Jahan Raymond, 21, picked up piano at the age of 7 and was composing original music by age 8. He took to music quickly from there, and at 11, was commissioned to compose and perform original piano works at charity galas in Hong Kong for Make A Wish and Women Helping Women. Around the same time, he performed with Grammy-winning jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan and with Persian pop star Andy Madidian at L.A.’s Greek Theater.

Jahan went on to study composition and piano with a large variety of private instructors over the course of the next decade – among them, David Bowie’s former keyboardist Mike Garson, John Perry, Edward Francis, Roza Yoder and UCLA Professors Ian Krouse, Kay Rhie, David Lefkowitz and David Kaplan.

He was a three-time piano concerto soloist with the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic, who also performed his original orchestral piece, Fete Macabre. Additional compositional achievements include being named finalist in the National Young Composers Challenge twice, and spending a year as a fellow of the LA Phil’s Composer’s Fellowship Program. He was then accepted into the UCLA composition program at the age of 16.

More recently, Jahan branched out into songwriting and music production, and has collaborated with a variety of independent artists and hip-hop producers. He loves all types of music, and will gladly jam or performing in any situation imaginable. His piece “Montage” for string trio, was selected as the winning submission for the Annual Tigran Mansurian Composition Competition. The UCLA VEM Ensemble will record this work at the Ostin Recording Studio during the 2023 school year.

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Following its lauded recent performances in Yerevan, Armenia, the UCLA VEM Ensemble is featured in the newly released CD of Armenian Music, “Modulation Necklace,” by the Naxos-distributed label, New Focus Recordings. Celebrating the aesthetic diversity of the post-Soviet era Armenian music, the CD highlights a selection of works from distinguished contemporary Armenian composers Artur Avanesov, Ashot Zohrabyan, Michel Petrossian, and Artashes and Ashot Kartalyan. Along with the VEM Ensemble, Modulation Necklace also features internationally renowned musicians Scott St. John, Antonio Lysy, Varty Manouelian, Movses Pogossian, Katisse Buckingham, Dustin Donahue, as well as UCLA alumni Charles Tyler and Niall Ferguson.

Dan Lippel, President of New Focus Recordings, praised the album. “Violinist Movses Pogossian has assembled this illuminating collection of contemporary music from Armenia…revealing a vibrant repertoire whose aesthetics are as outward-looking as they are grounded in their reverence of centuries-old culture.” Highlighting the best of contemporary Armenian Composers, “Modulation Necklace” is a true celebration of Armenian music as an art form and a testament to the rich history and heritage which it tributes. The UCLA VEM ensemble’s participation in the album is a significant achievement, which upholds the noble mission of the Armenian Music Program.

Proceeds of this CD will benefit the UCLA Armenian Music Program.
The CD is available on Amazon and Apple Music.