MAESTRO MONDAY! Throwback with the Festival's amazing Concert Master, Albanian violinist Paçalin Zef Pavaci! Pavaci was a guest professor at Showa University in Tokyo (1999 to 2006) and for nearly a decade, Concertmaster of the Petruzzelli Theatre in Bari, Italy. There, he met Maestro Lorin Maazel and joined the Castleton Festival in 2009. Pavaci has appeared as Guest Concertmaster of many significant orchestras worldwide. He is a renowned violin pedagogue and orchestral educator, and has performed with: Maazel, Prêtre, Galway, Plasson, Luisi, Cobos, Tate, Ashkenazy, and Runnicles. Maestro said of Pavaci: “I am impressed by his talent as a violinist and as concertmaster. His dedication to the music is amazing...as are his musical talents...He animates the music and his colleagues...I relied on his leadership and his great experience.” Such fond memories we have of working with Paçalin, and we've been excited to watch his career grow and blossom as it has. Such an amazing talent! (fb)

Tucked in the rolling hills of Rappahannock County, VA, there’s a quiet magic that fuels everything we do. From golden fields and winding country roads to misty mountain views and star-filled skies, this breathtaking corner of Virginia is more than just our home — it’s our muse. The natural beauty, the stillness, the sense of place... it inspires our music, our mentoring, and the spirit of creation that lives at the heart of the Castleton Festival. Every note sung, every lesson shared, every performance given is shaped by this landscape — and we’re endlessly grateful to be part of it. Come visit. Come listen. Come be inspired. www.castletonmusic.org (fb)