Featured Stories
Remembering Alice Steere Coulombe, Elizabeth Loucks Samson, and Dr. Keith Terasaki pages 4–5
New Artistic Leadership in Music Academy and Trudl Zipper Dance Institute pages 6–9
Performing Arts and the Brain pages 10–11
Also in this Issue
A Message from the President Student and Alumni Accomplishments
Colburn Center Updates
Dear Friends,
In Colburn Society’s newsletters, we celebrate institutional benchmarks and the wonderful programs and student accomplishments your support makes possible. This winter, before we share those achievements, we want to recognize three members of our community we lost in the fall: Alice Steere Coulombe, Elizabeth Loucks Samson, and Dr. Keith Terasaki.
Alice, Elizabeth, and Keith were involved at Colburn for a long time and had broad, lasting influence on our community. Their support took different forms and their circles only occasionally overlapped, but all three demonstrated unwavering dedication to our students and believed in Colburn’s core mission of access to excellence. Their shared vision braided a connection between them, and I’m struck by how beautiful it is to be a part of a community, joined with people you may not know personally because you care about similar things.
Please enjoy these special remembrances as well as a few highlights of programs made possible by our many Colburn Society members who meaningfully champion our students, faculty, staff, and community. We are grateful for you.
Sincerely,
Sel Kardan President and Chief Executive Officer
Alice Steere Coulombe (1932–2024)
Our beloved and longtime trustee Alice Steere Coulombe passed away on September 12 at her home in the Villa Gardens community in Pasadena. Alice was an active and dedicated member of our board for almost two decades, serving on numerous committees including Governance, Academic Affairs, and Compensation.
Over the years, Alice brought many people to our board and to our donor community, and worked tirelessly to build audiences for our performances, both on campus and at the Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena. She particularly loved the Colburn Conservatory’s weekly Performance Forum, for which we have now dedicated the program in celebration of her steadfast and generous support of the School.
Not only was her support of the School truly admirable, but her support directly of students and their career development was heroic. Prior to moving to Villa Gardens more than six years ago, Alice and her late husband, Joe, hosted numerous events at their gracious home in Pasadena for the School so students could hone their craft not only of performance but to also learn the value of donor interactions and the ecosystem that makes the performing arts possible.
In recent years, Alice created a concert series at Villa Gardens featuring young artists from Colburn, bringing wonderful solo and chamber music performances to the appreciative residents and providing important performing opportunities for our students.
Alice will long be remembered for her deep commitment and innumerable contributions to the cultural and musical life of Los Angeles and Pasadena. She will be profoundly missed for her warmth, kindness, wit, and remarkable ability to inspire others.
Elizabeth Loucks Samson (1931–2024)
With tremendous sadness we share that Elizabeth Loucks Samson passed away at her home on December 5. Elizabeth was adventurous, curious, enthusiastic, and passionate about the arts. We are most grateful Elizabeth’s life intersected with our community at Colburn.
Elizabeth’s commitment to Colburn was inspiring. Among her many contributions to the School, Elizabeth created an endowment, named in honor of her parents, to support our music students. She came to Colburn often for performances and enjoyed witnessing the artistic journeys of our students, whom she loved getting to know.
Elizabeth was first introduced to music as a young girl, playing both cello and piano. She was especially close with her family and traveled widely, collecting storied adventures from across the globe. We especially enjoyed hearing about her trips to India and Germany, where she attended the Bayreuth Festival for many years. Elizabeth lived in Southern California, but often visited Santa Fe, where she fell in love with the landscape, art, and textiles. Elizabeth’s extraordinary generosity and joy will be missed by us all.
Dr. Keith Terasaki (1956–2024)
We mourn the incalculable loss of Dr. Keith Terasaki, who passed away on December 24 following a more than decade-long battle with a rare form of lymphoma. Keith joined the Colburn School Board in the spring of 2012, but his association with the School dates from his time as a Colburn parent and later as an adult piano student. He continued to study both classical and jazz piano at Colburn up to last year and was very dedicated to his lessons and practiced daily.
As a board member, Keith chaired the Academic Affairs Committee for many years. He was dedicated to improving the student experience at Colburn and was an advocate for ensuring access to mental health resources for our students.
