Debut Orchestra Season Finale Concert, Presented by the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra

Free admissions. Seats are limited so please reserve your seats in advance.

https://www.pacomusic.org/events/2025-26/debut-may-30-2026

Join us for the Debut Orchestra Season Finale on May 30th at 2 PM!

The concert will feature two of our concerto opportunity winners- Allison Prakalapakorn from the Senior PACO Orchestra will play Giovanni Bottesini Double Bass Concerto No. 2 in B minor, 1st movement, and Noa Kumayama from the Prep Orchestra will play Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, K. 219, 1st movement.

The Debut orchestra will present a few modern pieces - selected movements from Suite for Strings by Joan Trimble, The Rebel by Piotr Szewczyk, Choreography by Norman Dello Joio, and chamber works by Dvořák and Schubert.

We hope you’ll join us for this special afternoon of music and celebration!

2025-26 Concerto Opportunity Winners:

Sixteen-year-old double bassist Allison Prakalapakorn is a junior at Castilleja School. Her musical education began at age 5, learning piano under Anjela Asryan. This is her fifth year with PACO. She is also a member of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and currently serves as their Principal Bassist. She has been selected for California All-State ensembles for the past five years and was the Principal Bassist for the 2025 California All-State High School Symphony Orchestra. In previous summers, she has attended the Interlochen Arts Academy Double Bass Intensive and Boston University Tanglewood Institute Double Bass Workshop, and will be performing with the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) this upcoming summer. Outside of orchestra, Allison plays the electric bass in a rock band with friends and enjoys drawing, painting, and printmaking.

Noa Kumayama is a 13-year-old violinist who began her musical journey of violin seven years ago. She joined PACO in 2024. Noa enjoys listening to each part of the orchestra come together as one, whether in the Cubberly practice room or in the performance hall. She often listens to Hilary Hahn and Itzhak Perlman for inspiration. She has previously won prizes in USIMC, USOMC, and Great Composers Competition. Noa has also performed in the Junior Bach Festival, and as a soloist in Davies Symphony Hall, as well as Chicago Symphony Hall. She currently studies with Chen Zhao, and previously studied with Noriko Iwamoto. Outside of music, she enjoys playing volleyball and hanging out with her friends.

About Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra:

“This amazing group of musicians is one of the finest and most talented I have heard.” -Itzhak Perlman

The Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra (PACO) is an award-winning youth orchestra for regional string musicians of high school age and younger. PACO's five ensembles, SuperStrings, Preparatory, Debut, Sinfonia, and Senior PACO, each have approximately 25-30 members who rehearse weekly and perform throughout the year, presenting an extraordinary level of music-making and commitment to their art.

At PACO, we believe that making music and lifelong friends are best achieved in an atmosphere of cooperation and teamwork. Our focus on small orchestras and chamber music makes that possible, and we minimize internal competition to foster creativity and collaboration for our young musicians. PACO students get many opportunities to work with each other across orchestra levels, knitting our musical family together and providing teaching and learning opportunities for all. Teamwork, compassion, empathy, and imagination are hallmarks of our community. More than just learning how to play the notes, our students learn the real meaning and value of playing well with others.

Our emphasis on chamber music uniquely sets PACO apart from other youth programs. It lies at the core of our educational success, allowing a highly personalized commitment to both our students and our community.

Members of the Debut, Sinfonia, and Senior PACO orchestras attend PACO camp, our annual chamber music workshop in August, where advanced ensemble training takes place under the watchful eyes (and ears) of a nationally renowned faculty.

Presto PACO is a shorter, local version of PACO Camp. This 5-day workshop for young string players ages 8-13 is open to members of our Superstrings and Preparatory orchestras, and other community musicians by audition.

PACO was founded in 1966 by local violinist, teacher, and conductor William Whitson, who served as the orchestra's music director for 36 years. During that time, Mr. Whitson established PACO as one of the nation's premier youth ensembles. From 2002 to 2023, violist Benjamin Simon continued the tradition of excellence while bringing fresh energy and exciting direction to PACO's programs. Appointed Music Director in 2023, cellist Scott Krijnen has taken the baton from Mr. Simon, leading the 5-orchestra organization and collaborating with guest conductors, fellows, and faculty, while continuing to bring excellence in music performance and education through chamber music and chamber orchestras.

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