At the end of every school year, PCM seniors graduate from high school and move on to new chapters in their lives.

As an incoming junior at the University of Southern California, I have been away from PCM for two whole years now, and I often find myself missing PCM’s tight-knit community of students, parents, staff, and faculty. I returned this summer as the marketing, development, and program intern, and I eagerly sought out a project that would revitalize PCM’s alumni network and celebrate a collective passion for music. In an effort to re-experience the nostalgia of my grade school youth that I, and my friends, yearn for, I am ecstatic to share that, with the generous help of the PCM staff, PCM will be hosting an alumni recital on August 17th, at 7 p.m., in Barrett Hall. I hope this endeavor can help create a space for former students to revisit campus, perform alongside their friends in a safe space, and reconnect with one another.

Read about our performing alums and where they are now!

Erica Lee

Erica Lee, 20, is currently a piano student at the University of Southern California studying under Dr. Lucinda Carver, and pursuing a dual degree in business administration. Erica began studying solo piano at PCM in 2006 with Dr. Susan Svrcek, and was awarded the inaugural Estelle Broussard Schlueter Piano Scholarship in 2015. During her time at PCM, she also studied piano four-hands with duet partners Ashley Cheng, Jonathan Vahala, and Jane Roschen, and chamber music with piano trio, “3×8”. Erica currently serves as a USC Thornton Student Ambassador, teaches music through the USC Thornton Engagement Program, and was PCM’s marketing, development, and program summer intern through the 2019 LACAC Arts Internship Program.

Brontë Vlashi

Brontë Vlashi, 18, started playing violin at the age of 7 and is currently studying with Nathan Cole. At PCM she was in the Chamber Music Program where she played in a piano trio from 2014 – 2017 coached by Susan Svrcek and Andrew Cook. They competed in both the PCM Chamber Music Competition and VOCE California State Finals in 2017. Brontë’s soloed with the Fairbanks Symphony while on full merit scholarship during the Brian Lewis Young Artist Program, the Moorpark College Symphony, and the San Fernando Valley Symphony. She placed 3rd in both the ASTA LA Finals and the MTAC VOCE California State Finals in 2017 and has sat concertmaster in two of the CSUN Youth Orchestras and the Montecito International Music Festival where she also had a masterclass with Andres Cardenes.

Aidan Moravec

Aidan Moravec is a 19-year-old baritone from South Pasadena who is currently pursuing a BM in Vocal Performance at USC. During his time at the conservatory, 2011-2016, he studied both the piano with Vatche Mankerian and voice with Marine Ter-Kazaryan. His most recent performance was as Count Almaviva in USC Thornton Opera’s 2019 production of Le Nozze di Figaro. It was his first ever lead roll on the university’s main stage and he was one of only two undergraduates cast in the production. He is grateful to be singing once again at PCM to showcase the progress he has made as an artist, all of which wouldn’t have been possible without Marine and Vatche’s support.

Ashley Cheng

Ashley Cheng, 19, is an incoming sophomore at Pomona College, double majoring in English and Music Performance, studying with Genevieve Lee. At PCM, she studied solo piano and piano four-hands with Dr. Nic Gerpe and Dr. Susan Svrcek, and chamber music with Sharon Harman, Aimee Kreston, and Andrew Cook. Ashley has earned top honors for solo piano and chamber music, as Ashley’s piano trio, “La Dolce Trio”, earned top honors at the MTAC VOCE Festival and Competition and were semifinalists for the PCM Chamber Music Competition. At Pomona College, Ashley is still an avid chamber musician, and an active member of the Asian American community as the events coordinator of the Taiwanese American Student Association and a mentor of the Asian American Mentorship Program.

I hope to see you there!