Violin

Ji Young An, Lecturer of Violin

Varty Manouelian, Lecturer of Violin, Los Angeles Philharmonic

Movses Pogossian, Distinguished Professor of Violin, Founder and Advisor, UCLA Armenian Music Program

Viola

Che-Ye Chen, Professor of Viola and Head of Chamber Music

Violoncello

Ben Hong, Lecturer of Cello, Associate Principal, Los Angeles Philharmonic

Jeffrey Ho, Strings Chamber Music Teaching Assistant

Harpsichord

Daniel Gledhill, Collaborative Piano Staff

Jonathan Han grew up in San Francisco, California and has been playing the violin since he was 4. He studied with Doris Fukawa at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and is continuing his studies at UCLA under Movses Pogossian and Ji Young An. Jonathan attended high school at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, where he was concertmaster and won his school’s orchestra Concerto Competition. Outside of music, he loves watching and playing sports, hanging out with family and friends, and spending time with his girlfriend.

Nina Huang is a first-year violin performance student double majoring with statistics and data science. Starting her musical journey at five years old with the piano, she began also playing the violin when she was eight. During high school, Nina served as concertmaster in the 2023 TMEA All-State Honor Orchestra and competed with her quartet as semifinalists in the Coltman Chamber Music Competition. As a past ambassador for Chamber Youth International and current mentor at Musical Empowerment, Nina enjoys helping others discover the joy of music.

Jamilee Lee, currently studying with Varty Manouelian and Movses Pogossian, has developed a passion for music over a decade. Prior to UCLA, she took part in the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. She has also played as a concertmaster at Round Top Festival, toured Taiwan with the Taipei Music Academy & Festival, and participated in Sounding Point Academy at Colburn. In chamber music, she has worked with notable violinists such as Ilya Kaler, Cho-Liang Lin, Frank Huang, and received an invitation to play for Midori. Tonight, she is looking forward to her first solo with her freshman class!

JJ is a violinist from the Bay Area. He is currently studying with Movses Pogossian. He has been playing the violin since the age of 5, and hopes to become a violin teacher in the future.

Lyndsey Lipscomb is a versatile violin player and a first-year undergraduate music education student at UCLA. She began playing violin at age 6, and currently studies with Movses Pogossian and Varty Manouelian. Among many, her accolades include Southern California Philharmonic Young Artist, Music Teachers’ Association of California’s panel finalist, and performing in a masterclass with LA Philharmonic’s Alexander Treger. She values community engagement, and served as concertmistress of Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, a member of the Pacific Symphony Youth Quartet, and a member of the Chuck Wackerman Memorial Jazz Combo across Orange County, California.

Andrew Dela Peña has been playing the violin for over 10 years. Most of his musical experience is from the classical music world, but he has experience in other arts fields such as mariachi and musical theatre as well. He is excited to start his career at UCLA and hopes to be an orchestra director in the future.

Helen Wang is a first-year undergraduate student studying violin performance at UCLA from the Bay Area. She started playing the violin at the age of 11 and currently studies with Movses Poggosian. She was a part of the California Youth Symphony for 5 years and also the San Francisco Conservatory of Music pre-college. She won the American Protégé International Piano & Strings Competition and performed at Carnegie Hall in 2022. She also won first place in the Prima Volta Music Competition and the US International Open Music Competition in 2021. She has participated in music festivals such as Montecito and PCMF.

Zara Amendt is from Orange County, California and started playing the violin at the age of 6, but soon realized at the age of 8 that she had a better relationship with the viola. She currently studies under the tutelage of Brian (Che-Yen) Chen, actively pursuing a BM in viola performance and a BA in Political Science.

Isaac Tin-Long Chan is a first-year viola performance major at UCLA, studying under Che-yen Chen. Born in Seattle, WA, he spent 10 years in Taiwan, where he began viola in 2nd grade through his school’s music program. Passionate about ensemble and orchestral playing, he performed many orchestral works including Haydn, Mozart, Vivaldi, Mahler, Wranitzky, etc., and achieved awards in FSO Taiwan and the Taiwan Music Competition. After relocating to California, he joined the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and San Jose Youth Symphony, studying under Galina Andre. He also earned the Certificate of Merit advanced level with state honors.

Jerry Wang is a violist from Qingdao, China. He is a first year studying viola performance with Professor Brian Chen. He played in the Fine Strings School Orchestra in Qingdao, and played in the 10th HongKong International Music Festival. In his spare time, he likes to listen to music, play sports, and work out.

Holly Chen, is currently a first year student at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, pursuing a BM in Cello Performance at UCLA. Holly currently studies under Professor Sarah Koo.

Kayson Chen is a first-year cellist studying music performance from Arcadia, California. His passion for the cello almost rivals his passion for having a full stomach all the time. Picking up the cello at the age of 9, he has studied under mentors Chia-Wen Tsai and Vardan Gasparyan, and currently studies with Professor Sarah Koo. When not living in practice room B333, Kayson indulges in outdoor sports such as Pokémon Go, and consumes a high density of online content in his free time. At UCLA, he devotes his efforts into the UCLA Chinese Music Ensemble and UCLA Dragon Boat team.

Kayleen Kim is a first-year UCLA student studying music education and English. Kayleen currently studies under Professor Sarah Koo. She has won top prizes in competitions like the American Protégé, ENKOR, Bellagrande IMC, Great Composers Competition, and performed at Carnegie Weill Hall. She was principal cellist in the 2021 and 2023 CASMEC All-State Symphony Orchestra and a 2023 OC Register Musician of the Year nominee. Passionate about music education, she is UCLA ASTA’s vice president and founded her high school’s Interlude Musical Outreach NPO. Beyond music, she is the copy/layout editor for MUSE, a UCLA Model UN staffer, and a journalist specializing in entertainment policy.

Terence Molloy is an 18-year-old bassist from San Rafael, California. He has been playing the bass for nine years, and has been a member of the Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. Outside of playing the bass, Terence loves nature, interesting stories, and PARTYNEXTDOOR’s entire discography.