Commander of The United States Air Force Band Joins Faculty at George Mason University

Jun. 23, 2009

Media Contact: Catherine Ferraro, cferraro@gmu.edu 703-993-8813

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Fairfax, Va. – Colonel Dennis M. Layendecker, commander, music director and principal conductor of The United States Air Force (USAF) Band, will join the George Mason University faculty this summer as the Heritage Chair in Music and director of University Orchestras in the College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA).

“We are thrilled to welcome Colonel Layendecker to the faculty of the Music Department and know that he will be a vital asset to the college, the department and our students,” says William Reeder, dean of CVPA. “His extensive leadership and management backgrounds coupled with incredible artistic abilities will allow Colonel Layendecker to bring resonance to the department and help its faculty reach even higher levels of professional success.”

The Heritage Chair in Music was established in the 1980s by former Mason president George Johnson and his wife Joanne as a way of promoting the arts on campus and within the community. In this role, Colonel Layendecker will give a larger voice to the Music Department by using his artistic and management skills to address the specific needs of each individual faculty member.

Recognized as “America's International Musical Ambassadors,” Colonel Layendecker assumed command of the Washington, D.C.-based USAF Band in July 2002. He will retire this summer after a 26-year career in the United States Air Force having served as a commander, conductor, artistic director, performing musician, public spokesperson, educator and diplomat.

“I am honored to be joining the faculty of George Mason University and excited to be working in the Music Department with some of the most accomplished artist faculty in the country,” says Colonel Layendecker. “I believe there is a very bright future ahead for music and the other fine arts at Mason and I look forward to teaming with my colleagues and our students to make a great program even better.”

Colonel Layendecker has provided direct musical and ceremonial support to the President of the United States and his Cabinet, members of Congress and other high ranking civilian and military leaders nationally and internationally. In addition, he has led the USAF Band and overseen policy for 12 Air Force musical units and has directed more than 6,000 musical performances worldwide in support of public outreach, community relations, troop morale, welfare, and recruitment and retention programs for the Air Force.

Colonel Layendecker holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestra Conducting from the Catholic University of America and a Master of Music in Orchestra Conducting from Northwestern University.

About the College of Visual and Performing Arts
The College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) provides an academic environment in which the arts are explored as individual disciplines and interdisciplinary forms that strengthen one another. The college prepares students for careers as creators, performers, teachers, scholars, arts leaders and arts entrepreneurs. Understanding that an education in the arts is deepened by regular contact with the work of distinguished visiting artists, the Center for the Arts, the professional presentation and production arm of the college, welcomes a variety of professional and world-renowned artists, musicians and actors to its stage. Students have the opportunity to perform, create and exhibit their work in a wide variety of public venues including a 2,000-seat Concert Hall. CVPA is home to the Departments of Music, Dance, Theater and Art and Visual Technology, as well as the Computer Game Design, Arts Management and Film and Video Studies programs.

About George Mason University
Named the #1 national university to watch by U.S. News & World Report, George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with global distinction in a range of academic fields. Located in the heart of Northern Virginia’s technology corridor near Washington, D.C., Mason prepares its students to succeed in the work force and meet the needs of the region and the world. With strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering and information technology, dance, organizational psychology and health care, Mason students are routinely recognized with national and international scholarships. Mason professors conduct groundbreaking research in areas such as cancer, climate change, information technology and the biosciences, and Mason’s Center for the Arts brings world-renowned artists, musicians and actors to its stage.

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