STAFF

Fernando Malvar-Ruiz

Artistic Director

Fernando Malvar‐Ruiz, is serving his seventh season as Artistic Director of Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, having commenced his tenure on August 1, 2018. Mr. Malvar‐Ruiz is an internationally regarded choral conductor, clinician, and educator, who has worked with children’s and youth choirs his entire career. From 2004 to 2017, he was the Artistic Director of The American Boychoir, leading the ensemble in over 150 performances and up to five national and international tours annually. He has prepared choirs for appearances with the LA Philharmonic, LA Opera, San Francisco Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestra, among others. He has worked with such conductors as Gustavo Dudamel, Marin Alsop, Pierre Boulez, Yannik Nézet-Seguin, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Valery Gergiev, as well as artists ranging from cellist Yo‐Yo Ma, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, pop legends Billie Eilish, Beyoncé Knowles, Sir Paul McCartney, Josh Groban, and opera singers Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman. He conducted The American Boychoir on six recordings and led its performances on the Academy Awards and a 9/11 Memorial Service broadcast globally on CNN. Mr. Malvar-Ruiz was the music director for the film Hear My Song (Boychoir), starring Dustin Hoffman, Kathy Bates, Debra Winger, and Josh Lucas.

Mr. Malvar‐Ruiz previously served as The American Boychoir’s Associate Music Director from 2000‐2004 under James Litton. An expert in the adolescent voice, he has guest conducted children’s and youth choirs around the globe. He has a master’s degree in choral conducting from Ohio State University and completed the coursework toward a doctoral degree in choral music from the University of Illinois.

Susan Miller Kotses

Executive Director

Susan Miller Kotses, a strategic arts leader, creates meaningful and impactful experiences for people of all ages and races and all abilities by leveraging the knowledge and experience gained from 16 years as a leader in education and community engagement, as well as nearly three decades as a professional singer and educator. A passionate and effective advocate for the power of the arts to transform lives, Kotses believes that the arts are a vehicle for change, not just a destination in themselves.

Kotses currently serves as Vice President of Education and Community Engagement with Pacific Symphony. Kotses built and leads a dedicated, high-performing team that each year meets and exceeds goals for participant satisfaction and impact, while annually serving over 60,000 constituents, engaging 1,000 volunteers, and training and deploying 50 teaching artists and content creators.

Co-creating programs with community partners is central to Kotses’ work. She has led her team at Pacific Symphony in achieving positive impacts through work in K-12 schools, large- and small-scale free public concerts, and sensory-friendly performances for seniors with dementia and children on the autism spectrum. With her team and Pacific Symphony’s community partners, Kotses curated and produced cultural festivals and multi-disciplinary concert experiences. Kotses also led efforts to feature Pacific Symphony’s partners prominently in the Symphony’s Family Musical Morning series, attended by 10,000 people annually.

In 2012, Kotses became the producer and script co-writer for Pacific Symphony’s annual Opera for Kids!, presented on the Symphony’s Family series, providing countless students with their first professional audition and performance experience, highlighting local professional singers, and introducing 12,000 children and families to opera for the first time.

Kotses served as a leader in Pacific Symphony’s diversity, equity, and inclusion work, and strategic planning process, and was central to Pacific Symphony securing significant multi-year grants to support education and community engagement work. 

Kotses joined Pacific Symphony in 2007, holding positions as Director of Class Act, Director of Education and Community Engagement, and Senior Director of Education, prior to being promoted to Vice President of Education and Community Engagement in 2015.

Previously, Kotses served as Interim Artistic Department Manager for Pittsburgh Opera while earning a Master of Arts Management degree from Carnegie Mellon University.  

Kotses holds a Bachelor and Masters of Music in Voice Performance from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, and, for many years, was a professional freelance singer and music educator based in Paris, France, performing regularly with the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, the Opéra Comique, and the Thêatre du Chatêlet as well as at England’s Aldeburgh Festival, Greece’s Hellenic Festival, The Grand Theatre of Shanghai, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. 

A voice teacher with more than 25 years of experience, Kotses has taught at community music schools in both France and the United States, as well as privately. Kotses, who has always made singing a central part of her life, is currently a Cantorial Soloist at Temple Judea of Laguna Woods and performs in concerts as time allows.  Kotses lives in Tustin, California with her husband and two Yorkshire Terriers.

Fred Meads

Associate Artistic Director

Fred Meads, Associate Artistic Director, is in his second season with Los Angeles Children’s Chorus. He conducts LACC’s Intermediate Choir, Preparatory Choir, and LACC@HOLA and is responsible for overseeing the organization’s music literacy and vocal coaching programs.

