Classes/Duties: Music History, Theory, Musicianship, Philharmonic Choir, Music Appreciation
Music Office: 101-D
Office Hours: By Appointment
Tel.: 818.947.2350
Email: arshagmh@lavc.edu
Associate Professor of Music; B.A., University of California, Los Angeles; M.F.A., University of California, Los Angeles; Ph.D., Univeristy of California, Los Angeles

Dr. Michael Hrair Arshagouni, Associate Professor of Music, has been active as a musician for over twenty-five years. He earned his Ph.D. in Musicology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), completing his dissertation Aria Forms in Opera Seria of the Classic Period: Settings of Metastasio's Artaserse from 1760-1790. He also received his MFA in Conducting and BS in Music from the UCLA. He studied conducting with Norman Del Mar and Peter Phillips at the Royal College of Music, London, and with Christopher Hogwood and Sir David Willcocks.

Dr. Arshagouni maintains an active life as an educator. Prior to his tenure here at LAVC, he taught at Lyon College in Arkansas, where he served as Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities. He has also taught at several community colleges throughout southern California. As a musicologist, he has published articles and has lectured nationally and internationally on a variety of music subjects, including the operas of Mozart, Piccinni, and Reichardt, the choral music of Handel, orchestral music of 19th-century Russian composers, and the music of Armenian composers. Currently, Dr. Arshagouni serves as Vice-President and Program Chair of the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the American Musicological Society.

In his role as conductor, Dr. Arshagouni has led the choirs at LAVC, Lyon College, Los Angeles City College, UCLA, RCM, Coventry Cathedral, and numerous community choirs and orchestras, and he has toured Europe, Japan, and the United States with several of these ensembles. He has conducted numerous musical theatre performances, including The Mikado, The Boys from Syracuse, and Amahl and the Night Visitors, and concert performances of music from Carousel, and was Music Director of the LACC Theatre Academy production of Landscape of the Body. He has appeared on radio and television conducting the music of Armenian composers.

In addition to his role in the classroom and on the podium, Dr. Arshagouni has fed his craving for stage work with appearances as Scrooge in The Dickens You Say!, an adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and as Judge Andrew Carnes in Oklahoma!. He has sung on the soundtrack for the Disney movie Tron and for several commercials. In his life outside of music (is there such a thing?!), Dr. Arshagouni enjoys among other things traveling, reading, hiking in the mountains, indulging in gastronomic delights (try the chocolate/pistachio croissants or the macarons at Ladurée or a Pithiviers at Pierre Hermé in Paris, take a traditional cream tea in at the Southern Cross in Newton Poppleford, Devon, luxuriate over chocolate at Mary Chocolatier in Brussels, devour the lobster at Shaw's in New Harbor, Maine), visiting museums, and the stress of being a UCLA Bruins fan.

Classes/Duties: Chamber Singers, College Choir, Voice, Music Fundamentals
Music Office: 101-C
Office Hours: By Appointment
Tel.: 818.947.2775
Email: music@lavc.edu

Glenn Carlos, Director of Choral Activities, has more than twenty six years of experience conducting, performing, teaching voice, composing, arranging and recording. Throughout his career, Mr. Carlos has demonstrated his knowledge and appreciation for diverse genres including early, Classical and contemporary. In addition to being Director of Choral Activities at LAVC, he is the conductor of the Hollywood Master Chorale and is a consultant/clinician for the Grammy Awards Foundation.

Mr. Carlos' teaching and conducting posts have included the University of Southern California, California State University, Long Beach, Pasadena City College and the Ebell of Los Angeles Women's Chorale. He has been featured as a soloist and has prepared choirs for Quincy Jones, David Foster, Dave Brubeck, Diane Warren, Dru Hill, Michael Feinstein, Barry Manilow and Shelly Berg. His published arrangements and compositions are available through UNC Jazz Press and Yelton Rhodes Music. Mr. Carlos is frequently invited to appear as a guest clinician and adjudicator for colleges and high schools throughout California. He is a member of the American Choral Director's Association.

Music Office: 101-C
Office Hours: By Appointment
Tel.: 818.947.2346
Email: huy@lavc.edu

Pianist Yih-Mei Hu is presently on the faculty of Los Angeles Valley College in Valley Glen, California. Her international appearances include performances in Austria, the Czech Republic, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, the United States, and Canada. At the age of 18, Dr. Hu made her orchestral debut at Meany Hall with the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra. She has subsequently performed with the Hunan Changsha Symphony Orchestra, the Surabaya Symphony, the New Eastman Symphony, and the University of Victoria Orchestra. In 2001, Dr. Hu was featured on national radio in the People’s Republic of China, as the premiere artist in the opening Gala concerts of the Tian Han Grand Theatre.

