Learning to Be Maria: Michael Stevens’s Legendary Student

“To sing is an expression of your being, a being which is becoming.” — Maria Callas 

Acclaimed soprano Maria Callas was an enigma throughout much of her career. The press zoomed in on her personal life while critics exalted her stage presence and, at times, labeled her voice as “unconventional” or “flawed.” Perhaps that complexity is what drew Academy Award-winning actress Angelina Jolie to the lead role in Maria. The biopic was released in limited theaters last month and is currently streaming on Netflix. 

Becoming the iconic Callas posed more than just another acting role for Jolie. The film’s director, Pablo Larrain, pushed her to sing like Callas along with actual recordings. 

“I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll pretend-sing and I’ll get through this. Then it was very clear to me that you can’t pretend opera and then I was scared,” Jolie explained during the New York Film Festival this fall, reports USA Today 

To recreate Callas’s operatic performances, the movie’s vocal coach, Eric Vetro, tapped his friend Michael Stevens, Chair of the Vocal Department for Colburn’s Community School of Performing Arts. 

“He asked me to help with the language and voice teaching because he doesn’t really do opera,” says Stevens. “And since, potentially, we were going to be singing in Italian, French, and German, it was important to have a person who could do voicing and language.” 

In addition to teaching at Colburn since 1996 and chairing the department for 16 years, Stevens has carved out a comprehensive career as an artist. He’s performed as a chorister for the LA Opera and sung with the Santa Barbara, San Diego, and Long Beach operas along with other ensembles and choirs around Southern California.  

Not only was Maria his first foray into filmmaking, but his challenge was to instill Jolie with enough knowledge of opera performing and Callas’s style and idiosyncrasies in a short seven months. For example, Stevens notes that Callas’s breathing didn’t always occur where one might expect it.  

“She certainly had amazing breath control and could sing a note for a long time. But sometimes she was fairly frail, especially as she started to age. When you see her take a big breath, you really see the chest come up and then collapse at the end, which is sort of a no-no in singing. However, it was definitely something I wanted Angelina to notice and use as part of her own technique,” he explains. 

“We tried to make sure the pronunciation was correct, and there are some places where Callas didn’t pronounce things exactly like maybe she ought to. So, we had to listen carefully to all of the recordings,” Stevens adds. “One of the main things was making sure Angelina’s mouth looked like what a singer’s mouth looks like. By the end, the postures of her face and lips were very similar to what Callas did, and they definitely looked like a singer.” 

Of course, Stevens relied on the teaching techniques he’s devised from years of training aspiring young performers, such as singing in different languages. 

“We just went over the Italian language like I would with one of my Colburn students; we very slowly plotted it out,” says Stevens. 

Although scheduling sessions meant accommodating both the film production and Jolie’s multiple commitments, Stevens commends her devotion to learning the genre.  

“We actually got a lot done in relatively little time and she is such a busy person. She really did work hard at this, practicing every day,” he says. “I think she did great and I was very proud of the results.” 

While promoting Maria, Jolie explains how cathartic the experience became for her personally. 

“For anybody here who hasn’t sung at the top of their lungs, it’s a crazy thing to do,” she said at the Film Festival. In a video interview with Larrain for Vogue, she added, “ I found [opera music] so deep in the human experience. It’s very grounding so I put it on now to just kind of think and settle.” 

Stevens also found a new appreciation for Callas, which he highlights for his Colburn students. 

“It’s nice to be able to use Callas as someone who’s doing the same sort of thing that I’m teaching, and I can use her as a demonstration model,” he says. “Knowing that it really affected the performance with Angelina is a good reason for me to incorporate that in my own teaching.”  

Artistic Collaboration Invites You to See the Music, Hear the Dance

Presenting Dance as Visual Music

The quote “see the music, hear the dance” is widely associated with legendary choreographer and dance educator George Balanchine. As founder of the School of American Ballet and artistic director of the renowned New York City Ballet company, he challenged dancers, musicians, and audiences to open their eyes and ears to a new way of experiencing the relationship between dance and music.

However, the quote most likely stemmed from Glenway Wescott in a review of Balanchine’s work for the December 1963 issue of Show magazine: “Suddenly I see the music; suddenly I hear the movements of the dancers.”

Trudl Zipper Dance Institute’s 2024–25 Artistic Director Janie Taylor says Balanchine believed the audience would hear music differently if he accentuated every nuance with movement. Adopting this perspective creates a more intimate experience, one that’s been celebrated for more than a decade with Colburn’s annual See the Music, Hear the Dance performance. This year’s event takes place on November 3 at the 2245 studio, home to the LA Dance Project.

“This space is a studio theatre that allows the audience to have a very up-close, intimate experience. I felt this was a perfect setting for the purpose of dissecting a work and being able to see and feel every detail demonstrated,” says Taylor. She selected the duet from Appassionata, a ballet by Benjamin Millepied, set to music by the same name composed by Beethoven.

In addition to enjoying a top-caliber performance, audiences are treated to unique, behind-the-scenes perspectives when musicians and dancers share the process of collaboration through discussions and demonstrations. This year, TZDI faculty and dance historian Dr. Jill Nunes Jensen leads the conversation with guest dancers Jennifer Stahl and Steven Morse, both of whom appear through the courtesy of San Francisco Ballet, Tamara Rojo, Artistic Director.

Stahl is a principal dancer and performs a wide array of repertoire, including originating featured roles in works by some of today’s top choreographers. Morse hails from Southern California and trained at the Long Beach Ballet Arts Center, Lauridsen Ballet Center, Maple Conservatory of Dance, and the San Francisco Ballet School. He joined the San Francisco Ballet in 2009 and was named a soloist in 2017.

