STRING INSTRUCTORS

Viola You

Violin & viola

Viola You is a Los Angeles-based violinist and violist and active chamber musician. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from UCLA with a focus in violin and viola performance. 

Born and raised in NYC, Viola began her music studies at the age of four. She performed in local competitions, such as the Music Fest Rising Talents competition in 2010, where she received the opportunity to perform at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, NY as a violin and piano duo. Critics have described her sound as having “exceptional warmth and tone,” “great energy and a noble sound that is full and rich”.

In her early years, Viola performed with chamber ensembles and orchestras. She finished her 7-year career at the Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey as concertmaster with the performance of Dvorak’s New World Symphony. She also attended the Westminster Conservatory Pre-College at Rider University. In addition, she attended summer festivals such as Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and Montecito International Music Festival.

During her studies at UCLA, Viola had the opportunity to perform chamber music and orchestral music with local ensembles such as the American Youth Symphony at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and UCLA Camarades for “Sundays Live” at LACMA.

She owes much of her musical growth and education to world-renowned performers and instructors, such as Phillip Levy, Movses Pogossian, Guillaume Sutre, Varty Manouelian, Carla Maria Rodrigues, Haroutune Bedelian, and one of America’s leading baroque violinists Nancy Wilson.

In addition to her performing and teaching, Viola worked as an Orchestra Librarian for the UCLA Philharmonia Orchestra from 2015 to 2018 and the Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra at the Aspen Music Festival in 2018.

Viola currently teaches and performs in the South Bay and the greater Los Angeles area. She has helped numerous students of various levels achieve high scores for CM (Certificate of Merit) and RCM (Royal Conservatory of Music) and win local competitions. A number of her students have been accepted into local orchestras such as the Colburn CSPA String Orchestra, Mira Costa Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, El Camino Community Orchestra, and more. Her students have also been awarded opportunities such as performing at the Walt Disney Hall as concertmaster and performing in New York City as a soloist.

As an active performer, Viola regularly plays chamber music for local concert series and plays with orchestras such as American Youth Symphony, Colburn Orchestra, and the LA Doctors Symphony Orchestra. She is also an member in the Music Teacher’s Association of California of Torrance Branch and serves as the student advisor for the Music Students’ Service League, which is a music volunteer program for middle and high school musicians.

Kendro Calica

Violin, piano

Kendro Calica is an award-winning pianist and violinist who has performed in major venues in Southern California and abroad. Two awards include 1st place at the H.B. Goodlin Scholarship Foundation Competition and 4th at the United States Open Music Competition. Kendro has been featured as a solo piano artist for the San Diego Young Artists' Symphony, for which he also played 1st violin, and the SBS Radio and Television Orchestra in Sydney, Australia. He was also principal 2nd violinist of the Filipino American Symphony Orchestra. He has held positions as a church accompanist in San Diego, Long Beach, and Los Angeles. Currently, Kendro is an accompanist and teacher. He holds a piano performance degree from UCLA.

Valentin Aramburo

Violin & viola,Theory, composition, conducting

Valentín Aramburo is a dynamic conductor, composer, and violinist from Medellín, Colombia, currently based in Los Angeles. He is the Artistic and Music Director of the Redondo Beach Music Box Youth Orchestras Program and leads the Music House Singers, an adult choir in Rancho Palos Verdes. His conducting experience spans international engagements, including guest faculty roles at Universidad del Cauca and collaborations with ensembles such as Camerata Jaibaná, the Universidad de Antioquia Symphony Orchestra, and Iberacademy Foundation. He has conducted a wide range of orchestral and operatic repertoire, working with esteemed mentors such as Alejandro Posada, Lina González-Granados, and José Escandel,l and stage directors like Marco Gandini. His artistic leadership is marked by a commitment to both excellence and musical growth, inspiring musicians of all levels to develop their full potential.

