veterans and the arts

The Hylton Center Celebrates Successful 15th Anniversary Gala

Kirstin Franko — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 17:54:29 +0000

The Hylton Center Celebrates Successful 15th Anniversary Gala Kirstin Franko Wed, 04/30/2025 - 13:54

In This Story

The Hylton Performing Arts Center hosted its 15th Anniversary Gala on Saturday, April 26, celebrating 15 years of artistic excellence in Manassas and throughout the Northern Virginia region. The event welcomed 237 guests and raised $162,500 in support for the Hylton Center’s artistic programming, Veterans and the Arts Initiative, and Education Initiative.

Ten percent of net proceeds will also fund the Hylton Center’s Endowment, and funds raised through the Gala contribute to �鶹��Ƶ’s �鶹��Ƶ Now: Power the Possible, a university-wide comprehensive one-billion-dollar fundraising campaign.

Rick Davis, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts and executive director of the Hylton Performing Arts Center; Sam Hill; Lillian Hill; Gala Honoree Marion Wall; Deborah Johnson, LaToya Asia Smith, Gala Honoree Dominion Energy; Jason Hickman, Presenting Sponsor Compton & Duling; Gregory Washington, president of �鶹��Ƶ. Photo by Sean Kelley.

The Hylton Center’s 15th Anniversary Gala festivities began at 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, with a cocktail reception in the Didlake Grand Foyer, featuring a French 75 signature cocktail crafted by MurLarkey Distilled Spirits. Guests then enjoyed an elegant dinner on Merchant Hall stage, which was catered by Susan Gage Caterers, before the evening’s program commenced.

Rick Davis, executive director of the Hylton Center and dean of �鶹��Ƶ’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA), opened the program with a dimming of the lights in memory of William Reeder, founding dean of CVPA, who passed away on April 12 and whose visionary leadership enabled the creation of the Hylton Performing Arts Center.

In a video presentation, Dean Davis and other important figures from the community looked back at the beginnings of the Hylton Center and toward its promising future. “As we celebrate 15 years at the Hylton Center, we envision continued growth in the quality, the quantity, and the impact of the arts that we create here, and the arts we present," Davis said. "Everything that we do at the Hylton Center is a testament to the vitality of having a world-class performing arts center right in your community.”

President of �鶹��Ƶ Gregory Washington speaks to the guests.
Photo by Sean Kelley.

George �鶹��Ƶ President Gregory Washington built on Davis’s remarks, “The Hylton Performing Arts Center is a crucial component of George �鶹��Ƶ’s broader role as a cultural hub for the region, a talent incubator for our students, and a gathering place for so many in our community. I’m proud to join in celebrating 15 impactful years of creativity and innovation in the arts, and express my deepest gratitude to the leaders, staff, and supporters who have brought us to this milestone anniversary.”

The honoree tribute was dedicated to Marion Wall and Dominion Energy, two longtime champions of the Hylton Performing Arts Center. Wall was celebrated as a steadfast supporter since the Hylton Center’s earliest days, who played a pivotal role in the planning, development, and ongoing success of the venue. Dominion Energy was recognized for making a profound impact on the cultural landscape of Northern Virginia, including investment in George �鶹��Ƶ’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, programs like the Veterans and the Arts Initiative, and other benefits to ensure accessible arts experiences for all.

The event also included a live auction of unique arts experiences, Raise Your Paddle fundraiser, and wine-and-whiskey pull in support of the Veterans and the Arts Initiative, which offers free workshops and concerts for local Veterans, Servicemembers, their families, and community members. These activities raised more than $27,000 for the Veterans and the Arts Initiative, continuing the celebration of its 10-year anniversary and its mission of creativity and service.

Champagne skirt performer recognizing Gala Presenting Sponsor Compton & Duling.
Photo by Sean Kelley.

The evening closed in a lively fashion with an after-party that featured a mix of George �鶹��Ƶ students and professional musicians in a 10-piece swing band from �鶹��Ƶ Music Productions, a swing dance experience led by dancers from Gottaswing, a champagne skirt performer from Carbone Entertainment, and a Blackberry Sage Smash cocktail crafted by MurLarkey Distilled Spirits.

The Hylton Center’s 15th Anniversary Gala was supported by many regional businesses and individual donors, including Presenting Sponsor Compton & Duling, L.C., Cocktail Reception Sponsor Appliance Connection, Live Auction Sponsor United Bank, Raise Your Paddle Sponsor Todos Supermarket, Wine Pull Sponsor Whitlock Wealth, and Wine Sponsor Thomas Sabal and Daniel Tucciarone. Other generous sponsors of this year’s event included: City of Manassas; Rick Davis and Julie Thompson; Didlake; Dominion Energy; ECU Communications; �鶹��Ƶ Foundation; Carolyn Hays and Jeff Burke; The Law Office of Sheyna Nicole Burt, PLC; Micron Technology; Potomac Health Foundation; Sentara Health; Stanley Martin; UVA Community Health; Wall Foundation; and Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley, & Walsh, P.C.

