Class Piano Teaching Assistants for 2009-2010
HyoungJin Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea. He has been a prize recipient in numerous national and international competitions including a second prize winner in the Scottish International Piano Academy Competition in 2006. His first public piano performance was with the Hankook Symphony Orchestra at the age of sixteen. Since then, HyoungJin has performed in numerous venues throughout South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States.
HyoungJin began his piano studies at the age of four with his father, who was an esteemed music teacher. In 2007, He received his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the Seoul National University under the instruction of Professor Hyoung Joon Chang. While completing his Bachelor's program, HyoungJin was offered one of two spots available for a special course program focused on professional music education. On completing this course program, HyoungJin received his Teacher’s Certificate for Secondary School Music Education. Upon his graduation, HyoungJin moved to the United States to further his piano studies, where he received his Masters of Music degree in Piano Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music. During his Master's studies, he received a departmental scholarship and worked as a Department Assistant. HyoungJin is currently pursuing his Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music under the instruction of Professor Barry Snyder.
Igor Lipinski is currently pursuing the Masters of Music in Piano Performance and Literature where he studies piano under the tutelage of Dr. Douglas Humpherys. He is the recipient of Graduate Awards in the form of teaching assistantships with Professor Tony Caramia and Professor Vincent Lenti. Igor completed his Bachelors of Music in Piano Performance and Musical Arts Major at Eastman. In 1998, he received the Grand Prix for Young Pianists at the Paderewski Competition in Kasna Dolna, Poland. In 2004, at the special invitation of Dr. Kazimierz Braun, Igor participated in the Paderewski Festival in Buffalo, NY where he was presented the Grand Prix Award in the piano category. In the world premiere of the theater play "Paderewski’s Children", staged by the University at Buffalo, Igor played a lead role of the young pianist. In 2005, Igor graduated from Paderewski Music High School in Tarnow, Poland where he studied under the direction of professor Jaroslaw Iwaneczko. Igor performed numerous recitals in Buffalo, Chautauqua, Pittsburgh, Rochester and New York City. In May of 2008, Igor made his American orchestra debut with Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra playing Paderewski Piano Concerto under the baton of Joann Falletta. Igor’s second passion is the art of magic. He is the recipient of many distinguished awards and he's presented various magic performances throughout Europe, USA and Middle East including 60 shows in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Currently, Igor is working on several projects incorporating piano, magic and symphony orchestra. For more information, please visit Igor's website at www.igorlipinski.com
Joseph Irrera is currently pursuing the Doctorate of Musical Arts where he also completed his Bachelors Degree with Distinction, in 2005. Mr. Irrera’s principle teachers include Alla Kuznetsov, Douglas Humpherys, and Alexander Shtarkman at the Peabody Conservatory where he received the Masters Degree in 2006. Additionally, Mr. Irrera has studied with renowned pedagogues Martin Canin, Philip Kawin, Lev Natochenny, Irina Edelstein, Victor Rosenbaum, and concert pianist Jon Nakamatsu. He has concertized throughout the United States and abroad with appearances at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C with Leonard Slatkin, the Académie Internationale du Moulin D’Andé in France, and additional solo recitals in Bulgaria, Germany, and Italy. At the age of 18 Mr. Irrera made his concerto debut performing Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Mr. Irrera is laureate of many national and international piano competitions including the Guthman International Piano Competition in Atlanta, Georgia, the Young Artist’s International Piano Competition in Washington, D.C., and most recently the American Protégé International Piano Competition in New York City where he was awarded First Prize, making his Carnegie Hall debut in April of 2009. If you would like to contact Mr. Irrera you can do so at www.josephirrera.com
Mary Vanhoozer, born in Cambridge, England, began her piano studies at age five with her father, an amateur pianist and professional theologian. At age ten she attended St. Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh, where she also received Scottish fiddling lessons and found an enduring enthusiasm for folk music. When her family moved to the US she continued studying piano, entering several competitions in the Chicago area and appearing as soloist with the Lake Forest Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Wheaton Collage Symphony Orchestra. She has studied with Peter Evans, Carol Honigberg, Dr. Daniel Paul Horn, and most recently, Dr. Humpherys. She is thrilled to be at Eastman and excited to venture into the world of teaching. In her free time Mary likes to read Jane Austen, children’s books, drink tea, and swing dance.
Mayumi Matzen was born in Kyoto, Japan, where her earliest musical training began at the age of five. Ms. Matzen holds a bachelor’s degree from the Kyoto City University of the Arts, and a master’s degree from the Eastman School of Music where she studied with Douglas Humpherys. She currently is pursuing a doctorate in Piano Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music. She is in frequent demand as a solo recitalist as well as a collaborative pianist. Her most notable recent collaborations include performances with Patrick Addinall, principal trumpet of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, and Toshio Kaigawa, former principal oboist with the Kyoto City Symphony Orchestra.
