PACO Holiday Extravaganza Concert with Mads Tolling, Grammy Award-Winning Jazz Violinist

General Admission: $50; Children under 10/Senior: $25

https://www.pacomusic.org/events/2025-26/holiday-extravaganza-december-7-2025

You’re warmly invited to Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra’s 9th Annual Holiday Extravaganza — our signature fundraising celebration that helps support the many exceptional programs PACO proudly offers!

This year’s Extravaganza features special guest Mads Tolling Grammy award-winning jazz violinist for an afternoon of Jazz Hip-hop and funk. Senior PACO will also perform Turina’s La Oración del Torero and the 4th movement of Brahms’ Bb Sextet. Come see ALL FIVE orchestras share on the concert stage as our Holiday Extravaganza delights concert goers with dazzling artistry while we kick off the holiday season by celebrating that together we’re better.

Our ensembles will be led by PACO’s Resident Conductors - Natasha Makhijani Debra Fong Jory Fankuchen Eugene Sor - and Music Director Scott Krijnen.

We invite you to arrive at 2:00 PM for a pre-concert reception featuring complimentary finger foods hot chocolate and warm seasonal beverages.

If you have young musicians in your family - or friends and families curious about PACO - the Holiday Extravaganza is a perfect opportunity to experience the full breadth of our orchestras and discover what makes the PACO community so special.

About Mads Tolling:

MADS TOLLING is an internationally renowned violinist and composer originally from Copenhagen Denmark now living in San Francisco. As a former nine-year member of both bassist Stanley Clarke’s band and the celebrated Turtle Island Quartet Mads won two Grammy Awards and he was nominated for a third Grammy in 2015. Recently he was the 2016 winner of the DownBeat Critics Poll Rising Star Violin Award. Mads has performed with Chick Corea Ramsey Lewis Kenny Barron Paquito D’Rivera Leo Kottke and Sergio & Odair Assad.

After graduating Berklee College of Music in 2003 he was recommended by Jean-Luc Ponty to join Stanley Clarke’s band. He has since been featured on NPR’s Morning Edition and his recordings have received rave reviews in Washington Post San Francisco Chronicle Strings Magazine and DownBeat Magazine. Mads has performed for Danish royalty – Prince Frederik & Princess Mary – at the celebration of The Danish Embassy’s 50-year Anniversary. 

Mads has twice been commissioned to write violin concertos – for Oakland Symphony and Pacific Chamber Orchestra. He has performed his symphonic works and soloed with orchestras around the US and Japan.

Mads now leads his own groups - Mads Tolling Quartet and Mads Tolling & The Mads Men. His latest release Playing the 60s is a reimagination of classic songs from 1960s film TV and radio such as “A Taste of Honey” and “Mission Impossible.” The album released in 2017 features vocalists Kenny Washington and Spencer Day and spent two months on US jazz radio’s top 30. 

With his groups Mads has performed over a thousand concerts around the world including at The Hollywood Bowl Library of Congress and at the Bay Area’s Paramount and Herbst Theatres. As a featured Yamaha Artist Mads leads clinics and masterclasses in the US and internationally.

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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