Paolo Dara

Biography

Violinist Paolo Dara is a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan and joined the Atlanta Symphony in 2024. Paolo most recently served as Principal Viola of the Grand Rapids and Principal Second Violin of the Akron Symphony. He gave his first concerto appearance at age 15 with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and has since been featured as soloist with the Grand Rapids Symphony and other local orchestras in Michigan including the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony, Detroit Civic Symphony, and Kent Philharmonic. In addition to solo performances, Paolo has performed in the sections of the Chicago and Detroit Symphonies.

A dedicated chamber musician, Paolo has been heard at several music festivals including the Krzyzowa Music Festival, IMS Prussia Cove, Perlman Music Program Chamber Music Workshop, Chigiana Academy of Music, Montreal International String Quartet Academy, and the Gstaad Menuhin Academy. He has collaborated in chamber music with esteemed artists such as Joseph Silverstein, Jaime Laredo, Sharon Robinson, and Roger Tapping. In addition to his performance career, Paolo co-directs the Plymouth Chamber Players in Grand Rapids, Michigan, alongside musicologist Calvin Van Zytveld and his wife, violinist Karisa Chiu. Together, they strive to inspire new audiences through world-class concerts and support young musicians in the West Michigan area.

Paolo completed his undergraduate studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of Jaime Laredo and Jan Sloman, where he was awarded the Anna Y. Tringas Award for excellence in violin performance. He earned his master's degree at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University studying with Kathleen Winkler. In 2022, Paolo returned to the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he received a graduate diploma as a student of Stephen Rose and won the Sidney D. and Nina Josephs Chamber Music Prize upon graduation. Paolo has worked closely with other teachers including Gerhard Schulz, Joseph Silverstein, and Donald Weilerstein.