HB SCHOOL OF MUSIC - Key Persons
Alexandra Reyna has been a student of music for her entire life. She started voice lessons at the age of six, and has been making music ever since. Alexandra sang with the South Bay Children's choir for nine years, performing with them in such productions as "The Nutcracker" with the Moscow Ballet, the live broadcasted holiday show at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and the musical TV show "Crazy-Ex Girlfriend", where she sang vocals on the soundtrack. She has toured England and sung in the revered Canterbury Cathedral, as well as performed multiple times in choral concerts at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Alexandra was an accepted vocal student at the 2019 Idyllwild Summer Arts Festival Intensive and received coaching from renowned choral composer Eric Whitacre. Additionally, she has six years of classical piano training and has performed works by Debussy and Beethoven at her recitals.
Alexandra currently is Alto Section Leader at the National Children's Chorus under the direction of Dr. Alexander Blake, who also leads the accomplished vocal group Tonality. Alexandra attends Cal State Long Beach where she sings in the Bob Cole Chamber Choir, and majors in Vocal Performance under the direction of Dr. Jennifer Sung.
Mrs. Nguyen graduated with an honored degree in Piano Performance in HCM Conservatory of Music in 2004....
I was born in Armenia, Yerevan. Went to Tchaikovsky specialized secondary music school (major voice and... More about Arax
Chloe Descher is a recent graduate of the University of Southern California with a Masters of Music in Flute Performance. Growing up in St. Louis, MO, Chloe began her musical studies at age 6 with piano. She is currently the piccolo/3rd flute with the California Young Artists' Symphony, and has also performed with Downey Symphony Orchestra and the American Youth Symphony. Chloe has experience playing in symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, wind quartets and quintets, solo flute, and piano performances.
Chloe is an avid teacher, and has enjoyed teaching privately and in groups for the past 6 years. Her goal in lessons is to create a fun environment to share music while learning a new skill. In her free time, Chloe enjoys baking, being outdoors, and playing with her two cats Oliver and Penny.
Originally from the Bay Area, Cole Perez is a multifaceted violinist with experience in performing and...
Graduated with a Bachelor in Music with Honors from New Zealand, winner of the Yoshiro Irino memorial price in composition (1984), having received the gift of music as a young adult through charities, and earned his music lessons by doing gardening work, he is now passionate about music education, developing young talents, looking to music not just for the joy that it brings but also using it as a vehicle for personal development.
Hugo Nogueira is currently teaching guitar at Los Angeles Pierce College. Hugo won the 2011 American Guitar Society competition in Los Angeles, California. He obtained a Bachelor degree in Composition in 2007 and a teaching credential in 2010. Hugo continued his studies earning his Master Degree in Guitar Performance at Azusa Pacific University. Additionally, he has had masterclasses with world class guitarists such as Ana Vidovic, Jason Vieaux, Scott Tennant, and Marc Teicholz. Hugo has also participated at guitar festivals such as La Guitarra in San Luis Obispo, Sierra Nevada Guitar festival, and New Mexico Guitar Festival.
In 2012, Hugo Nogueira performed and gave masterclasses at Cal State San Bernardino and University of Redlands. Awarded an assistantship in the fall of 2013, Hugo began to work on his Doctorate in Classical Guitar Performance at UNLV with the internationally renowned concert guitarist, Ricardo Cobo.
In 2014 and 2015, Hugo was invited to be part of the guitar competition committee at the Clark County School District, Las Vegas Academy of Arts, and Junior festival in Las Vegas, Nevada.
From 2013 to 2017, while working on his terminal degree (DMA), Hugo was teaching group guitar class, theory, private lessons, and guitar ensemble at UNLV. In the last few years, Hugo has been performing in different states across U.S. such as California, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, and Michigan.
In May 2017, Hugo graduated with a Doctor of Musical Arts.
Meet Dr.Olena Merrill: A Musical Journey of Excellence and Passion In the heart of every melody, there... More about Olena
Dr.Olena's journey began at a specialized musical school for talented children, where she
Growing up in Long Beach, Ethan's love of music started when he was introduced to the cello at an afterschool...
Multi-woodwindist Gary Gould developed his passion for performing and teaching over a long and successful...
