Austin Johnson-Stawarz, Treasurer

Originally from Seneca, South Carolina, violist, and educator Austin Johnson-Stawarz began his musical journey in the 6th grade by joining his public school string orchestra program. He has since studied at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, the University of South Carolina, and George Mason University, earning a B.M. in Music Education with Leadership Distinction and an M.A. in Arts Management. Austin has taught and performed internationally, including two residencies as a guest artist-teacher with BLUMEHaiti, in Jacmel and Cange, Haiti. He also co-created a video tutorial series for beginning recorder instruction that supported music teachers throughout the Central Plateau region of Haiti.  

Austin currently serves as the Board President of the Fairfax Arts Coalition for Education (F.A.C.E.), the membership coordinator for Districts IX, X, XI, XII, and VI of the Virginia Music Educators Association (VMEA), the co-director of the FCPS Parent Orchestra, the lead orchestra mentor to new orchestra teachers in the FCPS Great Beginnings program, and is a co-director of the SoCo Summer Strings summer orchestra camp. He is an active mentor to new music educators and has advised student teachers from George Mason University and James Madison University. In his free time, Austin enjoys exercising, performing in various Northern Virginia ensembles, spending time with his dog, Gregg, and renovating his eighty year old home in Alexandria, Virginia with his husband, James.