Opus 21
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Opus 21
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| Thousand Oaks Philharmonic Opus 21
Tickets: If you would like to reserve tickets, please click here to send a reservation request by email. Performance #1: FREE Performance #2: Tickets will be on sale in the lobby of the theatre, not the box office, one hour prior to the event. $20 general / $10 senior & student
Click here for a printable flyer for this event.
Performers and Their Pieces
Armen has been a pillar of our musical community. He is a respected musical figure of great warmth and passion both as a conductor and as a violinist. He is the Founder and Music Director of The L. A. Émigré Virtuoso Orchestra (1989) and most recently was appointed the Music Director of the New Valley Symphony Orchestra. Born in Armenia, Mr. Garabedian began studying the violin at the age of six while attending the Tchaikovsky School of Music and continuing on at The Yerevan State Conservatory of Music. It was at this time that Armen was invited to perform with The State Philharmonic Orchestra and The Radio & TV Ensemble of Violinists.
After arriving in the U. S. in 1974, he won the First Prize for violin in the Allied Arts Competition in Los Angeles, establishing him as a recognized figure in the musical community. Subsequently, Mr. Garabedian became the Associate Concertmaster of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, as well as becoming Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at the University of Hawaii and Punahou Music School.
It was during his tenure in Hawaii that Armen’s passion for conducting started to develop. He worked closely with Maestro Robert LaMarchina conducting numerous concerts in the community including The Hawaii Chamber Orchestra and special church choir concerts. To further refine his career as a conductor, he entered the conducting program at USC where he studied with Professor Daniel Lewis, with additional studies working with Lawrence Christianson.
As an active concertmaster, soloist and chamber musician, Mr. Garabedian created an illustrious career as a respected and well-loved violinist. He then became Assistant Concertmaster of The Pacific Symphony Orchestra as well as The Opera Pacific. He remains extremely active in the commercial recording industry, performing on hundreds of scores for Film, Television and Soundtracks by the greatest composers in the industry – including Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams and many others.
Under the new leadership of Maestro Garabedian, the New Valley Symphony is setting a new and higher standard for community orchestras with each passing concert. His strong, visionary leadership from the podium elicits a level of performance that bonds the relationship between music and musicians. His goal is to set this orchestra apart to rise to the level of excellence rarely demonstrated in community orchestras.
Daniel Chien, 11, attends the 6th grade in the First Baptist Academy ISP. He began learning violin at age seven with Mrs. Shuwei Liu who has been instrumental in stirring his interest in violin. He has participated in many competitions and recitals. In the Southwestern Youth Music Festival (SYMF), he has won first place in the Qualified Baroque competition categories in 2005-2006, the Qualified Age Categories in 2004-2006, and the Open Age Categories in 2007. He was the first place winner at the Music Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC) Branch level as a junior violin soloist in the VOCE (Vocal, Orchestral, and Chamber Ensembles) competition in 2007 and represented the Branch at the State Finals of the prestigious MTAC VOCE Competition in which he was awarded honorable mention. He has also received Branch Honors for his participation in the MTAC sponsored Certificate of Merit syllabus examinations (CM). He currently plays the violin in the Conejo Valley Youth Orchestra (CVYO) led by Mr. Bill Benson. In 2006, he was one of the winners of the CVYO’s concerto competition, which awarded him a concert opportunity with CWOTO as a violin soloist on Opus XVII. In 2007, he won the first place for the concerto competition sponsored by MTAC, which awarded him this concert opportunity. Daniel had an inclination for music from the time he was very young. Later when he started playing the violin, he had often been told that his music reflected delight from his heart. At least one loyal audience, his brother Samuel was so inspired that he has also taken up a serious interest in playing the violin. Other than music, Daniel also enjoys reading, science experiments, swimming and outdoor adventures with his family.
