LSM Announces 2026 Peter Wessler Honoree
Jayveon from Chicago, Illinois
Lutheran Summer Music is pleased to present the 2026 Peter Wessler Award to Jayveon from Chicago, Illinois.
Peter Wessler served as the LSM Academy Director for 17 years before his death in 2020. LSM established this award in his name to honor him and to ensure his legacy continues into perpetuity: he was known for his unwavering commitment to the LSM community, his care, his attention to detail, and his servant heart.
Jayveon (Jay) was chosen as the designee for this award for his notable social presence, good humor, and contributions to community-building during his years at LSM. As a multi-year returning student (2023-2025), Jay has befriended many new and returning students, and become well known and appreciated by faculty, staff, and worship leaders. As an organist, pianist, and singer, Jay has contributed musically to the Festival Choir, Chapel Choir, and pursued many musical endeavors at LSM, studying piano with Dr. Cole Burger, and organ with Prof. Julian Goods.
Julian Goods shared:
“I can't think of a student more deserving of this award. From the time I met Jayveon, he was always full of life, inquisitive, and a great supporter of his peers' success. I was fortunate to work with him this summer, and in each organ lesson he worked hard, asked thoughtful questions, and grew. I'm proud of the growth Jayveon has shown during his time at LSM, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for him."
Dr. Cole Burger, himself an LSM alum, spent several summers working with Peter Wessler as a faculty member starting in 2012, as well as during his time on student life staff from 2003-2004. Dr. Burger shared:
“I am so happy Jayveon is receiving this award. Peter and him would have gotten along so well. It has been my pleasure to teach Jay for three summers. Jay has grown so much as a musician and person. He's not afraid to do hard work. In a way, he doesn't just participate at LSM; he lives LSM. He is what love for music, people, and faith looks like all in one place. I hope this award will allow him to continue to be a light for others and continue his growth.”
We asked Jay to reflect on his experience as an LSM student. The following comments are a shortened transcription of a spoken interview. Note: some explanations for references have been added in brackets.
What do you remember about your first summer at LSM?
First, I am honored to accept this award.
… I had never been outside of my state by myself. This was a first for me. I was so nervous.
My pastor and grandad drove me down to Valparaiso. I remember the first day, it was a Sunday, and I had on a suit because I had just come from church. I remember all the counselors telling me, “I really like your suit.” And I said, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Looking back on it, I talk to my friends Gabby and Zoe and Maya and they look back on that memory and Gabby saying, “Who does he think he is with that suit?”
After that, I went for my auditions and I was nervous to show my piano playing off in front of (piano faculty) Dr. Burger and Ms. Lee. And they were like, “OK, that was really good.” But then they gave me some music.
Now, I could not read music at all that first year. I could not read the grand staff. Bass clef? Outta here. Treble clef? Maybe one to two notes, and that was it. Well, after that, they said, “OK, now we know what we need to work on!”
Jayveon during LSM 2024 at Valparaiso University
After that, the rest of the day went smooth. I started meeting all these new people. I met my roommate, my first ever roommate, Moses. And I went to my room. And put my suitcase in there, and I come out of my room, and I just hear this deep voice that startled me to death! I was on the phone with my mother. I was frightened and headed to my room to lock my door!
And then heard [imitates deep voice], “Excuse me, do you know where this room is?” I turned around, and it was Alex. My mother said, “What in the world?” But I said, “Yes, I’m just now finding my way around campus. I know where that is. So yes, I can take you down there.”
So, we went, and he auditioned, and I waited for him, and we came back and had a great conversation about religious traditions.
I just remember us laughing about something. It was that at his church, he stands. And at my church, I sit. He said that he stands for about a couple hours for his church service, I said. Well, you’re a warrior, you're a soldier, because I have to sit after about 10 minutes!
We went to evening prayer for the first time that night, and my first initial thought was, “This is crazy. I’ve just heard something about an ‘evening sacrifice,’ and I’ve never heard of that! I was like, NO! What do I do? Why are they saying evening sacrifice? I don’t want to die. I just want to serve God. I hope, I really hope they’re talking about that smoke…” [Laughs]
But I think after maybe after the first day. I was, like, oh my, goodness! This place is amazing! All these people play music, too? It was, it was, it was amazing. It kind of got — I kind of bonded with it a little bit. It was great.
Note from LSM: Jayveon is referring to the frequently used evening prayer liturgy, “Let my prayer rise before you as incense…” that refers to the assembly’s prayers and incense as an “evening sacrifice.”
What was it like for you to come back to LSM as a returning student?
Well, when I came home after my first year, my pastor asked me, “Hey, did you enjoy it?” And I said, I absolutely loved it. I want to go back next year. She said, “We'll see what we can do.” Now, my first year, my church sponsored me to go. The second year, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church sponsored me. I went over to their church and met all the pastors [including Craig Mueller, former LSM chaplain], and played organ for them. That [Holy Trinity’s support] really made it happen.
