It is with immeasurable sadness that we mourn the loss of SYS Summer Chamber Music Workshop alum, Draylen Mason. He was an exceptionally talented bass player and an amazing human being. Draylen's life was tragically cut short on Monday, March 12th, 2018, when a pipe bomb disguised as a package exploded in his East Austin, Texas home, killing Draylen and seriously injuring his mother.

Seventeen year-old Draylen was hard worker with an infectious smile that lit up a room. He performed with Austin Soundwaves, Austin Youth Orchestra, the UT String Project, the Sacramento Youth Symphony Summer Chamber Music Workshop and at Interlochen. He had recently learned that he had been accepted to the University of North Texas music school to study bass performance.