They are joined by pianist Hyejin Park, who is an Artist Diploma candidate at the Colburn Conservatory of Music. She has received numerous awards including at the Amigdala International Competition, the Orbetello Competition in Italy, the ICA International Competition in Vietnam, and the YMIC Competition.

“I am thrilled to share this year’s program with you,” says Taylor. “I have no doubt that you will leave feeling enlightened and inspired.”

See The Music, Hear The Dance take


s place this Sunday, November 3 with performances at 2 pm and 5 pm at L.A. Dance project’s studio and performance space: 2245.

 

Student Accomplishments 2024–25

Conservatory

November 2024

Anna SeokYoung Ahn, trumpet, was recently a finalist in the Atlanta Symphony Trumpet Audition.

Seth Carter, tuba, won Principal Tuba in the Fort Wayne Philharmonic.

Luke Fox, trumpet, won 3rd/Utility Trumpet with the Hawaii Symphony.

Joshua Harris, trumpet, was a finalist in the US Army Field Band Trumpet auditions.

Jung An (Ann) Kuo, flute, won Second Flute in the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan.

En-Chun (Eugene) Lin, cello, won Assistant Principal Cello of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Assistant Principal Cello of the Fort Worth Symphony, as well as a Section Cello trial with the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra.

Michael Remish, trumpet, was a finalist in the San Diego Symphony Trumpet auditions.

Benett Tsai, cello, recently performed solo recital debuts at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and Kaufman Music Center in New York City as a part of part of Young Concert Artists.

Sanga Yang, cello, won Section Cello in the Oregon Symphony.

September and October 2024

Yanfeng (Tony) Bai, piano, won the Grand Prize at the Valencia International Performing Arts Summer Festival.

Gabriel Crist, piano, won the Grand Prize at the Malaga International Piano Festival in the 18+ category, and was selected as a winner of the Concerto Competition at the Malaga International Piano Festival and performed Schumann’s Piano Concerto with the Malaga Symphony Orchestra.

SoJung Kim, bass, won the position of Associate Principal Bass in the San Francisco Ballet.

Sze Hei (Victor) Lee, double bass, won a Fellowship with the Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra.

Gracie Potter, trombone, won Principal Trombone in the Richmond Symphony.

Yoomin Seo (alumna ’23), violin, was appointed concertmaster of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and has begun her first season with the group.

Yu-Ping Tsai, violin, won Associate Concertmaster with the Jacksonville Symphony.

Christy Wu, piano, won first prize at the Valencia International Performing Arts Summer Festival, as well as the Grand Prize at the Malaga International Piano Festival in the 18+ category.

Emily Wu, piano, was selected as a winner of the Concerto Competition at the Malaga International Piano Festival and performed Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Malaga Symphony Orchestra.


 

Music Academy

November 2024

David Choi, piano, Kayden Kelly, piano, and Rubi Lee, violin, received YoungArts Awards in the YoungArts 2025 competition in November 2024.

Eiline Tai, cello, was awarded the title of ‘Winner with Distinction’ at the YoungArts 2025 Competition and will go on to perform at the 2025 National YoungArts Week in Miami in January 2025.

September and October 2024

James Birch, violin, was awarded a Career Grant from the Salon De Virtuosi, and will be featured on the Salon De Virtuosi Gala Awards Concert at the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York.

Evangeline Lien, viola, won Best Baroque Performance, Best Classical Performance, Best Concerto Performance, Best Prelude Performance, and the Gold Star Award at the Music and Stars Awards, as well as the Wiener Klassik Prize of the 5th 4Seasons Musician Competition of the Vienna Classical Music Competition.

Pinyi Lin, piano, won first prize at the Valencia International Performing Arts Summer Festival and the Absolute First Prize at the Malaga International Piano Festival in 2024.

Eiline Tai, cello, won the Virtuoso & Belcanto Concerto Competition in Lucca, Italy, and will perform as a soloist in Europe next summer. She will also perform Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1 with the Southern California Philharmonic as a featured soloist.


 

Trudl Zipper Dance Institute

This year’s 2023-24 Dance Academy students will continue their training at top dance programs nationally and internationally, including:

  • Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Seattle
  • Arts Umbrella, Vancouver
  • Nevada Ballet Theatre, Las Vegas
  • Canada’s National Ballet School, Toronto
  • Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (Ballet), Bloomington
  • School of American Ballet, New York
  • Charlotte Ballet, Charlotte
  • English National Ballet School, London

Chloe Oronoz, dance, is currently performing George Balanchine’s Serenade with LA Ballet.


 

Community School

November 2024
Raymond Cai, piano, received first place as well as a gold medal at the 2024 Southern California Junior Bach Festival Complete Works Audition.

Kai Canton, piano, received third place as well as a bronze medal at the 2024 Southern California Junior Bach Festival Complete Works Audition.

Ella Choi, Music Composition, received first prize in Chamber Music Composition for “Harlequin’s Dance” in the Vivaldi International Music Competition, as well as the gold prize in Chamber Music Composition for “Harlequin’s Dance” in the Berlioz International Music Competition.

Jasmin Ji, piano, received first prize in the Moments of Music Competition.

London Knight, guitar, received first place in Division 1 at the American Guitar Society – Vahdah Olcott Bickford Competition.

Ashley Li, cello, received a medal in Junior Cello at the 2024 Southern California Junior Bach Festival Complete Works Audition.

Rocco Li, piano, received first place in the 2024 American Protégé International Romantic Music Competition.

