WHO WE ARE
Founder, Maestro Lorin Maazel
For over five decades, Lorin Maazel was one of the world’s most esteemed and sought-after conductors, with a career spanning 73 years of professional music-making. A second-generation American born in Paris, Lorin Maazel began violin lessons at age five, and conducting lessons at age seven with Vladimir Bakaleinikov.
Alongside his prodigious performing activity, Maestro Maazel devoted much time to nurturing young artists as part of his strong belief in the value of sharing his experience with the next generation of musicians. In The New York Times, he talked about his goal with the Castleton Festival: “Apparently folks out there have been wondering for years when the time would come where a major conductor would sit back and say, ‘Now it’s time for me to tell all of you what this is really all about.’ ”
From the official inception of the Castleton Festival in 2009 until Maestro’s passing in 2014 he developed a unique brand of mentorship by inviting young outstanding talents into his home in rural Virginia. According to Dietlinde Turban Maazel, “he felt that there was no comparable “mentorship” program like Castleton that would be as comprehensive in addressing a wide spectrum of knowledge that he said was essential for a conductor: foreign languages and literature, philosophy, history, psychology, etc, in addition to the profound understanding of music. Sometimes he would say ‘conducting cannot be taught,’ but he was constantly searching for ways to ‘pass on the baton’ and pass on his ‘secrets’ that made him such a remarkable master.”
Maestro Maazel passed away in Virginia on July 13, 2014.
Artistic Director, Dietlinde Turban Maazel
Dietlinde Turban Maazel’s first stage appearance at the age of 19 as Gretchen in Goethe’s Faust at Munich State Theatre brought her national fame. Thanks to scores of films and TV plays, she won Germany’s coveted Bambi Award as Best Actress of the Year (1983).
Dietlinde Turban Maazel’s background includes 44 years of working as a performer and educator, as well as continued training in vocal performance, yoga, ayurvedic nutrition, and psychology (Expressive Arts Therapy, Psychodrama and Somatic Experiencing).
In 2009 Ms. Turban Maazel co-founded the Castleton Festival with her late husband, Maestro Lorin Maazel where she taught at the “Castleton Artists Training Seminar” (CATS), the Festival’s Young Artist Program.
In 2013 Ms. Turban Maazel created the course “Acting for Singers” for Rutgers University where she taught for nine years. She regularly holds masterclasses nationwide and abroad, as a guest faculty member of the International Vocal Arts Institute (IVAI – NYC and Montreal), the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt, the Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal, and Highland Opera Studios, Ontario.
After Maestro Maazel’s passing in 2014, she stepped in as Artistic Director and CEO of the Castleton Festival.
MEET THE TEAM
Jared Alan Yoakem
Artistic Administrator
Jared Alan Yoakem is a pianist from Grand Rapids, MI. He is the Artistic Administrator and a collaborative pianist of the Castleton Festival. As a recitalist and collaborator, he is in demand at numerous universities and venues of the Southeast U.S. He has been awarded with the Dean’s Advisory Council Award for outstanding achievement in music from Belmont University. The Castleton Festival has become a critical part of his career as an artist, and in his life. Each time Dietlinde steps on stage to receive her applause, he get goosebumps knowing that her success is his. He is so thankful for her trust in him as an administrator and as an artist carrying steadfast a piece of Maestro’s legacy.
Julia Maria Johnson
Marketing & Engagement Manager
Julia Maria Johnson is an American soprano, educator, and social media / marketing / engagement consultant for the arts. In her career as an award-winning opera singer, she prides herself on pushing the boundaries of opera, celebrating new composers, and broadening the perceptions of how accessible “classical” music and opera can be. She is committed to advocating for the integration of classical music into the social media scene to highlight the artists that give so much of themselves to this industry. Her mission is to increase accessibility and exposure to classical music, contribute to thoughtful and creative content creation, support artists in sharing their most authentic selves online, and inspire the spark of curiosity (that will hopefully turn into a life-long musical love affair) in the next generation of audiences. Ms. Johnson fell in love with Castleton when she participated as a vocalist in the Vocal Immersion Program 2023, and she is thrilled to be contributing her gifts and her voice to this organization.
Jennifer A. Tepper
MARKETING TEAM - PROMOTION
Jennifer Tepper is a writer and artist who works with non-profit organizations in website design and management, social media management, newsletter and blog content, advertising and promotion. Prior to her own fine art and consulting businesses, Ms. Tepper had a 15-year career in commercial real estate in Washington, DC, in marketing, leasing, and property management. Ms. Tepper is a fine art oil painter in addition to her consulting work. A longtime resident of Rappahannock County, VA, she enjoyed performances at Castleton for many years prior to joining the marketing team in the beginning of 2022. She is honored to work with Dietlinde and to support the mission and vision of Castleton.