Concert To Benefit Del Ray School of Music Owner Battling Cancer

ALEXANDRIA, VA — With Del Ray School of Music owner Steve Attix battling cancer, a benefit concert will be held to help support him and his family.

The Rock for Steve concert will be held Saturday, Aug. 3 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Pat Miller Neighborhood Square (Mount Vernon and Oxford Avenues). Attendees will hear live music from local bands Matvei Sigalov, The Hip Replacements, Jack & the Jokers, 38-2 Base, LYNSY and All the Smoke. The concert is free to attend, but donations will be collected to help Attix and the Del Ray School of Music.

Attix was diagnosed with T3 muscle-invasive bladder cancer in April, his wife Mary Ellen Attix shared on a GoFundMe page. In July, he is starting a treatment involving chemotherapy and will later get surgery to remove his bladder.

"Steve is strong but the treatment will be difficult and there will be tremendous pressure on the business," said Attix. "Steve is the owner of the Del Ray School of Music and the primary income provider for our household. He is strong and determined, but the reality is that his treatment may mean that he will be unable to teach as frequently as he has always done."

Mary Ellen Attix said her husband's treatments will prompt a reduction in hours at Del Ray School of Music. She asked for the community to help the family and business "get through this challenging time" through the GoFundMe.

The Rock for Steve concert organizers credit him with teaching music to thousands of people over 24 years. He has also promoted the Del Ray neighborhood since starting the business 24 years ago and helped start the Del Ray Music Festival.

"If you head to the farmers’ market on Saturday mornings, look in the windows of the school and you will see Steve teaching a child to play guitar, piano, violin or many other instruments," Mary Ellen Attix shared. "If you are walking down the Avenue late one weeknight, you’ll see him working with adults in our community, playing with them in bands he helped form and promote. He is always there — teaching, instilling confidence and sharing his love of music."