Beyond the podium, Valentín is a passionate and dedicated educator. He believes in nurturing young musicians through an engaging and transformative learning experience, where technical development goes hand in hand with creativity and teamwork. Under his guidance, students not only refine their musical abilities but also build confidence, discipline, and a lifelong appreciation for music. 

Holding undergraduate and master’s degrees in violin from Eafit University, he has performed extensively as an orchestral musician, chamber player, and soloist. He was a violinist with the Eafit Symphony Orchestra, a leading professional ensemble in Colombia, where he also served as assistant principal of the second violins. This experience deeply shaped his approach to orchestral performance and leadership.

As a composer, his works have been performed at prestigious festivals, including Danzas y Cantares at the Popayán Chamber Music Festival, and his Fugue for String Quartet earned second prize at the Caneres Music Competition in Vienna. His catalog includes orchestral works, chamber music, and solo pieces, with upcoming recordings planned for 2025.

Raymond Newell

Cello

Raymond Newell began his cello studies in Denver, Colorado at the age of 8 in the studio of the nationally known Suzuki and pedagogy teacher Carol Tarr. After 7 years, he continued his studies under Richard Slavich at the Lamont School of Music until moving to Los Angeles in 2014. Since then, he has studied with the well known cellist and professor, Joon Sung Jun, at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University Long Beach where he is now finishing a BM in Cello Performance. Since 2012, Raymond has been a member of notable youth orchestras such as Colorado’s elite Denver Young Artists Orchestra and the Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra where he was principal and assistant principal cellist. He is currently a member of the American Youth Symphony as well as principal cellist of the Bob Cole Conservatory Symphony. In 2016, Raymond completed an East Coast tour were he made his Carnegie Hall Debut as part of the Southern California Junior Chamber Music Artist Debut Program. He has also been on tour with multiple orchestras to countries including Spain, Germany and Czech Republic. In 2020, Raymond performed Eric Whitacre’s work Sacred Veil in collaboration with BCCM Chamber Choir and the composer himself at the 2020 ACDA Western Division Conference for a sold out performance at the Salt Lake Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, UT.

Raymond’s cello students are regularly appointed to principal positions in school orchestras, many of which participate in regional honors festivals. Other students have been accepted into the Philharmonic Society's Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra and selected as honors musicians in the Junior Chamber Music program, being given the opportunity to perform in master classes and concerts at the Idyllwild Academy.

In 2019, Raymond was a full ride scholarship recipient to the PRISMA Festival in British Columbia, Canada as well as a scholarship recipient to the Monticito International Music Festival in 2015 and the Lamont School of Music Summer Academy in 2014. He has also collaborated in chamber music with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Victoria Symphony Orchestra. In his studies, he has also participated in master classes at Juilliard, New England Conservatory and Bob Cole Conservatory and has played for notable musicians Alice Schoenfeld, Andrew Shulman, Dennis Karmazyn, Awadagin Pratt and Midori.

Anna Koito

Cello

Anna Koito is a concert cellist and esteemed music educator based in the vibrant Los Angeles area of California. With awealth of accomplishments to her name, Anna's journey in music began as a section cellist in the prestigious Niigata Symphony Orchestra and later in the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. Throughout her career, Anna has demonstrated her versatility as a musician, excelling in chamber music performances, studio recordings, and commercial media. Her exceptional training under esteemed mentors such as Sumiko Kurata,

Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, and Ben Hong has contributed to her profound musicality and technical prowess. Notably, she studied at the Toho Gakuen School of Music for Young Artists, Toho Gakuen School of Music High School, and earned a Bachelor of College Diploma from Toho Music University. Anna's exceptional talent has garnered recognition and acclaim. She secured first place and the Special Award in the Junior Cello Competition in Sapporo, Japan, and showcased her artistry at the prestigious Suntory Hall in Tokyo during an Awards Ceremony Recital. Her international performances include appearances at the France Academy Music Festival in Kyoto, the 20th Annual Kirishima National Music Festival, and as a guest performer at the World Cello Congress III in Baltimore, MD. In addition to her orchestral commitments, Anna has also made notable contributions to the television industry, commercials, studio recordings, and actively engages in chamber music collaborations. With over 15 years of private teaching experience, Anna is committed to nurturing the next generation of musicians, imparting her knowledge and passion for the cello and piano to her students. Anna Koito's dedication to her craft, remarkable achievements, and unwavering commitment to music education make her an exemplary figure in the world of classical music. Her artistry continues to captivate audiences, while her teaching inspires and empowers aspiring musicians in the South Bay and greater Los Angeles music communities.

