STAFF
All of our teachers are carefully selected and screened with proven long-term track records of parent and student satisfaction, student proficiency in playing, recital performances, competition preparations, state examinations and academic excellence.
PIANO
Susanna Israyelyan
Has an M.M Degree and Certification in Piano Performance Mastership. 1st place in “Elite Generation” televised Piano Competition. 3rd Place and Laureate Diploma in the “Armenian Legacy” All-Armenian International Piano Competition. 3rd place and Laureate Diploma in “Vladimir Horovitz National Piano Competition.” 1st Place and Special Prize in the “Arno Babajanyan National Piano Competition”Yerevan, Armenia. Attended Master classes with renowned pianists such as Alexander Toradze, Danielle Laval, and Yves Robert. Participated in numerous concerts as well as had many solo concerts.
Silvia Sarkissian (Piano, Theory & Composition)
From Georgia. Her degree is in Music Composition and Theory is from the Tbilisi State Conservatory. After graduation with honors, at the age of 22, Sylvie was offered a teaching position at the Conservatory and accepted it with eager. Sylvie has performed as a concert pianist starting the age of 10. She has more than 20 years of teaching experience.
Marina Alexander (Piano)
M.A. with Highest Honors from Komitas Conservatory in Yerevan, Armenia. 40 years of teaching experience.
VIOLIN
Gayaneh Kumar
Gayaneh Kumar graduated from KSC of Armenia, M.M., and she has 40 years of teaching experience since 1976. She taught violin at the TSS of Music, and working as a violinist with the RTS orchestra and Armenian Chamber Orchestra.
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Many of her students in Armenia and U.S. have received acclaim at numerous festivals, local and international competitions, including New York's Summit Music Festival's Concerto Competition, Bronislaw Kaper Award for Young Artists Competition, Stradivarius International Competition, Discovery Artist, Music Center Spotlight Award, and International Young Artist Peninsula Music Festival, MTAC VOCE Competition, ASTA Competition, Southern California Junior Bach Festival, Antelope Valley Bach Competition, Youth Encouragement Award Competition, and Armenian Allied Arts Association Competition, Mrs.Kumar possesses the quality of helping her students to achieve their upmost potential as violinists and musicians. Many of her students were accepted to prestigious Music Institutes as: Komitas State Conservatory in Armenia, University of Texas at Austin, Hillsdale College in Michigan, Cleveland Institute of Music, UCLA, Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Juilliard School of Music in New York, and University of Southern California, USC.
Agnes Schwartz (Viola, Violin)
Violin & Viola Master degree from Bartok conservatory and Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. She is winner of many prizes and awards in Europe and in the US. Ms. Schwartz has held principal viola positions in Italy, Norway, Iceland, and Israel, Germany, and in the US. She is giving solo concerts and recitals, teaching at the COC, at APU.
Araksia Nazlikian (Violin)
Araksia Nazlikian began her violin studies at the age of 7 in Yerevan, Armenia.
After graduating from Romanos Melikyan Music College, she immigrated to the
America and continued her studies. At Cal State University, Fresno she received
her Bachelor’s Degree in the class of Paul Stein. She was trained in the Suzuki
Violin Technique by Barbara Barber, William Shar, Cathryn Lee and more. She got
her teaching experience at John Waltrips Music center, Jewish Music Academy in
West LA as well as teaching private students. Her students participate in local
competitions. In conjunction with this she played in various orchestras such as
Fresno Philharmonic, Asian-American Symphonic Orchestra and more. She
worked with such musicians as Itzhak Perlman, Rastrapovich and Zukerman. She
has recitals for MTAC fundraising for several years. She continues to be part of
the music life in LA both as an orchestra player and chamber musician. Araksia
has more than 25 years of teaching experience.
CELLO
Dr. Hovhanness Alanakyan
Dr. Hovhanness Alanakyan received his Master’s Degree in Music Performance from the Yerevan State Conservatory his Doctorate from the University of Alabama. During this time, he developed his stage and performance expertise through numerous recitals and performances, both solo and with orchestras. His highly developed method includes inspiring students’ appreciate of music, building confidence, and a relationship with their instrument. Dr. Alanakyan firmly believes that - including technical proficiency – approaching each student individually is a key to their success.
GUITAR
Lilit Mardiyan
Lilit Mardiyan has over 10 years of teaching experience. During this period of time she taught students
of different levels and ages in music schools, universities (USC Thornton School of Music (Los
Angeles, CA), Yale University and Yale College (New Haven, CT)) and privately.
She took her first guitar lessons at the age of 8 under direction of Armen Gevorgyan (H. Danielyan
School of Arts). Then she has continued her studies in Yerevan State Conservatory (class of Hakob
Djagatspanian) and USC Thornton School of Music, Los Angeles, California (William Kanengiser's
class), where she also had lessons with Pepe Romero.
She has graduated from Yale School of Music (Benjamin Verdery's class) with Master of Music degree
in 2015.
She had a success at the following competitions:
-1st Prize in 7th International Youth Classical Guitar Competition in Sinaia (Romania).
-2nd Prize in Stafford Classical Guitar Recital Competition (England).
-Semifinalist in GFA 25th International Solo Guitar Competition (Los Angeles, California).
-1st place in Armenian Allied Arts Association Competition, Senior division
-2nd place in ASTA (American String Teachers' Association) California Competition
She has collaborated with Orchestra of State Hermitage, conductors Karen Durgaryan and Federico
Mondelci, performed in concerts, music series and festivals in United States, Europe, Russia and
Armenia and during these trips she has had opportunities to participate in masterclasses and
communicate with major guitar teachers from various parts of the world in person. Thus, Lilit has
gathered information and was introduced to the different teaching approaches and was able to see, hear
and summarize the degree of efficiency of each approach, trying to extract the most useful and
important features from each encounter.
FLUTE
Dr. Tina Vartanian
Dr. Tina M. Vartanian holds a doctorate from the University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music. Her areas of study: Flute Performance, Instrumental Conducting, Music History and Music Education. She has directed award-winning music ensembles in her 18 years of public school teaching, followed by Arts Coordinator positions in Beverly Hills Unified and then as LACOE's VAPA Coordinator, where she now serves in Administration at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA). She is also an adjunct professor with the USC Rossier School MAT program. She also holds expertise in the area of Early Childhood Music, where she is the educational consultant for a music program in China.
SAXOPHONE
Scot Irvine (Saxophone, Theory & Composition)
Scot Irvine earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music Composition from Linfield College in 2008 where he studied music composition with Jon Newton, music theory with Richard Bourassa, and Saxophone with Stephen Kravitz. He has since scored numerous films and plays in Los Angeles through the Oyster Company/Dying Butcher Productions where he now works as music supervisor. Scot has taught music theory, composition, and Saxophone in Alaska, France, and Los Angeles since 2010.
THEORY & COMPOSITION
Scot Irvine (Saxophone, Theory & Composition)
Silvia Sarkissian (Piano, Theory & Composition)
