Tony Award Winner Lea Salonga To Headline ARTS By George! 2024 Benefit

The annual ARTS by George! benefit, presented by George Mason University's College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA), returns in 2024 with multiple award-winning actress and singer Lea Salonga as the headliner. 

The philanthropic event raises vital support for student scholarships in visual arts, dance, music, theater, game design, film, and arts management, as well as for the Mason Community Arts Academy, Green Machine Ensembles, and the Great Performances at Mason season at the Center for the Arts. 

ARTS by George! takes place on Saturday, September 28 on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University. ARTS by George! 2024 event tickets and sponsorships are available for purchase now on the event website.

The evening begins at 5 p.m. with hundreds of CVPA students and faculty collaborating in a series of behind-the-scenes showcase performances and exhibits, and it culminates in a performance from Lea Salonga at 8:30 p.m. in the Center for the Arts Concert Hall. Titled An Evening with Lea Salonga, the headlining concert features songs that the Tony Award winner has made famous throughout her four-decade career on Broadway and in animated films.

Sandy Spring Bank is the presenting sponsor, and the event is co-chaired by Mason Arts Board members Annie Bolger and Steven Golsch. Guests will enjoy a buffet dinner, a variety of student showcases, a ticket to An Evening with Lea Salonga, an onstage champagne toast following the concert, and free garage parking. Each ticket includes a charitable donation portion directly supporting student scholarships and community arts programs. 

ARTS by George! has raised more than $4.1 million for the arts at Mason since 2006. Support from the event makes it possible for Mason Arts to attract and retain top student talent, as well as to provide arts education and cultural experiences for all ages to the entire region. 

Best known for her Tony Award-winning role in Miss Saigon (1991), Salonga is celebrated around the world for her powerful voice and perfect pitch. She also is recognized by fans of all ages as the singing voice of Disney's Princess Jasmine in Aladdin and Fa Mulan in Mulan and Mulan II. On Broadway, Salonga has appeared in: Les Misérables (1993–1996) as Éponine—the first Asian woman to play the role—and in the 2006 revival of the show as Fantine; the 2002 revival of Flower Drum Song as Wu-Mei Li; Allegiance (2015–2016) as Kei Kamura; the 2018 revival of Once on This Island as Erzulie; and Here Lies Love as Aurora Aquino (2023). Most recently, she starred in the West End production of Stephen Sondheim's musical revue, Old Friends (2023–2024) alongside fellow Broadway star Bernadette Peters. 

Salonga's talents extend to the screen where she can be seen on MAX's Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin and Sony's Yellow Rose, and heard on Netflix's Centaurworld and FX's Little Demon. She has released 14 albums and toured all over the globe, performing sold-out concerts in landmark venues such as the Sydney Opera House, Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Esplanade in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur Convention Center in Malaysia, Hong Kong Cultural Center, Queen Sirikit Convention Center in Bangkok, and Carnegie Hall in New York. In addition to being the first Asian actress to win a Tony Award, Salonga has received numerous accolades for her contributions in the field of musical theater, including Olivier, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Theatre World Awards; the honor of “Disney Legend” from the Walt Disney Company; a Time100 Impact Award from TIME Magazine; and the Gold Legend Award from Gold House.

Ticket and Sponsorship Information for ARTS by George! 2024: 

Individual benefit tickets are $350 per person and include entry to the student showcases, dinner, An Evening with Lea Salonga, champagne reception, and free garage parking. 

Sponsorship packages begin at $2,000. To reserve tickets, become a sponsor, or for more information, please contact Susan Graziano at cvpagive@gmu.edu, 703-993-4188, or visit the ARTS by George! website.

Standalone tickets to only the 8:30 p.m. performance of An Evening with Lea Salonga are $50–$100 and will be available for purchase on Thursday, August 1 through the Center for the Arts website. 

About Mason Arts

Mason Arts encompasses the seven academic programs of George Mason University's College of Visual and Performing Arts, six community arts programs, seven galleries, the Center for the Arts, the Hylton Performing Arts Center, and the digital venue, Mason Arts Amplified. The fusion of academic and professional work on campus and throughout the community is the hallmark of Mason Arts and collectively it creates the largest arts presence in Northern Virginia. The college is home to the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music, the Schools of Art, Dance, and Theater, as well as programs in Arts Management, Computer Game Design, and Film and Video Studies. The college prepares students for careers as creators, performers, teachers, scholars, arts leaders, and arts entrepreneurs, and provides them opportunities to perform, create, and exhibit their work in the wide variety of Mason Arts venues. cvpa.gmu.edu. 

About the Center for the Arts

A Mason Arts venue, the Center for the Arts is the centerpiece of performing arts on George Mason University's Fairfax campus. Each year, the Center welcomes hundreds of thousands of community members into its nearly 2,000-seat Concert Hall. The Center presents an annual season of national and international professional artists through its Great Performances at Mason and Family Series—offering the best of classical music, opera, jazz, global music, dance, theater, and more. Managed by Mason's College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Center hosts many student and faculty performances presented by the Schools of Music, Theater, and Dance and supports the events of the School of Art, Film and Video Studies, Computer Game Design, and Arts Management programs. The Center brings distinguished visiting artists as Mason Artists-in-Residence for extended engagements designed to engage and inspire diverse audiences both on and off campus. The Center for the Arts serves as a performance home for many community arts organizations in the greater Washington, D.C. area. cfa.gmu.edu.

About George Mason University

George Mason University, Virginia's largest public research university, is located near Washington, D.C., and enrolls more than 40,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the last half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility. In 2023, the university launched Mason Now: Power the Possible, a one-billion-dollar comprehensive campaign to support student success, research, innovation, community, and stewardship.www.gmu.edu.

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