Mr. Meads has directed choirs in various public and private schools, churches, and in the community. Most recently, he was Director of the Princeton Boychoir, Associate Conductor of the Princeton Girlchoir and Director of Vocal Studies at The American Boychoir School in Princeton, NJ. He also served as Artistic Director of the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir in Fort Wayne, Indiana for ten years. Mr. Meads has conducted honor choirs in twelve states and lead the OAKE (Organization of Kodály Educators) National Children’s Honor Choirs on two occasions and the Northwest ACDA Children’s Honor Choir. He has presented workshops for ACDA, OAKE, and Westminster Choir College and served on the boards of both the Indiana Choral Directors Association and the New Jersey Choral Directors Association.

Mr. Meads received the Bachelor of Music degree in music education from Ithaca College, New York and the Master of Music degree in choral conducting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He completed his Kodály training at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio where he was a scholarship recipient.

Dr. Steven Kronauer

Young Men's Ensemble Director

Dr. Steven Kronauer, Young Men’s Ensemble Director, is a conductor and voice teacher. He started his singing career at the Munich Opera, for a ten-year engagement, and sang concert repertoire around Europe and the United States. As a teacher of voice his students include Grammy/Oscar award winning Billie Eilish, FINNEAS, Cheryl Bentyne of Manhattan Transfer, and many opera and oratorio singers as well as Broadway singers and other styles. He is now in his 15th year as conductor of the Young Men’s Ensemble. Dr. Kronauer has been the head of the Voice Department of UC Santa Barbara and is currently is on the faculty of CSU Long Beach at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music, teaching voice and German diction. He is also the founding conductor of the mixed voice ensemble Artes Vocales, which rehearses at First Baptist Church in Pasadena, specializing in the finest of choral repertoire and vocal technique, celebrating our community.

Dr. Kronauer holds a doctorate from UCLA in operatic and choral conducting under the direction of Donald Neuen and William Vendice, respectively. Dr. Kronauer holds two master’s degrees from the University of Michigan in voice performance under the direction of Lorna Hayword for voice, Jerry Blackstone for choral conducting, and Theodore Morrison, respectively.

Eric Lifland

Apprentice Choir Director & Assistant Young Men's Ensemble Conductor

Eric Lifland, Apprentice Choir Director & Assistant Young Men’s Ensemble Conductor, is a conductor and musicianship instructor, as well as a former LACC chorister. Mr. Lifland is in his eighth season with LACC. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Lifland is a music teacher at Polytechnic School, where he directs the choirs, accompanies and coaches musical theater, and teaches music history. Mr. Lifland also maintains a private studio of voice and piano students.

He earned his Kodály certification from the Kodály Association of Southern California and serves on their board as executive secretary. Previously, he has taught K-5 music in LA public schools and worked in musical theater as a music director and briefly as an assistant to Hal Prince.

Twyla Meyer

Principal Pianist

Twyla Meyer, Principal Pianist, accompanies for Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, and Chorale. She has been on staff with LACC for 26 years and has toured with the choir to the British Isles, Canada, Brazil, Alaska, Italy, China, Scandinavia, Germany, South Africa, Mexico, Spain, and more.

Ms. Meyer was staff accompanist/vocal coach and adjunct keyboard faculty at CSU Los Angeles from 1980‐2010 and has held similar positions at Pasadena City College and Occidental College. A specialist in 20th century chamber music, she is a founding member of the Matrix Chamber Ensemble, performing numerous concerts on the West Coast and in New York. Ms. Meyer has been on the faculty of the Idyllwild School of Music and was a featured performer with the Southern California Brahms Festival, along with being the principal pianist for the annual Claremont Clarinet Festival. She coached opera at the University of Redlands from 2011‐2017 and is a guest collaborative artist at both CSU Fullerton and CSU Long Beach.

Along with playing for the Artes Vocales Choir and several choirs at Pomona College, she continues to play for various choirs at All Saints Church in Pasadena. She is currently pursuing an active freelance career, which includes work with the LA Philharmonic and the LA Opera Education Department, along with private vocal and instrumental coaching.

Ms. Meyer has recorded for Artel Records with Metropolitan Opera heldentenor Gary Lakes, with whom she also appeared on The Tonight Show. In August 2007, she toured Chile as a collaborative artist in art song recitals and workshops. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in piano performance from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Music degree in accompanying (with honors) from USC.

