• “Far from the Roses,” Minor Alps
• “Luna Lovers,” Las Cafeteras 
• “Full Circle,” Ben Kweller
• “Spoonful,” Howlin’ Wolf
• “Always,” Rilo Kiley
• “Olesafrica,” Elikeh 
• “Listen Here!” Albert Collins and the Icebreakers
• “Team,” Lorde
• “The Widow Paris,” The Get Up Kids
• “Pieces of Me,” Rare Essence
• “When I Was Young,” Nada Surf
• “Traicionera,” Sergio Mendoza y La Orkestra 
• “Wolf like Me,” TV on the Radio
• “Roof with a Hole,” Meat Puppets 

Fifty-five years after Led Zeppelin and the Who shared the stage for the first and last time at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, Dave Simmons, CAS/MA ’13, continues to foster creative collaborations at the storied venue.

In April, the director of programming for the Merriweather Arts and Culture Center helped bring together on the main stage Tank and the Bangas—the Grammy-nominated New Orleans-based funk, soul, and hip-hop group—and the Howard County Youth Orchestra. Last year, the talented teenagers from 13 area high schools also performed with indie rock band Guster.

“The arts are at their best when they’re building community,” Simmons says. “We see ourselves as an important player in supporting arts and culture for future generations of [Marylanders].”

That engagement extends beyond the bright lights of the main stage.

Simmons oversees the annual Columbia Festival of the Arts and LakeFest in downtown Columbia, which features a juried invitational fine arts and crafts show. He also manages events in the Merriweather District, including Color Burst Park.

Simmons is a graduate of AU’s arts management program, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The visual artist and lifelong music lover says the master’s program married his “passion and creativity with the administrative skills necessary to craft a budget and write donor letters. AU is where it all came together.”

Tune in to Simmons’s mix on Spotify.