IHS LA Staff Pianists

Los Angeles based pianist Aram Arakelyan has performed collaboratively and as a soloist throughout the United States and his native Armenia. He is currently pursuing a Doctoral Degree in Musical Arts at the University of Southern California, where he is a teaching assistant in the Keyboard Collaborative Arts area. At the USC Thorton School of Music, Aram serves as the pianist for the Chamber Singers, directed by Jo-Michael Scheibe, with whom he performed at the 10th World Symposium on Choral Music in Seoul, Korea. He also collaborates extensively with fellow students from both instrumental and vocal areas. Aram served as one of the official collaborators in the 2014 Primrose International Viola Competition. He has worked with the Meadowmount School of Music in West Port, NY, and is currently a member of the accompanying staff at the Colburn School in Los Angeles. Aram has worked as an orchestral keyboardist in symphonic, operatic and choral settings with conductors including Gerhardt Zimmermann, Jerry Junkin, Barlow Bradford, Scott Yoo, Robert Spillman and Helmuth Rilling and has appeared in masterclasses with Joseph Silverstein, Lynn Harrell, Masao Kawasaki, Sally Thomas, Brian Zeger, Gordon Back, Jon Nakamatsu and John Novacek. He has also appeared as a soloist with orchestras in Colorado and Utah. Aram holds degrees from the University of Utah and the University of Texas at Austin. His primary teachers and mentors include Susan Duehlmeier, Anne Epperson, Norman Krieger and Alan Louis Smith.

Pianist Vanessa Fadial is an active soloist and chamber musician in the Los Angeles area. She is currently on the faculty of the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts. A former faculty member of the Point Counterpoint Chamber Music Camp, and the Third Street Music School Settlement in New York City, she holds a DMA from Stony Brook University and degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and Oberlin Conservatory. She twice attended the summertime program at the Banff Centre for the performing Arts on fellowship. 

Dr. Fadial was a member of the New York-based chamber group the Circadia Ensemble and the Lilac Ensemble having performed throughout New York State at venues such as Trinity Church Wall Street, the George Eastman House and on Rochester Public Radio WXXI. She is working with violinist, International Artist, Anyango Davenport, to record a CD of New Music on MSR Classics with upcoming concerts throughout the United States and Colombia.

Dr. Vivian Fan currently holds the Director of the Accompanying Program position at the Colburn Conservatory.  She has taught Sonata Class with legendary violinist Arnold Steinhardt and Piano Masterclass at the Adult Studies Program at the Colburn School. Prior to this position, she was on the piano faculty at the Idyllwild Arts Academy.  She performed at Perlman Music Program Alumni Recital Series in 2012 and at Disney Hall in Los Angeles Philharmonic’s “Brahms Unbound” concert in 2011.  She has served as an accompanist at the 2013 Nielson Clarinet Competition in Denmark, the 2013 ARD Viola Competition in Munich, and was awarded "The Best Accompanist Award" from The Edith Knox Performance Competition in 2009, 2010, and 2013.  She collaborated with renowned violist Paul Coletti on Paul Chihara’s Sonata released by Bridge Records in 2013.

As a solo pianist, Dr. Fan has performed with conductors Jorge Mester, Jung Ho Pak, Mario Miragliotta, Sharon Lavery, Peter Askim, and Marc Riley. As a collaborative pianist, Dr. Fan has appeared in recitals with artists such as Andrew Bain, Wen-Sinn Yang, Arnold Steinhardt, Ronald Leonard, Paul Coletti and more.  Her performances have been broadcasted on KTLA and KNBC television as well as KUSC, WFMT, and “Performance Today” on APM radio.

Vivian enjoys rocking climbing and making jewelry arts and crafts projects in her spare time.

Roberta Garten

Jennie Jung made her debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at the age of eleven and has since been active as both a soloist and collaborator in North America.  Dr. Jung has performed with the Republic of Tatarstan Symphony, Korean Philharmonic, Taejon Symphony, Korean-Canadian, University of Toronto, Hart House, and Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestras.  She has attended festivals including the Taubman Institute of Piano, the Banff Centre for the Arts, and the Music Academy of the West, Santa Barbara.  As a collaborative pianist, Dr. Jung has performed in North America, Asia, Africa, and Europe, and has been on staff at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, Aspen Summer Music Festival, Gregor Piatigorsky Seminar for Cellists, and the Banff Centre for the Arts. Dr. Jung has participated in masterclasses and studied with artists such as Dalton Baldwin, Anne Epperson, Peter Frankl, Margo Garrett, Martin Katz, Anton Kuerti, Robert MacDonald, Karl Ulrich-Schnabel, and Arie Vardi.

Dr. Jung is a member of the Jung Trio with her sisters Ellen (violin) and Julie (cello).  The Jung Trio was the Grand Prize winner at the 2002 Yellow Springs Chamber Music Competition and was awarded the Bronze Medal at the 2002 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. The Trio has attended numerous festivals and workshops, including the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Orford Arts Centre Festival, and the Banff Centre for the Arts.  Past performances include recitals in Korea, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Toronto, and a concert tour of Kenya and Mauritius as representatives of the Korean Kumho Cultural Foundation.  The Jung Trio has performed Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with orchestras in Russia, Korea, Toronto, and Los Angeles.  Their recording of Dvorak’s Piano Trio in F Minor was recently released by the Groovenote Label on LP and SACD. 

Dr. Jung completed her Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Toronto with Marietta Orlov.  She received her Master of Music degree and Artist Diploma from Yale University while studying with Claude Frank and was a C. V. Starr Fellow in the doctoral program at the Juilliard School.   Dr. Jung graduated with a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree from Juilliard in May, 2008.  She is currently on the faculty of the Claremont Graduate University, Pomona College, and the Colburn School of Performing Arts.

Winner of the Ryaichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund Award, 27-year-old pianist Hui Wu is a “sparkling” pianist and composer (the New York Times). A new music advocate, she has premiered and recorded works by renowned composers such as Elliott Schwartz, Paul Chihara and Eric Nathan. She has concertized and given masterclasses in China. She has also appeared with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Xia'men Symphony Orchestra and New Juilliard Ensemble. In addition, Her performances have been broadcasted on WQXR 93.6 FM and KUSC classical 91.5 FM.

Ms. Wu attended Music Academy of the West, Taos, Yellow Barn, Goslar Concert Working Weeks, BIMFA, among others music festivals. She studied at The Juilliard School with full scholarship under the tutelage of Philip Lasser, Matti Raekallio and Jerome Lowenthal. Ms. Wu is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at University of Southern California with Stewart Gordon and Donald Crockett.