Draylen Mason

May 26, 2000 - March 12, 2018

KMFA CLASSICAL 89.5 DEDICATES MAY 26 TO DRAYLEN MASON

KMFA Classical 89.5 announces that May 26 will be dedicated to the memory of the late Draylen Mason, the talented seventeen-year-old bassist who was a victim of the Austin package bombings in 2018.

The Draylen Mason Music Studio is the centerpiece of the new KMFA building located in The Hatchery in East Austin. With a generous gift from Lynne Dobson and Greg Wooldridge, the space was named after Mason. The 135-seat music studio is the centerpiece of our new facility, where audiences will be able to experience live broadcasts, concerts, and community and educational programming.

Draylen was already an accomplished musician with college offers to show for it. He was a Bassist at Interlochen Center for the Arts, Principal Double Bass at Austin Youth Orchestra, Principal Bassist at Austin Soundwaves and his church. He went to East Austin College Prep. He was accepted already to the University of Texas Butler School of Music before his untimely death.

A memorial tablet on the Walk of Heroes at Draylen’s school, East Austin Prep, shares his statement: “The greatest gift I can ever offer is to rekindle someone’s passion by sharing my talents. I want to share my gift and inspire others to discover, develop and use their own.”

Tune in Classical Austin on Wednesday, May 26 at 9:00 p.m. as Dianne Donovan pays tribute to Draylen on his 21st birthday.

Remembering Draylen

Draylen performed with Austin Soundwaves. The organization created the Draylen Mason Fellows Program in his honor. The initiative is a full-scholorship program designed to honor the legacy of Mason and help further the musical and personal development of high school musicians.

Click the video below to view the Draylen Mason Fellows perform Leonard Bernstein's "Somewhere" from West Side Story. The performance was part of the "Live from the Draylen Mason" virtual celebration in January 2021 at the Draylen Mason Music Studio.

Click on the link below to view a video of Dana Wygmans from Austin Soundwaves discuss her thoughts on the Draylen Mason Music Studio. Wymans was one of Draylen's music teachers.

Draylen's Symphony by artist Nikkolas Smith

Above: Draylen Mason's family with Draylen's Symphony, the memorial portrait by artist Nikkolas Smith. Pictured are Draylen's Grandmothers, LaVonne Mason and Sandra Jones, Draylen's Mother Shamika Wilson, and family friend Quannie Bouyer.

Famed "artivist" Nikkolas Smith was commissioned to create a memorial portrait of Draylen Mason to hang outside the Draylen Mason Music Studio at KMFA. The stunning portrait is titled Draylen's Symphony and was made possible through a generous donation by Lynne Dobson and Greg Wooldridge.

Click on the video below to hear Dobson's remarks on the portrait.

Musical Tributes to Draylen

Click the video below to view Joel Braun's performance of Allemande (from Suite im alten stil) by Hans Fryba. Braun is the Bass Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. The performance was recorded at the Draylen Mason Music Studio as part of the "Live from the Draylen Mason" virtual celebration in January 2021.