George Mason University Brass Area

08/21/2026

Welcome to Mason! 💚💛

08/06/2026

Meet Josh Taylor, an incoming freshman from Manchester High School in Chesterfield, VA. Josh is pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Performance, and is looking forward to building connections at George Mason University. Continue reading to learn more!

08/06/2026

It’s the little things in life.

08/06/2026

Welcome to Mason, Zachary! 💚💛🪊

07/27/2026

Welcome to Mason, Makai! 💚💛

07/15/2026

Welcome to Mason, Josh! 💛💚📯

07/06/2026

Come join the !!

Earn your music degree at George Mason University! Applying is a two-step process. Step 1: Apply to the University. Step 2: Apply to the School of Music and sign up for an audition date:

05/22/2026

New faculty alert!

We are thrilled to welcome Professor Fred Marcellus to the Mason Brass Area!

We are excited to announce that Prof. Fred Marcellus, trumpet, will be joining our Dewberry School of Music, effective Fall semester 2026. Please join us in welcoming this exceptional musician to our Dewberry School of Music adjunct applied faculty in trumpet.

Prof. Fred Marcellus is a native of the Washington, D.C. area and is an active teacher, clinician, adjudicator, soloist, and freelance trumpet player. He holds a Master's Degree from the Eastman School of Music and a Bachelor's Degree from Wichita State University.

He is joining the faculty of George Mason University as an Adjunct Applied Professor of Trumpet, effective fall semester 2026. He is also on the faculty of George Washington University where he is the instructor of Trumpet and teaches privately for the Washington Brass Institute.

From 1991-2000, he was a Soloist and Assistant Principal Cornet of the “President’s Own” Marine Band and is presently finishing his military career as the First Sergeant with the Band of the Nation’s Capital, the 257th Army Band with the DC National Guard. As a soloist, he performed over 130 solos with the US Marine Band on four national tours. He was a featured soloist with the American Ballet Theatre in NY and with the Wichita Symphony and at the Mid West Band Clinic and NY Brass Conference.

In the Washington D.C. area, he has performed with many groups including the National Symphony, Washington Opera Orchestra, Washington Chorus, Master Chorale of Washington, the Choral Arts Society, the Alexandria Symphony, the Chesapeake Orchestra, the Wolf Trap Opera, the Alexandria Symphony, the National Philharmonic, the Chesapeake Orchestra, the Virginia Grand Military Band, and the Capital Wind Symphony. Additionally, he has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic, the Baltimore Opera, the Chautauqua Symphony (N.Y.), the Wichita Ballet Orchestra, the Annapolis Symphony, the Richmond Symphony, the Eugene Symphony, the Heidelberg Opera Orchestra in West Germany, the Mariinsky Orchestra, the University of Maryland Faculty Brass Quintet, the Missouri Chamber Orchestra, the Eastman Wind Ensemble, the Eastman Brass Quintet, and a member of the Disney All-American College Orchestra.

He is on numerous recordings with the US Marine Band, including a solo feature on the Marine Band’s “On Tour” CD. He has recorded with the Rochester Philharmonic, the Eastman Wind Ensemble, the Washington Choral Arts Society, and on live broadcasts with the National Symphony, Washington Opera Orchestra, the Wichita Symphony, and the Chautauqua Symphony.

05/07/2026

Congratulations to MM students Kathryn Carley and Jackson Holliday for advancing to the Semi-Final round of the Falcone Euphonium Artist competition! Both are students of Dr Mark Jenkins. We’re so proud of your achievements—good luck in August!