2025 Irvine International Music Competition Jury Members
Dr. Sarkis Baltaian
Director of Instrumental Music, Orange County School of the Arts
Dr. Sarkis Baltaian has gained an international reputation as a concert pianist, chamber musician, recording artist and pedagogue. He has been praised by critics for his “beautiful tone and ability to project even the most delicate pianissimos” and compared to George Gershwin and Oscar Levant for his performance of Gershwin’s Concerto in F. Dr. Baltaian made his Carnegie Hall Debut in 1999 and has performed extensively both as recitalist and concerto soloist with major orchestras throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Dr. Baltaian has been a top prize winner of several national and international competitions and has appeared as guest artist in numerous festivals including the Aspen International Music Festival, Holland Music Sessions, Bad Bertrich Klaviersommer, Pan Pacific Music Festival, Mammoth Lakes Music Festival, and Plovdiv International Chamber Music Festival. Dr. Baltaian has made recordings for Television and Radio Stations and has been featured in live concerts and interviews on NBC, NPR, KUSC- Los Angeles, K-Mozart- Los Angeles, WMFT-Chicago, Bulgarian National Radio and TV, Classic FM-Bulgaria among others.
A dedicated teacher, Dr. Baltaian’s students have won various national and international competitions and have been accepted at schools such as Eastman School, Peabody Conservatory, New England Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, Cleveland Institute of Music, USC, UCLA, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Santa Barbara, Pomona College and University of Colorado at Boulder.
He is a fierce advocate for the music education of young musicians and has served on the piano faculty at the Pan Pacific Music Festival in Sydney, Australia, Southern California Music Institute in California and as a chamber music coach for the Junior Chamber Music Series in Los Angeles. Dr. Baltaian is in demand as clinician and regularly presents Master Classes at Universities across the United States. He is frequently invited to adjudicate for such organizations as the Music Teachers National Association, Music Teachers Association of California, Junior Bach Festival and Southwestern Youth Music Festival.
Dr. Baltaian began to study piano at the age of four with Rositza Ivancheva at the “Dobrin Petkov” Music High School for gifted students in his native Bulgaria. He continued his education at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles where he received the Bachelor of Music, Masters of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts Degrees under the direction of renowned pedagogue and concert artist John Perry.
Dr. Baltaian has served as the teaching assistant to Professor John Perry at the University of Southern California and as Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
He is currently Professor at the Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles and also serves as Coordinator of the Pianist Program at the Orange County School of the Arts.
Dr. Moni Simeonov
Director of String Studies, California State University Long Beach
Chair of Chamber Music, Colburn School
A native of Bulgaria, Moni Simeonov began playing the violin at age 5, and ten years later, came to the United States on a full scholarship to the Idyllwild Arts Academy. He performs with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and Opera, Ensemble San Francisco, and until recently, was the Concertmaster for the Sacramento Philharmonic. He has also served as a guest concertmaster with Reno Philharmonic, Louisiana Philharmonic and the Pacific Symphony. His doctoral studies included minor fields in Viola Performance, Schenkerian Analysis, Japanese Language, as well as an emphasis on the interpretation of the Balkan folk music.
On tour and in Los Angeles, Mr. Simeonov dedicates considerable time and energy to community engagement work and to musical activities and presentations for young people. Moni has performed and coached alongside Midori for her Orchestra Residencies Program American and International tours. Until 2014, he served as a director for the program. Outreach activities have taken him to places as diverse as homeless shelters in Peru and at-risk centers in Tennessee, to Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon, and hospitals for the terminally ill in Sri Lanka.
Moni’s summer teaching includes engagements with the Interlochen Summer Festival, the Singapore Violin Festival, and the Atlantic Music Festival. Moni is also the founder of Bulgaria’s first chamber music academy – “Quartet Intensive” in Sofia.
Moni has concertized and taught around the United States, South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. His recordings have been archived by PBS, NPR, KUSC, Bulgarian National Radio and TV, as well as Japanese Broadcasting Company – NHK.
