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Building bridges to music and community

Empowering the uptown musician community to engage the people of Washington Heights and neighboring communities through exemplary performances and innovative educational programming.

We envision an affordable, outstanding neighborhood concert experience where new listeners and seasoned concert-goers alike feel welcomed and inspired. Founded in August 2015 by composer/conductor Chris Whittaker, violinist Amos Fayette, and Jacob Kallman, WHCO has recently transformed by the musicians of WHCO into an entirely musician-led collective, with our community at the heart of everything that we do.

The Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra is comprised of local, professional musicians who make uptown their home. While most of our audience consists of neighborhood residents, WHCO attracts listeners from all over the city and New Jersey, and has helped to generate new economic activity in the Heights. Among other outlets, we have been listed in the New York Times’ "Today," TimeOut NY's “Critics Pick,” and Gothamist's "Best Things to Do in NYC this Weekend." Our programming has been hailed as “consistently fresh.” We regularly collaborate with other local arts organizations, and in its short life WHCO has become a welcome addition to uptown’s cultural life.

From chamber music, solo recitals, jazz, dance, to orchestra concerts, WHCO strives to be a place that connects great art across genres and cultures and reconnects people in community. We hope to create an experience that celebrates diversity, inspires civic engagement, and enriches your life. We want you to fall in love with our music and be inspired by the positive energy that makes it possible.

Violins
Mark Chien, Concertmaster
Ashley Windle, Assistant Concertmaster
Kelly Talim, Principal
Yoonbe Kim, Assistant Principal
Julia Danitz
Liz Wright

Violas
Oriana Hawley
Hannah Burnett
Brianne Lugo
Pedro Vizzarro Vallejos

Cellos
Valeriya Sholokhova, Principal
Helen Newby
Jacob Nordlinger

Basses
Carlos Barriento

Keyboard
Taketo Kataoka

Harp
Violetta Maria Norrie

Concertmaster

Violinist Mark Chien made his debut at the age of 13 with the Greenwich Symphony. He is the concertmaster of the Sarasota Opera Orchestra and the Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra. Mark is also a member of both the Verbier Festival Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra, as well as a substitute musician with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Mark has collaborated in recital alongside James Dunham, Gil Shaham, David Ying and Scott Yoo among others. He has been heard in some of America’s most renowned concert halls including Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall and the Kennedy Center.

Mark has a Bachelor of Music degree from Rice University and a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School. His principal teachers have been Catherine Cho, Lewis Kaplan, Sylvia Rosenberg and Kathleen Winkler.