Jackie Koo

Pianist

Jahyeong (Jackie) Koo, Pianist, serves as LACC’s Intermediate Choir accompanist. Ms. Koo also serves as the staff accompanist for CSU Northridge, as well as being the founder and manager of the Valley Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. She has won numerous piano competitions and awards both as a solo artist and as an accompanist throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Having been invited to perform with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra in Russia and the Razgrad Philharmonic Orchestra in Bulgaria, she also performed with the LA TRIO and taught Master Classes in China, as well as performing for the International Clarinet Festival in Japan and serving as resident accompanist for the International Clarinet and Saxophone Festival in Beijing in 2007 and Chongqing, China in 2015.
A CSU Los Angeles, Adjunct Professor of Music from 2004‐2009, Ms. Koo is a member of the MTNA and SYMF, and currently accompanies the youth choirs at All Saints Church in Pasadena.
Ms. Koo is a graduate of the Sun‐Hwa Performing Arts School in Seoul, Korea, Ms. Koo received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the University of Northern Iowa in piano performance, along with an enrollment as a doctoral candidate at USC with an Accompanying Assistantship.

Karen Lee

Pianist

Karen Lee, Pianist, is an accomplished pianist, collaborator, and private teacher widely known and sought after throughout Los Angeles. A South Korean native, Mrs. Lee holds a Bachelor of Music degree with Highest Distinction in piano performance from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Recently, she has become the accompanist for the LACC Preparatory Choir. Mrs. Lee has also been a choir accompanist at the Westridge School for over 12 years, and a piano accompanist at the Los Angeles Young Nak Presbyterian Church for almost 25 years.

Mrs. Lee has worked with a variety of studios and age groups at the Colburn School, Crossroads School, UCLA, and Cal State Long Beach. She accompanied the Colburn School String Orchestra under Maestra Margaret Shimizu, San Gabriel Jefferson Middle School, and performed with other concert musicians, including cellist Pinpei Tang, and opera singer Injoon Jang.

Mrs. Lee has run a private piano studio of her own for over 30 years. She is a board member of MTAC San Gabriel, and her students have won awards at MTAC’s CM, Junior Bach Festival, SYMF, and Satori.

Previous choirs Mrs. Lee has worked with include: Montreal Korean Society United Choir, Urim Men’s Choir of Vancouver, Vancouver Korean Women’s Choir, Young Angeles Choir of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Korean Christian Radio Choir, and Kyongki Choir.

Dr. Mitsuko Morikawa

Pianist

Dr. Mitsuko Morikawa, Pianist, accompanist for Apprentice Choir, has been an active soloist, accompanist, and chamber musician throughout the world, has recorded music for the New World Records label, and has been featured on radio programs in the United States and Japan. She has served on the faculties at the Meadowmount School of Music, Oberlin College Conservatory, the Oberlin Flute Institute, Baldwin Wallace College Conservatory, and the ENCORE School of Strings. Ms. Morikawa has frequently freelanced with LA Opera, LA Philharmonic, LA Master Chorale, and Los Robles Master Chorale, and is currently a staff accompanist at CSULA, UCLA, and the Colburn School.

Ms. Morikawa holds a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from the Toho School of Music, Japan; a Master of Music in piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music; a Professional Studies Certificate in piano performance from The Cleveland Institute of Music; and a Doctor of Musical Arts in keyboard collaborative arts at USC. Some of Ms. Morikawa’s teachers include Alan Smith, Norman Krieger, Sergei Babayan, Cheng-Zong Yin, Paul Schenly, Sara Davis Buechner, and Hisako Ueno.

Dr. Joshua Tan

Pianist

Dr. Joshua Tan, Pianist, plays for the Young Men’s Ensemble and also serves as an LACC musicianship instructor. He is currently serving on the faculty at Fullerton College and maintains an active private teaching studio. Dr. Tan recently received his Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the USC Thornton School of Music as the 2020 Outstanding Graduate in piano performance. The recipient of many awards, he won first prizes at the MTNA Young Artist Competition for Texas and the 4th annual Mika Hasler Foundation Competition.

During his Master of Music studies at the University of Arizona, he received the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award from the College of Fine Arts. In 2015, he represented the University of Arizona as a touring soloist in the southwestern United States and in Mexico. Dr. Tan has always integrated his piano training and choral studies, having earned dual Bachelor of Music degrees in piano performance and choral music education. Being a singer himself, he has toured and competed internationally throughout Europe with many choral ensembles, singing under conductors such as Jo-Michael Scheibe and Betsy Cook Weber. Dr. Tan’s incredible musical mentors include Bernadene Blaha, Kevin Fitz-Gerald, John Milbauer, Nancy Weems, and Joseph Zins.

Julia Behbudov

Julia Behbudov, Vocal Coach, is an internationally recognized opera singer known for her powerful vocal abilities and captivating stage presence. She graduated with honors from Herzen State University and earned recognition as “Best Voice of Academy” at the International Academy of Music of Elena Obraztsova.

