Dear Mason Music Family,

How thrilled we are to announce the Dewberry School of Music Fall 2026 Concert Series! Please mark your calendar now for our marvelous opening concert of the Series—the Grand Piano Celebration on September 27.

We have music at Mason throughout the summer with many outstanding camps. We hope that you will join us for our George Mason Jazz Camp free concerts June 22-26 at 3.30 pm. What a tremendous lineup of jazz artists! 

The Mason composition and saxophone studios are proud to debut a new collaboration, the Mikula Composition Award, that recognizes excellence in composition studies and collaboration at George Mason University. The winner receives a commission prize to write a saxophone work that will be premiered at the following International Navy Band Saxophone Symposium by the Mason Saxophone Studio. We are pleased to announce this year's winner: Chris Bell (MM in Composition 2026).

Exciting Ensembles News!  Congratulations to members of our Mason Choirs who performed at Carnegie Hall last weekend! We are thrilled that our Mason Wind Symphony has been selected to perform at the 2026 Virginia Music Educators Association Professional Development Conference in Richmond, Virginia in November.  

Thanks to our fabulous Friends of Music at Mason for your enthusiastic support of our Dewberry School of Music students and faculty throughout the entire year.

With my best wishes for a joyous summer,

Dr. Linda A. Monson, Director
Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music

The GEORGE MASON JAZZ CAMP is awarded a "Best Summer Camp" by Northern Virginia Magazine!  Open to instrumentalists and vocalists (Under-18 and Over-18 tracks). Learn more about this great summer experience at go.gmu.edu/georgemasonjazzcamp 

Residential Registration is open until June 14. Commuter Registration is open until June 19.  

Monday, June 22, 2026
3:30pm - 4:30pm 
Center for the Arts 
GEORGE MASON JAZZ CAMP - Faculty Showcase
music.calendar.gmu.edu/george-mason-jazz-camp-faculty-showcase

Free and open to the public - no tickets or camp registration required.
FREE Parking in Lot K. 

The Jazz faculty perform a special showcase to "kick off" the camp concert series! Performances by Darden Purcell (voice), Xavier Perez (saxophone), Aaron Eckert (trombone), Graham Breedlove (trumpet), Domenic Lewis (steel pan), Wade Beach (piano), Geoff Dean (piano), Shawn Purcell (guitar), Ben Thomas (bass), Clay Cottis (drums), Juan Megna (drums), and more! 

Tuesday, June 23, 2026
3:30pm - 4:50pm
Center for the Arts
GEORGE MASON JAZZ CAMP - Steve Williams Mighty Little Big Band
music.calendar.gmu.edu/george-mason-jazz-camp-steve-williams-mighty-little-big-band
Free and open to the public - no tickets or camp registration required 

The Mighty Little Big Band is an 11-piece, pint-sized big band. Featuring some of the finest musicians in the Washington, D. C. metro area, the group was created in 2021 to perform the compositions (original and jazz standards) and arrangements of its leader, saxophonist, Steve Williams. Composer, arranger and saxophonist Steve Williams has enjoyed a thirty-five-year career performing many styles of music. He has appeared on numerous albums including the Latin Grammy winning (2008) “Caribbean Jazz Project/Afro Bop Alliance Big Band featuring Dave Samuels.” Steve’s big band album, “Steve Williams and Jazz Nation,” is available on OA2 Records and features Steve’s exciting arrangements and compositions. Steve is a former member of the United Stated Navy Band Commodores, serving as the band’s lead alto player and musical director, contributing over fifty compositions and arrangements.

Wednesday, June 24, 2026
3:30pm - 4:30pm
Center for the Arts
GEORGE MASON JAZZ CAMP -
ROXY COSS
music.calendar.gmu.edu/george-mason-jazz-camp-roxy-coss

Thursday, June 25, 2026
3:30pm - 4:30pm
Center for the Arts
GEORGE MASON JAZZ CAMP - US Army Blues Jazz Ensemble 

music.calendar.gmu.edu/george-mason-jazz-camp-us-army-blues-jazz-ensemble

Free and open to the public - no tickets or camp registration required 

The U.S. Army Blues, part of the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” is the premier jazz ensemble of the US Army. After informal beginnings in 1970, this 19-piece ensemble became an official element of the Army Band in 1972. The Army Blues strive to fulfill their mission through public concerts, educational outreach, and the preservation of the tradition of America’s unique art form: jazz.

Friday, June 26, 2026
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Center for the Arts
GEORGE MASON JAZZ CAMP - Student Showcase 
music.calendar.gmu.edu/george-mason-jazz-camp-student-showcase

Free and open to the public - no tickets or camp registration required

Participants of the George Mason Jazz camp perform a student showcase to conclude the week-long camp!  

Dr. Reinkemeyer and Dr. Mikula present the Mikula Composition Award's inaugural winner: Chris Bell

The Mason composition and saxophone studios are proud to debut a new collaboration that recognizes excellence in composition studies and collaboration here at George Mason University. The Mikula Composition Award will be awarded to a composition student at the end of each spring semester. The winner will receive a $1,000 commission prize to write a saxophone work that will be premiered at the following International Navy Band Saxophone Symposium by the Mason Saxophone Studio. We are pleased to announce this year's winner: Chris Bell (MM Composition 2026).

The premiering musicians will be "Four for a Dollar," the GMU saxophone quartet consisting of Nate Casey, Matt Graziano, Jonathon Velez, and Ivanna De Leon Casas. As a recurring prize, the Mason saxophone and composition studios look forward to many new collaborations in the future.

We are proud to announce that the George Mason Wind Symphony, under the direction of Dr. William L. Lake Jr., has officially been selected to perform at the 2026 Virginia Music Educators Association Professional Development Conference in Richmond, Virginia in November.