Moni received his BM and PC from the Eastman School of Music under Zvi Zeitlin, his MM and AD from Yale University with Ani Kavafian, and his GC and DMA from USC’s Thornton School of Music where he studied with Midori.
Moni served as Adjunct Instructor at USC’s Thornton School of Music until 2014. That year, he was appointed Director of String Studies and Violin Professor with the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University, Long Beach. In addition, Moni serves as the Edelman Chair of Chamber Music with the Colburn School. Students of his have won the Fischoff, Coltman, MTNA, and St. Paul Competitions and have gotten accepted into Juilliard, Colburn, USC, Indiana, Yale University, Peabody, as well as top schools in Asia and Europe. He is also the creator of zenviolin.com.
Dr. Angela Yeung
Music Director, Greater San Diego Music Coterie
Music Professor, University of San Diego
Dr. Angela Yeung has performed in major concert venues around the world. Director of the Collegium Musicum at Columbia University from 1988 to 1993, and Co-Director of the International Summer Chamber Music Festival Orvieto Musica in Italy from 1994 to 2005, she has also led the Tijuana Youth Orchestra in Mexico and The Chorale Singers in Jakarta, Indonesia, both as their Principal Guest Conductor. She is a founding member of the National College Orchestra Directors Association and was President of the West Division from 2007 to 2010.
Dr. Yeung holds a PhD in Music Theory from Columbia University in New York City, a MA in Music Theory and a Concerto Diploma in Baroque cello performance with distinction from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec (Canada), and an Honours BMus in Cello performance from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario (Canada). She has been a full-time faculty member in Music at the University of San Diego since 1994 and was Director of the USD Symphony Orchestra from 1996 to 2010.
Dr. Yeung is passionate about reaching out to the community through music. A frequent clinician for visiting school orchestras, bands, and choirs, she has conducted numerous outreach performances with orchestra and chamber music ensembles, and has designed and directed many after-school music programs for elementary schools. Dr. Yeung was the featured guest conductor at both the 2012 and 2013 Annual StringFest of the Sweetwater School District in San Diego, in which over 500 student musicians from 4 middle schools and 7 high schools participated. In February 2019, Dr. Yeung was the featured conductor for the Antelope Valley Union High School District (AVHSD) Honor Orchestra.
Dr. Ching-Ming Cheng
Music Department Chair, California State University San Marcos
In 2023, Dr. Cheng was inducted into the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame, a prestigious designation recognizing the work of North America’s most committed and passionate piano educators. Dr. Cheng has been a recipient of the Top Music Teacher Award from Steinway & Sonsevery year since 2016. Being a Full Professor at CSU San Marcos and currently the chair of the Music Department, Dr. Cheng was the recipient of the CSUSM President’s Outstanding Faculty Award in Service Leadership in 2021. Dr. Cheng is now the Faculty Director on the CSU San Marcos Foundation Board.
As a dedicated performer and educator, Dr. Ching-Ming Cheng has made many accomplishments throughout the world. She is an active pianist, collaborative performer and a committed teacher who has an enthusiastic heart for sharing her profession with others. In her current position as a Full Professor of Music at California State University San Marcos, she has contributed to make the Music Major a reality, also successfully raised funds by performing private concerts to build a brand new music lab on campus as well as to establish the first All-Steinway School in the region. Dr. Cheng completed her first Asia concert tour in 2018 playing a series of solo recitals in Taiwan and Japan. In 2023, she toured southern California with her colleague Dr. Janet Kao from Chapman University performing piano four-hand concerts at CSUSM, Fullerton College, Vista Library and Nixon Library.
