Benjamin Smolen
Lecturer - Flute Performance

Benjamin Smolen has performed across the globe, from the United States to Europe, Russia, and Japan. He joined the Pacific Symphony Orchestra in 2011, where he holds the Valerie and Hans Imhof Principal Flute Chair, and was recently appointed Principal Flute of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. He is also Resident Flutist with the Los Angeles-based chamber ensemble Salastina. He has performed as guest Principal Flute with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera, and Pasadena Symphony. He has given solo performances with the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Gardner Webb Symphony Orchestra, Princeton University Orchestra, Charlotte Civic and Youth Orchestras, and twice on National Public Radio.

In addition to his work on stage, Benjamin is active in the Hollywood scoring industry and has recorded with composers including John Williams, Danny Elfman, Alan Silvestri, John Powell, and Randy Newman. He can be heard on projects such as Star Wars Episodes VII – IX, Encanto, Avatar: The Way of Water, Nope, The Fabelmans, Toy Story 4, X-Men: Apocalypse, The BFG, Ghostbusters, Monsters University, Night at the Museum, and on Neil Young’s latest album, Storytone.

Benjamin has given recitals around the world, including performances as a featured guest at the Japan Flute Festival and the National Flute Association’s annual convention. He won First Prize at the Haynes International Flute Competition and James Pappoutsakis Memorial Flute Competition and Second Prize at the New York Flute Club Young Artist Competition and National Flute Association Young Artist Competition. His flute and guitar ensemble Duo Musagete, with guitarist Jerome Mouffe, has performed highly acclaimed concerts in the United States and Europe, and they recently released their debut album, Bach to Beaser.

Benjamin has been a guest teaching artist at Chapman University, CSU-Long Beach, CSU-Fullerton, San Diego State University, the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of California at Irvine, the Symphony Guild of Charlotte, the Long Beach Summer Flute Institute, and Jim Walker’s Beyond the Masterclass.

Benjamin completed his undergraduate studies in the Music and Slavic departments at Princeton University, during which time he also completed a Performance Diploma at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. He earned a Master of Music degree in Flute Performance at the New England Conservatory and spent two summers as a Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center. His teachers include Paula Robison, Michael Parloff, Elizabeth Rowe, Jennifer Dior, and Jayn Rosenfeld.

Benjamin is a William S. Haynes Artist and performs on a handmade, custom-crafted Haynes 14-karat gold flute.

Johanna Gamboa-Kroesen
Assistant Professor - Music Education
James Lent
Lecturer - Collaborative Piano
Shahab Paranj
Gramian-Emrani Postdoctoral Fellow in Music and Lecturer - Composition, contemporary concert music
Chris Hanulik
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James Miller
Lecturer - Trombone Performance, Associate Principal Trombone LA Phil
Brendan McBrien
Lecturer - Music Education
Mildred Yi
Lecturer - Music Education
Nick DePinna
Adjunct Assistant Professor - Musicianship
Jonathan Davis
Lecturer - Oboe Performance
Aubrey Foard
Lecturer - Tuba Performance
Michael Dean
Professor - Voice Performance
Jens Lindemann
Distinguished Professor - Trumpet Performance
Lindsey Beardsley
Manager - Department of Music Performance, Education and Composition
Dwayne Milburn
Lecturer - Conducting and Composition
Juliana Gondek
Distinguished Professor - Voice Performance
Amy Sanchez
Lecturer - Horn Performance
Ryan Brown
Lecturer - Choral Studies and Music Education
Camilo Cedeno
Assistant to the Chair - Department of Music Performance, Education and Composition
Noel Cano Hearn
Lecturer - Alexander Technique and Music Education
Victoria Kirsch
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William Kinderman
Distinguished Professor and Elaine Krown Klein Chair in Performance Studies
David Kaplan
Inaugural Shapiro Family Chair in Piano Performance
Noah Meites
Lecturer - Music Theory
John Steinmetz
Lecturer - Bassoon Performance
Christoph Bull
Adjunct Professor - Organ Performance
Neal Stulberg
Professor - Conducting, Director of Orchestral Studies
Vladimir Chernov
Distinguished Professor - Voice Performance
Alison Deane
Associate Adjunct Professor
Gregory Goodall
Lecturer - Percussion Performance
James Darrah
Professor - Director of Opera UCLA
Inna Faliks
Professor - Head of Piano
Varty Manouelian
Lecturer - Violin Performance, Violin LA Philharmonic
Che-Yen Chen
Professor - Viola Performance
Peter Golub
Lecturer - Composition, Music and Film
Ji Young An
Lecturer - Violin Performance
Gloria Cheng
Adjunct Professor - Contemporary Music, Performance Studies
Joshua Ranz
Lecturer - Clarinet Performance
Kay Rhie
Assistant Professor - Composition
James Bass
Professor and Chair of the Department of Music, Director of Choral Studies
Wendy Caldwell
Lecturer - Vocal Coaching
Arturo O’Farrill
Director, UCLA Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra; Professor
Lou Anne Neill
Lecturer - Harp Performance, Harp LA Philharmonic
Ben Hong
Lecturer - Cello Performance
Hitomi Oba
Lecturer and Director of Contemporary Jazz Ensemble
Jan Berry Baker
Professor - Saxophone, Head of Woodwinds, Vice Chair of the Department of Music, Special Assistant to the Dean for Faculty Mentoring
Iris Malkin
Lecturer - Vocal Coaching
David Lefkowitz
Professor - Composition, Vice Chair of the Department of Music
Lucy Yates
Lecturer - Vocal Diction and Vocal Coaching
Sarah Koo Freeman
Visiting Professor - Cello Performance
Travis J. Cross
Professor - Conducting, Director of Bands
Andrew Ordonez
Events Manager - Department of Music Performance, Education and Composition
Dante De Silva
Lecturer - Composition and Music Theory
Movses Pogossian
Distinguished Professor of Violin; Founder and Advisor, Armenian Music Program - Music Performance
Wendy Richman
Lecturer - Performance Studies
Theresa Dimond
Lecturer - Percussion Performance
Cheryl Lin Fielding
Lecturer - Vocal Diction and Vocal Coaching
Rakefet Hak
Continuing Lecturer - Opera UCLA
Richard Danielpour
Distinguished Professor; Director of Gramian-Emrani Center for Iranian Music
Lily Chen-Hafteck
Professor - Music Education, Special Assistant to the Inaugural Dean for Curricular Reform
Ian Krouse
Distinguished Professor - Co-Area Head, Composition
Boris Allakhverdyan
Lecturer - Clarinet Performance, Principal Clarinet LA Philharmonic
Melissa Bilal
The Promise Chair in Armenian Music, Arts, and Culture, Director of Armenian Music Program

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