Keith was a long-tenured member of the medical team at Kaiser where he was a radiologist and assistant chief of the imaging department. Deeply committed to medical research and community health services, Keith chaired the boards of both the Terasaki Institute and the Wesley Clinics. In addition to Colburn, he also served on the boards of the LA Philharmonic and Tree People. For many years, Keith and his family have been deeply involved in Los Angeles’s Japanese American community and the Little Tokyo neighborhood, most recently providing critical support to build the Terasaki Budokan community center, named in honor of his father, Paul.
Keith’s generosity and wisdom were felt by everyone who knew him. We send our deepest sympathy to his wife, Cecilia, as well as their children, Paul and Susie.
We are profoundly grateful for the generosity and dedication of Alice Steere Coulombe, Elizabeth Loucks Samson, and Dr. Keith Terasaki, whose steadfast philanthropic support make Colburn the thriving artistic home it is today. Their belief in the power of music and dance shaped the experiences of countless students, providing opportunities that will last for years to come.
Gifts of all sizes help secure the future of the arts and allow new generations of young artists to learn, grow, and share their talents. If you would like to explore ways to make a lasting difference at Colburn with a planned gift, we welcome a conversation with our Philanthropy team.
Please join us in celebrating Margaret Batjer and Janie Taylor, who have taken on new leadership roles at Colburn. Their new positions are possible because of the generous philanthropic support from our donors. Your vision for dance and music education and excellence in Los Angeles creates the catalytic environment where our students learn and thrive. We invite you to learn more about the remarkable careers of Margaret and Janie, below.
Margaret Batjer
As Director of the Music Academy, Margaret Batjer guides the artistic and academic development of students in the precollege program. Margaret is Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and a renowned violin soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. She is well known to many of you as a Music Academy faculty member and Director of the Academy Virtuosi. Margaret will continue to teach a studio of students in the Music Academy and has also joined the violin faculty of the Colburn Conservatory of Music.
Margaret’s multifaceted career, international profile, and long history with the School make her the perfect fit for this pivotal role. Drawing on her experience as a soloist with America’s leading orchestras and an active chamber musician and recording artist, she will plan performance
activities, including chamber music, and will continue to lead the Academy Virtuosi. She will also prepare students to enter top conservatory programs worldwide and embark on future careers as chamber musicians, orchestral musicians, and soloists.
As a faculty member of Colburn’s Music Academy, Margaret has a deep understanding of the needs of exceptional young artists. Her vision will undoubtedly enhance our Music Academy as the program enters its second decade. We are delighted to have her take on this leadership role and are very much looking forward to the year ahead.
ways to support the music academy
colburnschool.edu/give
We encourage you to join us in reducing financial barriers and recognizing the excellence of our students by supporting the scholarship program in the Music Academy. Full tuition scholarships in the Music Academy are $25,000 and are vital to our ability to attract the most promising students from around the world—and from right here in Los Angeles. While full scholarship support is instrumental, this can be achieved through a combination of gifts of any size. Will you help a Music Academy student come to Colburn for the upcoming school year?
We extend our gratitude to donors to the Music Academy who have created the following instrumentally important funds:
Kohl Scholars receive significant scholarship support along with pre-professional guidance and performance opportunities to support their total Colburn experience. Terri and Jerry Kohl created this scholarship to make Colburn accessible to and competitive for students across the Music Academy.
Greendale Scholars are supported by the Moe and Arlene Greendale Endowment Fund. The Greendale Fund was established to memorialize and honor the Greendales, who, through their gift, desire to perpetuate access to musical excellence, which at one time was generously extended to Mr. Greendale.
The Thibaudet Scholars, named for renowned pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, have received discretionary scholarships to make their studies more accessible. These awards recognize the generosity of our donors and Mr. Thibaudet’s continued artistic involvement and dedication.
Janie Taylor
Janie Taylor, a noted dancer, teacher, and choreographer, is Artistic Director of the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute for the 2024–25 school year.
