Our Instructors
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Eunji Lee (Violin)
Eunji Lee is the founder and director of the Institute of Art, Music and Science. She received her B.M. in the violin at the University of Southern California and has also studied at Columbia University and the University of California at Berkeley. She has been performing every year since 1999 and was invited to perform at the Soloist Bellflower Concert. Currently she is an appointed board member for the Bellflower Concert Association and is noted for her dedication to the community. She was among those named "Women of the Year 2000" by the California State Assembly and "2001 Outstanding Women" by the California State Senate. She teaches violin to students at the Institute.
Emma McCartney (Flute)
Emma McCartney is a flutist from Saint Paul, Minnesota. She has a Bachelors of Music from DePaul University, a Masters of Music from USC, and is currently pursuing a Graduate Certificate at USC where she studies with Jim Walker. Emma is a dedicated performer of new music, and has participated in festivals including the Montreal Contemporary Music Lab, the Toronto Creative Music Lab, New Music on the Point, and soundSCAPE. In the summer of 2017, Emma won second prize at the National Flute Association’s orchestral excerpts masterclass and competition. She is a semi finalist for the New World Symphony, and a substitute flutist for the American Youth Symphony. Emma also enjoys teaching through USC Thornton’s Community Engagement program and the Colburn School’s Jumpstart Young Musicians Program.
Emma McCartney is a flutist from Saint Paul, Minnesota. She has a Bachelors of Music from DePaul University, a Masters of Music from USC, and is currently pursuing a Graduate Certificate at USC where she studies with Jim Walker. Emma is a dedicated performer of new music, and has participated in festivals including the Montreal Contemporary Music Lab, the Toronto Creative Music Lab, New Music on the Point, and soundSCAPE. In the summer of 2017, Emma won second prize at the National Flute Association’s orchestral excerpts masterclass and competition. She is a semi finalist for the New World Symphony, and a substitute flutist for the American Youth Symphony. Emma also enjoys teaching through USC Thornton’s Community Engagement program and the Colburn School’s Jumpstart Young Musicians Program.
Dongyul Lee (Piano)
Pianist Dongyul Lee graduated Summa Cum Laude in piano performance taking advantage of early graduation from Kyungwon University in South Korea. Lee was a recipient of the NEC scholarship in New England Conservatory where he completed a Master’s degree. Currently, he is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at USC with Daniel Pollack as his teaching assistant. Lee made his debut through Chosun Ilbo Concert at Sejong Arts Center in Seoul and has been a winner at many international competitions including Switzerland Geneva competition, Italy Airola competition, ISCHIA competition, Andrea Baldi competition, Rome music competition, Euterpe competition, and Austria Salzburg grand prize virtuoso. Also, Lee was invited to play for 2016 Beethoven Festival held at Poppelsdorfer Castle, Bonn, Germany. Lee is also serving in St. James Church in LA as a conductor which is one of his minor fields.
Pianist Dongyul Lee graduated Summa Cum Laude in piano performance taking advantage of early graduation from Kyungwon University in South Korea. Lee was a recipient of the NEC scholarship in New England Conservatory where he completed a Master’s degree. Currently, he is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at USC with Daniel Pollack as his teaching assistant. Lee made his debut through Chosun Ilbo Concert at Sejong Arts Center in Seoul and has been a winner at many international competitions including Switzerland Geneva competition, Italy Airola competition, ISCHIA competition, Andrea Baldi competition, Rome music competition, Euterpe competition, and Austria Salzburg grand prize virtuoso. Also, Lee was invited to play for 2016 Beethoven Festival held at Poppelsdorfer Castle, Bonn, Germany. Lee is also serving in St. James Church in LA as a conductor which is one of his minor fields.
