NEXT CONCERT — MAY 11, 2024
El Portal Theater in North Hollywood
Program:
o Domine – Piano Concerto No. 4 in B Minor
(Inaugural performance)
Joanna Ezrin, Deborah How, Nara Petrosyan - pianists
o Sibelius – Violin Concerto in D Minor
Ezra Skolnick - violinist
o Summer Solstice Festival Overture
Tickets for May 11: Select the number of persons attending (adult, senior or student), and the name on the reservation. Then use the Buy Now button below to enter your credit card information using our secure servers. Children 12 and under are free and do not need tickets.
Concert start time is 8:00 pm. Pre-Concert Lecture starts at 7:30 pm
NOTE: This concert will be open seating. Come early for the best seats!
Paper tickets will not be issued. Your name will be held at the door for admission.
Tickets purchased at the door the night of the performance will be available at our regular concert pricing only.
Deborah How received her BA from Swarthmore College, MA from the UCLA Herb Albert School of Music, PhD from the USC Thornton School of Music, and MBA from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. She is the owner of the Westside Music Conservatory in Los Angeles (Brentwood), where she maintains an active piano, flute, chamber music, and music theory studio with national and international competition winners.
As a pianist and flutist, Dr. How enjoys playing chamber music with her ensemble group, Passacaglia. She frequently concertizes for fundraising events and has previously appeared as a concerto soloist (piano, flute) with several local orchestras, including the Culver City Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Doctors Symphony Orchestra, and the Formosa Chamber Orchestra. Her piano teachers include Sharon Lipman and Dr. Charles Abramovic, and she has been coached by Antoinette Perry. Her flute teachers include Leslie Weinberg and Marcia Tallant Goodman, and she has been coached by Dr. Rik Noyce.
Dr. How is widely known as a connection builder and fundraising architect for nonprofit arts organizations and is a member of the MTNA Business Resource Network. She is the CEO/Co-Founder of several music-related consulting and technology companies, including Pagoda Artworks, Musical Etudes, and Bravura Innovations. Committed to community service, Dr. How is the President/Co-Founder of the Westside Music Foundation (501c3) and currently sits on the boards of SCJBF, SYMF, MTAC Santa Monica Bay, and the Vicente Chamber Orchestra.
SOLOIST BIOS
Joanna Ezrin-Schauer was born and raised in Toronto, Canada where she studied with the renowned composer, teacher and conductor Clifford Poole. She also played cello and harp in local orchestras. After receiving her ARCT degree from the Royal Conservatory of Music, she completed annual summer studies at Interlochen, the Juilliard School, and received her Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto, and a Master of Music in Piano Performance summa cum laude from California State University Northridge. She also pursued post-graduate studies at the Höchschule für Musik in Stuttgart, Germany, and trained under the respected teacher Sara Compinsky, participating in worldwide piano competitions representing Canada, including the prestigious Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition.
Joanna, who retains her Canadian citizenship, moved to the United States in the 1980’s, settling in Los Angeles to study jazz, pop and voice. She recorded on platinum albums and worked extensively in television, films, and commercials while performing live throughout Canada, Europe and the United States. Following the birth of her second child, Joanna “semi-retired” from commercial and studio work to focus on teaching, studying pedagogy under the tutelage of the highly respected Frances Robyn and Mark Richman.
Joanna, a state accredited music teacher, is past president of the San Fernando West Valley branch of the Music Teachers’ Association of California. She is the current chair of the annual Contemporary Festival, and past chair of the branch Composers Today program, the Sight
Reading Festival, and the Improvisation Program. She teaches AP Music Theory. A majority of her students receive a perfect 5 score. Joanna prepares student’s college application recital programs for music major auditions. She is a state certified adjudicator, judging Certificate of Merit examinations, music festivals and competitions throughout the Southern California region. In addition to the MTAC, Joanna is a member of the National Guild of Piano Teachers, American College of Musicians, American Federation of Musicians Local 47, SAG-AFTRA, JCM, SYMF, and is a guest lecturer at California State University Northridge, teaching pedagogy methods. She remains active in studio work, most recently working at Paramount Studios. She has been the principal pianist with the San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra for the past 25 years
Born and raised in Yerevan, Armenia, Nara Petrosyan began her music studies at a young age at Avet Terteryan School of Music in her home country. Developing a great passion for piano and having an intention to become a professional musician, she continued her development as a pianist by entering the piano department at Romanos Melikyan State College of Music in Yerevan. After moving to California, Ms. Petrosyan continued her piano studies, graduating Summa Cum Laude with Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance from California State University, Northridge, where she studied under the tutelage of Dr. Dmitry Rachmanov. Subsequently, she has been continuing her private piano studies with Prof. Mark Richman. Ms. Petrosyan received numerous academic and music scholarships and awards, including Elsie M. Keller Memorial Scholarship, Drake C. Hawkins Scholar Award, Music Instrumentalist Scholarship, Esther Roth and William Richards Memorial Scholarships, etc. In addition, in 2015, Ms. Petrosyan was selected to join the Pi Kappa Lambda National
Music Honor Society as well as the Golden Key National Honor Society.
Ms. Petrosyan has performed in numerous recitals both as a solo and chamber musician. As a member of Ivory Rose Piano Quartet, she participated in the Eighth International Piano Ensemble Competition in Marktoberdorf, Germany in 2012, winning the third prize. Her prize-winning group was then invited to perform in Bayreuth, Germany. She was also the second prize winner of the 2015 Lansum International Music Festival Competition, in piano solo category, in Los Angeles. In 2018, she had her debut performance with San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra performing James Domine's Piano Concerto No.2. Later, she has become a regular member and one of the principal pianists of the San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra regularly playing at orchestra's annual concerts. In addition, Ms. Petrosyan was a former musical director for the CSUN Musical Theater Guild, and during her college years, she also worked as a church musician, as well as piano accompanist for various musicals.
In addition to performing and accompanying, Ms. Petrosyan is very passionate about teaching. She currently maintains an active music studio providing private piano and theory classes. In the past, she also served as a faculty member at the Academy of Music and Fine Arts and the Moscow Central School of Music. She is an active member of the Music Teachers’ Association of California and currently serves as a board director for the San Fernando West Valley Branch of MTAC.