Ensemble Director: Dr. Darden Purcell
The Mason Jazz Vocal Ensemble, directed by Dr. Darden Purcell, is the DownBeat award-winning vocal group of George Mason University. This group has performed at Blues Alley,Jazz4Justice™ concerts, the Kansas City Jazz Summit, Mason Jazz Vocal Nights, American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Conference, ACDA Southern Region Conference, Jazz Education Network Conferences (2018, 2024), ACCENT Vocal Festival and the Virginia Music Educators Association conference.
Members of the Mason Jazz Vocal Ensemble have been featured with:
- American Festival Pops Orchestra
- Mason Jazz Ensemble and Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, directed by Jim Carroll,
- Capitol Bones All-Brass Big Band, directed by Matt Niess
- Ben Folds, as back-up vocalists
- National Symphony Orchestra (Wolf Trap)
- Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and
- Virginia Beach Symphony.
Accolades:
- Spring 2023 - Won a DownBeat Student Music Award for "Outstanding Performance - Large Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Undergraduate College."
- Fall 2023 - Invited to perform at the Virginia Music Educators Association (VMEA) conference in Richmond, Virginia.
- January 2024 - Invited to perform at the Jazz Education Network (JEN) conference in New Orleans, LA.
- March 2025 – Invited to perform as a demonstration choir for the American Choral Directors Association National Conference in Dallas, TX for Dr. Darden Purcell’s presentation “Shaping the Sound: Attaining Authenticity in Your Jazz Vocal Ensemble.
- March 2026 – Invited to perform at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Southern Region conference in Memphis, TN.
The Mason Jazz Vocal Ensemble shared the stage with The New York Voices, The Manhattan Transfer and Accent.
Mason Jazz Vocal Ensemble, Spring 2025, photo by Joyce Boghosian
Vocal Jazz Soloist, Dominique Bianco, won a Downbeat 45th Annual Student Music Award for Undergraduate College Outstanding Performance. Dominique is a student of Dr. Darden Purcell.
Established in 1976, the DownBeat Student Music Awards are considered the most prestigious awards in jazz education. Hundreds of musicians, music educators, and music industry professionals compete for the international recognition of a DownBeat Student Music Award Winner.
The Jazz Vocal Ensemble performs at the Center for the Arts in the Spring of 2024.
In 2018, the Mason Jazz Vocal Ensemble recorded their album, Voice of Reason.
The Mason Jazz Ensembles Recordings
The Voice of Reason CD featuring the Mason Jazz Vocal Ensemble can be purchased at amazon.com.
A second CD by a collection of Mason jazz ensembles called Life, LIberty and the Pursuit of Swing can also be purchased at amazon.com.