Isabelle Lu, piano, received first place in the 2024 American Protégé International Romantic Music Competition, Young Musicians category (ages 5-10).

Astrid Lindquist Newman, violin, received second prize in The Art of Instrumental Performance Competition.

Ailis Nguyen, piano, received second prize in the Young Pianist 1 category as well as third prize in the Piano Open Baroque 4 category of the SYMF Piano Competition.

Joaquin Park, guitar, received second place in Division 1 at the American Guitar Society – Vahdah Olcott Bickford Competition.

Noah Park, guitar, received second place in Division 2 at the American Guitar Society – Vahdah Olcott Bickford Competition.

Andrew Peng, violin, received the platinum prize in the 21st Century Prominent Musicians Award, the gold prize in the 2024 European Concert Artists Award, as well as the silver award in the Singapore International Music Competition.

Mina Ree, piano, received third place in the Etude Festival (MTAC-LA Category 3).

Julian Siever, violin, advanced to the final round of the Grand Concours International Competition.

Jeff Shin, piano, received second place in the Etude Festival (MTAC-LA Category 1).

Elaina Stuppler, voice, was a YoungArts award winner with distinction in the Voice/Singer-Songwriter category.

Lev Sakae Taira, violin, was a winner in the YoungArts competition.

Liam Thomas, violin, received first prize in the Prodigy Instrumental Category at the Southern California Philharmonic Young Artists Competition, and second prize in High School Division at the American Prize Competition.

Rachel Won, violin, was appointed Concertmaster of the Equity Arc Pathways Orchestra.

Gavin Yang, violin, performed a solo in a contemporary version of Vivaldi’s “Winter” (arr. and directed by Mark Wood) as the Concertmaster of Arcadia High School.

Ashlyn Zheng, piano, received third place in the Etude Festival (MTAC-LA Category 2).

Isabella Zhou, violin, received the silver medal in the Junior category at the 2024 Southern California Junior Bach Festival Complete Works Audition.

September and October 2024

Raymond Cai, piano, won second place in the Piano Open Baroque category in the Southwestern Youth Music Festival.

Kai Canton, piano, received first place in the Piano Open Chopin Shorter Works and Piano Open Complete Classic Work categories at the Southwestern Youth Music Festival.

Daphne Gobron-Pesheva, piano, was selected to perform at the closing ceremony at the Orbiford Festival in Palazzo Adriano, Sicily, Italy, receiving high praise from the mayor and local press.

Anthony Gobron-Pesheva, piano, was selected to perform at the closing ceremony at the Orbiford Festival in Palazzo Adriano, Sicily, Italy, receiving high praise from the mayor and local press.

Caden Guo, piano, received second place in the Piano Open Solo and third place in the Piano Open Baroque category in the Southwestern Youth Music Festival.

Ailis Nguyen, piano, received second place in the Young Pianist category and third place in the Piano Open Baroque category at the Southwestern Youth Music Festival.

Mia Safdie, piano, received an honorable mention at the Thomas Hulbert International Piano Competition.

Rachel Won, piano, is a finalist in the From the Top Learning and Media Lab Fellowship.

John Wu, piano, received first prize in the Ventura College Henry Schwab Competition.

Ryan Yang, cello, won the Junior Cello Category of the CalASTA State Solo Competition.


See more student accomplishments

2023–24 Student Accomplishments

2022-23 Student Accomplishments

Celebrating 75 years: Jeffrey Lavner Looks Back on Life at Colburn

Ask Jeffrey Lavner, the former chair of the Piano Department at the Community School of Performing Arts, about his earliest memories of the Colburn School, and he colorfully recalls the warehouse facility on the University of Southern California (USC) campus in the early 1980s. He remembers the Knabe pianos and teaching during hot summer days without air conditioning. He also vividly recollects how much the School had accomplished by the time he joined the faculty in 1981 after completing his Master of Music degree from USC.  

“I had taught at other neighborhood music schools in other cities, but they were nothing like Colburn. It was already a well-established school with a respected reputation and famous alumni, such as Michael Tilson Thomas,” says Lavner.  

Those experiences set the stage for Lavner’s 40-plus-year career at Colburn. He’s had a front-row seat to the many transformations the School has undergone, growing from classrooms in a warehouse to breaking ground on the Colburn Center this year. Although, he sometimes wondered whether the dream of moving off the USC campus would come to fruition.  

“Truthfully, I really never thought they would build the new building on Grand at that time. I didn’t believe the parking lot across the street would be built in my lifetime,” admits Lavner.  

In 1989, after eight years of teaching, he moved on, but never completely stepped away. Lavner maintained his relationships with colleagues and occasionally was asked to teach Colburn students who were financially disadvantaged, thus carrying on the School’s mission of access to excellence for all.  

 Then he saw the finished Grand Avenue building.  

“I was invited back to see it and I was blown away. I asked, ‘Will you take me back?’” he says. “Here, we have state-of-the-art pianos—it’s amazing to hear a beautifully tuned piano. Also all three performance halls are world-class, which is another feather in the School’s cap. There’s also more communal space like the café and the plaza, which encourages camaraderie.  

“I appreciate the vision of those steering these efforts. It’s really amazing what Colburn has built. Plus, I’m looking forward to the new performance halls in the Colburn Center,” Lavner says. 

Not only did he rejoin the Community School faculty in 1999, Lavner became Piano Chair in 2005. Under his direction, the department continued to expand its offerings for students, parents, and audience members.  

The change that most impresses Lavner, however, is the ever-increasing caliber of talent.  