But there really was another key factor in me coming back, and it was my church father. His name is George E. Manning II. He was the one who was teaching me since I was eight. And he said, “Well, you’re going. And you got to understand that all these people that are here, they also play music. They are also musicians. And I think all of them know how to read music.” And we were just having a conversation about that, and that really made me want to come back.
So, coming back again, I expected most of the stuff from last year. I expected evening prayer every night, morning prayer every morning. I really did expect Seth Hartwell to sing one of the LSM daily note songs.
Jayveon assisting worship at LSM 2025
I had that feeling of: I know what I'm doing now. I can do this. I know how to do this now, and I’d seen some of my first-year student friends, and I was like, I can help them. We can work out our situations together, whatever we're having trouble with.
I had one insecurity I think out of the entire time my second year, and it was that I still could not read music. Everybody around me read music, and they knew how to transpose music, and they knew how to write music. But it was that one insecurity that I got over after some of my friends started showing me how. My friend Evie. She also played a pivotal role and helped me get over my insecurities. She showed me something about the bass clef that made it a little easier to look at, and she was like, “If you need help, just tell me. And I can, I can do it with you.” And I showed her something, too. And it was something on the piano, something about moving through your hands quickly: one, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three. We took that and we rolled with it. And I thought, if Evie can help me with my insecurities about reading music, I know I can help somebody else. All people need is just a little bit of kindness and a little bit of a little bit of warmth in your heart.
I think that second year, the climate started to change, because I started putting myself out there and saying, “Hey, how are you?” So my confidence has grown a lot.
Note from LSM: Jayveon’s “church father” George Edward Manning II died in 2025. In 2026, Jayveon celebrated with his home congregation in having a local street named after him, as the “Honorable George Edward Manning II Way.”
Tell us about some of the people you’ve met, and some of the connections you’ve made.
Seth Hartwell [Academy Director], he’s hilarious. Every time he would make a dad joke, you’d hear me in the back of the hall groaning. But he is really funny, very warm.
Dr. Burger [Piano Faculty] — to be honest, Dr. Burger scared me my first year because I thought he was going to be strict. And he wasn’t. He was really laid-back, really funny, he’d say, “This is what you should do.” Professor Lee, Dr. Kim [other Piano Faculty] — I got to know all three of them through chamber music and piano classes.
Chelsea [Hook, Student Residence Director]. If she’s gonna read this, I wonder if I should say anything good about her. [Laughs] We established our relationship the first year, and decided it would be a frenemy relationship. We would be best friends, but if we didn’t agree on a topic, we would be the worst of enemies next time. We agreed, and we laughed. I told her: “We’re not allies, but we’re not enemies, so we’re going to be friends.” And she said, “Man, I’ll take what I can get.” “Perfect!”
Then, my friend group: Savannah, Maya, Zoe, Mimi, Gabby. Alex and Moses I told you about. I still keep in contact with Zoe and Maya who were there my very first year. Mimi came in last year, and Owen, and Micah came in last year. Micah, that is my best friend — that’s my ride or die down there, Micah. If I want to do something, he’s like “Jay, I don’t agree with you on this, but I’m gonna do it anyway.”
We’ll be here for hours if I name all of them, but those are just some to mention.
What do you think is the most meaningful part of LSM?
Personally, I think LSM is about connecting with other musicians to make music together and grow in faith and community. Now, I know that’s probably the mission statement of LSM.
But for me, yes, it’s connecting. It’s actually meeting these people. It’s praying together. It’s making music together. It’s, “I composed something. I’m about to show you how it goes.” It’s “OK, I have a suggestion!” It’s meeting all these people who are just like you.
Jayveon singing in the LSM 2026 Festival Choir
How do you see yourself as a part of the LSM community — what part did you play?
Hmm. The role that I play at LSM, it was… I was always the one who, it didn’t matter who you were, I would show you kindness 24/7. If people shunned you out, I’d be like, hey, let’s not do that. You know — he probably made a mistake.
When someone came up to me, I brought... soul into LSM. I brought: “OK, you don’t know how to do this? Let me teach you what I did back home. Let me show you the kind of music that I grew up listening to, or this music or whatever.
I’m part of that caring group that, says: “Hey, if you ever need something, I will do my best in order to help you.” Nobody wants to be in that awkward position of, “I don’t know anybody. I’m trying to weasel my way in…” No, let me introduce you to some people, and I introduce myself. And, hey, you’re now, part of this group. You’re now, part of all of us.
It’s always a saying my church father used to say: “Remember kindness. A language that the deaf can hear, and the blind can see.”
Everybody needs kindness. That’s what we don’t have enough of in the world today. If we had more of that, then I believe that the world would be just… sweeter. Just a little sweeter than it is now.
And he’d say, “Bless you” — I think you heard me say that at the choir concert. Bless you.
So I say bless you, God bless you. And: remember kindness.
Jayveon hopes to return to LSM in 2027 for his fourth year as a student, and we certainly hope to see him again.
LSM has established the Peter Wessler Endowment Fund to support students like Jayveon who exemplify the same compassion and dedication to the LSM community that Peter embodied. To date, over 150 contributions have been gathered to support this fund.
Learn more and support the Peter Wessler Endowment Fund below.