Janie has been affiliated with Colburn since 2016, both as a faculty member and a visiting artist. She recently choreographed Contour and Flight for the Dance Academy, which received its world premiere at the Winter Dance Celebration this past December. She is a rehearsal director for L.A. Dance Project, where she also danced from 2016 to 2021. A former member of New York City Ballet’s corps de ballet, Janie was promoted to soloist in 2001 and principal dancer in 2005. During her career with NYCB, she originated roles in ballets choreographed by Peter Martins, Benjamin Millepied, and Justin Peck, and performed featured roles in numerous ballets by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, as well as pieces by Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Christopher Wheeldon, Susan Stroman, Twyla Tharp, and Miriam Mahdaviani. Upon retiring from the New York City Ballet in 2014, Janie began working as a repetiteur, setting works for Mr. Peck and Mr. Millepied at the Paris Opera Ballet and also started a career in costume design. She has set works for Miami City Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Ballett Dortmund, and Ballet du
Rhin, and her designs can be seen at the New York City Ballet and L.A. Dance Project.
As TZDI Artistic Director during the 2024–25 school year, Janie shapes the artistic and educational direction of the dance program, overseeing curriculum development, faculty recruitment, and student recruitment. With her comprehensive professional experience, she fosters a dynamic learning environment, promotes artistic innovation, and cultivates the next generation of dance professionals at the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute.
ways to support the trudl zipper dance institute
colburnschool.edu/give
Did you know that a full tuition scholarship in the pre-professional Dance Academy is $15,000? And we also award scholarships to young dancers in the Youth Dance program whose families cannot otherwise afford to come to Colburn. Please help our community of dancers in LA grow and thrive.
We are grateful to our Colburn Society members whose annual support of dance makes programs like this at the Colburn School possible, as well as the extraordinary scholarship support of Ann Moore, David Kobrin, and Michael S. Turner who have created these life-changing funds:
Millepied Scholarships, named for former NYC Ballet Principal Dancer, Benjamin Millepied, who was instrumental in the formation of the Dance Academy, support young male dancers in the Dance Academy and Youth Dance. This scholarship program enables Colburn to offer a separate boys’ training program, which is vital to impart the different technique and skill requirements for male dancers as well as providing a comprehensive and balanced training environment for Colburn’s female dancers.
The Beverly, Donald, and David Kobrin Scholarship Fund supports young male dancers of color, who are traditionally underrepresented in classical dance. In addition to tuition, the Fund helps cover room and board, wardrobe, special classes, and other academic and performance opportunities. This scholarship helps exemplify the School’s commitment to access to excellence to all who wish to pursue their dreams here.
The Margaret K. Turner Scholarship supports young female dancers in their aspiration to pursue professional careers in ballet. This scholarship is awarded in the fall of each academic year in honor of the late Margaret K. Turner and her passion for dance and youth education.
We are excited to be part of the remarkable research led by The Brain & Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California. The EXCEL Study, which examines how consistent training in the performing arts affects childhood brain development, identifies children from underrepresented communities in Downtown LA who do not have experience in the performing arts. They are placed in one of three groups: one group studies the Suzuki violin method at the Colburn School; another learns drama at 24th Street Theatre; and the third is a control group that does not receive lessons in the creative arts.
Throughout the study, all three groups visit USC’s Dornsife Neuroimaging Center for EEG and fMRI scans as well as psychometric evaluations. Consistently, the groups attending afterschool programming at Colburn and 24th Street Theatre demonstrate a significant increase in their capacity for soft skills, particularly innovation and patience, indicating that performing arts education does impact brain development in children.
Accompanying the extraordinary findings of the EXCEL Study is the program’s impressive retention rate. Of the 20 students in the very first Suzuki group at Colburn in 2022, 19 stayed for the full two years of the study. Eighteen of those students joined Jumpstart, Colburn’s tuition-free program for 180 students from local Title I partner schools. Like the positive influence of the EXCEL program, which leads to extraordinary retention rates, Jumpstart has a near 100% retention rate from a student’s entry in fourth grade through high school graduation—a remarkable retention rate for any activity!
“This is the perfect indication that there is this hunger in underserved communities for these performing arts opportunities,” says Laia Pujol-Rovira, Assistant Director of Colburn’s Center for Innovation and Community Impact. She is perpetually inspired by the commitment of both children and families to the EXCEL Study and Jumpstart programs. “You can tell how much effort the families are making,” she shares. “There are parents taking two buses in order to come to Colburn because they don’t have a car. It is very inspiring.”