Fourteen-year-old Rachel Flowers was born 15 weeks premature, weighing less than one and a half pounds. At the age of three months she developed Retinopathy of Prematurity, which took away her sight. Rachel discovered the piano at age two when, in an effort to stop her from banging on the keys with her toys, Rachel's mother took her hands and showed her how to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Rachel caught on immediately and was soon playing the song in octaves, and then in harmony. Within a week she was playing every song she heard. By the age of 3 Rachel's repertoire included such classical piano staples as Für Elise and Moonlight Sonata, in spite of the fact that she still couldn't even reach the pedals. At age four, Rachel began studying with Grant Horrocks, co-director of the Braille Music Division at the Southern California Conservatory of Music, the only school of music nationally and internationally serving both sighted and blind students and offering specialized training in music Braille, with curriculum development and production on-site. Rachel continues to study with Mr. Horrocks, as well as Richard Taesch, head of the Braille Music Division, and other members of the SCCM staff. For the past three years Rachel has studied the flute under the direction of Toby Caplan-Stonefield. As both a pianist and flutist she has performed in numerous recitals, festivals, and competitions with continuing success. Rachel has been a Young Musicians Foundation scholarship recipient in support of her flute studies for the past two years and, through the generous support of Lou and Kelly Gonda, her piano studies are now being augmented by the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz where she works with Dr. J.B. Dyas and Institute alumnus Yoon-Seung Cho. For the past 2 years Rachel has earned a place in the Ventura County Middle School Honor Band, and in March of this year was featured as a KABC news "Cool Kid" in connection with her participation in the Honor Band. Rachel's profound musicality has brought her to the attention of a variety of musical luminaries. Shortly before his passing, Rachel played for Ray Charles and spent time with him at his recording studio. Rachel shared the stage with Burt Bacharach when both performed at a benefit for the Center For The Partially Sighted at Skirball Museum. In October 2007 Rachel was the featured performer at a private fund raising dinner for the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz hosted by Quincy Jones, and honoring Herbie Hancock. Among Rachel's achievements: Conejo Valley Music Teacher's Association Fall Festival Gold Medal winner for the past three years; Conejo Valley Branch MTAC Certificate of Merit Honors, including performance at the State Convention; Junior Bach Festival Honors; 2nd and 3rd place trophies from the Southwest Youth Music Festival; and most recently VOCE Branch winner in Intermediate Winds.
Vivian Shen is a 14 year old freshman at Westlake High School. She started playing the piano in first grade with Willow Elementary's music teacher, Mrs. Hjelle. After finding her next important teacher, Christine Chow, she began competing in various music festivals and enrolling in syllabus examinations. She was introduced to and won awards in the Contemporary Festival, So. California Jr. Bach Festival and took Branch Honors in Certificate of Merit. This year she completed the Advanced Level, and for the second year performed in the Branch Honors Recital. She has been a winner in the MTAC Contemporary Festival three consecutive years, performing at the annual Gold Medal Awards Recital at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. She has won honors in the Bach Festival, and last year participated in the Showcase Event, featuring winners of the regional event encompassing the tri-counties. When Mrs. Chow moved, her search for a new teacher led her to the studio of Mr. Edward Francis. Vivian knew of the musically talented students he had and hoped that with a teacher like him, she could be one of those students. Now, with over two years of study with him, she has also been invited to participate in the High School Piano Performance Honors Seminar at the Colburn School of Performing Arts. This is her first time performing with an orchestra and she is honored to have been invited by the audition committee of the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic. Aside from playing piano, Vivian loves to read, swim for WHS, and have fun with friends and family, including her brother Hanson
Yasha Yakhnis, 15, began piano studies with Heidi Lyn Williams at the age of seven. He became a student of Edward Francis in 2005. He has been an honors student in the syllabus examinations called Certificate of Merit, sponsored by the Music Teachers’ Assn. of California for many years. He has passed the highest Advanced Level (10), with extremely high scores, and for many consecutive years has been invited to play in the prestigious Honors Recital. He has participated in several Contemporary Music Festivals, also sponsored by the MTAC, and has played at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza in the Gold Medal Festival Recitals. Additionally, he has performed in several Southern California Junior Bach Festivals, reaching the Santa Barbara Showcase level of the tri-counties in 2004. In Spring 2007 he was a participant in the Los Angeles District IX Romantic/Impressionistic Festival sponsored by the California Assn. of Professional Music Teachers. He was the winner of the Thousand Oaks Teen Center Talent Show in 2007, and received an Academic Excellence Award from Sequoia Middle School, upon completion of the 8th grade. He is a freshman at Newbury Park High School. He was invited to participate in the High School Honors Piano Performance Seminar at the Colburn School of the Performing Arts his first year of eligibility. In addition to piano, Yasha enjoys hiking, photography and listening to classical music.
