Maestro Dietrich Paredes
Music Director
Maestro Dietrich Paredes believes that community orchestras are capable of far more than simply playing concerts: they can create performances that move audiences, challenge musicians, and transform communities through the power of great music.
Since becoming Music Director of the Reston Community Orchestra in 2024, he has brought that vision to life through passionate performances, ambitious programming, and an uncompromising commitment to musical expression.
A Global Musical Perspective
A distinguished conductor from Venezuela, Paredes is a graduate of the renowned El Sistema program, which has produced many of the world’s leading musicians and conductors. His career has taken him to concert halls and festivals across South America, Europe, Australia, and the United States, where he has earned recognition for both his artistry and his dedication to developing young musicians.
International Leadership
As Music Director of the Caracas Youth Orchestra beginning in 2008, Paredes led the ensemble on international tours throughout South America, Asia, and Europe, appearing at festivals including Salzburg, Beethovenfest in Bonn, the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, the Dvořák Festival in Prague, and the Ravello Festival in Italy.
Guest Conducting
His guest conducting career has included engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestra della Tosca in Italy, the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the Toulon Symphony Orchestra in France, and the Australian Youth Orchestra.
Music Education
In 2024, Paredes collaborated with Maestro Gustavo Dudamel and the New York Philharmonic during its centennial celebration of the Young People’s Concerts, preparing a 95-member youth ensemble as part of a weeklong festival celebrating music education.
Since relocating to the Washington, D.C., area in 2017, Paredes has become an influential conductor and educator throughout the region. At the Reston Community Orchestra, he continues to build on Maestro Dingwall Fleary’s extraordinary legacy while inspiring the orchestra to pursue ever greater artistic possibilities. His vision reminds us that the power of great music lies not only in technical excellence, but in its ability to move, challenge, and connect us through shared musical experiences.