While the EXCEL Study receives research funding, there are costs Colburn incurs when facilitating the on-campus Suzuki violin lessons for the students. Do you feel the research-backed value of performing arts education is an important foundation for the future of arts education? If so, please help alleviate these costs of faculty instruction, program administration, and the purchase and maintenance of instruments for the EXCEL students.
colburnschool.edu/give
conservatory
Trio Azura—violinist Duncan McDougall, cellist Yejin Hong, and pianist Yanfeng (Tony) Bai (’23)—won the grand prize medal in the 51st Annual Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.
Cellists James Baik and Benett Tsai were selected as winners of the Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions.
Violinists Isabella Brown, Vivian Kukiel, Emily Shehi, and Ye (Melody) Yuan (’23) won section violin positions in the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Violinist Yvette Kraft won both concerto competitions at the Aspen Music Festival and School this summer.
Clarinetist Yushin (Galaxy) Su won Second Clarinet with the San Francisco Symphony.
Pianist Ryota Yamazaki won third prize at the Ferruccio Busoni 64th International Piano Competition.
Pianist Rachel Won is a finalist in the From the Top Learning and Media Lab Fellowship.
Alumni
Flutist Martha Long (’10) won Principal Flute in the Baltimore Symphony.
Violist Katie Liu (’22) joins the Seattle Symphony as Associate Principal Viola this fall.
Trumpeter Conrad Jones (’13) won Associate Principal in the Pittsburgh Symphony.
Calidore Quartet—violinists Jeff Myers (’14) and Ryan Meehan (’14), violist Jeremy Berry (’14), and cellist Estelle Choi (’14)—were recipients of the BBC Music Magazine 2024 Chamber Award for their recording, Beethoven: The Late Quartets.
Violinist Blake Pouliot (’18) made his Hollywood Bowl debut in August, performing in a Latin and Spanish dance-inspired symphonic music concert conducted by former Dudamel Fellow François López-Ferrer.
Harpist Alyssa Katahara (’22) won Principal Harp with the Detroit Symphony.
Percussionist Toby Grace (’23) won Section Percussion with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Violinist Yoomin Seo (’23) was appointed concertmaster of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.
Trio de Ángeles—violinist Esme Arias-Kim, cellist Angela Rose Padula, and pianist Caden Lin—won the Horszowski Trio Prize for Piano Trio in the Junior Division at the 51st Annual Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.
Willow Quartet—violinist James Birch, violist Henry Woodruff, cellist Sheena Youn, and pianist David Choi—won their division in the 2024 Busan International Chamber Music Competition.
Violinist Esme Arias-Kim gave debut solo performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in May, performing Chausson’s Poème as winner of the Crain-Maling Young Artist Competition.
Violinist James Birch won first place in the Artiste Instrumental category of the Southern California Philharmonic Young Artists Competition.
Pianist Lillian Feng was a 2024 YoungArts Award winner in Classical Piano.
Pianist Kayden Kelly won first place in the 2023 Nina Simone Competition (Senior Division), was a Junior Artist at the 2023 Junior Cliburn Competition and Festival, and performed as a soloist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
Violinist Holly Lacey is the Music Center’s Spotlight 2024 Classical Instrumental grand prize finalist.
Violist Evangeline Lien won Best Baroque Performance, Best Classical Performance, Best Concerto Performance, Best Prelude Performance, and the Gold Star Award at the Music and Stars Awards, as well as the Wiener Klassik Prize of the 5th 4Seasons Musician Competition of the Vienna Classical Music Competition.
Pianist Pinyi Lin won first prize at the Valencia International Performing Arts Summer Festival and the Absolute First Prize at the Malaga International Piano Festival.
Cellist Eiline Tai won the Virtuoso & Belcanto Concerto Competition in Lucca, Italy, and will perform as a soloist in Europe next summer. She will also perform Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1 with the Southern California Philharmonic as a featured soloist.
Cellist Nathaniel Yue won first prize in the Senior Division of the Adelphi Orchestra Young Artist Competition. He was also a 2024 Young Arts Award winner in Classical Music.
trudl zipper dance institute 2023–24 Dance Academy students continued their training at top dance programs nationally and internationally, including:
0 Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Seattle
0 Arts Umbrella, Vancouver
0 Nevada Ballet Theatre, Las Vegas
0 Canada’s National Ballet School, Toronto
0 Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (Ballet), Bloomington
0 School of American Ballet, New York
0 Charlotte Ballet, Charlotte
0 English National Ballet School, London
0 National Ballet School, Canada
0 School of American Ballet
0 Nevada Ballet Theatre
Dancer Chloe Oronoz is currently performing George Balanchine’s Serenade with LA Ballet.
community school
Cellist Samantha Adams-Blanco will be attending the San Francisco Conservatory of Music on a full scholarship for a Bachelor of Music. She was also a finalist in the Coltman Competition.