To view additional images from the event visit the 15th Anniversary photo gallery.

Niyati Dhokai, program director of the Veterans and the Arts Initiative confirming the impact of the program on the military-connected community. Photo by Sean Kelley.

Some of the notable guests in attendance included: Mayor of the City of Manassas Michelle Davis-Younger; Virginia State Senator Jeremy McPike and Sharon McPike; Virginia Delegates Briana Sewell, Ian Lovejoy, Josh Thomas, and Luke Torian; Manassas City Councilmembers Theresa Coates Ellis, Tom Osina, Ralph Smith, Ashely Hutson, and Mark Wolfe; Manassas City Manager and Hylton Center Executive Board Member, Steve Burke and Cary Burke; Prince William Board of County Supervisors Vice Chair Andrea Bailey and Reverend Cozy Bailey; Prince William Board of County Supervisors, Neabsco District Supervisor Victor Angry and Woodbridge District Supervisor Margaret Franklin; Managing Member of Compton & Duling, LC Jason Hickman; Vice President and Site Executive of Micron Technology Virginia Delbert Parks; President of Pitkin’s Home Center Sarah Pitkin; Vanderpool, Frostick & Nishanian, P.C. President V. Rick Nishanian and Nunik Nishanian; Todos Supermarkets Owner Carlos Castro; President and CEO of NOVEC, Kristen Senechal; President of Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center, Jeff Joyner; Senior Policy Advisory of Nelson Mulling and Hylton Center Executive Board Member Rod Hall and Lena Hall; Artistic Director of Manassas Ballet Theatre Amy Wolfe; Hylton Center Executive Board Chair Sheyna Burt; Hylton Center Executive Board Vice Chair Joyce Connery; Hylton Center Executive Board Member the Honorable Ann Wheeler and John Wheeler; and Hylton Center Executive Board Member Gayle Whitlock and Bennett Whitlock, and Hylton Center Executive Board Member Kris Nohe and Martin Nohe.

Interested in contributing to ensure the success of the next 15 years of the Hylton Center? Explore ways to give on the Hylton Center website.

Enjoy a video from the event, celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Veterans and the Arts Initiative.

Topics

Hylton Performing Arts Center

Hylton Center

Rick Davis

Gregory Washington

veterans and the arts

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

�鶹��Ƶ Arts

�鶹��Ƶ Now: Power the Possible

Campus News

philanthropy

The Hylton Performing Arts Center Breaks Records with 12th Anniversary Gala

Zoe Harr — Wed, 04 May 2022 17:27:57 +0000

The Hylton Performing Arts Center Breaks Records with 12th Anniversary Gala Zoe Harr Wed, 05/04/2022 - 13:27

In This Story

Rick Davis

The Hylton Performing Arts Center hosted a special two-day celebration with the Hylton Center 12^th Anniversary Gala on April 29 and April 30. As the first Anniversary Gala held in-person since 2019, the event welcomed more than 1,000 guests and supported the Hylton Center’s mission of presenting diverse performances and programs of high quality and artistic excellence to inspire, educate, and enrich the community.

Gala guest Erika Spalding raises a paddle in support of the Hylton Center.

The festivities began at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 29 and included a tribute to this year’s honorees, Lovey Hammel and Denise McPhail, for their leadership and many contributions to the Hylton Center and �鶹��Ƶ. The evening started in the Didlake Grand Foyer with an elegant cocktail reception featuring speciality cocktails provided by MurLarkey Distilled Spirits and a special dinner on the Merchant Hall stage, catered by Susan Gage Caterers. The evening also included a live auction featuring travel packages, as well as a “Raise Your Paddle” fundraiser in support of the Hylton Center’s Veterans and the Arts Initiative.

On Saturday, April 30, guests were treated to a Hylton Center EXTRA!  performance by Tony Award-winning star of stage and screen Leslie Odom, Jr. Holding a multifaceted career in theater, television, film, and GRAMMY Award-winning music, Odom, Jr. has earned several award nominations including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Critics’ Choice Award, Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and more.

Leslie Odom, Jr. converses with Northern Virginia students before Saturday evening's concert.

In addition to his performance, Odom, Jr. provided an opportunity for area students to join him in an open dialogue about his career path and what advice he has to offer about achieving goals in the performing arts. Students from �鶹��Ƶ's School of Theater, Northern Virginia's Creative and Performing Arts Center (CAPAC), as well as Prince William County's Colgan, Forest Park, Osbourn Park, and Woodbridge High Schools participated with questions and conversation. After Odom, Jr.'s performance, an exclusive dessert reception for Gold+ level Gala Sponsors rounded out the evening.

The event raised a record-breaking amount of more than $225,000, which will support performances and programs at the Hylton Center, as well as the Education Initiative and Veterans and the Arts Initiative. Ten percent of the net proceeds will also fund the Hylton Center’s Endowment, ensuring excellence now and for years to come.