Aside from her solo career, Dr. Hu has collaborated with Los Angeles Opera soprano Malesha Jessie and Seattle Symphony violinist Jun-Liang Du. In 2006, she toured upstate New York with guitarist Kenneth Meyer, a first-prize winner of the MTNA Collegiate Artist Competition. An avid performer of new music, Dr. Hu’s recitals include both traditional twentieth-century works as well as works by rising composers such as Kevin Puts, John Glover, and Gao Ping.

Dr. Hu is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where she received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance under the tutelage of Nelita True, and completed a Master of Arts in Music Theory Pedagogy. Her training also includes masterclasses with renowned artists Emanuel Ax, Malcolm Bilson, Marc Durand, Jon Kimura Parker, and Robert Weirich. In 1997, Dr. Hu was awarded the Victoria Medal, and a Johann Strauss Foundation scholarship for study at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.

Prior to her current appointment, Dr. Hu was a faculty member at Scripps College, Syracuse University, and the University of Southern California. In her spare time, Dr. Hu engages in community outreach through music, most recently with Crossroads, a women’s shelter in Claremont. She also enjoys playing harpsichord, watching sports, and volunteering at church.

Classes/Duties: Recording Arts, Commercial Harmony, Music Fundamentals
Music Office: 101-B
Office Hours: By Appointment
Tel.: 818.947.2779
Email: mike@thequimbyhouse.com
Website/Links: www.thequimbyhouse.com
Instructor in Music; Diploma, Grove School of Music

Currently, I am the Director of the Commercial Music Program at Los Angeles Valley College, where I developed and teach a 30-week Recording Engineering Course, developed a six-semester program in which the Audio Engineering Program works with in conjunction with the Commercial Music Arranging Program to reap the best of both their learning by interacting together (I started with 6 students, and now average 75 a semester), and where I developed and implemented a Commercial Music Associates Degree involving Music Composition and Arranging, Recording Engineering, Digital Audio and MIDI Editing, and Computer Music Notation. Many of the graduates are presently working successfully in the music industry.

I became associated with The Dick Grove School of Music in 1971, where I spent 20 years working hard and loving every minute of it. As Director of Public Affairs, it was my job to develop and nourish relationships with major manufacturers and entertainment companies to procure instruments and audio equipment for the benefit of the school and students. As Director of Engineering, I created and taught a 40-week program, designed and installed several recording studios, recorded and mixed all writing and vocal projects (from small groups up to 50-piece orchestras), and oversaw and coordinated the Recording Engineering Program with the other music educational programs. As a Guidance Counselor, I developed procedures and staff to counsel students and professionals on their educational needs and goals while in school, and then, once graduated, with their packages and marketing as they sought work in the Entertainment Industry. And, very cutting edge for the time, I was the Director of the Grove Mac User Group, which I created to assist students and working professionals in the pursuits of computer-aided music creation, a new and little understood field at the time. Using a newsletter I developed and edited, I was able to keep current students and alumni in touch with current Mac-music issues, as well as each other. Members of ASMAC, American Society of Arrangers and Composers, attended the meetings on a regular basis. The interaction between the young writers and the pro's was one of the most rewarding aspects of the User Group, along with exchanging new ideas and techniques on how to use the "new" technology, the Macintosh computer, in the very demanding, "we need it yesterday", music business in Los Angeles, California.

Beyond the Educational Field, I've worked in the Music Industry in three general areas: as a performer, a music director, and a recording engineer. I began my career as a performer, playing in and arranging music for groups that toured throughout the United States, performing in major nightclubs in New York, Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico and more. When not top billing, these groups opened for such acts Ray Anthony, Harry Belafonte, Theresa Brewer, John Byner, George Carlin, Pat Cooper, Jimmie Dean, Jimmy Durante, The Four Freshman, Jackie Leonard, Chuck Mangione, B.J. Thomas, Frankie Valli, and The Young Rascals. One group, The Brass Buttons, was signed with Sid Bernstein Management and Atlantic Records, working with Tommy Dowd and Arif Mardin. A popular band outright, they backed Liza Minnelli on the Ed Sullivan Show, released a single produced by Gene Cornish, and are currently developing a comeback tour.

As a music director, I recently managed, produced and recorded both a 17-piece Big Band and a Tentet, which I then took on a tour of Southern France. I arranged, directed and produced music for singer Jan Chamberlin (Mrs. Mickey Rooney), worked with various artists to produce publishing demos, including the Frank Stewart Orchestra, composed and arranged music for independent video productions in the education, corporate and music fields, and provided Santa Monica College with half-time shows for sporting events. I was also executive producer, director and technical director for a series of four Video Rock Operas (video was very new at the time, and music videos were practically unheard of). And I can say that I once produced and directed a half-hour promotional video for an Elvis impersonator, although I'm not sure I should.