“Everyone who comes to Colburn is motivated, but the level of musicianship has changed. That freaks me out to this day because the jumps are amazing,” he explains. “The students are more committed now and the parents are more committed, too. We still have fun, but the kids are serious, and it’s great. It’s a blessing to have students who are so committed, and as a teacher, you couldn’t ask for anything more. What we have at Colburn cannot be replicated anywhere else.” 

Lavner, who also taught in Colburn’s Jazz program, has watched students follow successful career paths. Some of his pupils perform professionally, including jazz pianists Donald Vega, Eric Reed, and Isaac Wilson. Musician and composer Connie Han, Nicholas Méndez Del Valle, and Jonathan Lucas also attended Lavner’s studio. 

“What is as exciting for me is seeing all the students who went on to study law, medicine, and other professions. They still really love to play. Actually, they’re maniacs about it. When I see them, they just want to talk about music,” says Lavner.  

“I believe every teacher just wants their students to enjoy the music,” he adds. “Really, our job is to get them to love music so the thread keeps going to the next generations.” 

A New Era 

While Lavner no longer leads the Piano Department, he still teaches at the Community School and remains as excited about Colburn’s impact on young artists as he was back in 1981.  

“We have fantastic faculty and I have the greatest respect for all my colleagues. The new chair, Ivana Malo, will do a great job,” he says. 

Recovered Voices: Then, Now, and Tomorrow

Ten years ago, the Colburn School hosted its first symposium of the Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices. Established with the support of Los Angeles philanthropist Marilyn Ziering and led by Artistic Director James Conlon, the initiative was created to raise awareness of the composers whose careers and lives were tragically cut short by the Nazi regime in Europe. The two-day event included commentary by Conlon, who personally has dedicated decades to bringing the music of this almost-forgotten generation to new generations of musicians and audiences.

Since its founding, the Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices has become a powerful force for these composers at the Colburn School. Through performances in Southern California and around the world, writings, original video series, a Ted Talk titled “Resurrecting Forbidden Music”, classes, competitions, symposia, recordings, and more, Recovered Voices not only raises awareness among audiences but inspires young musicians to learn about the artists and return to their music throughout their career.

That emphasis on passing the music on to new generations harmoniously aligns with Colburn’s commitment to providing access to excellence in both instruction and performance opportunities. Reflecting on the success of the program, James Conlon said “I am thrilled by the enthusiasm and growing interest in the works of composers who were suppressed during the Nazi regime. Part of my purpose is to expose students to this music, so they experience playing and hearing it, and in so doing, whetting their appetites for more.”

In the past three years alone, Recovered Voices has been a part of 61 live performances in 18 cities across the US and abroad, has collaborated with 34 like-minded organizations, and has produced 26 audio/video recordings. Recovered Voices performances on YouTube have been viewed more than 100,000 times.

“The School can become a leader in exploring the music of suppressed composers because it has an amazingly talented group of musicians,” said Recovered Voices Program Director Adam Millstein, who is also a violinist and a Colburn alumnus. “These composers’ treasure of music has either been lost or rarely performed, so it feels new and fresh. For contemporary musicians, that offers a fertile ground to internalize the music. For me, it was life-changing from the moment I performed it and heard James Conlon speak about it.”

Recent Recovered Voices projects include a world premiere recording of Erwin Schulhoff’s cadenzas for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 performed by Dominic Cheli and conducted by James Conlon. Erwin Schulhoff (1894–1942) was a fascinating, prolific, and multi-faceted composer who embraced a full panoply of styles and influences from his era. Another recent world premiere recording was made of “Ein Quartett-satz on the Name of Walter Arlen” by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, performed by Conservatory students Adam Millstein, Jason Moon, Shengyu Meng, and Nicolas Garrigues. Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968) was an Italian composer, pianist and writer who emigrated to the United States in 1939 and became a prolific film composer for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, writing scores for 200 Hollywood movies. Both recordings will be released online later this season.

Looking ahead, the 2024–25 season kicks off with a guest appearance by the multiple Grammy Award-nominee ARC Ensemble (Artists of The Royal Conservatory), a likeminded ensemble focused on the research and recovery of works that were suppressed and marginalized under the 20th century’s repressive regimes. Later this fall, the Calidore String Quartet performs the complete cycle of string quartets by William Korngold.

Later this season, Adam Millstein and Dominic Cheli present a duo recital of works by of exiled Austrian composers and Salonen Conducting Fellow Aleksandra Melaniuk leads an orchestral program of works by Mieczysław Weinberg (1919-1996). Despite being a friend and contemporary of Shostakovich, Weinberg’s musical genius of went unrecognized for much of the 20th century due to Soviet-Era suppression. This concert highlights three of Weinberg’s more than 150 works: a playful flute concerto, a concertino for violin and string orchestra, and a dramatic chamber symphony. These Weinberg works will also be recorded under the baton of James Conlon this season along with Franz Schreker’s “Intermezzo” performed by the Academy Virtuosi. Additionally, Recovered Voices will travel to Northern Arizona University and Vanderbilt University as well as hold a master class with the LA Jewish Symphony.

“It is impossible to return to these composers what was taken away from them in their lifetime. The only thing we can do is play their music in the present,” says Conlon. “But we can never consider the work done until a large volume of this music is no longer routinely neglected. The young musicians of today will hopefully ensure that it is played in the future and it will become a part of the canon of what we value in classical music.”

The Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices is grateful to LA Opera’s groundbreaking Recovered Voices project which inspired the program, and Robert Elias for many years of critical support. Recovered Voices is made possible through the generous support of Marilyn Ziering alongside the many donors who are inspired by this incredibly important work at Colburn School.