Starting her musical training at the age of 5, Dr. Cheng was soon chosen to attend the music talent class to begin her musical journey. She won her first prize in Taipei Music Competition in her early teens and continued to receive many other awards. Her most recent competition prize was a silver medal in 2013 International Keyboard Odyssiad Piano Competition held in Colorado. Her honors also include the performance at the annual retreat in San Diego by North America Taiwanese Professor Association, participation in the Second Chinese International Piano Competition in New York City, representing Taiwan, the master-classes in Eureka, California by the Music Teacher Association of California, jurisdiction at the Youth Concert Concerto Competition hosted by Eureka Symphony and the Humboldt State University Aria/Concerto Competition in California, premier performance at the Annual International Computer Music Conference and the University of Miami Society of Composers, Inc. in Coral Gables, Florida.
Dr. Cheng has been featured in various performances both as a soloist and collaborative pianist around the world. In 2024, Dr. Cheng performed with Eugene Drucker, founder/violinist of the Emerson String Quartet, at the Center for the Arts Escondido. In 2023, Dr. Cheng toured with Dr. Janet Kao in Southern California with a piano four-hand program. In 2018, Dr. Cheng completed an Asia tour with solo recitals in Taiwan and Japan. In July 2016, Dr. Cheng was invited to tour as the featured pianist with the Poway Symphonette to China, performing at prestigious venues such as Xian National Concert Hall and Shanghai Oriental Art Center. She has also collaborated with world renowned saxophonist Kenneth Radnofsky on a local tour to perform at UCLA, SDSU and CSUSM. Other performances include Beethoven Emperor Piano Concerto with Poway Symphony, Beethoven Choral Fantasy with Center Chorale in Escondido, Steinway Series at Palomar College, Piano Recital at Fullerton College, Piano Recital at Broward College, Arts and Lectures series at CSUSM, Opening Concerts for San Diego Taiwanese American Heritage Week, Retreat Concerts of North America Taiwanese Professor Association in San Diego, National Taiwan Normal University Music Festival in Taipei, Taiwan, the Faculty Artist Series at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California, the MTAC north regional conference in Santa Clara University and Diablo Valley College in California, Piano Texas Festival at Texas Christian University in Texas, Art Basel Festival and New World Symphony at Lincoln Theater in Miami Beach, Florida, Yamaha Concert Series at Yamaha Piano Music Center in Coral Gables, Florida, and Artist-In-Residence Series of National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) in Taipei, Taiwan. Her concerto performances include working with Humboldt Symphony, Poway Symphony, Palomar Symphony and CSUSM Wind Ensemble.
In addition to actively performing, Dr. Cheng is also a devoted educator. Her higher education faculty teaching appointments include the Frost School of Music at University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, Barry University in North Miami, Florida, New World School of the Arts in Miami, Florida, Humboldt State University and Humboldt Music Academy in Arcata, California, National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei, Taiwan, and many master classes invited by professional associations. She was appointed as the co- director of the keyboard program while teaching at Humboldt State University in California. In August 2011, Dr. Cheng joined the music faculty at California State University San Marcos, developing the piano program.
Soon after receiving her bachelor's degree in piano performance from National Taiwan Normal University, Dr. Cheng was granted a scholarship from the University of Miami to start her master's degree in Music Business and Entertainment Industry. In 2003, offered a full scholarship as a graduate teaching assistant, she continued to pursue her doctoral degree in Accompanying and Chamber Music at University of Miami, studying with Dr. J.B.Floyd, the former chair of the keyboard department, Mr. Tian Ying, the present chair and a former finalist of Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Dr. Paul Posnak, the head of the accompanying department. Dr. Cheng has made many master class appearances conducted by distinguishing musicians including Lang Lang, Andrea Watts, Hans Boepple, Sharon Mann, John Owings, Tamas Ungar, Harold Martina, Jin Zhang, and Ruei-bin Chen.
Committed to a versatile musical career, Dr. Cheng finds every opportunity to advance herself. She is an active participant in professional organizations and conferences around the world. She has been an active member of Music Teachers Association of California (MTAC) and currently the Membership Secretary of the North County San Diego branch, Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), California Association of Professional Music Teachers (CAPMT), North America Taiwanese Professor Association, etc. Holding a minor degree in double bass performance, her orchestral performance experience is substantial and has provided her a unique background to be a keen and sensitive collaborative artist. Her working experience also includes internship at BMG US Latin Copyright division in Coral Gables, Florida, a double bassist at Taipei Century Symphony and National Symphony Orchestra in Taiwan, and a project manager at TLJ Technologies Inc. In April 2010, Dr. Cheng was invited to join the string ensemble to perform at National Concert Hall in Taiwan, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of her alma mater, HSNU.
