Artistic Director

El Sistema-Venezuela

Marco Escobar

A Venezuelan native, Marco Escobar enjoys a career of both teaching and performing. Living in Charlottesville, Virginia, he serves as artistic music director of the Monticello High School Orchestra, Walton and Burley Middle Schools.

Marco began his music studies at the age of twelve in the small town of San Felipe, Venezuela. There he was member of the Venezuelan system of youth orchestras better known as "El Sistema". After four years, the young musician moved to the capital Caracas. While going to high school and studying music at the Simon Bolivar Conservatory, he had earned a position as a violinist with the Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho Symphony Orchestra and then with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Venezuela. Marco studied two years of law school, however he found that his passion was truly in music and decided to move abroad to pursue a higher education in violin performance. Marco enrolled at the New World School of The Arts in Miami, Florida and soon after at the University of Oklahoma under the tutelage of Felicia Moye and Diane Pascal. Marco was member of the University of Oklahoma Graduate String Quartet and served as graduate teacher assistant in violin under the tutelage of Felicia Moye.

Before moving to Virginia, Marco held orchestral positions with the Gran

Mariscal de Ayacucho Symphony Orchestra (Venezuela), The Venezuela Symphony Orchestra, the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, The Lawton Philharmonic (Oklahoma), The Accademia Filharmonica (Oklahoma), the Fort Smith Symphony Orchestra (Arkansas), The Early Music Enssemble (UVA-Virginia) and the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra (Virginia). Marco Performs regular violin/piano recitals in Charlottesville with Dr.Arnold Popkin. In addition, he performs with other local ensembles such as the Virginia Consort Orchestra,

the Oratorio Society Orchestra, and The Charlottesville Symphony.

Marco's philosophy of teaching is based on the development of the individual as a true musician and performer. Marco’s curriculum includes foundations of music performance, music theory, music technology, music history, and world music. String techniques are based on the teaching principles of Ivan Galamian.

Marco shares his life with his wife Christa who also enjoys a teaching career as a speech and language pathologist in Charlottesville, his thirteen year old son Christophe Antonio, and his nine years old son Anders Mateo. In his free time, Marco enjoys practicing, reading, traveling, eating ethnic food, and spending time with his family in the outdoors.

BM --Violin Performance, University of Oklahoma
MME --String Pedagogy, University of Oklahoma