Familiar Faces in New Roles: Margaret Batjer and Janie Taylor Step Into Leadership Roles at Colburn

Advancing the Music Academy 

For nearly 10 years, Margaret Batjer has inspired Music Academy students as a teacher and director of the Academy Virtuosi, an exceptional conductorless chamber orchestra which has been featured in performances alongside major artists like Anne Akiko Meyers and Ray Chen. Now, she’ll expand on those experiences as Director of the Music Academy and will join the Conservatory of Music’s distinguished violin faculty.  

Batjer’s résumé as a highly accomplished violinist — soloing with many orchestras and an active career as a chamber musician and recording artist— provides a rich background to share with aspiring young artists.  

For over 25 years she has been concertmaster of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, where she is also director of chamber music. Her performance and teaching experience, which also includes teaching at the USC Thornton School of Music, will assist students in preparing for the next level in their performing arts education.  

“She has a deep understanding of what exceptional young artists need at the pre-college stage of their development and her vision will undoubtedly enhance our Music Academy, solidifying its position as the foremost training ground for exceptional pre-collegiate musicians,” said Colburn President and CEO Sel Kardan.  

The Music Academy trains exceptional pre-college classical musicians from around the world for careers in music. Students benefit from a comprehensive curriculum, including private instruction, music theory and history, and enrichment studies in career development and personal presentation skills. As director, Batjer will be hands-on with the artistic and academic development of students as well as planning performances, including chamber music.  

“I am honored to assume leadership of Colburn’s world-class Music Academy and to join the exceptional string faculty in the Conservatory of Music,” said Batjer. “It is a privilege to guide and inspire young musicians within such a prestigious institution, known for its commitment to artistic excellence in music education. I look forward to continuing to foster a community where young artists can thrive and fulfill their potential in the world of classical music.” 

Taking the Lead at the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute 

Janie Taylor has curated an eclectic career. She danced for the New York City Ballet, including as soloist and principal dancer. She has performed a vast repertoire, from George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, and Jerome Robbins to Benjamin Millepied, Peter Martins, and Justin Peck.  

In 2014, Taylor retired from NYCB and transitioned into a répetitéur role setting works at the Paris Opera Ballet as well as numerous other companies: Miami City Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Ballett Dortmund, and Ballet du Rhin. She even delved into the world of costume design, assisting Christopher Wheeldon for the Fashion Forward exhibition at the Musee des Arts Decoratif in Paris.  

When Taylor chose Los Angeles as her new home base in 2016, she became rehearsal director for L.A. Dance. Fortunately, she also joined the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute as an instructor and visiting artist, guiding, influencing, and challenging students. Last year, she choreographed and premiered Contour and Flight for the Dance Academy, a rigorous pre-professional ballet training program. 

This year, she’s assuming yet another role as TZDI Artistic Director for the 2024–25 school year. As Artistic Director, she will foster a dynamic environment and shape the creative and educational direction for TZDI, including curriculum development and faculty and student recruitment. She’ll be supported by Gavin Kelley as Interim Administrative Director, who will liaise with faculty, students, parents, and staff as well as coordinate events, performances, and other TZDI initiatives. 

“We are excited to welcome Janie Taylor as Artistic Director as she continues and expands her exceptional work with our students. Her decade-long commitment to dance in LA and breadth of artistic experience made her a natural fit for this position,” said Kardan. “She joins our distinguished artistic and administrative team, including faculty chairs Kelly Ann Sloan, Denise Scheerer, and Tamsin Carlson, ensuring strong ongoing leadership for the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute.” 

I am so honored to follow in the footsteps of such elevated artists that I looked up to as a young dancer and eventually shared the stage with. I am thrilled to become a part of this special community and look forward to shaping and growing this exciting next chapter of dance at Colburn,” said Taylor.  

Double-Take Duet

Pianist, violinist, and Colburn Conservatory of Music Artist Diploma student Ray Ushikubo excitedly welcomed the opportunity to return to the Sounding Point Academy this summer. Founded by Colburn faculty members Robert Lipsett and Fabiola Kim, the two-week in-person program offers an intensive learning experience for violin students, including technique classes, master classes, and presentation forums. Ushikubo enjoys teaching young students, helping them discover their own love of music like he did when joined the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts at age 8. He also embraced the opportunity to deliver a very personal performance. He finally fulfilled a long-held dream of performing a live duet with himself, playing both parts of Robert Schumann’s Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano in A Minor, Op. 105. Impossible, you say? Not when you employ technology such as the Steinway Spirio player piano.  

“The Spirio piano perfectly records my key movements, my timing, and my pedaling. The first time I heard it [play back the recording] was the first time in my life I heard myself as a third person, like a member of the audience. The sound is coming from the piano, not a speaker, so it’s a strange out-of-body experience,” says Ushikubo. 

Of course, preparing for such a duet demanded a nontraditional approach. Yes, Ushikubo rehearsed the sonata, but he had to adopt a wholly new mindset in how to play the parts. First, he perfected the piano and recorded it with the Spirio. Then he played the violin to the piano recording, and that’s when Ushikubo realized as a violinist he had to conform his playing to the musical line of the piano, and not just let his interpretation in the moment guide him. 

He explains, “There is no room for spontaneity because the piano was recorded. You have to think about timing and phrasing and balance. One by one, I mentally took notes about where I had to take more time or rush more and what I had to do to adjust to the piano recording. Every time I played it, I learned more about both parts.” 