Dr. William Wellwood (clarinet)
As a premiere clarinetist, William Wellwood has performed in various orchestras and music groups throughout the United States, including the Hollywood Bowl, Torrance Symphony Orchestra, Riverside County Philharmonic and Long Beach Operas. He has been the soloist for the Harrisburg symphony Orchestra, Cedar Rapids Municipal Band and Pomona College Symphony Orchestra. William Wellwood is currently a faculty member for the Colburn School of Performing Arts and the Claremont Community School of Music. Dr.Wellwood received his Phd. in music USC and Master of Music in Yale University.
As a premiere clarinetist, William Wellwood has performed in various orchestras and music groups throughout the United States, including the Hollywood Bowl, Torrance Symphony Orchestra, Riverside County Philharmonic and Long Beach Operas. He has been the soloist for the Harrisburg symphony Orchestra, Cedar Rapids Municipal Band and Pomona College Symphony Orchestra. William Wellwood is currently a faculty member for the Colburn School of Performing Arts and the Claremont Community School of Music. Dr.Wellwood received his Phd. in music USC and Master of Music in Yale University.
Hee-Seung Lee (Piano)
Praised for her exceptional musicality and sophisticated sound she creates on the keyboard, born in South Korea, pianist Hee-Seung Lee has appeared internationally as a soloist and collaborative pianist. Lee has won First Prize in Eum Hyup Competition of Korea, Redlands Bowl Young Artist Competition, Palisades Symphony Young Artist Competition, Music Teachers Association of California State Concerto Competition, Glendale Piano Competition and SYMF Young Recitalist Competition among many others. As a soloist, Lee has appeared with Palisades Symphony, Los Angeles Doctors Symphony and Crossroads Chamber Orchestra. She has appeared as a guest artist presenting a recital at the National Arts Center, Philippines, University of the Philippines College of Music, Los Angeles City College, and Santa Monica College Emeritus College. She has also performed at Seoul Arts Center, Korea, and Steinway Piano Gallery in Pasadena. Her performances at Redlands Bowl and LACMA Bing Theatre were heard live over the cable TV and FM radio. Lee studied piano with internationally acclaimed pianists Angela Cheng, Arnaldo Cohen, Jean-Louis Haguenauer, and Daniel Pollack. She has also worked with Yoheved Kaplinsky from the Juilliard School and John Perry at prestigious masterclasses and festivals. Lee received BM from Oberlin Conservatory of Music under full scholarship and was awarded The Piano Faculty Prize upon graduation. Having received MM and Performer Diploma with fellowship from Indiana University, Lee has just completed her DMA in Piano Performance under merit scholarship at USC Thornton School of Music. Lee has previously served as an Associate Instructor of Piano at Indiana University and currently is the faculty member of Vienna Music Institute and Institute of Arts, Music and Science and the Assistant to Adam Gilbert, the director of the USC Early Music Program at USC. She is a pianist at Ensemble Christo-LA, the Ensemble-in-residence at Biola University, frequently presenting new works by living Christian composers of today, and the pianist of Los Angeles Korean-American Musicians’ Association. Lee is the artistic director of Joong Ang Youth Music Festival Competition and the chairperson of the MTAC Lakewood-Cerritos Branch Sonata-Sonatina Piano Festival Competition since 2016.