Guests enjoy the cocktail reception at the Hylton Center 12th Anniversary Gala.

During the event, Executive Director of the Hylton Center and Dean of �鶹��Ƶ's College of Visual and Performing Arts Rick Davis shared, “Tonight we celebrate our unofficial motto ‘the arts create community’ and we’re here to recognize and thank those artists and community builders who deliver on that promise. The work that Lovey Hammel and her family have done has paved the way for so many artists and arts students who express their creative voice and stretch their artistic wings here at the Hylton Center.”

He continued, “We also recognize the outstanding work of one such artist and educator – Denise McPhail, the co-founder and Executive Director of the Creative and Performing Arts Center. Through performing arts and sciences, CAPAC educates, entertains, and encourages diverse youth, teens, and adults in Northern Virginia to ignite STEAM curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving skills as a formula to diversify and sustain STEAM workforces for lifelong success.”

The Hylton Center’s 12th Anniversary Gala was supported by many regional businesses and individual donors, including Presenting Sponsor Compton & Duling. The Hylton Center EXTRA! performance was sponsored by Carol Merchant Kirby and Peter Kirby, NOVEC, and Buck and Julie Walters.

Event images by Melisa Pasero Photography.

Top Left: Honoree Denise McPhail with family and friends; Top Right: Executive Director Rick Davis and �鶹��Ƶ President Gregory Washington; Bottom Left: President Gregory Washington, Leslie Odom, Jr., and Mrs. Nicole Washington; Bottom Right: Honoree Lovey Hammel with father Marvin Yeates and family.

Topics

Hylton

Hylton Center

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

veterans and the arts

Campus News

A Special Veterans Day Message

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 18:32:20 +0000

A Special Veterans Day Message Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/01/2021 - 14:32

LR: Emily Fasick (Program Assistant), Dr. Niyati Dhokai (Program Director)

Happy Veterans Day! As we honor and celebrate the service of our Veterans and their families, we also look back at the past year and the amazing community we have sustained virtually through the Hylton Center's Veterans and the Arts Initiative. Through countless music and art workshops, we have played guitar and ukulele, taken smartphone photos and videos, and created mixed media. We have not only reflected on our own community's service through the arts, but also inspired others by sharing our work at the Virginia Women Veterans Summit and through the release of an innovative Tele-Arts Engagement Guide. The implementation guide shares how the Initiative created a virtual Ukulele Workshop Series that is inclusive and accessible to our diverse, intergenerational, military-connected community, and provides a template for others to create similar programming in their communities.

As we return to the Hylton Center for hybrid workshops this fall and into 2022, we draw upon our resilience as individuals and especially as a community. As Program Director of the Veterans and the Arts Initiative, I look forward to reflecting on this resilience joyfully through the music of husband-and-wife duo, Michael Trotter and Tanya Trotter of The War and Treaty on Sunday, November 14. The couple first met in 2010 at the aptly titled Spirit of Love festival in Maryland, where their artistic-romantic partnership began. Today, the couple continues to bring their very relatable struggles to their music including Trotter’s battle with PTSD as an Army Veteran. Their music speaks truthfully about their journey, including challenges encountered and the hope that they have sustained.

If you haven't heard about The War and Treaty yet, please read more about them and grab your tickets now! Tickets are free for Veterans and Servicemembers with ID (up to 2 tickets each, must be claimed in-person at the Hylton Center Ticket Office).

I look forward to seeing you at the Hylton Center!

Dr. Niyati Dhokai
Program Director, Veterans and the Arts Initiative, Hylton Performing Arts Center, and Research Associate Professor, College of Visual and Performing Arts

Topics

Hylton Center

veterans and the arts

Veterans Day

Dr. Niyati Dhokai, Veterans and the Arts Initiative Program, �鶹��Ƶ

Pam Muirheid — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 20:17:26 +0000

Dr. Niyati Dhokai, Veterans and the Arts Initiative Program, �鶹��Ƶ Pam Muirheid Wed, 09/15/2021 - 16:17

In This Story

Niyati Dhokai

Dr. Niyati Dhokai, the Director of the Veterans and the Arts Initiative Program at �鶹��Ƶ talks in this podcast about how effective music therapy is for Veterans returning from active duty, battling PTSD and other injuries, and how their families and children benefit from these sessions. Among some of the benefits achieved are more feelings of relaxation, improved sense of well-being, more effective social interaction skills and the development of a sense of comfort outside the rehab center. Also find out what additional research she is working on and what areas she sees necessitate additional study.

Listen to the show here.

This story originally appeared on Embracing Arlington Arts.

Topics

veterans and the arts

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

Veterans

�鶹��Ƶ offers online ukulele class to veterans, servicemembers and their families

Colleen Rich — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 09:00:12 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ offers online ukulele class to veterans, servicemembers and their families Colleen Rich Thu, 04/09/2020 - 05:00

Topics

College of Visual and Performing Arts

Hylton Center

veterans and the arts

Online Learning

Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music

Campus News