In my role as a recording engineer I have worked for such major firms as Warner Bros. (tape mastering technician), Marantz Co. (tape mastering technician and computer piano music editor), Pablo Records (asst. to Director of Engineering) and Group IV Studios (engineering staff). It was at Group IV where I worked on the pre-records for the Super Bowl XXXII Half-Time Show, "A Tribute to Motown's 40th Anniversary," as well as several motion picture and television recording dates, ultimately becoming a Vice-President there. For the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association TIOJ Productions of "A Cole Porter Tribute," and "A Tribute to Duke Ellington," I was Mix Engineer in Charge of Audio, serving in that role as well as for a Christmas Concert by the Valley Master Chorale (with 100 voices and a 50-piece orchestra). As a recording engineering consultant, I have designed and installed several small studios for composers, performers and other engineers.

My own music education includes being graduated by the Dick Grove School of Music Film Scoring Program, under the direction of Mundell Lowe, and the Composing and Arranging Program, where I studied with such luminaries as Allyn Ferguson, Jack Feierman, Dick Grove, Dr. Albert Harris, Henry Mancini, Sammy Nestico, Lalo Schifrin and Jack Smalley. I've also studied Film Scoring at UCLA, spent some time at the Eastman Conservatory, studied Telecommunications and Video Studio Techniques at Moorpark College, and have pursued music theory and arranging studies privately.

I like to stay in touch with my field by attending national conventions and seminars like AES (Audio Engineering Society), NAB (National Association of Broadcasters), NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants), and NAJE (National Association of Jazz Educators). At NAJE '86, I was honored to present a Music Video Seminar, attended by hundreds of music teachers from all over the United States. I also keep track of local professional seminars in Los Angeles, CA, concerning such topics as SMPTE, Video Studio Facilities Installation, Macintosh in Multimedia/Interactive, and Writers Guild/Interactive.

Classes/Duties: Electronic Music, Commercial Harmony, Commercial Techniques, Music Fundamentals
Music Office: 101-B
Office Hours: By Appointment
Tel.: 818.947.2778
Email: kahnr@lavc.edu
Instructor in Music; B.A., Washburn University; M.A., California State University, Los Angeles

For over twenty years, pianist, arranger and composer Richard Kahn has performed his unique and varied arrangements of jazz and popular music. His many influences include Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson and Dave Grusin. As a solo pianist, he has been booked in virtually every live public venue in Los Angeles. He has performed for the Emperor of Japan, the Sultan of Brunei, the Prime Minister of Israel, the President of the Philippines, the Prime Minister of Romania, as well as countless officials of the United States government. He has entertained at the homes and affairs of hundreds of film and television industry figures, as well as significant contributors in the worlds of art, music, theater, dance and sports. His trios and quartets have been featured at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Los Angeles Natural History Museum, the Placido Domingo "Operalia" Awards, the Robert Mondavi Wine Festival, the Collins School of Hospitality Management Harvest Auction, the Los Angeles Times "Make A Wish" Foundation, and a myriad of corporate and private events.

Professor Kahn joined the Music faculty at Los Angeles Valley College in Fall 2000, and has been a full-time instructor in Commercial Music Harmony, Arranging, Music Notation, Computer Music Technology, and Piano. Professor Kahn served on the faculty of the California State University at Los Angeles from 1992 to 2000. Professor Kahn holds a Bachelors Degree in Piano Performance from Washburn University, a Masters Degree in Jazz Studies and Arranging from CSLA, with post-graduate studies at the University of North Texas in Jazz Performance, Arranging and Music Technology. Recently, he was co-recognized with a District-wide award nomination for Excellence in Workforce Development, in the category of Innovative Integration of Academic and Technical Skills. Professor Kahn lives with his family in West Los Angeles and continues to perform, record, and compose.

Classes/Duties: Music Appreciation, Music Fundamentals, Music Theory
Music Office: 101-E
Office Hours: By Appointment
Tel.: 818.947.2575
Email: lewisid@lavc.edu
Website/Links: www.musictheory.net

Professor Ian Lewis has been giving concerts on the oboe since he was ten years old. By the time he was 18, he had toured many cities in Europe and the US as an orchestral player and soloist. He is an Associate of the Royal College of Music in London, England and studied Music at York University and Cambridge University in England. His Masters degree is in Education from CSUN and he has made a career of teaching with more than twenty-five years full time experience in the UK and the USA. He has been on the faculty at Valley College for 25 years. He is always delighted to help students get started with their music career.