Melody Chang is a 13 year-old student at Medea Creek Middle School in Oak Park, where she is currently attending the eighth grade. She has made honor roll each year in her experience in middle school. At first, Melody began her violin lessons with Shu-Wei Liu at the age of seven. With Ms. Liu’s training, Melody won several distinguished awards through S.Y.M.F. in the following years: in 2002 and 2004, 1st place in solo and 2nd place in duet. Other numerous awards in S.Y.M.F. include 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place. In 2006, Melody began to work with Teresa DiTullio, and is presently still studying with her. Under the guidance of Ms. DiTullio, Melody has gone through many levels of Certificate of Merit with a 5 plus average each time. She performed at the MTAC Convention in Los Angeles. She currently passed Level Nine in CM, which allowed her to perform at the Branch Honors recital and the upcoming M.T.A.C. Convention recital in Riverside. In 2007, Melody won 1st place in the classical competition hosted by RYSO. She has also attended CVYO since 2007, placed in the Conejo Valley Youth Orchestra. She has also attended summer music programs in the Gold Coast Chamber Music Festival. Besides Melody’s musical talent, she likes to read, draw, and run during her free time, but she usually is practicing violin and doing sports like tennis. Finally, she would like to thank her friends, family, and teacher for their continuous support and inspiration.
Ashley Chen, 18, is a senior at Oak Park High School. She has been playing violin for over ten years and has been studying with Joyce Osborn for the last four years. She has been a member of the Conejo Valley Youth Orchestra for nearly five years, has played in various school plays, and has completed the Advanced Level of the Certificate of Merit program. She also volunteers around the community, playing her violin in convalescent homes and retirement centers through the Tzu-Chi Buddhist Organization. Though her studies and music come first, Ashley also loves to write, read, surf, photograph and knit. At school, she is a dedicated member of the Academic Decathlon team and the president of the Heal the Bay Organization and the Embers Literary Club. She also enjoys volunteering at the Westminster Free Clinic and at the Tzu-Chi Buddhist Organization. She is extraordinarily grateful for this opportunity to perform and would like to thank everyone for the support she has received.
Sydni Adler, 17, is a junior at Agoura High School. She first began playing piano at Junior Music Academy when she was five years old, and has adored the instrument ever since. Later taught by Gloria Hilliard and now by Peter Yazbeck, Sydni has participated and won awards in numerous recitals and festivals such as the MTAC-Conejo Valley Contemporary Festival, the MTAC-Pleasant Valley Holiday Festival, and the Southern California Junior Bach Festival. In addition, she passed the Advanced Level of Certificate of Merit with honors. For the past two summers, Sydni attended Interlochen Arts Camp, where she played in a number of incredibly inspiring master classes and ensembles with thousands of other artists from across the globe. Aside from piano, Sydni excels in honors classes at her school and loves to perform in plays and musicals. In addition, she adores singing, skiing, writing, spending time with her friends and family, and taking advantage of sunny days. She is absolutely thrilled to be performing with the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic, and hopes that you enjoy listening as much as she enjoys playing. |
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