Traditions Week at Camp at Common Ground on the Hill

Traditions Week at Common Ground on The Hill is coming up with Virtual sessions June 22-26 and the in person camp July 5-10, 2026. This year’s teaching staff includes Bluegrass and Oldtime Legends such as Tim O’Brien, Alice Gerrard, and many more. You can take a single class or you can sign up for a full schedule. It is commutable from DC but there is a room and board package available if you don’t want to miss the evening events and jam sessions!

Bluegrass Jam at the UDC Amphitheater

Sat. July 18, 2026, 8-10 pm

4200 Connecticut Ave NW, DC

Free Admission!

The DC Bluegrass Union and District Fringe festival are partnering to put on a Bluegrass Jam at the UDC Amphitheater. Sit in with the house band, call your favorite bluegrass tune, take a solo at the mic, or just come by and enjoy the music!

2026 Orrin Star Scholar Rita Perloff!

Congratulations goes to Rita Perloff who is the recipient of the 2026 Orrin Star Music Scholarship. Rita is a 14 year old from Oxford, Pennsylvania. Rita has been playing guitar in the band, Full Steam. Rita attends many festivals and Kids Academies. You can often see Rita and her fellow students busking around the festival grounds. With only 2 1/2 years of lessons, Rita is already playing solos! With her scholarship, Rita will attend the DelFest Music Academy.

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/

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.