Praised for her exceptional musicality and sophisticated sound she creates on the keyboard, born in South Korea, pianist Hee-Seung Lee has appeared internationally as a soloist and collaborative pianist. Lee has won First Prize in Eum Hyup Competition of Korea, Redlands Bowl Young Artist Competition, Palisades Symphony Young Artist Competition, Music Teachers Association of California State Concerto Competition, Glendale Piano Competition and SYMF Young Recitalist Competition among many others. As a soloist, Lee has appeared with Palisades Symphony, Los Angeles Doctors Symphony and Crossroads Chamber Orchestra. She has appeared as a guest artist presenting a recital at the National Arts Center, Philippines, University of the Philippines College of Music, Los Angeles City College, and Santa Monica College Emeritus College. She has also performed at Seoul Arts Center, Korea, and Steinway Piano Gallery in Pasadena. Her performances at Redlands Bowl and LACMA Bing Theatre were heard live over the cable TV and FM radio. Lee studied piano with internationally acclaimed pianists Angela Cheng, Arnaldo Cohen, Jean-Louis Haguenauer, and Daniel Pollack. She has also worked with Yoheved Kaplinsky from the Juilliard School and John Perry at prestigious masterclasses and festivals. Lee received BM from Oberlin Conservatory of Music under full scholarship and was awarded The Piano Faculty Prize upon graduation. Having received MM and Performer Diploma with fellowship from Indiana University, Lee has just completed her DMA in Piano Performance under merit scholarship at USC Thornton School of Music. Lee has previously served as an Associate Instructor of Piano at Indiana University and currently is the faculty member of Vienna Music Institute and Institute of Arts, Music and Science and the Assistant to Adam Gilbert, the director of the USC Early Music Program at USC. She is a pianist at Ensemble Christo-LA, the Ensemble-in-residence at Biola University, frequently presenting new works by living Christian composers of today, and the pianist of Los Angeles Korean-American Musicians’ Association. Lee is the artistic director of Joong Ang Youth Music Festival Competition and the chairperson of the MTAC Lakewood-Cerritos Branch Sonata-Sonatina Piano Festival Competition since 2016.
Kevin Yokota (Drum)
Drummer Kevin Yokota grew up on his family's 30 acre stone-fruit and raisin farm in the small San Joaquin Valley town of Kingsburg, California. After high school, Yokota moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California where he received his Bachelor of Music from the Thornton School of Music. Kevin currently resides in South Pasadena and is an in-demand session/touring drummer and educator. His performance/recording credits include Sam Amidon, Snowblink, Jamie Drake, inc. no world, Sam Gendel/INGA, Eric Reed Trio, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Bossa Zuzu, The Hi Fi Honeydrops and many more. Yokota is also on the music faculty for the California State Summer School for the Arts.
Drummer Kevin Yokota grew up on his family's 30 acre stone-fruit and raisin farm in the small San Joaquin Valley town of Kingsburg, California. After high school, Yokota moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California where he received his Bachelor of Music from the Thornton School of Music. Kevin currently resides in South Pasadena and is an in-demand session/touring drummer and educator. His performance/recording credits include Sam Amidon, Snowblink, Jamie Drake, inc. no world, Sam Gendel/INGA, Eric Reed Trio, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Bossa Zuzu, The Hi Fi Honeydrops and many more. Yokota is also on the music faculty for the California State Summer School for the Arts.
Bo Chung (Art & Graphic Art)
Bo received her B.A. in Art, Graphic Design from Ewha Women's University in Korea. She also studied computer graphics at UCLA.
Bo received her B.A. in Art, Graphic Design from Ewha Women's University in Korea. She also studied computer graphics at UCLA.
Eunmee Song (Piano)
Eunmee Song has performed in both Korea and the U.S. as a soloist and collaborative pianist. She was a two-time winner of the Naftzeger Young Artists Auditions and three-time winner of the Kansas Music Teachers Association Competition. Ms. Song also won a Janice Gartrell Memorial Scholarship from the Kansas City Musical Scholarship Auditions, and in 2010, she was awarded a scholarship to participate in International Keyboard Institute & Festival in New York City.
Ms. Song has performed in Honors Recitals at the University of Kansas, and was invited to perform at the Wichita Convention Center after winning the Kansas Music Teachers Association Competition.
Her desire to share her love for piano expands to educating young pianists as well.
Ms. Song is pursuing her doctoral study at the University of Southern California with renowned pianist Danielle Pollack. She earned her Master of Music in Piano Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University as a pupil of Benjamin Pasternack. She holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Kansas, where she studied with Richard Reber and Jack Winerock.