Dr. Cheng is currently the chair of the Music Department at California State University San Marcos. She will continue concertizing and devoting herself to music education and performing throughout the world.
Dr. Geoffrey Pope
Director of Orchestral Studies and Assistant Professor, UC IRVINE
Dr. Geoffrey Pope’s dynamic career spans continents, genres, and musical disciplines. Recognized through numerous appointments, commissions, and awards as a conductor and composer, Pope seeks to present provocative, inclusive, and engaging performances that have a strong cultural impact.
Much of his conducting work builds upon the standard repertoire, exploring contemporary music, opera, and multimedia spheres, including art installations and film scores. Upcoming performances include the Los Angeles premiere of John Williams’ Prelude and Scherzo, a piano concerto written for Gloria Cheng and Lang Lang, with Ms. Cheng performing with the Santa Monica Symphony. This fall heralds releases of Pope’s recordings of several new works, including Noah Meites’ Counting, as well as Corey Field’s The Trial of Benjamin Britten, a monodrama in nine scenes, featuring tenor Todd Strange and hornist Dylan Hart. Recent performances include UC Irvine’s acclaimed production of Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, stage directed by Andreas Mitisek, formerly Artistic and General Director of Long Beach Opera, as well as the masterworks concerts with the Beach Cities Symphony, where he is Music Director and Conductor. This season he is a featured lecturer with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, giving numerous pre-concert Upbeat Live presentations.
Other recent performances include Puccini’s La bohème with Valley Opera and Performing Arts, and a live-to-film performance Kathryn Bostic’s new score to The Flying Ace (1927) at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences Museum in a celebration of early Black cinema, the premiere of David Reyes’ Aztec opera El Circo Anahuac, the premiere of Jason Barabba’s Lettere da Triggiano oratorio with Synchromy and members of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, a multimedia concert performance of Osvaldo Golijov’s Ayre at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, and Son of Chamber Symphony for the composer at the Inside the (G)Earbox: John Adams @ 70 symposium held at UCLA. Prior to this he conducted Benjamin Britten’s opera The Rape of Lucretia as part of the worldwide Benjamin Britten Centenary celebrations, with “energy and flair” (Boston Classical Review), leading a “warm and expressive rendering of Britten’s complicated score” (Boston Musical Intelligencer), and performances of Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire throughout the Denver Metropolitan Area. Other concert music recordings appear on the Open Space, Orenda Records, and Perspectives on New Music labels.
Dr. Pope is also dedicated to musical performance on a global scale, and is a regular conductor of concert and media music in the recording studios of Hollywood and Budapest. Recent projects include Music in Light, an immersive classical music multimedia installation that opened in April 2024 in Macau. In August 2023, he was hired to conduct and record the orchestra and choir for the St. Stephen’s Day fireworks display along the Danube, a yearly televised event akin to America’s Independence Day celebrations. His conducting and/or orchestration work can also be heard on numerous motion pictures, television series, and videogames, including Riot Games’ League of Legends, The Woman King, and the Emmy-winning score to Kung Fu Panda on Netflix. As a forensic musicologist, industry consultant, and researcher, Dr. Pope has worked nearly a decade on behalf of composers, studios, music supervisors, and attorneys. His company, Musical Problem-Solver LLC, maintains a formidable international clientele base.
