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PRO ARTE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF GREATER WASHINGTON

Metropolitan Washington DC's Premier Ensemble

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    • Home
    • Maestro
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    • 2021-2022 Concert Season
    • TICKETS
    • Guest Artists
    • Safe Return
    • ♫ Spotlight ♫
    • Governance
    • About
    • Support
    • Hire
    • Contact
    • Social
    • Venue
    • COVID-19 Protocols
    • e-Concert Program
    • 2021-2022 Concert Season
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    • ♫ SPOTLIGHT ♫
    • ♫ SPOTLIGHT ♫
    • Vacancies
    • Listen & Enjoy!
    • RAFFLE
    • PACO & BLM
    • Cancellations - COVID-19
    • Concert Schedule
    • Conductor Laureate
    • GALA
    • Shop Now
    • Media
    • 2019/20 Masterworks Series
    • Christmas in July FLASH SALE
    • Donate

PRO ARTE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF GREATER WASHINGTON

Metropolitan Washington DC's Premier Ensemble

BUY TICKETS
  • Home
  • Maestro
  • The Orchestra
  • Vacancies
  • 2021-2022 Concert Season
  • TICKETS
  • Guest Artists
  • Safe Return
  • ♫ Spotlight ♫
  • Governance
  • About
  • Support
  • Hire
  • Contact
  • Social
  • Venue
  • COVID-19 Protocols
  • e-Concert Program
  • 2021-2022 Concert Season
  • Concertmistress
  • ♫ SPOTLIGHT ♫
  • ♫ SPOTLIGHT ♫
  • Vacancies
  • Listen & Enjoy!
  • RAFFLE
  • PACO & BLM
  • Cancellations - COVID-19
  • Concert Schedule
  • Conductor Laureate
  • GALA
  • Shop Now
  • Media
  • 2019/20 Masterworks Series
  • Christmas in July FLASH SALE
  • Donate
  • …  
    • Home
    • Maestro
    • The Orchestra
    • Vacancies
    • 2021-2022 Concert Season
    • TICKETS
    • Guest Artists
    • Safe Return
    • ♫ Spotlight ♫
    • Governance
    • About
    • Support
    • Hire
    • Contact
    • Social
    • Venue
    • COVID-19 Protocols
    • e-Concert Program
    • 2021-2022 Concert Season
    • Concertmistress
    • ♫ SPOTLIGHT ♫
    • ♫ SPOTLIGHT ♫
    • Vacancies
    • Listen & Enjoy!
    • RAFFLE
    • PACO & BLM
    • Cancellations - COVID-19
    • Concert Schedule
    • Conductor Laureate
    • GALA
    • Shop Now
    • Media
    • 2019/20 Masterworks Series
    • Christmas in July FLASH SALE
    • Donate
  • Home
  • Maestro
  • The Orchestra
  • Vacancies
  • 2021-2022 Concert Season
  • TICKETS
  • Guest Artists
  • Safe Return
  • ♫ Spotlight ♫
  • Governance
  • About
  • Support
  • Hire
  • Contact
  • Social
  • Venue
  • COVID-19 Protocols
  • e-Concert Program
  • 2021-2022 Concert Season
  • Concertmistress
  • ♫ SPOTLIGHT ♫
  • ♫ SPOTLIGHT ♫
  • Vacancies
  • Listen & Enjoy!
  • RAFFLE
  • PACO & BLM
  • Cancellations - COVID-19
  • Concert Schedule
  • Conductor Laureate
  • GALA
  • Shop Now
  • Media
  • 2019/20 Masterworks Series
  • Christmas in July FLASH SALE
  • Donate
    • PRO ARTE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

      OF GREATER WASHINGTON

    • MAESTRO

      Dr. Dimitar Nikolov

      Dimitar Nikolov, a versatile conductor, pianist, and educator, has conducted orchestra and opera performances in the United States and Europe. Audiences have been impressed by his ability to energize the orchestra and to produce a unique sound within a large dynamic range. He has held conducting positions in the US and his native country Bulgaria, including his current position as Music Director/Conductor of Baltimore Philharmonia Orchestra. Dr. Nikolov has appeared as a guest conductor with orchestras in the United States, Austria, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Russia, Romania, and Ukraine.
       
