History

The Pan American Symphony Orchestra (PASO) was founded with the purpose of highlighting Latin American music that is rarely performed and unfamiliar to the concert public.  Committed to providing quality performances of a symphonic and ensemble repertoire, the orchestra emphasizes original compositions by Latin American composers, combined with standard orchestral literature.  In its effort to educate American audiences about the music of distinct Latin American cultures, the orchestra provides an on-going concert series and showcases performing artists of Latin American origin. The orchestra over the years has created opportunities for gifted young Latin American orchestral musicians and soloists, including vocal and dance, to perform with a symphonic ensemble.    Since 1993, PASO has been the ensemble-in-residence at Trinity University, Washington, DC.

Now in its 18^th season of performances, PASO has received critical acclaim from its audiences and the press.  Always on the cutting edge of symphonic performances, PASO recently commissioned a new work for orchestra by the eminent contemporary Mexican composer, Arturo Marquez, as part of PASO’s Mexican Journeys 2002, Washington, DC’s first Mexican music festival.  Danzón No. 7 wa s dedicated to Maestro Buslje and premiered at the Lisner Auditorium on June 1, 2002. PASO has premiered the works of another talented Mexican composer, Jose Elizondo, and commissioned a new work by him in 2002, La Leyenda del Quetzal y la Serpiente. With support from the Humanities Council of Washington, DC, and the Mexican Cultural Institute, PASO offered its audiences three “meet the composers” receptions, with invited Mexican composers, Arturo Marquez, Jose Elizondo, and Samuel Zyman. 

 PASO’s programming shows daring innovation and creative imagination.  In 1999, the orchestra dedicated a season to Latin American woman composers and premiered a work by Argentine composer, Elsa Calcagno.  PASO was also the first orchestra in the Washington, DC area to perform the unusual, but beautifully melodic, tango-opera Maria de Buenos Aires, by Astor Piazzolla.  The orchestra has featured rarely performed works by composers from Argentina (Carlos Guastavino, Jose Bragato, Luis Milici, etc.), from Mexico (Marquez, Moncayo, Ponce, Samuel Zyman, etc.), from Ecuador (Bueno, Aizaga, etc.), Cuba (Brower, Lecuona, etc.), Brazil (Villa-Lobos, Guarneri, Rosauro, etc.), among others.  Nearly every season, PASO performs works from Spain, in particular zarzuelas and short operas, such as La Vida Breve by Manuel de Falla, Luisa Fernanda by Moreno Torroba, and Goyescas by Granado.s 

PASO has hosted the National Symphony Orchestra of Honduras in an orchestra exchange project in 2000 that led to a performance at the Organization of American States, and also set up master classes for the Honduran musicians with musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra, the National Opera House Orchestra, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. 

In addition, PASO has collaborated with many other music and arts groups in the Washington area, such as the all-Spanish language-singing group, Coral Cantigas, the gospel choir from St. Augustine’s Catholic Church, the Arlington Metropolitan Choir, the Baltimore City College choir, the Aurora Guitar Quartet from Baltimore, among others. Moreover, PASO has received support from the Embassies of Spain, Ecuador and Argentina, and the Mexican Cultural Institute and has concerts at the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Bank for Development, the World Bank.

Strongly committed to serving the community, the orchestra has performed benefit concerts for a variety of causes in the city, such as the Rachel's Women's Center of Washington, DC, a Christmas concert for the Crossways Community of Wheaton, Maryland, a concert for the opening presentation of the Festival Latinoamericano a La Comunidad, a program at St. Matthew's Cathedral to celebrate the signing of the peace accords in El Salvador, a concert for Catholic Charities Refugee Programs, and performances for the U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, for the U.S. Department of Justice's Executive Office for Immigration Review's Cultural Day Celebration, and Inter-American Music Friends.