Summer Programs

Dates: July 21 to July 25, 2025  

Presto PACO is our program for string players ages 8 – 13.  Open to both PACO members from SuperStrings, Prep and young musicians from our community, this is a chamber music workshop led by our very own Natasha Makhijani and Jory Fankuchen, and  assisted by a stellar faculty as well as recent PACO graduates.  For SuperStrings and Prep students, your season starts with Presto PACO.  

This is an excellent opportunity to experience PACO’s unique brand of chamber music “magic” for those students not old enough for PACO Camp.  Every student is placed in a string quartet or trio, coached twice daily, given the opportunity to perform in master classes and an end-of-session public performance by each chamber ensemble, songs by the all- camp choir,  plus the all-camp Presto PACO string orchestra which also rehearses daily.   

Auditions for Presto PACO will be available in April 2026.   Current Superstrings and Prep students do not need to audition.

The dates for Presto PACO summer 2026  will be July 20 to July 24, 2026.   

PACO camp marks the official start of each season, and is required for all returning members of Debut, Sinfonia, and Senior PACO.  This intensive chamber music program helps the students prepare for their orchestra rehearsals by learning how to communicate and listen non-verbally,  learning their individual part on a deep level and discovering their artistic voices as they create the characters on the page and bring them into the concert hall.  The intensity of the work leads to powerful results not only during the week of camp, but into our season as we tackle some of the repertoire’s greatest works. From a social perspective, these camps make life-long friends and help everyone connect with PACO prior to our first rehearsals.  

PACO Camp is a week-long chamber music intensive. Set amidst the majestic redwoods of Monte Toyon in Aptos, and is a refreshing break from our normal schedules, where one can practice, rehearse, and perform great chamber music without distractions, as well as relax, socialize, and enjoy the company of our community of musicians.  

At the camp, students are housed in bunk rooms and supervised, socially as well as musically, by a staff of Chamber Music Fellows, conservatory students and recent music school graduates from around the country. Running the program is Music Director Scott Krijnen and our Senior Faculty comprised of top professional chamber musicians from the Bay Area and across the country. This summer’s faculty were Ariana Kim, Jory Fankuchen, Natasha Makhijani, Ben Simon, Eugene Sor, Samsun Van Loom and Wendy Clymer.     

Each camper is assigned a movement (or sometimes two) from a masterwork of the string quartet or string trio repertoire, then placed into an ensemble with their colleagues and friends to rehearse intensively in a collegial and supportive environment.  The daily schedule includes two ensemble rehearsals, chorus, and the Festival Orchestra; masterclasses come later in the week where we practice performing in front of an audience and receiving constructive feedback. On the final Saturday, all student ensembles perform for one and other, and on the final Sunday, we present the PACO Festival Chorus and PACO Festival Orchestra for parents before heading back to the real world.     

PACO camp is an unforgettable experience which soon becomes the favorite week of the year for all involved.  

Dates for PACO Camp summer 2026  will be July 26 to August 2, 2026.