Eunmee Song has performed in both Korea and the U.S. as a soloist and collaborative pianist. She was a two-time winner of the Naftzeger Young Artists Auditions and three-time winner of the Kansas Music Teachers Association Competition. Ms. Song also won a Janice Gartrell Memorial Scholarship from the Kansas City Musical Scholarship Auditions, and in 2010, she was awarded a scholarship to participate in International Keyboard Institute & Festival in New York City.
Ms. Song has performed in Honors Recitals at the University of Kansas, and was invited to perform at the Wichita Convention Center after winning the Kansas Music Teachers Association Competition.
Her desire to share her love for piano expands to educating young pianists as well.
Ms. Song is pursuing her doctoral study at the University of Southern California with renowned pianist Danielle Pollack. She earned her Master of Music in Piano Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University as a pupil of Benjamin Pasternack. She holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Kansas, where she studied with Richard Reber and Jack Winerock.
Dr. John Rebula, Ph.D (Robotics)
John Rebula is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Germany, and the University of Southern California. He is currently developing control algorithms for a life-sized humanoid robot. During his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan, he used simple models of walking and running to study the mechanics of human locomotion. Before his PhD, he received his S.B. in Mechanical Engineering at MIT, where he took (and then taught) a student-run lego robotics class focusing on practical skills for beginners. He was also a robotics research assistant at The Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, working on the control of wheeled robots that balance on two wheels, a robot dog walking over rough terrain, and a human-sized robot with two legs that doesn't fall when you push it.
John Rebula is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Germany, and the University of Southern California. He is currently developing control algorithms for a life-sized humanoid robot. During his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan, he used simple models of walking and running to study the mechanics of human locomotion. Before his PhD, he received his S.B. in Mechanical Engineering at MIT, where he took (and then taught) a student-run lego robotics class focusing on practical skills for beginners. He was also a robotics research assistant at The Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, working on the control of wheeled robots that balance on two wheels, a robot dog walking over rough terrain, and a human-sized robot with two legs that doesn't fall when you push it.
Yena Choi (Cellist)
Yena Choi was born in Korea in 1987. In 2000, she went to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach!
Music Gymnasium in Germany for her senior school study. In 2005 at age 17, she
entered “Hochschule fur Musik Berlin, Hanns Eisler” in Germany for a Bachelor degree
and was awarded her Bachelor degree in Music in 2007 under supervision of Prof.
Josef Schwab. From 2010 to 2012 she was instructed by Julian Arp at “Hochschule fur
Musik Berlin, Hanns Eisler”, graduated with excellence in a Master of Music.
In 2001, she was selected as a member of “Internationale Musikakademie zur
Förderung musikalisch Hochbegabter” (International Music Academy for Supporting the
Highly Talented in Music) which is established by Lord Yehudi Menuhin and sponsored
by Daniel Barenboim. Since then, she has appeared in numerous concerts such as
Hochschule fur Musik Leipzig Konzertsaal and Konzerthaus in Berlin. She won prizes in
Chamber Music in Germany in 2001, Jugend Musiziert in Germany in 2004 for solo
cello, Hugo Distler Chamber Music in 2007. She attended several master classes by
Mark Drobinsky, Truls Svane, Nathaniel Rosen and Matt Haimowitz, Lynn Harrell,
Robert deMaine.
Yena Choi was born in Korea in 1987. In 2000, she went to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach!
Music Gymnasium in Germany for her senior school study. In 2005 at age 17, she
entered “Hochschule fur Musik Berlin, Hanns Eisler” in Germany for a Bachelor degree
and was awarded her Bachelor degree in Music in 2007 under supervision of Prof.
Josef Schwab. From 2010 to 2012 she was instructed by Julian Arp at “Hochschule fur
Musik Berlin, Hanns Eisler”, graduated with excellence in a Master of Music.
