Dr. Dawn Marie Hamilton
Director, Clarinet Ensemble

Dr. Dawn Marie Hamilton is a FCPS Alumna! She met her first clarinet in the fifth grade at Churchill Road Elementary, continuing on through Longfellow MS and Langley HS while studying privately with Barbara Duman and, of course, regularly attending Vienna Band Camp. For her senior year, she transferred to and graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy where she studied with Richard Hawkins, fell in love with ecology, and won the first ever IAA 5K. 

Dawn took an alternative path through her undergraduate years, starting college at Lawrence University in Appleton, WI - where she studied with Fan Lei - before moving to California and pivoting fields to become a veterinary technician. She pursued voice and theater to a semi-professional level, before returning to both music and academia to receive her BA in Music from Dominican University of California. Dawn continued on to receive both a masters & doctorate from the Herb Alpert School of Music at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she studied with Gary Gray while also working as a teaching associate for the UCLA Clarinet Studio and Woodwind Chamber Ensembles, where her passion for teaching was born and nourished.

Over the past decade, Dawn has worked with students of all ages, both privately and in a variety of ensemble and sectional formats. She is passionate about creating an inclusive and positive environment for students that allows them to feel safe and to both express and challenge themselves; all while practicing being respectful, non-judgemental, and supportive. Dawn believes that rehearsing and performing music with others is an amazing opportunity to develop and practice essential life skills, from exploring the pit-falls of perfectionism to challenging one’s anxiety and self-doubt. 

Dawn has given numerous solo recitals and performed multiple times as a concerto soloist. After graduate school she played frequently with the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra from 2017 - 2019, before relocating back to the DMV area. She now teaches privately from her home studio in McLean with her cat, Rosie, who, unfortunately, is not a fan of clarinets. When not practicing, playing, teaching, or cuddling with her cat, Dr. Hamilton enjoys baking, puzzles, hiking, and yoga.