NAVO Inc.

Founded by conductor/violist Shah Sadikov and violinist Véronique Mathieu, NAVO is a non-for-profit arts organization comprised of internationally recognized artists in the fields of music, dance, drama, visual arts, creative writing, and technology. NAVO’s mission is to create unique programs that challenge, entertain, and enrich the lives of communities in the Midwest. By establishing strong roots in Kansas, NAVO is committed to building new audiences and providing exceptional programming, a mission especially important in a State where funding for music education is continuously being diminished.

With innovative combinations of arts and technology, NAVO offers educational projects in schools and provides collaboration opportunities for arts students. NAVO also believes in the importance of promoting and mentoring emerging artists, and regularly invites exceptional young talents to join projects.

The organization is dedicated to inspire underserved communities, as well as work in partnership with local charities.

NAVO’s mission is to establish and foster world-class level of performances in the Midwest region by bringing together artists from the area with those who have performed around the globe. NAVO is a new way of thinking about the arts.

Program no. 1: Celebrating Women Composers!
This program pays homage to many innovative women composers that marked history at various time. From Clara Schumann to Amy Beach to Kaija Saariaho, the repertoire spans centuries of music, and represents women from a variety of cultures. For this occasion, Kansas-based composer Ingrid Stölzel was commissioned by NAVO to write a song cycle for voice, violin, and piano.

Duration: 70 minutes
Optional pre/post-concert talk: 15-30 minutes
Instrumentation: violin, viola, cello, voice, piano

Program no. 2: All Strings Attached!
This program will take you on a journey around the globe in 60 minutes! The celebrated Adagietto from Mahler’s 5th symphony will open the program, conducted by Shah Sadikov. Described as ‘one of the most exciting pianists of his generation’, Steven Spooner will mesmerize you with a unique rendition of Alfred Schnittke’s piano concerto. To finish on a high note, violinist Véronique Mathieu will perform Astor Piazzolla’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires – a tango-inspired composition based on Vivaldi’s famous Four Seasons.

Duration: 70 minutes
Optional pre/post-concert talk: 15-30 minutes

• Program no. 1: Celebrating Women Composers!
• Minimum fee per performance: $2,500
• The fee varies depending on the distance to travel, and the possible need for overnight accommodations.
• Program no. 2: All Strings Attached!
• Minimum fee per performance: $13,000.
• The fee varies depending on the distance to travel, and the possible need for overnight accommodations.
• No additional fees for educational/community activities except if an overnight stay is required – in this case we would ask for accommodations and meals during the extension of our stay.

Musicians of NAVO enjoy sharing their music in retirement centers and hospitals. Many of NAVO’s educational activities are suitable for a general audience – in particularly for families. We present outreach concerts in public libraries that are often attended by families with young children. In addition to school performances, NAVO has offered concerts in several retirement communities including the greater Kansas City area, Hays, Lawrence, and Champain-Urbana (IL).

NAVO offers different types of interactive musical presentations that are available for schools and youth programs. Topics available include: a presentation of the different instruments for the younger groups with activities such as drawing or memory games, a survey of musical periods with demonstration of each style (for groups that have had music classes), and presentations that involve a composition project. We like to bring a harp player or a percussionist for outreach concerts as the students always enjoy learning about these two instruments.

Over the past few seasons, musicians of NAVO have presented outreach concerts at Castelar Elementary School (Omaha, NE) and schools in Lawrence (KS), Junction City (KS), Toronto (Canada), Illinois, and Kansas City (MO). Many of the musicians in our organization are college professors and have connections with different arts organizations and music programs throughout the Midwest.

For the 2017-18 season, NAVO has received grants from the McPherson Community Foundation and the Dane Hansen Foundation to perform a series of 10 outreach events in Northwest Kansas. These performances will take place in middle schools, elementary schools, high schools, and public libraries.

NAVO also offers master classes and workshops for music students. We have taught master classes for different youth symphony programs in Winfield (KS), Omaha (NE), Manhattan (KS), Garden City (KS), London (ON), and many others in Kansas. The master classes are available to youth orchestras, school orchestra programs, music schools, pre-college programs, and private students.