It also challenged him to rethink his role as a pianist in ensembles and as a recital partner.  

“As a chamber musician, I’m often told to play the piano softer, and my response in the past has been to tell the strings to play louder,” he says. “This experience showed me that there is no way Violin Ray can compete with the volume of Piano Ray. I now think more about what the pianist has to understand when it’s under violin parts. 

“In fact, the experience required a lot of patience. It was interesting to learn how differently Piano Ray and Violin Ray think,” says Ushikubo. “I’ve never argued with other musicians like I did with myself. It turns out I argued quite a bit with myself throughout the process.” 

Despite such personal revelations, Ushikubo was pleased with his duet that evening in Thayer Hall.  

“The audience had the same reaction I had when I encountered in the Spirio. You’re not really believing there is not a pianist there,” he says. “It adds a new layer of how far technology has come and how cool it is to see one person play both parts. That’s the reaction I saw.” 

Ironically, Ushikubo does not consider himself a technology-oriented musician. That said, he keeps an open mind on its influence on the future of classical music. 

“That’s how music evolves. There are so many people today who still enjoy classical music, but you have to let it evolve, and that includes letting technology be incorporated when it is necessary,” he notes. 

_____ 

Special thanks to Steinway & Sons for the use of the Steinway Model D Spirio | r.

 

The Colburn Conservatory of Music Turns 20

The Business of Dreams 

Richard D. Colburn, the School’s benefactor, had long dreamed of a small, tuition-free conservatory where young artists pursued music at the highest level. For this conservatory to succeed and become the West Coast’s answer to schools like Curtis and Juilliard, Mr. Colburn believed faculty must lead the way. Three faculty currently teaching at the Colburn School were on his radar: Yehuda Gilad (clarinet), Ron Leonard (cello), and Robert Lipsett (violin). Their students were engaging with music at an extraordinarily high level, which profoundly moved Mr. Colburn, who had never experienced this depth of teaching when he was a young violist. “He melted,” Gilad says, reflecting on Mr. Colburn’s reaction whenever he, Leonard, and Lipsett talked about their students. “He would literally be reduced to tears hearing about my students’ successes and challenges,” says Lipsett. “I just saw that deep connection with wanting students to study great music if that was what they wanted.” 

However, Mr. Colburn wasn’t ready to bank on what his heart wanted; he was a businessman and needed to be convinced he was making the right investment. Enter Executive Director Toby Mayman who fought tirelessly alongside Dean Joseph Thayer to convince Mr. Colburn that his concept for a conservatory aligned with the School’s, and that it would be done in the best way possible. When it came to closing the deal, Gilad calls Mayman “the architect” and Thayer “the engineer.”  

Shortly after the Colburn School moved to Grand Avenue, Mr. Colburn pledged $165 million to endow a future conservatory and the Board directed Thayer to prepare a strategic plan. In fall 1998, the Board approved Thayer’s plan, whose title captured the program’s vision in simple, vivid terms: “The Colburn Conservatory: A Community of Musicians.” Thayer then assembled the Conservatory Planning Group, which included Gilad, Lipsett, Leonard, and theory faculty Warren Spaeth. The five met weekly to discuss their vision for the Colburn Conservatory of Music. “There was a common purpose between all of us who were working to put it together,” Leonard shares. 

Founding faculty member Yehuda Gilad with Mstislav Rostropovich.

Mission and Philosophy 

The foundational principles of the Conservatory fall into the following four categories.    

1. Faculty

Faculty are the nucleus of the Conservatory’s teaching model: they are directly responsible for their students’ artistic growth. Their dedication to teaching is paramount, as is their consistent presence on campus, which brings the opportunity to understand their students holistically, not just how they are in lessons and performances. By establishing resident faculty as the standard, the Conservatory diverges from teaching models common to other conservatories, where faculty jump from school to school, often week to week, to teach students.  

With few exceptions, there is only one faculty member per instrument, so it is crucial faculty work well in a small team and believe in the Conservatory’s mission. “It is important,” Leonard recalls, “that they really want to be a member of the faculty of this particular school.”  

About the faculty, Mayman adds: “They are devoted to the wellbeing of the Conservatory as a whole. The faculty are treasures as teachers and human beings.” 

2. Full Scholarships 

Conservatory students receive free tuition, room, and board—the goal being to remove financial barriers and increase accessibility. The endowed gift from Mr. Colburn, with additional support from the School’s community, allows students to focus on their education, not school bills. 

The Conservatory’s independence from tuition income directly affects other aspects of the program. As Thayer explains, “Most music schools in the U.S. admit far more students than Colburn, in part to generate tuition. The Colburn Conservatory is based on a non-tuition revenue concept, which allows maximum performance opportunities for all students, a great deal of flexibility in everything that we do, and extraordinary selectivity in terms of standards for acceptance.”    

3. Student Population and Size 

The target size of the Conservatory is small: keeping studio numbers tight creates more performance and learning opportunities for students across the board. For example, as Thayer mentions earlier, orchestral students routinely play in each concert cycle. 

The residence hall, a huge draw for recruiting students, had always been on the table, but it wasn’t a reality until funds were secured for the Olive Street Building. Anecdotally, what convinced Mr. Colburn to support a residence hall in the new building was hearing that students would lose precious practice time commuting to/from campus. 

