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Dudley Connell to receive 2026 Washington Monument Award
Entries for the Mike Auldridge Instrumental Composition Contest Closes Oct. 12th, 2026!
The Mike Auldridge Instrumental Composition Contest honors the life and musicianship of one of America’s greatest bluegrass players.
Applications Orrin Star Scholarship award will be accepted between Sept. 7th and Nov. 16th 2026!
The Orrin Star Scholarship honors the memory and generosity of a remarkable man, who lived in the DC area for most of his career and who was a friend to many in the bluegrass community. Orrin gained notoriety as a champion flat-picker and went on to enrich many of our lives with the warmth and humor of his performing and teaching.
Applications for the $500 award are accepted every year, beginning in the fall. Look for the announcement on the home page. Meanwhile, the program description is at https://dcbu.org/the-orrin-star-scholarship-program/
The Hazel Dickens Song Contest opens October 26th 2026!
The Hazel Dickens Song Contest celebrates the life one of the Baltimore/Washington region music’s most beloved bluegrass songwriters.
One important aspect of DCBU’s mission is to promote music education. We offer an instructor directory so students can locate teachers in their local area for in-person instruction. Additionally, since so many great musicians teach online classes, we’re now posting information for instructors wherever they are located. To sign-up as an instructor fill out the form by selecting the link below. Your submission will be reviewed and added to our directory within a few days.
The Farm Brewery at Broad Run, Broad Run (Haymarket) Virginia/Prince William County
Open Bluegrass jam. All levels (multiple circles). The Farm Brewery at Broad Run is on a spacious, well laid out, farm with food and beverages available. The jam is held on the SECOND and FOURTH Thursdays. There is ample parking and a friendly staff. The Farm Brewery closes at 9:00 PM, hence, jam hours are 6:30 to 8:30 PM.
Mullin’s 1847 Restaurant, Moorefield West Virginia
School of Musical Traditions, Takoma Park md
SMT holds a beginner friendly bluegrass jam every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month. The jams are lead by SMT teachers and members of the band Cherry Blossom Special Nick Cameron, Mari Carlson, and Justin Heath. Bring your instrument and a song and don’t be afraid to take a solo. This is a free event but donations are welcome!
Gunston Arts Center, Arlington VA
Pinkey Swear Productions is reviving the play Bell Wringer, a bluegrass musical by local playwrights Seth Alcorn and Karen Lange. The show won Best Musical at Capital Fringe in 2023 and it’s coming back just in time for spooky season. Bell Wringer is an irreverent retelling of the legend of the Bell Witch, the haunting tale of a family menaced by a mischievous sorceress in the smokey mountains of Tennessee.
Bell Wringer plays October 22 to 31, 2026, at Gunston Arts Center, Theater Two, 2700 South Lang St, Arlington, VA. Performances are Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 PM. Tickets are $30 and available online. A Halloween party will follow the closing performance on Saturday, October 31.
Hell’s Bottom Takoma Park VFW, Takoma Park MD
Get your Bluegrass Lonesome on at this jam hosted by Ira Gitlin and Mary Naden. Plenty of parking. Cheap beer!
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