Naz Pourmalek, an Iranian-Canadian pianist, debuted as a soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at the age of fifteen. The following year she received her "Honors with Distinction" ARCT Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music and was accepted to further her studies at the University of British Columbia. After two years of study under the head of the Piano Department, Jane Coop, she transferred to Eastman, where she received her Bachelors of Music under Professor Natalya Antonova. Naz has competed as a semi-finalist in International Piano Competitions such as the Gateway Pacific Piano Competition, Missouri Southern International Piano Competition, and Wideman Piano Competition.
Ms. Pourmalek is currently a Masters student in the studio of Professor Antonova.
Olga Krayterman is a Master of Music degree candidate at the Eastman School, where she also completed her BM in spring 2008 with High Distinction. Olga has competed and performed extensively in the United States and abroad. Most recently, she was awarded the first prize at the Concours International de Piano du Moulin d’Andé in 2006, in the Stravinsky Competition in 2004, and in the Southeastern Summer Piano Festival Concerto Competition in 2003. She made her orchestral debut with the South Carolina Philharmonic under Maestro Nicholas Smith, performing Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto in 2003. Ms. Krayterman has also participated in several international music festivals, such as the Bowdoin International Music Festival and the Académie Internationale du Moulin D’Andé. Her principal instructors have included Professor Natalya Antonova and Ms. Terry Moran.
Sun Min Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea. Since coming to the United States, he has been a prizewinner in numerous national and international competitions such as the Empire State Competition, the ODU Classical Period Piano Competition, the Competition of the Society for American Musicians, the Buono & Bradshaw International Piano Competition, the MTNA Young Artist Competition, the Crescendo Music Awards Competition, the Lee Biennial Piano Competition, and the Maria Canals International Piano Competition.
He has also appeared as a soloist, and chamber musician in various venues such as the Katzen Arts Center (Washington DC), Canton Arts Center (Ohio), Kumho Recital Hall, Kumchung Cultural Center, Ulsan Cultural Center of Arts, and Iwon Cultural Arts Center (South Korea), Baroque Hall (Czech Republic), Rolston Recital Hall (Canada), and Ecole Redaelli (Beligum).
He has participated in music festivals such as Prague International Piano Masterclass, Mastercourse à Braine-Alleud in Belgium, International Keyboard Festival at Banff Center, Beijing International Music Festival & Academy, and the Brevard Music Center. His summer study teachers include Jerome Lowenthal, Thomas Schumacher, Pavlina Dokovska, Eugene Pridonoff, Elizabeth Pridonoff, Diane Andersen, Robert Roux, Kevin Fitz-Gerald, and Marc Durand.
He holds a Bachelor of Music degree with a French minor from the Eastman School of music, and is currently pursuing his Master of Music degree at the Eastman School of Music, studying with Nelita True.
Toni James, at the age of 11, was accepted to the Junior School of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama to study with Philip Jenkins (Head of Keyboard Studies). She was selected to represent the RSAMD in the junior Intercollegiate Beethoven Competition in London, aged 15 and in 2001, was a gold medallist in her class at the Moray Piano festival in Scotland. Toni was a finalist in the televised BBC Young Musician of the Year piano class, and was winner of the Regional Final Prize for Scotland and Northern Ireland. Toni has performed throughout the UK, United States and Scandinavia also participating in master classes with numerous renowned pianists such as Steven Kovacevich, Andre Watts, Malcolm Bilson and Roy Howatt. In 2004 as part of the series of Scottish International Piano Competition workshops, Toni performed the world premiere of the commissioned audience piece – “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” (Rory Boyle). In March 2005 in the International Emmanuel Durlet Prize for Piano in Antwerp Belgium, Toni reached the Semi Final as the youngest competitor in the competition. Prizes awarded at the RSAMD include the Bach Prize for Piano, Memorial Mozart Competition and Governor’s Senior Recital Competition. Toni was also awarded 3rd prize in the Scottish International Piano Academy Competition. In 2006 aged 20 Toni received a B. Mus Performance with 1st class honours. Toni was the first Scottish Pianist to achieve this level of award from the RSAMD. Following this Toni obtained a Post Graduate Certificate in Music (2007) before gaining a position to study for the Master of Music Performance at the Eastman School of Music Rochester New York under Professor Barry Snyder. She is supported by scholarships from Eastman and prestigious scholarships in her own country including the Caird Travelling Scholarship.