Ian Westerbeck is a guitarist and teacher based out of Huntington Beach, California.
He grew up around blues guitar legend Walter Trout (John Lee Hooker, Canned Heat, John Mayall), took lessons in his youth with Dave Nassie (Kip Moore, Suicidal Tendencies), has studied jazz improvisation with greats such as John Hart (Jack McDuff, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Maria Schneider), Tim Watson (Armando Gola, Dion Kerr), Michael Higgins, John Daversa (3x Grammy-winning artist), Brian Lynch (Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, 2x Grammy-winning artist), Gary Keller, and played in ensembles led by innovators such as Melissa Aldana and John Yarling (Mike Stern, Dave Liebman), to name a few. He has also studied rhythmic independence with Dafnis Prieto. His musical influences include guitarists such as Ben Eunson and Tim Watson, as well as jazz greats such as Red Garland.
Ian just graduated from the University of Miami, where he received the Presidential Scholarship in 2019 for a Bachelor's of Music in Jazz Guitar. He was also the inaugural recipient of the Recording Academy's Dan Warner Music Scholarship in 2022 for excellence in guitar performance. He has performed in various venues throughout Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and in the California Bay Area.
Jacquelyn Su is a student attending CSU Long Beach, focusing in music education and performance. She...
Jasmin Cruz, a Bay Area native, is an emerging music educator with a passion for igniting musical curiosity.... More about Jasmin
Jasmin Cruz, a Bay Area native, is an emerging music educator with a passion for igniting musical curiosity. Jasmin's musical journey started with piano lessons, then expanded in the 4th grade with a cello in hand. After playing in school orchestras, she joined the Napa Valley Youth Symphony in middle school, where her talent as a cellist flourished. She then further developed her skills in the Napa Youth Chamber Ensemble under Symphony Napa Valley concertmaster Yasushi Ogura. A graduate of American Canyon High School, Jasmin became a driving force across the different musical ensembles there. From award-winning choirs to the string orchestras, marching band, and jazz ensemble, she immersed herself in every musical facet the school offered. Inspired by dedicated teachers and mentors, Jasmin resolved to pursue music.
Currently, Jasmin is pursuing dual Bachelor's degrees in Music at California State University, Long Beach, majoring in Instrumental Music Education and Strings Performance. She contributes her talents to the Bob Cole Symphony Orchestra and various string chamber groups, studying privately under Dr. David Garrett from the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Beyond her performance skills, Jasmin's commitment to nurturing musical growth has taken root in her teaching endeavors. With years of experience teaching piano and cello in the private setting, she has honed her ability to impart the gift of music to eager learners. She has students who have earned their high chairs and played in their respective school district honor orchestras. However, her ultimate goal is to become a classroom music educator. She has already gained valuable experience coaching cello and strings in various Southern California schools, since Fall 2022 and continuing with constant dedication.
I've taught piano for over 25 years, and my passion is to educate and to pass my musical knowledge to... More about Jean
Job Titles:
- Student at CSU Long Beach
Kerry Walther is a student at CSU Long Beach studying music performance with Jason Bonham, principal violist of the Las Vegas Philharmonic. Kerry has been playing the violin and viola since 2013, and has gone on to play with the Southern California Philharmonic, Mira Costa College Symphony Orchestra, Bob Cole Conservatory Symphony, American Youth Symphony, and the National Take a Stand/YOLA National Festival Orchestra as principal and assistant principal violist under conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel. She has also taught violin and viola for the Renaissance Institute of Music, Young Leaders in Music Education, and Harmony Project Long Beach.
Lora Bashmakian is a Southern California based singer and pianist. She recently competed in The Metropolitan... More about Lora
Mai and her husband, Cuong, share the love of music. They bought Concert Music School in 2014, which is now Huntington Beach School of Music. They want to foster the love and enjoyment of music in the community. It is her wish that every student has access to quality music education and performing opportunities. She has two nephews and loves spending time with them as much as possible. She finds fulfillment in seeing children connect with music and enjoy learning.