      Dimitar began his career as Assistant Conductor of the Burgas State Opera in Bulgaria. Early in his career he won the Vienna Chamber Orchestra competition and had the opportunity to conduct a subscription concert with one of the world's greatest chamber orchestras. This success led to numerous guest conducting opportunities with most of the major Bulgarian symphony orchestra and his appointment as Music Director/Conductor of the Bulgarian National Wind Symphony. After moving to the US in 1996, Dr. Nikolov served as Music Director/Conductor of the Fort Dodge Symphony and Assistant Conductor of Des Moines Metro Opera, before his current appointment as Music Director of the Baltimore Philharmonia Orchestra. He has conducted concerts in some of the most prestigious world concert halls such as The Kennedy Center of Performing Arts, Mozart Hall (Vienna, Austria), and The National Palace of Culture Concert Hall (Sofia, Bulgaria).
       
      Dimitar has studied with many eminent conductors such as Ilya Mousine, Yury Temirkanov, James Levine, and Alan Gilbert. In 1999, as a fellowship recipient, he spent a summer in Aspen, studying with David Zinman and Murry Sidlin. He has a DMA in Orchestral Conducting from The Catholic University of America and MM from the National Academy of Music-Sofia, Bulgaria.
       
      Dr. Nikolov is also active as an educator. He has served on the music faculty of The Catholic University of America, Waldorf University, Simpson College, the International School of Music, and the Bulgarian National Academy of Music.
       
      Dimitar lives in Annapolis, MD with his wife Nicole, Princess (an old but adorable cocker spaniel), and Mecho (hyperactive American Eskimo). For more information about Dr. Nikolov, please visit his website: www.dimitar-nikolov.com.
    • VACANCIES

      Audition & join the fun - we've got a top-notch ensemble!

       

      Schedule an audition today.

      CLICK HERE TO E-MAIL OUR PERSONNEL MANAGER

      Violin

      Tutti

      Please prepare a short solo work of your choosing (or etude, movement of a concerto or sonata -- sans accompaniment) no more than 2-5 minutes in length, plus the following excerpts:

       

      Ludwig van Beethoven

      Symphony No. 3

      2nd Mvt. – Measure 117 through measure 145

      3rd Mvt. – Beginning to A

       

      Felix Mendelssohn

      Midsummer Night’s Dream

      Scherzo – Beginning thru seven measures after D

       

      W. A. Mozart

      Symphony No. 39

      2nd Mvt. – Beginning to measure 27

       

      Viola

      Tutti

      Please prepare a short solo work of your choosing (or etude, movement of a concerto or sonata -- sans accompaniment) no more than 2-5 minutes in length, plus the following excerpts:

       

      W. A. Mozart

      Symphony No. 35, Haffner

      1st Mvt., Beginning - Measure 66

      4th Mvt., Measure 134 - End

       

      Ludwig van Beethoven

      Symphony No. 5

      Second Movement

      Measures 1-10; 23-37; 49-60; and 98-106.

       

      Gioacchino Rossini

      La Gazza Ladra Overture

      Allegro (bar 62) to G.P. before Letter D

      Violoncello

      Tutti

      Please prepare a short solo work of your choosing (or etude, movement of a concerto or sonata -- sans accompaniment) no more than 2-5 minutes in length, plus the following excerpts:

       

      Ludwig van Beethoven

      Symphony No. 8

      3rd Mvt., Trio with repeat

       

      Johannes Brahms

      Symphony No. 2

      2nd Mvt., beg. to measure 15

       

      W. A. Mozart

      Symphony No. 40

      1st Mvt. – Pick up to measure 115 to 138

      4th Mvt. – Measure 49 through measure 70

       
       
       
    • MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT

      MARGOT MEZVINSKY, VIOLIN

      Get to know Margot...

