Music Director, Benjamin Simon
A native of San Francisco, Benjamiin Simon has performed around the world as a violist with the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Music from Marlboro, and the Naumberg Award-winning New World String Quartet. He has served as principal violist with the Buffalo Philharmonic as well as the Los Angeles and New Century Chamber Orchestras. Mr. Simon studied with Raphael Hillyer at Yale College and was a graduate student of Lillian Fuchs at the Juilliard School. He has studied and performed chamber music with members of the Budapest, Guarneri, Amadeus, and Juilliard Quartets. Mr. Simon has recorded for MCA Classics, Vox, Musical Heritage Society, Centaur, CRI, and Laurel Records, and was awarded Grand Prix du Disque in 1991 with the New World String Quartet. He has taught at Harvard University and joined the faculty of Stanford University in 1992 as a member of the Stanford String Quartet. He is currently in his fourth year as Music Director of the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra. He is also on the chamber music faculty at UC Berkeley and is the Music Director of the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra. |
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…from the Music Director
Without music, life would be a mistake" --Nietzsche
This expression by the famous 19th century German philosopher, a contemporary and admirer of Beethoven, still rings true in today's fast-paced world. Away from cell phones, computer screens, and video games our talented young musicians apply themselves to an age-old craft: a few well-shaped pieces of wood, a little horsehair and rosin, a lot of dedication and careful application of hard-won technique, and the black dots on the music page come alive and fill the concert hall with glorious music.
Every young musician in PACO is an equal partner in our musical enterprise - this is the essence of chamber music. From SuperStrings to Senior PACO, our level of experience may vary but our commitment to the highest-quality performance and our joy in playing this wonderful repertoire for you remains the same.
The passion of youth - the thrill of music-making... Make no mistake, and come hear PACO for yourself!
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