Mai holds a PhD in computer science from École Centrale Paris. Although she has a strong background in information technology and software development, she now finds herself completely absorbed in her new passion. She is keen to offer assistance to others in any way she could. When she is not busy sipping coffee, she enjoys decorating the school, and supporting HBSM's wonderful teachers in creating a happy environment for students to develop their full potential.
Marisa Ramey has studied viola for over 10 years and plans to continue doing so for many many more. She has studied with Travis Maril and Jason Bonham and received her Bachelor's of Music in viola performance from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music. Marisa has performed with the BCCM Symphony Orchestra, the BCCM New Music Ensemble, CSULB's Laptop Ensemble, and the Pacific Lyric Association Opera.
In addition to viola, Marisa enjoys performing and composing with a wide variety of instruments, both acoustic and electronic. She plans on pursuing a Master's in Composition with Interactive Media.
Maura Phelps is a recent alumni of CSULB where she received her masters degree in instrumental performance. Maura has been playing the cello since the age of 7 and cherishes its role throughout all her stages of life so far. Maura currently performs with the American Youth Symphony. Before coming to California, she completed a bachelors degree in music at Western Michigan University. At WMU she studied instrumental performance and music therapy. Maura is proud to also be a board-certified music therapist. While in Michigan, she served as associate principal in the Holland Symphony Orchestra. In her free time Maura enjoys cooking, baking, and spending time with her two cats Owen and Hopscotch.
Namiah Miller attends the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSU Long Beach, where he performs in the... More about Namiah
Racquel Gee is a Southern California based musician and student studying at California State University... More about Racquel
Racquel Gee is a Southern California based musician and student studying at California State University of Long Beach, working toward a BM in music education. Music has been a part of Racquel's life for as long as she can remember, with six years (and still counting) of classical and choral music experience in voice, and three years in piano. She studies privately under the direction of Dr. Jennifer Sung at CSULB and is a part of the Bob Cole Chamber Choir.
She has previously performed with the Santa Clarita Master Chorale during her high school career, performing large works such as Lux Aeterna by Morten Lauridsen under the direction of Allan Robert Pekter. During her currently college career, she has performed such great works such as Carmina Burana under the direction of Dr. Jonathan Talberg. Racquel has also performed at various locations such as the National American Choral Direction Association in Cincinnati, OH, as well as touring the cities of Italy and Slovenia with the Bob Cole Chamber Choir.
Racquel's dream is to one day be able to conduct and teach a high school choir, and the future generations about love, self-expression, and togetherness through the beauty of music making.
Stephanie Smith has always had a strong love of music starting at a young age. At the age of nine she began performing in choirs and community theater musical productions, and through both she found her passion for performing. In the years 2018, 2019, and 2020 she participated in the High School SCVA Regional and ACDA All-State Honor Choirs, and in 2019 attended a two-week choral intensive at the Idyllwild Arts summer program. She was involved in the leadership board of her choir throughout all of high school, and was president of choral activities in her senior year.
Stephanie is currently studying to receive her BM in Opera Performance at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University Long Beach, and from 2022-2023 was the Soprano section leader for the University Choir under Dr. Jonathan Talberg. In the Spring of 2022, she was excited to participate in her first opera "Le Nozze di Figaro," and since then has performed in several other opera performances with scenes from Britten's "The Turn of the Screw," Janacek's "The Cunning Little Vixen," and Floyd's "Susannah." She is currently preparing to sing the role of Adele in Strauss II's "Die Fledermaus." Stephanie currently studies with Dr. Steven Kronauer, who has become an inspiring mentor to her in her years at the BCCM. She hopes to inspire the same love and passion for music that she contains in all of her future students.
Zachary Mascarinas is a second-year student at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music, where he is pursuing a B.M. in Opera Performance and studying under Dr. Jennifer Sung. He is a member of the tenor-bass choir Cantus and serves as a baritone section leader in the University Choir.
In the Spring of 2023, Zachary performed the role of Harashta in 'The Cunning Little Vixen' and is currently preparing for the role of Dr. Falke in 'Die Fledermaus' for the Spring of 2024. He was also a semi-finalist in NATS.
Additionally, he has played the trumpet for nine years, holding the position of section leader and first chair throughout middle school and high school. Zachary has also participated in CMEA and NCBA competitions.