WoCo Fest 2025: Uplift Opening Concert
$30 ($10 student)
- Chao Tian, Chinese hammered dulcimer
- Olivia Hajioff, violin
- Marc Ramirez, viola
- Leah Claiborne, piano
- Amrita "Ami" Kaur Dang, sitar & voice
- New Choir of Mt. Vernon
- Laura Metcalf, cello
- Rupert Boyd, guitar
- Alex Hamburger, flute & voice
Prepare to experience an evening of music that uplifts, inspires, and resonates long after the final note. Be captivated by performances by Chinese dulcimer instrumentalist Chao Tian, violin/viola duo Marcolivia Duo, pianist/scholar/educator Leah Claiborne, sitarist/vocalist/composer Ami Dang, the New Choir of Mt. Vernon, classical guitar/cello duo Boyd Meets Girl, and The Alex Hamburger Quartet. This electrifying Opening Concert of WoCo Fest 2025: Uplift shines a spotlight on the boundless creativity of Maryland and DC-based musicians. From mesmerizing melodies to bold new sounds, there's something to uplift every listener.
WoCo Fest 2025: Uplift is a two-day festival celebrating music by all gender-marginalized composers, taking place May 30–31 at the Mansion at Strathmore and outdoors on the Strathmore campus.
About Marcolivia Duo
Marcolivia is an award-winning violin and violin/viola duo who performs music from all styles and periods, including Folk Music and Salon/Virtuoso works and their own arrangements. Concerts of Baroque music and works by 20th century composers are also offered, as well as humorous and dazzling "showpieces" for family concerts.
The Marcolivia Duo has been featured many times on NPR's Performance Today and Front Row Washington. They have been regular guest artists at the Tokyo College of Music, Japan, and have performed for the Federal Reserve Board in Washington DC, for the Hungarian American Coalition at the Cosmos Club, and annually at the Phillips Collection (where they are included on several CDs of Series Highlights and Distinguished Performers), also the Kennedy Center, Strathmore, Cleveland Museum Of Art, Merkin Hall and Symphony Space, NYC.
https://www.facebook.com/p/Marcolivia-100042407153728/About Boyd Meets Girl
Boyd Meets Girl pairs Australian classical guitarist Rupert Boyd with American cellist Laura Metcalf. The duo has toured the world sharing their eclectic mix of music from Debussy and Bach to Radiohead and Beyoncé, and their two studio albums have been streamed well over 2 million times on Spotify alone. Both acclaimed soloists in their own right, Boyd has been described as “truly evocative” by The Washington Post, and as "a player who deserves to be heard" by Classical Guitar Magazine, while Metcalf, also a member of the ensembles Break of Reality and The Overlook has been called "brilliant" by Gramophone.
The duo arrange much of their repertoire themselves, drawing inspiration from artists across all genres, and often speak from the stage about the works to create an engaging, conversational concert experience that breaks down boundaries not only between musical genres but between audience and performer.
https://www.boydmeetsgirlduo.com/About Chao Tian, Chinese hammered dulcimer
About Olivia Hajioff, violin
Violinist Olivia Hajioff, a Fulbright scholar, was born in London. From the age of seven to seventeen she studied at the Royal Academy of Music. She was a finalist in the European Violin Competition at the age of twelve and was a regional winner in the BBC Young Musician of the Year at seventeen. She performed regularly on British television and on Radio London.
Ms. Hajioff has toured regularly with Daniel Heifetz throughout the United States performing Bach's Double Violin Concerto amongst other works. She has performed solo and chamber recitals throughout Europe, Japan, and North America. She and Marc Ramirez perform as the Marcolivia Duo, a violin and violin/viola duo giving over 30 concerts annually in recital and as double concerto soloists.
About Marc Ramirez, viola
Dr. Marc Ramirez, professor of violin and viola at Shenandoah University since 1996, was born in Washington, DC. He studied at Peabody Conservatory as an undergraduate, Yale University for his Master's and University of Maryland for his doctorate in both violin performance and pedagogy. Since 1997, he has performed with his wife as the Marcolivia Duo.
https://www.violinist.com/directory/bio.cfm?member=MarcoliviaAbout Leah Claiborne, piano
Leah Claiborne, D.M.A., promotes diversity in the arts by championing piano music by Black composers in her performances, research, and teaching. She was the first pianist at the University of Michigan to be awarded the Rackham Predoc fellowship which is the most prestigious fellowship awarded by the graduate school. This fellowship allowed her to further research, compile, and edit piano music by Black composers.
https://www.leahclaiborne.com/About Amrita "Ami" Kaur Dang, sitar & voice
Amrita "Ami" Kaur Dang is a South Asian-American vocalist, sitarist, composer and producer from Baltimore. Her sound blends elements of North Indian classical, noise/ambient electronics, beat-driven psych and experimental dance pop. The work references her hybrid identity as a first-generation South Asian-American, Sikh upbringing, musical education, as well as the chaos and spirituality of the landscapes of both Baltimore and urban India.
Picking up her first sitar when she was twelve years old, Dang has studied North Indian classical music (voice and sitar) in both New Delhi and Maryland, and she also holds a degree in music technology & composition from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. Following in the footsteps of artists like Ravi Shankar and Philip Glass, she seeks to advance the sound of contemporary experimental, pop, and electronic music with the sounds of South Asia—through vocals and sitar, ragas, and sampling. And vice versa, she aims to bring a broader sound palette to the legacy of South Asian music. These goals are a lifelong mission. To that end, she has collaborated with Animal Collective, William Cashion (of Future Islands), James Acaster, Thor Harris—to name a few. She has provided tour support for Beach House, black midi, Grimes, Lower Dens, Florist, and more.
https://www.amidang.com/About New Choir of Mt. Vernon
NCMV is a volunteer choir centering new music est. 2024!
https://linktr.ee/ncmv