4. Performance Curriculum 

The Conservatory curriculum is designed to prepare students for careers as working musicians. “We cater to the needs of young performers,” Gilad shares, “without overburdening them with classes unrelated to their music studies.” Performance opportunities—including orchestra concerts, chamber forums, and masterclasses—therefore take center stage. Performance Forum, the weekly recital series where Conservatory students perform solo and chamber works for the School’s community, has been around since the very beginning. The inspiration for Performance Forum came from Lipsett, who spent summers as a young violinist at Meadowmount, where Ivan Galamian curated weekly concerts. “I saw how powerful and motivating it was for students to hear their colleagues,” Lipsett says.  

Founding faculty member Bob Lipsett in a lesson with 2013 Conservatory graduate Elicia Silverstein.

When Lipsett brought the idea of Performance Forum to the faculty, they all recognized that if the concert were to become a mainstay of the Conservatory, the level of playing on stage would consistently need to be at a high level. “For those who perform,” Lipsett explains, “it is as daunting as it gets because you’re playing for an audience who are all musicians. Their experience in Forum really prepares them for performing in the outside world.”   

A Conservatory is Born 

In fall 2003, the Colburn Conservatory of Music was official. “There was a pretty big buzz about this new school,” Thayer remembers.  

Although hundreds auditioned in the early years, the plan was to enroll small and grow gradually. In 2003, 15 students were offered a spot and all 15 accepted. There were 33 students in the second year and then 56 in the third. By 2006, the Conservatory had a full orchestra, which debuted at Walt Disney Concert Hall. In 2007, the new Olive Street Building was up and running, and became the locus of Conservatory activities. Boasting Thayer Hall, the Café, a twelve-story dormitory, and sixty practice rooms and teaching studios, everything about the Olive Street Building was designed with acoustics, aesthetics, and function in mind. Reflecting on teaching in the new building, Leonard says: “All the years I was there, it felt good to be there.”  

Present Day 

Twenty years in, the Conservatory still operates with a mission to provide exceptional instruction and performance opportunities to young artists. The teaching model and rigorous criteria for the faculty remain the backbone of the program.  

Founding faculty member Ron Leonard with students on campus.

Many of the classes that existed in 2003 are part of the curriculum today. Importantly, however, the Conservatory has grown a larger footprint in the community. With 2018’s creation of the Center for Innovation and Community Impact, Conservatory students have greater outreach and advocacy opportunities. Colburn’s robust Philanthropy department provides pathways for students and supporters of the School to share their love of music. Most recently, construction began on a Frank Gehry-designed campus expansion to include five dance studios and the 1,000-seat concert hall named for Terri and Jerry Kohl, which will provide a home for the Conservatory’s orchestra and encourage collaboration and interdisciplinary educational partnerships. 

Perhaps Lipsett sums up the founding and development of the Conservatory best: “It’s a great school because of the faculty, the students, and the administration. And, in the end, that’s what Richard Colburn understood.” 

The Last Repair Shop and Colburn Students Shine Bright at the Oscars

On a Saturday in February, Ismerai Calcaneo Lopez, a junior at Roosevelt High School and saxophone student at the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts (CSPA), joined a group of friends to clean out a garage as an odd job. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the afternoon, until she received a text message saying, “Congrats! You’re going to the Oscars.”  

Calcaneo Lopez was one of several Colburn students featured in The Last Repair Shop, which won this year’s Academy Award for Best Documentary—Short Film. Community School students Dominic An, Genesis Garay, Esteban Lindo, and Amanda Nova were also featured in the film.   

“I’m still amazed,” she says. “I remember being a fifth grader in the rooms of Colburn and Dr. John Hallberg teaching me ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb,’ and then here I was at the Academy Awards. It was crazy.” 

The Last Repair Shop was directed and produced by Kris Bowers and Ben Proudfoot, and co-distributed by LA Times Studios and Searchlight. It tells the story of four employees of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) musical instrument repair program. For 65 years, LAUSD artisan technicians have repaired thousands of horns, violins, cellos, woodwinds, percussion instruments, pianos, and more, all at no cost to students. Bowers, a CSPA alum and Grammy-nominated composer and pianist, was one of those students. 

“I spent every moment I could with the school’s piano. There, I found a safe place, and I found my voice. Those were the foundational moments that propelled me into the school band. To Juilliard. To the Oscars,” he penned in a letter to The Los Angeles Times last November. “The one person I never got to meet was the man who tuned that school piano.” 

That changed when he and Proudfoot met the shop’s supervisor, Steve Bagmanyan, to discuss their project. It turns out, Bagmanyan was that piano tuner years ago.  

“When I stepped inside the Los Angeles Unified School District’s central instrument shop four years ago, I was surrounded by incredible cinematic imagery: cascading ribbons of sawdust, blazing torches soldering brass, the grand choreography of the thousands of tiny pieces that magically coalesce inside a piano. I expected that. But what I didn’t expect was that every one of the technicians’ life stories would break my heart and put it back together again,” Bowers wrote. 

Indeed, the filmmakers discovered music has impacted each technician’s life in profound and personal ways. And now, they find satisfaction by enabling new generations of artists to experience the myriad benefits of playing an instrument. The Last Repair Shop delivers on that note, too. 

“I‘ve always been a kid who gets distracted easily,” says Calcaneo Lopez, who has been attending Colburn for seven years. “When I got the opportunity to play the alto sax, I had something to focus on. I learned time management. I learned more discipline. When playing music, you have to be on time, be presentable, and do the best you can.” 

“Music is a big part of my life. I listen to it every day and it helps me get through my life. It also makes me feel like I’m part of a community,” adds Dominic An, a Community School violin student who was also featured in the documentary.  