Dr. Pope’s degrees in composition and conducting were completed at USC, UCLA, and the Eastman School of Music, where he was awarded the prestigious Walter Hagen Conducting Prize. While a doctoral conducting student at UCLA, Pope presented symphonic programs including an exploration of connections between music of Richard Wagner and Bernard Herrmann. His scholarly interests include Viennese music of the early twentieth century, and the role of diegetic music in the evolution of sonic spatialization. His dissertation addressed the evolving role of instrumental music written to be performed onstage (Bühnenmusik, or banda) in German language opera, and the coordination issues involved in its execution and synchronization with the orchestra pit. Pope’s dissertation was used as a primary support document in the Vienna State Opera musicians’ petition to declare Bühnenmusik as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Dr. Pope is a lecturer at UC Irvine, where he conducts the orchestra and opera and teaches orchestration and conducting. He joins the faculty of Chapman University for the Fall 2024 term teaching private conducting students and a score analysis seminar. He is currently Vice President of the Western Region of the College Orchestra Directors Association (CODA).
www.geoffreypopemusic.com
Xiao Chen
Director, Irvine Conservatory of Music
Faculty, Mount Saint Mary’s University Los Angeles
Award-winning pianist Dr. XIAO CHEN is actively engaged as both a soloist and chamber musician throughout the U.S., China, and Europe, having performed at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Fischer Center for Performing Arts, and Shanghai Concert Hall. Her performances have been well received by many; New York Concert Review praised her that “she has a strong interest in communicating, and that urge is apparent in performances of expressiveness and purposefulness”, while Shanghai Youth Daily said “her energetic and breathtaking performance impressed the audience”. Her concerts were frequently broadcast live on radio stations, including Classical KUSC FM 91.5 and Classical KING FM 98.1.
Dr. Chen is currently on faculty at Mount Saint Mary’s University, having served as lecturer in Piano Performance at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2019. Adedicated pedagogue, Dr. Chen founded and directed the Los Angeles Young Virtuoso International Music Festival, with the objective of providing performance and educative opportunities for students from all over the world. Moreover, she is the music director of Irvine Conservatory of Music, as well as the founder and artistic director of Irvine Conservatory International Music Competition.
Dr. Chen is the prize winner of many competitions, including The American Prize, Frances Walton Competition, Carmel Music Society Piano Competition, The Muse International Competition, and Steinway & SonsInternational Youth Piano Competition. Furthermore, Dr. Chen has served as a jury member in many piano competitions, including the New West Symphony Piano Competition in Los Angeles, "Pearl River Keyserburg" International Piano Competition, MAP International Music Competition, and Hainan Airline Piano Competition. As a recording artist, Dr.Chen has recorded for Yamaha’s Disklavier Educational Network and the Scott Joplin Piano Works Archive.
Dr. Chen has been invited to perform in a number of music festivals, including the Morningside Bridge Summer Festival, Yellow Barn Music Festival, Pianofest Summer Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Manchester Music Festival, and Italy Perugia Music Fest. Over the years, she has worked with esteemed pianists and artists such as Gary Graffman, Seymour Lipkin, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Richard Goode, Peter Frankl, Claude Frank, Wu Han, Ann Schein, Paul Schenly, Vivian Hornik Weilerstein, Joseph Lin, and the Shanghai Quartet.
As a music educator and advocator, Dr. Chen has also been invited to present lectures and concerts as a recurring guestprofessor at universities. Her articles about music and teaching have been published in music magazines such as California Music Teachers and Music Lover (China). She has collaborated with Bard Conservatory US-China Music Institute and created a new piano course for young students in China. Her role as an educator also extends to online courses. She has published many online courses for piano performance practice which are distributed on major Chinese educational platforms. Many of Dr. Chen’s students have received prizes in international competitions and performed in prestigious concert halls.
Dr. Chen attended Bard College as a double major, receiving her Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from the Bard College Conservatory of Music, and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Language and Literature from Bard College. She furthered her studies at The Juilliard School, obtaining her Master of Music degree. Most recently, she received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from UCLA.
Dr. Chen released her new solo piano album "Kaleidoscope" with Sheva Collection. The album is available on major platforms including Naxos, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Spotify.
More about Dr. XIAO CHEN, please visit: XiaoChenPianist.com