Adjunct Faculty, Aural Skills, Dewberry School of Music, CVPA
Contact Information
Campus: Fairfax
Building: de Laski Performing Arts Bldg
Mail Stop: 3E3
Email: jmegna@gmu.edu
Biography
Dr. Juan Megna will be teaching Aural Skills I in the Spring 2026 semester at George Mason University. A drummer/percussionist from Argentina who has lived for 12 years in Brazil, Juan earned his degree in Brazilian Popular Music at the State University of Campinas in 2008 . He earned his master's degree in jazz performance at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 2017. Juan moved to Washington D.C. area to pursue a Doctor of Musical Arts at George Mason University with a concentration in Jazz Studies and graduated with the DMA degree in 2021.
In Brazil, he played and/or recorded with many prestigious artists such as Vinicius Dorin (Hermeto Pascoal), Jarbas Barbosa (Banda Mantiqueira), Rubinho Antunes, Felipe Silveira (Rosa Passos), Marcos Souza (Johnny Alf), Bruno Mangueira, Rafael dos Santos, Budi Garcia, Albano Sales among many others. Considered a versatile musician, he was part of many groups and ensembles, including the Unicamp Symphony Orchestra (Campinas, SP) and the Brazilian percussion Ensemble “Tambaleio” among others.
In Cincinnati, he was an active member of the local music scene. He played with Craig Bailey, Phil deGreg, Kim Pensyl, Rusty Burge, Aaron Jacobs among others. He also formed, with Thiago Camargo and Kevin Mc Clennan, the Brasa Trio, performing a repertoire of Brazilian Standards and new composers.
Juan Megna served as esteemed director of the Mason Latin American Ensemble. The Latin American Ensemble has performed at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, and in spring 2019, was awarded “Outstanding Performance – Graduate College, Latin group” in the 42nd annual DownBeat magazine Student Music Awards. Additionally, he was selected to present his clinic “The Brazilian 16th-note phrasing through Cabula rhythm, Samba, and Bossa Nova" at the Jazz Education Network (JEN) conference in New Orleans, LA.
As a performer in the DC musical scene, Dr. Juan Megna performs with Mike Cemprola, David Jernigan, Wade Beach, Cris Stiles, among others. He also plays with Latin local artists, such as Emmanuel Trifilio, Cristian Perez (Argentina), Cissa Paz and Rafael Pondé (Brazil).
Adjunct Faculty
- Aural Skills I
Degrees
- DMA, George Mason University
- MM, Jazz Studies, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
- BA, State University of Campinas, Brazil