Center for the Arts at George Mason University

What Center for the Arts at George Mason University does

The Center for the Arts at George Mason University is a performing arts venue located on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University in Northern Virginia, operated as a unit of the university's College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA). The venue features a nearly 2,000-seat Concert Hall alongside the Harris Theatre, TheaterSpace, and deLaski 3001, and hosts more than 100 performances annually, drawing hundreds of thousands of community attendees. Its core programming consists of the Great Performances at Mason Series (classical music, opera, jazz, global music, dance, and theater by nationally and internationally acclaimed artists), the Family Series (children's programming), and the Mason Artists-in-Residence program (currently anchored by the Silkroad Ensemble in its fourth consecutive year). It also serves as performance home for community arts organizations including the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra and Virginia Opera, and supports student and faculty work from CVPA's Schools of Music, Theater, Dance, Art, Film and Video Studies, Computer Game Design, and Arts Management.

Name

Center for the Arts at George Mason University

Legal name

George Mason University

Website

https://cfa.gmu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Center for the Arts at George Mason University is a public university performing arts venue in Fairfax, Virginia, operating the Great Performances at Mason Series, Family Series, and artist-in-residence programs for the regional community, K-12 schools, and George Mason students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fairfax

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue from individual and subscription ticket sales for performances in the nearly 2,000-seat Concert Hall. Ticket sales cover just a part of the cost of bringing internationally-acclaimed artists.
2. Donations and Sponsorships: Reliance on donor generosity to ensure the Center can provide world-class arts experiences and education. Corporate partnerships and Friends of the Center for the Arts membership programs.
3. Facility Rentals: Spaces available for rent including the Concert Hall, Harris Theatre, TheaterSpace, and deLaski 3001. Rental interest form available on website.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Center for the Arts at George Mason University is a performing arts venue that hosts national and international professional artists through the Great Performances at Mason Series and Family Series in its nearly 2,000-seat Concert Hall. It provides arts education programs, individual and subscription ticket sales, and venue rentals, while supporting George Mason University's College of Visual and Performing Arts student and faculty performances. Revenue is diversified across ticket sales, donations, sponsorships, facility rentals, and memberships.

Product overview

The Center for the Arts at George Mason University is a performing arts venue operated by the College of Visual and Performing Arts. Its product portfolio consists of multiple integrated offerings: the core Great Performances at Mason Series and Family Series for professional and children's performances, complemented by the Mason Artists-in-Residence Program bringing extended artist engagements. Subscription products include Choose-Your-Own Subscriptions with 15% savings and Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel with 20% savings for full-series subscribers. Educational offerings include the GrEET Program ($20 student tickets), Field Trip Program, and Free Student Tickets through Mason 360. The digital Mason Arts Amplified platform extends access virtually. ARTS by George! serves as the signature annual benefit event, while the Give Voice campaign supports facility renovation. All ticketing is processed through Tickets.com, with Friends of the Center for the Arts providing membership benefits including early subscription access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Great Performances at Mason Series The main professional performance series bringing national and international artists to the Center's nearly 2,000-seat Concert Hall, featuring classical music, opera, jazz, global music, dance, and theater for community audiences in Northern Virginia and the greater Washington D.C. area.
• Family Series Performance series designed to introduce children to the arts through lively programs in song, dance, and story, affordably priced for families with children through grade 12, including half-price youth tickets and free lap tickets for children under 2.
• Mason Artists-in-Residence Program Extended engagement program in which distinguished visiting artists, such as the Grammy Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble, participate in performances, master classes, and workshops designed to engage and inspire diverse audiences both on and off campus.
• Mason Arts Amplified Digital venue platform allowing patrons to enjoy performing arts from anywhere through virtual and streaming content, extending the Center's reach beyond the physical Concert Hall.
• ARTS by George! Signature annual benefit event featuring Grammy and Tony Award-winning performers (such as Renée Elise Goldsberry, Darren Criss, and Jeff Goldblum) to raise funds for the Center for the Arts.
• GrEET Program (Group Educational Enrichment Tickets) Educational group ticket program offering $20 per student for K-12 school groups of 10+ to attend select Great Performances at Mason events and matinee field trips, introducing students to dance, theater, and music from around the world.
• Choose-Your-Own Subscriptions Custom subscription package allowing patrons to select three or more eligible performances and save 15%, with benefits including no-fee ticket exchanges and priority seating for the 2026-27 season.
• Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel Subscription series featuring pianist Jeffrey Siegel with four annual concerts of Keyboard Conversations. Full series subscribers save 20% on tickets, with series seats priced at $192, $166, and $122.
• Friends of the Center for the Arts Membership Membership program providing early access to subscriptions during the priority period (May 20-27) before public sales, plus exclusive refreshment area access during performances.
• Venue Rentals Facility rental service offering the Concert Hall, Harris Theatre, TheaterSpace, and deLaski 3001 spaces for rent to outside organizations and event organizers.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Center for the Arts is 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 events of the School of Art, Film and Video Studies, Computer Game Design, and Arts Management programs. The Center presents the annual season through the Great Performances at Mason Series.
• Silkroad EnsemblecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrammy Award-winning Silkroad ensemble serves as Mason Artists-in-Residence for extended engagements. The ensemble has completed four consecutive years as Artist-in-Residence, bringing educational programming to campus and community through master classes and performances.
• Community Arts OrganizationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Center for the Arts serves as a performance home for many community arts organizations in the greater Washington, D.C. area, providing venue access and collaborative opportunities.
• Fairfax Symphony OrchestracoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSeason presenter at the Center for the Arts. Co-produces performances including Nutcracker with Fairfax Ballet, Celtic Woman, Yo-Yo Ma collaboration, and other classical music events.
• Virginia OperacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVirginia Opera presents its season at the Center, including productions such as 'Intelligence' and 'Cinderella'.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hylton Performing Arts Center: The Center's sister venue within George Mason University (Manassas campus), offering a comparable mix of presenting, education, and community programming for the same D.C. metro market. Operationally and strategically aligned, making it the closest comparable peer.
• Lisner Auditorium: George Washington University's downtown D.C. auditorium, another university-affiliated presenter competing for the same D.C.-area audiences, donors, and touring artist relationships.
• Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center: University of Maryland's performing arts center, also a multi-venue presenter combining professional touring artists, university-produced work, and K-12 educational programming. Direct functional and mission overlap with the Center for the Arts.
• Strathmore: A Bethesda, MD-based presenting organization offering a similar classical, jazz, world music, and family programming mix in the same D.C. metro market, with comparable subscription, education, and rental revenue streams.

Broad incumbents

• Kennedy Center: The dominant national performing arts venue and the Center's largest DC-area incumbent competitor. Overlaps substantially in programming genres and donor pools but operates at a vastly larger scale and national scope.
• Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts: A federally chartered presenting organization in Vienna, VA serving the same DC metro with Filene Center and The Barns venues. Comparable presenting and family-programming model, but operates at a larger scale and with a distinct outdoor component.

Regional players

• George Washington Masonic Memorial Theatre: A 1,000+-seat Alexandria, VA venue offering theater, concerts, and rentals in the same Northern Virginia market, directly overlapping in corporate events, school group outings, and touring artist rentals.
• Atlas Performing Arts Center: A D.C.-based multi-venue performing arts center presenting theater, music, and dance with a comparable community/education focus, though at a smaller scale and with a more interdisciplinary programming slate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gmu_cfa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCGcK838C5wFwlXMgknxPr6A
• Facebookfacebook.com/gmucfa
• Instagraminstagram.com/gmu_cfa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for the Arts at George Mason University