Meet Seira Homma, a distinguished graduate of Irvine Valley College whose academic journey was defined by her outstanding leadership and commitment to mental health advocacy. As an IVC Student Ambassador and President of the Active Minds Club, Seira demonstrated exemplary dedication to raising awareness and supporting mental health initiatives.
Dr. Minji Noh Lee has been on Irvine Valley College’s Keyboard department faculty since 2015. She brings decades of extensive teaching experiences in working with piano students of all ages. Praised as a “superb pianist” by the Boston Globe, Dr. Minji Noh Lee is active as a soloist and a chamber musician.
Dr. Kookhee Hong is a distinguished performer, educator, and award-winning pianist. After relocating to Los Angeles, she was invited to serve as an adjudicator for numerous festivals, including the Southwestern Youth Music Festival (SYMF) and the Junior Bach Festival in California. Dr. Hong is currently the Director of Junior Chamber Music in the Inland Empire Branch, a board member of the Music Teachers' Association of California, and an adjunct professor at Irvine Valley College.
Dr. Suzanne Wong holds the B.M. and M.M. degrees in Piano Performance from the University of Southern California and the D.M.A from Boston University. She has studied piano with Nancy Bricard and James Bonn, violin with Alice Schoenfeld, and composition and theory with Dr. Robert Linn. Abroad, Ms. Wong has studied with pianist, Carlo Zecchi at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. She has also been on the faculty of the Colburn School of the Performing Arts.
German pianist Dr. Eva Schaumkell is established on three continents as a brilliant soloist and collaborator praised for her “astonishing combination of depth of expression and thrilling virtuosity” (Nassauische Neue Presse). Dr. Schaumkell has established a major international presence as Gold medalist in the 2018 International James Ramos Piano Competition, and the 2014 International Siegfried Weishaupt Piano Competition.
Dr. ChunYi Wang currently maintains full piano studios in Rowland Heights, California, as a winner of the Rubinstein Scholarship, he attended the Juilliard School, where he earned his
Svetlana Smolina performed with orchestras and in recitals worldwide. A recipient of “New Names” scholarship program, her notable appearances with orchestras include Mariinsky Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Orchestra National de France, Dublin Philharmonic, South Florida Symphony, Odessa and Nizhny Novgorod Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, New Florida Philharmonic, Shreveport Symphony, New York Chamber. A frequent guest at festivals worldwide, Ms.
Dr. Susan Boettger is the Director of the Piano and Chamber Music Department at Irvine Valley College, where she also serves as the Artistic Director of the IVC Keyboard & Chamber Music Series. In addition to her leadership roles, she created the Piano Pedagogy program, empowering piano teachers to build thriving studios. Her students have successfully transferred to prestigious institutions such as UCLA, USC, CSUF, CSULB, Azusa, and Rice University. Through her visionary leadership, Dr. Boettger has established herself as a key figure in the Southern California music community.
Dr. Matthew Tresler is the current Academic Chair of Music at Irvine Valley College and Director of Choral and Vocal Music. In Addition to conducting the IVC Chorale, Dr. Tresler teaches class voice, applied voice, applied music workshop and honors music appreciation courses.