      How did you come to study your instrument?

      When I was five years old, I started Suzuki Violin lessons in Iowa City, Iowa with a famous teacher, Doris Preucil. When I moved to the DC area at age 10, I began studying with a National Symphony Orchestra violinist, Sam Levy. To this day, I never stop studying how to become a better violinist.

       

      What drew you to this instrument?

      In college, I was a political science major. My junior year, I went to France to study and met a violin teacher that encouraged me to change my major to become a violinist and teacher. I decided that meant my violin needed to be of a certain professional caliber. My uncle had a violin from 1767 from Mittenwald Germany and he said that he would give it to me. I still play that today.

       

      Do you play any other instruments?

      I pursued 2 Masters Degrees in Music Education and Violin Performance. I decided to become a public school strings teacher and it was required to learn how to play all four string instruments: Violin, Viola, Cello and Bass. My primary instrument is violin but I love to play viola, cello and bass when I am teaching at school.

       

      What’s the number one piece on your bucket list to play?

      I always say it is the piece that I am working on at the present time. If I have a concert coming up, those are my favorite pieces to play! For example, I love the Bartok Roumanian Folk Dances on the February program. There is a violin/piano version that I have played in the past but I have never played the version on this concert for string orchestra. As a musician, we spend hours practicing a piece over and over again. After a certain point, that music becomes a part of you and that is why it is hard for me to choose only one piece.

       

      What music do you enjoy when you’re not rehearsing?

      I love all kinds of music! I love to cook to jazz. I love to dance to disco. I love to drive to everything from classical, pop, rap, and country. I love YOUTUBE so that I can listen to all the pieces that I am going to be performing and can analyze the different interpretations. I love to play my Baroque violin that is tuned lower, with gut strings and played with a swan-tip bow. I love Klezmer and world music. I would say that a great musician always draws me in regardless of the type of music.

      Is there a PACO performance from this year that stands out to you? Why?

      Exactly 2 years ago in February 2020 right before covid, we played a beautiful concert of French music.(Debussy,Faure.Roussel, Saint-Saens) Since I studied in France, I really have a certain passion for French music. It was the last time that I played with PACO. It was a terrific performance and I would have never known that a pandemic would stop the world from having public concerts. It has effected all of us musicians in different ways. For me, I missed playing live music and seeing my musical colleagues. I missed the audience. That concert will always stand out in my mind because of the music but what it symbolized.

       

      Who is someone who has been instrumental (ha-ha) and influential in your music career?

      I always say my mother. She played the violin. She told me that I needed to be a well-rounded person and playing an instrument was part of having a good education. All of my sisters played an instrument. She felt that music should be a part of your daily life but it did not have to be a profession. I pass that down to my own three children and to all my students.

       

      Favorite food?

      I love chocolate and can be bribed with it.

       

      Of any historical musical figure, who would you go back and meet?

      I was born on Beethoven’s birthday. I wish that I could be in his orchestra and play all 9 symphonies under his baton. I would love to ask him about his hearing loss and what it was like to be deaf as a musician.

       

      Why do you like performing with PACO?

      PACO is an orchestra of excellent musicians and an outstanding conductor. I want to be part of an ensemble with high standards. In addition, there is a magic or spirituality that one cannot ignore when you are playing music. When I play my violin, I am in another world and hopefully the audience is too.

    • Board of Directors

       

      President & Managing Artistic Director

      William Craig Marlowe

       

      Vice President & Executive Director

      Alisha D. Coleman

       

      Secretary and Personnel Manager

      Dr. Nora Hamme

       

      Treasurer

      VACANT

       

      Directors

      Ashley Bowen-Sanchez, Outreach & Development

      Jane Hughes, Outreach & Development

      Dr. Lois McMahon, Outreach & Development

      Dr. Dimitar Nikolov, Conductor & Music Director

    • About

      DONATE

      Our Mission

      The mission of the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Greater Washington (PACO) is to create intimate, inspirational musical experiences through vibrant music making by the orchestra and chamber ensembles.

