Death and the Maiden (Washington, DC)

Paragon Philharmonia launches its 2025–26 season with Death and the Maiden - a bold, emotionally rich program that explores the fragility and fervor of life. From sultry tango strains to stirring Romanticism, these masterworks meditate on love, memory, and the intensity of human experience. Originally composed as a string quartet, Schubert’s Death and the Maiden was later arranged for full string orchestra by Gustav Mahler, amplifying the emotional weight of its sweeping themes and dramatic contrasts. 

Lisandro Adrover - Imágenes (world premiere)

Brahms (arr. Ahmed Al Abaca) - Two Songs for Alto and Viola

Schubert (arr. Gustav Mahler) - Death and the Maiden

ANAMER CASTRELLO (Mezzo-Soprano) Praised by the Washington Post as "Castrello has a powerful and passionate voice...round and clear with a smoky finish" is a native of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. Anamer has delighted audiences in appearances with many orchestras and opera companies in the Washington DC area and abroad. Signed by George M. Martynuk Artists Management, Anamer was a featured soloist in the televised, Canonization Mass of Junípero Serra, celebrated by Pope Francis, held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, in Washington, DC. She also made her Carnegie Hall debut at Weill Hall performing Maddalena in Verdi’s Rigoletto Quartet. Other roles include: Strawberry Woman/Lily in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Mamma Lucia in Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana, Cornelia in Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Gertrude in Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet, Marcellina in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, Dido in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Zia Principessa in Puccini's Suor Angelica, Carmen in Bizet's Carmen, Madame Flora in Menotti's The Medium, Ottavia in Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea.

Currently Anamer is a Teaching Artist with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Community Programs. She holds a DMA in Vocal Performance from CUA, where she studied with Rosemarie Houghton and Rick Christman. She is also a teacher at Albert Einstein High School a Montgomery County Public School. Anamer Castrello is a proud member of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and the Actor’s Equity Association.

ROBIN FAY MASSIE is a professional violist based in Atlanta, GA. She completed her education in Viola Performance after attending the following schools: The University of Maryland, College Park; New England Conservatory; and The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University.  

She has performed with The Philadelphia Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, as Assistant Principal Viola with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, and as Principal Viola with the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra in Philadelphia. As a recording artist, she has appeared in concert, both live and on television, with notable artists such as: Jill Scott, Clay Aiken, Aretha Franklin, Tye Tribbett, Earth Wind & Fire, Ruben Studdard, Phillip Phillips, Maysa Leak, and Stevie Wonder. Other backup performances include live appearances with Alfie Boe and Pete Townshend of The Who on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, with Eminem at the Firefly Music Festival, Two Feet on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the late Mac Miller on NPR’s Tiny Desk series, and Ms. Lauryn Hill at the Hollywood Bowl. Most recently, she appeared live with Ed Sheeran (2023) and at Carnegie Hall, NY in a special concert by Angelique Kidjo (2024).

With a heart for service, she founded Musicians of Mercy (MOM) in January 2010 – a collective of musicians and artists which produces benefit concerts to raise funds for humanitarian causes – and serves as its Executive Director. Also an active chamber musician and soloist, Ms. Massie maintains a small private studio.

As an interesting twist in her career, Ms. Massie also works nights as a Neonatal ICU nurse and days as a school nurse in Atlanta, GA. She served on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic as an emergency department registered nurse at a hospital in Baltimore, MD. Ms. Massie has also served in the world of oncology, providing chemotherapy and biotherapy for patients in Atlanta, GA. In all areas, she strives to provide the highest level of joy, compassionate care, and artistry.