Classes/Duties: Theory, Musicianship, Applied Music Coordinator
Music Office: 101-A
Office Hours: Professor Mertens is on leave for the 2009-10 academic year.
Tel.: 818.947.2774
Email: music@lavc.edu
Associate Professor of Music; B.A., University of California, Los Angeles; M.M., University of Oregon

Michael Mertens received a Bachelor of Arts from UCLA and a Master of Music from the University of Oregon. As an LAVC faculty member since 1994, has taught music theory, musicianship, counterpoint, wind ensemble, brass and woodwind instruments, music appreciation and fundamentals. Prior to Valley, Michael taught at the premier music magnet school for the Los Angeles Unified School District, Hamilton High School Academy of Music, where he conducted the Symphony Orchestra, String Orchestra, and Chamber Music Ensembles. He began his career in music education as the instrumental music director at El Camino Real High School. Award winning ensembles developed at both schools were consistently recognized for their musicality and high technical achievement.

A strong advocate for music education, he has served on the Los Angeles Philharmonic Education Board, written education projects for the Grammy Foundation, served as an adjudicator for the Grammy in the Schools program and actively participates in MENC and MACCC.

A published composer, his latest project is a series of classroom posters on music, history, art and architecture, published by Hal Leonard Corporation.

When not teaching classes or carrying out his current responsibilities as chair of the music department, he can usually be found on his ranch near Mount Shasta in Northern California.

Classes/Duties: Voice I-IV, Musical Theater, Campus Concert Series, Music Appreciation
Music Office: 101-A
Office Hours: MW 5PM - 6:30PM, TTh 2PM - 3PM
Tel.: 818.947.2347
Email: novacp@lavc.edu, concerts@lavc.edu
Website/Links: The Singing Dog

Associate Professor of Music -- B.A., Pomona College; M.F.A., University of California, Los Angeles; D.M.A., University of California, Los Angeles

Baritone CHRISTIAN NOVA has sung in a variety of venues and styles to much critical acclaim: from opera to musicals, cabaret to pop, recordings to industrials. He has appeared with the Los Angeles Opera under the direction of Placido Domingo, Kent Nagano, and Achim Freyer; on Broadway in Cyrano - The Musical, conducted by Constantine Kitsopoulos; as “The Phantom” in the U.S. National Tour of Phantom of the Opera; in the World Premiere of The First Picture Show at the Mark Taper Forum, conducted by Kimberly Grigsby (with Estelle Parsons); in the World Premiere of “Nine Walt Whitman Songs” by Marc Blitzstein at the Sala Vanni in Florence, Italy; in Philoktetes at The Getty Villa in Malibu, California (with Henry Goodman); and in Sondheim's Follies with the Oakland East Bay Symphony, conducted by Michael Morgan (with Rita Moreno). Other favorite performances include Closer Than Ever, Evita, Baby, The Student Prince, Ken Hill’s Phantom, A Little Night Music, West Side Story, Carousel, Sweeney Todd, Kismet (with Juliet Prowse), Strike Up the Band (with Tom Bosley), and a new studio recording of Gershwin’s Oh, Kay! (with Dawn Upshaw), among many, many others. For more information, please visit www.TheSingingDog.com or www.lavc.edu/music.

Christian also has vast experience in cabaret performance, having appeared in Mabel Mercer Foundation Cabaret Conventions in New York, San Francisco and Palm Springs. His debut solo CD, Walking Happy (Original Cast Records OC9750), was awarded the 1998 Back Stage Bistro Award for Outstanding Recording. He has performed in the most notable cabaret rooms across the country including Rainbow and Stars, The Russian Tea Room, The Plush Room, The Cinegrill, The Gardenia, Don't Tell Mama and Eighty-Eights and won the Manhattan Association of Cabaret (MAC) Award and Backstage Bistro Award for Outstanding Male Vocalist.

An Associate Professor of Music at Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC), Christian holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance from UCLA, an MFA from UCLA, and a BA from Pomona College. He has additional educational experience from The Royal College of Music in London, the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, and Masterclasses with performers Håkan Hagegård, Nigel Rogers, Martial Singher, Craig Carnelia, and Margaret Whiting and conductors William Vendice and Samuel Krachmalnick. In addition to his full teaching schedule, he was instrumental in forming the new LAVC Summerfest program (integrating the LAVC Dance, Music, and Theater Departments) to create a variety of theatrical productions on campus during the summer season. He also produces a “house concert” series in Los Angeles featuring local musicians and composers. 

Currently, he is touring a staged performance of The Andrée Expedition (a song cycle by Dominick Argento) with recent appearances at LAVC, Pierce College, and the 2011 Nordic Spirit Symposium at Cal Lutheran University.

“New and Noteworthy” – New York Times

“Nova gave…a Deftly Sharpened Performance” – San Francisco Chronicle

“Nova possesses a thrilling voice, a ripping sense of humor, and a winning personality;

he’s the real deal” – Drama-Logue

“Magnificent…artistry of this caliber brings tears to the eyes” – Back Stage

“A gorgeous-voiced singer” – TimeOut New York

“Mr. Nova’s moving vocal interpretation…rendered the audience spellbound” – Nordic Spirit Newsletter