Violinist Dominic An will play with MUSE/IQUE with conductor Rachael Worby at the Huntington Library and the Skirball Cultural Center. He was also a State Finalist in the VOCE Competition.
Pianists Anthony and Daphne Gobron-Pesheva were selected to perform at the closing ceremony at the Orbiford Festival in Palazzo Adriano, Sicily, Italy, receiving high praise from the mayor and local press.
Pianist Kento Ishikawa was a finalist in his division at the Kaufman International Youth Piano Competition in New York City.
Cellist Julia Kleindorfer received first prize in the Charleston International Music Competition.
Jazz saxophonist Cosmo Lieberman performed with the 2023 Carnegie Hall National Youth Orchestra Jazz Ensemble, as well as the 2023 Monterey Jazz Festival Next Generation Big Band.
Violinist Karolina Protsenko was a soloist with the Desert Symphony at McCallum Theater in Palm Desert.
Pianist Mia Safdie received an honorable mention at the Thomas F. Hulbert International Piano Competition.
Violinist Rachel Won received first prize and the Exceptional Performance Award at the Charleston International Music Competition (19th Century Music).
Community School of Performing Arts
These end-of-semester performances celebrate the talent and dedication of its students. Featuring outstanding instrumental and vocal performances, join us as we recognize the hard work and accomplishments of these young artists.
December 8
Honors Chamber Recital 1 pm Choral Concert 6 pm
December 15 at 1pm Honors Recital
Colburn Winter Dance Celebration
This enchanting performance brings together new choreography and beloved masterworks to celebrate the holiday season through the beauty of music and dance that feature performers from all of Colburn’s dance programs.
December 14 at 2 pm and 5 pm
Academy Virtuosi
This elite conductorless chamber orchestra comprised of talented young musicians brings to life rich programs of orchestral works by Brahms, Mozart, and Suk.
December 15 at 6 pm
Colburn Chamber Music
Society: Jonathan Brown, Viola Colburn’s newly appointed professor of chamber music will be making his Colburn debut, with a program featuring Mozart’s delightful String Quartet No. 1, alongside eclectic pieces by Schoenberg and Steve Reich.
January 19 at 3 pm
Colburn Orchestra:
Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto* Music Director Yehuda Gilad will conduct two works on this program: Shostakovich’s evocative Symphony No. 6 and Tchaikovsky’s vibrant Violin Concerto, featuring soloist Duncan McDougall. The program will also include an opening piece inspired by David Hockney, conducted by Salonen Fellow Aleksandra Melaniuk, and performed in memory of composer, pianist, and former Colburn faculty member Sarah Gibson.
February 1 at 7 pm
Tap Fest**
Stars from the world of tap dance present an inspired performance showcasing the dynamism and vitality of the art form today.
February 22 at 7 pm
*The Colburn Orchestra is generously underwritten by Eva and Marc Stern. This performance is additionally supported by Beverly C. Marksbury.
**Tap Fest 2025 at the Colburn School is generously supported by Aliza and Michael Lesser.
Visit colburnschool.edu/calendar for a complete list of winter performances and the most up-to-date information.
Join us for the Colburn School’s annual gala
Civic Honoree
Richard W. Colburn
Artistic Honorees
Herbert Zipper (1904–1997)
Trudl Dubsky Zipper (1913–1976)
Celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Colburn School and the power of the performing arts by attending or supporting the 2025 Celebrate Colburn Gala. This hallmark event helps raise vital funds to provide students with access to excellence through scholarships and academic programs.
scan to make a gift or reserve tickets
Contact events@colburnschool.edu or visit colburnschoool.edu/gala to learn more.
Beyond dance, Trudl Dubsky Zipper expressed her artistry through painting and drawing. This watercolor was painted by Mrs. Zipper in May 1945 of Dr. Herbert Zipper conducting the Manila Symphony Orchestra at Santa Cruz Church in the Philippines.
