that celebrates the incredible talent and creativity of our greater Fairfax community in cooperation with George Mason University,” said Passey. “The arts are such a vital part of who we are – shaping our culture, sparking conversations and bringing us all together.”
“This annual festival is also a reminder of the power of creativity,” she continued. “I invite everyone to join in and experience the magic of the arts. Let’s celebrate, connect and inspire one another.”
Among the highlights of the opening reception will be the Spotlight Art Contest. Various artworks will be on display, and each person there will get to vote for their favorite. Then the four winning artists will receive awards ranging from the $500 Fairfax Art League Student Award to the $1,500 New York Life Grand Prize Award. All artwork there will also be available for purchase.
Artistry Catering will provide cocktails, light fare, coffee and dessert. A musicale will highlight local performers in a variety of genres – theater, dance and music. They include the City of Fairfax Theatre Co. and Next Reflex Dance Collective, as well as solo piano performances by Ruth Haycock Piano Scholarship Recipients from George Mason University.
Reception tickets are $50 via https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2025-spotlight-on-the-arts-festival-opening-reception-art-contest-tickets-1259707853099?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Spotlight on the Arts performances and events will be held in venues throughout the City of Fairfax over the two-weekend period. They represent a variety of genres from theater, music, playwriting and fashion to the visual arts, dance, opera and storytelling.
For example, people may go to Old Town Square to hear DC Starlight Orchestra play the big band hits of the WWII era. Or spend an evening under the stars with the City of Fairfax Theatre Co. at Veterans Amphitheater. Also among the events is Fairfax High’s upcoming production of “Hadestown: Teen Edition.” (See separate story in this issue). Below are a few more of the nearly four dozen events that’ll be offered:
* Mason Spring Opera 2025 will perform “27,” an opera by American Composer Ricky Ian Gordan – who’ll be there in person. It’s slated for April 25, at 8 p.m.; April 26, at 2 and 8 p.m.; and April 27, at 3 p.m., at the Harris Theater, 4471 Aquia Creek Lane in Fairfax.
Tickets are $20, general public; $15, senior citizens; and $5, students. For tickets and further information, go to https://www.fairfaxspotlight.org/event/mason-spring-opera-2025/.
* Fairfax Saxophone Quartet will play “Pops” music, featuring the tunes of Michael Bublé, Guns & Roses, Billy Joel, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Reba McEntire, Righteous Brothers, Stevie Wonder and many more. It’s set for May 2, at 7:30 p.m., at the Historic Blenheim Interpretive Center, 3610 Blenheim Blvd. in Fairfax. This is a free event.
* City of Fairfax Band will perform “Postcards,” April 26, from 7:30-9 p.m., at Katherine Johnson Middle School, 3801 Jermantown Road in Fairfax. The band will take audiences on a musical world tour featuring the music of Valerie Coleman, Percy Grainger, Frank Ticheli and Leonard Bernstein.
Tickets are $15, adults; $10, senior citizens. Youth are admitted free. Tickets are at https://www.fairfaxband.org/product/individual-adult-ticket-for-city-of-fairfax-band-johnson-ms-apr-26-730pm/.
* GMU Tuba Euphonium Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble will perform April 26, at 8 p.m. at the Sherwood Center.
This concert will focus on music from the World War II Era, including Hollywood tunes, instrumental operatic selections, ragtime, swing and patriotic songs. Embark on a journey of the different musical styles played during the war. This is a free event.
Scholarships
One of Spotlight’s most important missions has been to support and highlight cultural arts events and opportunities in the greater Fairfax community, in cooperation with both GMU and the City of Fairfax. A very important part of that mission is to provide scholarships for students within GMU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. To support these talented students, visit https://www.fairfaxspotlight.org/donations/.