Gabby Cameron has been around music her whole life.
Cameron’s mother teaches music and her brothers play. When her family performed music together, the University of Maryland ethnomusicology doctoral student said she learned a “strong sense of community in music making.”
Cameron, alongside university alum Maximilian Jacobs, showcased their musical talents at the Strathmore’s “Fresh AIR” concert on Nov. 13 at the Music Center in North Bethesda. The concert was also the debut of Strathmore’s 2025 Artists in Residence cohort, which aims to support talented musicians in the Washington, D.C., area.
“It seems like every time people play, they’re putting everything into it,” Jacobs said. “They’re there to create something new.”
Cameron, who also teaches music classes at this university, said she aims to show students how different genres influence social movements.
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Blending genres, Cameron said, is about finding common ground. There are similarities between traditional Chinese folk music and bluegrass, she said. As a bluegrass artist herself, she is enthusiastic about the genre’s evolution potential.
“My favorite thing is that Bluegrass music, in particular, isn’t even 100 years old,” Cameron said.“All of the musicians who play bluegrass know and understand that it is about pushing the boundaries.”
Betty Scott, a music educator and director of the Strathmore’s Artists in Residence program, said she wanted to develop Washington, D.C.’s, “fabulous music” area with professional development opportunities in the program. The program that began with four residents now hosts six artists annually.
Scott also aims to support artists by providing advanced seminars on topics such as managing a band or writing grant proposals.
“I’m a very demanding but nurturing mentor,” she said. “We’re taken into the program at a very high level, and then they say, ‘What else you got?’”
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For Jacobs, who started playing violin when he was five, the program has been a catalyst for his growth as an artist. As a jazz violinist, he found new inspiration in the collaborative energy of the residency —a style that echoes how he jammed with his friends before he studied music at Dickinson College.
His music career gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic and Jacobs turned to the artists in residence program to continue developing his violin skills in a collaborative light.
For Jacobs and Cameron, the program is more than just a performance opportunity — it offers a transformative experience that allows them to learn more about themselves while collaborating with those who are also passionate in music.
“In their playing, I always hear such an openness and joy,” Jacobs said. “It’s really pushed me to put everything into my playing, not just in practice, but in the moment when I’m there with the people.”
