MARIA CAMILA PATIÑO

POI VIRTUOSI ORCHESTRA CONDUCTOR

& director of Premier orchestral institute

Musical training has been a part of Maria Camila's life since childhood. She graduated with a Master’s Degree from the School of Science and Arts at the University of Southern Mississippi, with an emphasis in Orchestral Conducting, where she studied with Dr. Ivan del Prado. Currently, she is part of the private conducting studio of Maestra Teresa Hernandez Vega. Ms. Patino also earned a Bachelor’s Degree from the School of Arts and Letters at the University of Southern Mississippi, with an emphasis in Music Performance in Viola, studying under Dr. Hsiaopei Lee. She also has taken masterclasses with Masumi Per Rostad, Mai Motobuchi, Craig Mumm, Karen Ritscher, John Kochanowski, among others.

Ms. Patino has had the opportunity to collaborate with well-known artists such as The Beach Boys, Transiberian Orchestra, Deborah Voight, Rene Fleming, Oh Jeremiah, and Ilmar Gavilan, among others. She was principal viola on several occasions during her time as a member of the Southern Miss Symphony Orchestra. Currently, she plays with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra and has previously performed with the Gulfcoast Symphony and the Meridian Symphony Orchestra for many years. Ms. Patino is also the co-founder of the Ruah String Trio and the founder of the Global Aqua Music program at Global Adaptive Aquatics in Atlanta, GA, designed to assist children with disabilities. Additionally, she established the Premier Orchestral International Composition Competition in 2023.

Born in Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia, Ms. Patino enjoys passing her love of music that began in her hometown at the age of 4 years old, on to the next generation, with her over 15 years of teaching experience. In 2016, she founded the strings program at Hinds County School District, and since then, she has taken on the roles of operations manager and strings teacher for the outreach programs of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra in public schools. In addition to these roles, she runs her very own private violin studio, conducts the Mississippi Youth Symphony Orchestra, and serves as the director of the Premier Orchestral Institute. Ms. Patino's dedication to music education extends beyond her local community, as she also previously held the position of Festival and Operations Coordinator for the esteemed Heifetz International Summer Music Institute in Staunton, VA.