       

      Our Vision

      To be the premiere chamber orchestra of the Washington, DC area for traditional classical favorites and new works by underrepresented composers.

       

      Goals

      • To make classical music accessible to everyone in the community.
      • To commission new compositions by composers in the Washington, DC metro area.
      • To perform works by women and minority composers.
      • To showcase local emerging orchestral artists and soloists.
      • To obtain sponsorship to fund the growth of the ensemble

       

    • Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Greater Washington

      EIN: 47-1663450

      DONATE

      Please donate.

      info@PACOdc.org

      The Pro Artè Chamber Orchestra of Greater Washington is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt not-for-profit organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

      PR Materials

      FRIENDS OF PACO

      The main artistic drive behind the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Greater Washington (PACO) is the desire to revitalize the classical music scene from within, by re-imagining & redefining the content and delivery of classical concerts. This means approaching each program or individual work with a fresh mind, searching for ways to make the music more engaging, more inspiring, more profound. Our biggest aim is to fill our audience with the passion we feel about our music and create truly memorable performances.

       

      Your generous gift will help the Pro Artè Chamber Orchestra of Greater Washington make music relevant to new generations of audiences through virtuosic performances that combine a diversity of genres with fresh interpretations of classic works.

       

      If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities (chair endowments, concert/full season dedications, underwriting soloist fees, etc.), please contact our Executive Director, Alisha Coleman at (703) 745-PACO or via e-mail at info@PACOdc.org with your inquiry, questions, or comments about Friends of PACO donor benefits.

       

      Pro Artè Chamber Orchestra of Greater Washington

      612 West Maple Avenue
      Sterling, VA 20164

       

      Thank you for your support!

       

      All Checks should be made payable to PACOdc

      or visit the link below to DONATE securely via paypal

      The Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Greater Washington
      is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt not-for-profit organization.
      Your donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

       
      501(c)(3) Determination           Federal Tax ID Number
       
      DONATE
    • PACO is available for hire and/or collaboration. Our experienced musicians and management team are pleased to cater to the needs of almost any project. Whether you wish to hire an orchestra for a function or event or to accompany your solo project or record your composition. Whatever the event or project, PACO can tailor the orchestra or other associated chamber groups to your musical requirements with excellent quality of performance and management. To discuss your project in more detail and to get a quote, contact Alisha Coleman, Executive Director, at (703) 745-PACO or via e-mail at info@PACOdc.org, or by clicking the email button below.

      EMAIL
    • Contact Us!

      Don't be afraid to reach out. You + us = awesome.

      612 W. Maple Avenue
      Sterling, VA 20164
      1-703-745-PACO
      1-703-745-PACO
      info@PACOdc.org
      Submit
    • Connect With Us

      612 West Maple Avenue
      Sterling, VA 20164

      (703) 745-PACO

    • Concert Venue

      UNITED CHRISTIAN PARISH OF RESTON

      11508 N. Shore Drive, Reston, VA 22190

    • Returning to the Stage Responsibly

      PACO is taking part in the collective effort to control the spread of COVID-19. We are committed to helping the local area and beyond continue to flourish and it’s important that we support community efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by implementing certain procedures: Patrons are required to wear face coverings at all times and in all areas of UCP Reston, including while seated during the performance regardless of age. Face coverings should be worn properly, covering the nose and mouth, and meet Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) standards. Neck gaiters and bandanas are not permitted. It is our hope that wearing masks will help to slow the spread of breakthrough cases, particularly of the OMICRON variant.


      Regardless of vaccination status, please stay home and monitor your health if you have any of the symptoms of COVID-19:


      Cough
      Fever or chills
      Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
      Fatigue
      Muscle or body aches
      Headache
      New loss of taste or smell
      Sore throat
      Congestion or runny nose
      Nausea or vomiting
      Diarrhea


      Please visit this webpage for any updates before you attend your next concert. You can also contact us at
      (703) 745-PACO or via e-mail at info@PACOdc.org if you have any questions.

       

      Thank you for your continued support of PACO.

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