George Rochelle

CELLO, chamber music, recording

George began his journey playing cello at the age of 8 years old in 3rd grade at the renowned Manhattan Beach Unified School District’s strings program. At age 15, George auditioned for and won a seat in the school district's Grammy Award Winning Mira Costa High School Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Peter Park. The experience of playing cello for major symphonic literature has set George on desiring a career and higher education in the performing arts as a professional cellist. Membership with this orchestra offered valuable experience such as an invitation and performance at New York’s Carnegie Hall in May of 2016.

As a collegiate cellist, George continued his studies in cello performance at the acclaimed Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University Long Beach under the dedicated instruction of cello professor Joon Sung Jun. He also performed in chamber music concerts at the University and performed as a cellist in the Bob Cole Conservatory’s Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Johannes Müller-Stosch. In February of 2020, George, along with other select students of Professor Joon Sung Jun’s cello studio, recorded and performed the West Coast premiere of Heitor Villa Lobos’s virtuosic and demanding Fantasia Concer-tante for cello orchestra. The recording and concert was an international collaboration with cello students of Professor Lars Hoeffs from Sao Paulo State University, Campinas, in Brazil. In addition to performing in this premiere, George is also the recording engineer and main producer for this recording which is to be released soon. George has a B.M. in Music Performance with a concentration in strings, cello (2021), and a Masters in Music (2023) from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music. George has also studied cello with Anita Gendler.

As an instructor, George has helped numerous students of all ages expand their technique and achieve their musical goals. He continues to educate students to reach their level of playing beyond what they thought possible, just as George’s teachers have done for him. He has mentored elementary students in group classes, coaches small chamber groups and teaches private students whom some have been accepted into advanced youth orchestras in the area and have been appointed top seats, and he is also on staff as an instructor at the music department in El Camino College.

George is an avid long-distance runner having run the Long Beach Marathon twice. His hobbies also include researching and collecting exceptional recordings of compositions in the orchestral literature and he is also an audio component enthusiast and has computer designed and hand built custom high fidelity loudspeaker systems.

Jared Prokop

double bass

Jared has been performing as a professional double bassist for 6 years in chamber, symphonic and studio settings working out of both Los Angeles and London. At the Royal Academy of Music, Jared has worked with a number of conductors including Semyon

Bychkov, Christian Thielemann, Edward Gardner, Jac van Steen, Yan Pascal Tortelier, John Wilson, Trevor Pinnock, Christopher Warren-Green and Sir Mark Elder. Additionally, he is a member of the substitute list for the New World Symphony directed by Michael Tilson Thomas (2019 – Present). He began his studies with David Young (Former LA Opera Principal), then graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in London, studying with Graham Mitchell (ENO Principal), Dominic Seldis (Concertgebouw Principal) and Tom Goodman (LSO Tutti). Jared has since returned to Los Angeles to audition for professional orchestras and is studying and David Allen Moore at the University of Southern California. He has thus far been a finalist for the Las Vegas Philharmonic and Boise Philharmonic. Having recorded at Abbey Road twice, Jared also works regularly as a freelance musician for the Pasadena Symphony, American Contemporary Ballet, Modesto Symphony, San Luis Obispo Symphony, Orchestra of Santa Monica, Orion Orchestra, London Youth Sinfonia and has played with The Jersey Chamber Orchestra and the Bergen Philharmonic Youth Orchestra under Edward Gardner as well as having recently performed with the USC orchestra at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.