In 2001, she was selected as a member of “Internationale Musikakademie zur
Förderung musikalisch Hochbegabter” (International Music Academy for Supporting the
Highly Talented in Music) which is established by Lord Yehudi Menuhin and sponsored
by Daniel Barenboim. Since then, she has appeared in numerous concerts such as
Hochschule fur Musik Leipzig Konzertsaal and Konzerthaus in Berlin. She won prizes in
Chamber Music in Germany in 2001, Jugend Musiziert in Germany in 2004 for solo
cello, Hugo Distler Chamber Music in 2007. She attended several master classes by
Mark Drobinsky, Truls Svane, Nathaniel Rosen and Matt Haimowitz, Lynn Harrell,
Robert deMaine.
Ji-Yoon Lee (Piano)
Ms. Lee graduated from Dankook University in Seoul, South Korea with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance. She also has a Master of Music from the Peabody institute of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. Presently she is working on a Doctor of Musical Arts in University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music.
She has a long history of teaching.
A few of her honors have been:
Ms. Lee graduated from Dankook University in Seoul, South Korea with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance. She also has a Master of Music from the Peabody institute of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. Presently she is working on a Doctor of Musical Arts in University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music.
She has a long history of teaching.
A few of her honors have been:
- Scholarship recipient, Thornton School of Music 2014-Present
- RecommendedArtists, Beverly Hills National Audition, LosAngeles CA 2015,
- 1st, I.S.K.M. International Piano Competition, Seoul, Korea 2011,
- Outstanding student recipient, Dankook University, Seoul, Korea 2011,
- 1st, Cosmo Art Competition, Seoul South Korea, 2010,
- 1st, Koreana Concert Orchestra Competition, Seoul, Korea, 2010,
- 1st, Yejeon International Music Competition, Seoul, Korea
Harry Su (Robotics)
Harry Su received the BS degree in Biomedical Engineering from Shenyang University of Technology, China in 2008, and the MS degree in Biomedical Engineering (Neuroengineering) from University of Southern California, CA, in 2011. Since 2010, he has been a doctoral student in Biomedical Engineering at University of Southern California. His research interests include tactile sensing, haptics, sensor characterization and calibration, and using machine learning algorithms to do data-dirven robotic and prosthetic control.
Alvaro Paiva-Bimbo (Guitar)
Nine albums, three film scores, Grammy and Latin Grammy nominations, multiple awards, works recorded in Deutsche Grammophon, five continents toured and four college degrees -three in music- are some of the career milestones of Alvaro Paiva-Bimbo, a passionate scholar of the Art of Music and a deep lover of Art and knowledge in general.
His mastery and versatility have also served the most diverse worldwide artists: score for Amazon series “Patriot”, feature film “Buddy Games” and internationally awarded novel “Liubliana”; play guitar for superstar Becky G, music legend Aldemaro Romero and “The prince of salsa” Luis Enrique; produce for multi-awarded funk band Los Amigos Invisibles, latin jazz percussionist Luisito Quintero (Chick Corea, Richard Bona) and hit maker Servando Primera; orchestrate for rock star Alejandra Guzmán, world- renowned Simon Bolivar Orchestra, and indie figure Esteman; write for classic trumpet figure Pacho Flores; conduct for pop stars Natalia Lafourcade and Ximena Sariñana; record with jazz virtuosi Anat Cohen and Luis Perdomo; arrange and direct shows with Latin Grammy winners Ilan Chester, La vida bohéme, Ralph Irizarry, María Teresa Chacín, Guaco, etc.
Born in Caracas from a Venezuelan/Italian family of teachers, Alvaro recently relocated to Los Angeles, California. He is signed with Universal Music Publishing Group MX; is a member of ASCAP, The SCL, NARAS & LARAS; and part of Godin Guitars, Ultimate Ears, MONO Cases and Tech21· NYC artist families.
Christina Mott (Art)
Christina Mott received her BA in studio art from California State University, Long Beach in 2012 and is currently pursuing her MFA there, with an emphasis on illustration and animation. She enjoys working across a wide variety of media and embracing the experimental process of accessing creativity. Christina has experience as a private tutor and professional painter, illustrator, and graphic designer.