The Colburn students in the documentary were recommended by Susan Cook, Dean of the Community School. They auditioned for Bowers and Proudfoot via Zoom during the pandemic. Months later some of them received an invitation to be interviewed and filmed in Colburn’s Zipper Hall. Months after that, they were asked to perform with the LAUSD Alumni band to record a song written by Bowers for the film’s score.  

“That was a wonderful experience, to interact with the composer and be a part of history,” says An. 

Of course, one of the pinnacle moments for Calcaneo Lopez was attending the 96th Academy Awards ceremony on March 10th. While most stars arrive at the event via limousines, she and the other cast members drove up to the red carpet in a traditional yellow school bus.  

“We were representing who we are. We were representing our community and what the film meant to us,” says Calcaneo Lopez. 

And for this saxophonist, being a part of The Last Repair Shop has meant gaining a greater respect for the people music has brought into her life.  

“The whole experience helped me see Colburn School from another point of view,” she explains. “I’m grateful Colburn is not just a music school, but a family you create.” 

The Last Repair Shop is available for viewing on Disney+ and at latimes.com .

The Colburn Center is Ready for Groundbreaking

The Colburn Center is Ready for Groundbreaking 

After years of dreaming, planning, and designing, the Colburn School is ready to break ground on the new Frank Gehry-designed Colburn Center, a 100,000 square foot expansion adjacent to Colburn’s current campus in Downtown Los Angeles.  

These state-of-the-art performance venues and learning spaces will support students in all units of the School and make the Colburn campus an even livelier hub of artistic activity. The expansion builds on our mission of education through performance and will provide future generations of students access to world-renowned performance and rehearsal spaces,” said Sel Kardan, Colburn School President and Chief Executive Officer. 

Expanding Artistic Excellence 

Since the School planted roots on Grand Avenue 25 years ago, its number of students, faculty, visiting guest artists, and audiences has grown year after year. It’s no surprise the School needed to branch out. First was the addition of the Olive St. building, and now, the Colburn Center. The land was purchased in 2016, the building project was announced two years later, and in spring 2022, the architectural design by Frank Gehry was unveiled. Now with construction underway, expected to be completed in 2027, the Colburn Center will exponentially expand the school’s footprint in Downtown Los Angeles. Located next to two other projects by the renowned architect – the iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall and The Grand – it will create the largest concentration of Gehry-designed buildings in the world. 

“With its Coburn Center expansion, the Colburn School is making a monumental investment in three key DTLA pillars—education, culture, and architecture—and helping to take the Grand Avenue cultural district on Bunker Hill to new heights,” said Suzanne Holley, President and CEO of the DTLA Alliance. 

“As an anchor civic and cultural organization, The Music Center looks forward to the new Colburn Center and the possibilities it will offer to students, artists, and the public. This innovative addition of another incredible building by Frank Gehry will further enrich the vibrant arts and cultural landscape along the Grand Avenue cultural corridor in Downtown Los Angeles, enhancing accessibility and fostering creativity for all,” added Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO, The Music Center. 

A Blueprint for Creativity 

The Colburn Center will sit at 2nd and Olive Streets, adjacent to the current campus. Gehry’s vision blends artistry with function and distinct identity to create an original structural composition. The building consists of an ensemble of interlocking volumes built into a terrain that slopes down from Olive Street to Hill Street and clad in a pink metallic finish. The components are knit together by an expansive light-filled entrance and a pair of gardens planted at street and rooftop level. Of course, Gehry and his team kept performance at the heart of it all.  

For example the 1,000-seat hall named for Terri and Jerry Kohl won’t be just another concert hall. Audience members will encircle the performance platform for an immersive, intimate experience. The platform has room to hold more than 100 musicians, plus an orchestra pit large enough to accommodate 70 musicians. Even the space above has been carefully arranged. Gehry and his longtime acoustical engineer, Yasuhisa Toyota of Nagata Acoustics, have incorporated concrete sound clouds suspended from the ceiling to not only inject an intriguing aesthetic but function as an acoustic enhancement. In keeping with this airy atmosphere, two skylights will bring daylight into the space. 

“The main thing is that the engineering doesn’t overwhelm the personal thing, the human feeling,” Gehry stated last year during “A Conversation with Frank Gehry” event at Colburn.  

In addition to becoming the future home of the Colburn Orchestra, the flagship ensemble of the Conservatory of Music, the concert hall will provide flexible configurations to accommodate a full orchestra, operas, and large musical theater productions. As the only mid-sized hall in Downtown Los Angeles, it will provide much-needed performance space for the region’s established and emerging performing arts organizations. 

The Colburn Center also will become the new permanent site for the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute, more than doubling its current space. A 100-seat theater dedicated to dance includes tiered seating that allows for a variety of configurations and vantage points. Four glass-enclosed studios of varying sizes give students, faculty, and guest dancers a bright space to learn, explore, and grow to their fullest potential.  

The outdoor space around, and on top, of the Center has not been overlooked. Intended to advance the greening of Downtown, students, parents, guests, faculty, and community members will be welcomed into a beautiful, lush, and abundant street-level garden that will showcase yet another performance space. A rooftop garden will be an idyllic setting for receptions as well as small performances.  

Investing in the Future 

The Colburn Center has been made possible through the transformative gifts of philanthropists from Los Angeles and around the world. The Building Our Future Campaign thus far has raised $315 million toward its $400 million goal. 

We are deeply grateful to the generous donors who have allowed us to reach this milestone. Our fundraising continues to push forward, and a seat naming campaign for our future spaces and as well as our current halls will launch soon,” said Kardan.  

To be a part of this important development in Southern California’s future, contact our Philanthropy Office at philanthropy@colburnschool.edu.