Her training includes prestigious programs like the International Opera Academy in Montecatini, Italy and an internship at the Opera de Monte Carlo. Julia has taken on major roles such as Fiordiligi in Cosi Fan Tutte, Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Tatyana in Eugene Onegin, and she has performed in acclaimed venues across Italy, France, Monaco, Norway, Finland, Russia, and Azerbaijan.

With a rich vocal ability and a dedication to sharing her love for music, Julia engages audience through breathtaking performances, where she brings her own technical interpretation to the role, captivating listeners with emotional depth. Whether on stage or in rehearsal, Julia is dedicated to creating performances that resonate with listeners and bring stories to life through music.

Kyla McCarrel

Vocal Coach

Kyla McCarrel, Vocal Coach and LACC@HOLA Assistant Director, is an active performer and music educator in the Los Angeles and Orange county areas, where she shares her passion for music as part of the voice faculty at Chapman University’s Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, as an instructor of private voice and the former conductor of the University Treble Choir. Kyla has also performed a variety of operatic roles and has been featured as a concert soloist, while also serving as the soprano soloist and section leader for Coventry Choir at All Saints Church, Pasadena.

Ms. McCarrel holds a Master of Music degree from Arizona State University in opera performance and a Bachelor of Music degree in voice performance and music education from Chapman University. Ms. McCarrel grew up in Pasadena, and is especially delighted to be part of the LACC coaching staff, as she is a former LACC chorister herself. She is excited to be part of the organization that helped foster her own love of music, and to nurture that same love in the current choristers.

Sarah Reynolds

Vocal Coach

Sarah Reynolds, Vocal Coach, is a singer, voice teacher, and songwriter based in Los Angeles. Equally at home in concert and opera, she has performed with LA Opera, LA Master Chorale, De Angelis Vocal Ensemble, and Long Beach Opera. A frequent concert soloist, her credits include the Bach Magnificat and Vivaldi Gloria with Redlands Symphony, Jenkins Stabat Mater with Musica Sacra of Sarasota, Florida, and Brahms Alto Rhapsody with Artes Vocales. She received her bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from The College of New Jersey and master’s degree in vocal performance from The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusettes and has studied and performed at Napa Music Festival’s Baroque Opera Program and the Early Music Vancouver and Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival Baroque Vocal Programs.

Ms. Reynolds has been featured as a Backstage Magazine Reader’s Choice Nominee for LA Vocal/Singing Coach and as one of their “8 Vocal Coaches to Know in NYC and LA.” Ms. Reynolds released her debut pop rock EP Adolescent in April of 2024. She teaches private voice lessons to students of all ages out of her home studio in Eagle Rock.

Carol Winston

Vocal Coach

Carol Winston, Vocal Coach, is delighted to work with LACC. Originally from San Francisco, she is now a Pasadena resident. Ms. Winstron studied at the University of California, Santa Barbara, earning a Bachelor of Arts in music. She is currently on the voice faculty of Cornerstone Music Conservatory in Santa Monica, and at Skylight Academy of Music in Torrance.
Carol began vocal training in high school, where she sang in music theater productions and with her high school choirs. She sang in early music ensembles in college and also began opera training.; Ms. Winston continues to perform with regional opera companies. This season she sang First Lady in The Magic Flute and Mrs. Hayes in Susannah. Other recent roles include Violetta in La Traviata, Diana in Orpheus in the Underworld, Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro, and Adele in Die Fledermaus.

Ms. Winston serves as soloist at First Church of Christ, Scientist, San Marino and is soprano section leader for Temple Ramat Zion. Her solo concert work includes Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate, Mozart Requiem, Mozart Vespers, Beethoven Chorale Fantasy, Bruckner Te Deum, and Vivaldi Beatus Vir.

Ann Giesler

Director of Chorus Operations

Ann Giesler, Director of Chorus Operations, has worked in arts management for over 40 years. Following her graduation from Smith College with a Bachelor of Arts in music, she worked for the Los Angeles Philharmonic for 15 years in development and volunteer management, coordinating the activities of more than 2,000 volunteers on behalf of the Philharmonic. She began her involvement with LACC in 1993 as a parent volunteer–chaperoning tours, assisting with performances, and serving on the board of directors–before being hired as the Chorus’ first Performance Manager in 1996. As Chorus Manager, she has managed over 35 national and international LACC tours, and arranged the details of countless rehearsals, performances, and special events. From her early years as a chorister in the choirs at Pasadena Presbyterian Church, Ms. Giesler has sung in and played piano for many school, collegiate and church choral ensembles, and has taught piano privately.

Deborah Stark

Chorus Services Manager

Deb Stark, Chorus Services Manager, volunteered for eight years as an LACC parent prior to accepting the Young Men’s Ensemble Chorus Manager position in 2018. During that time, she chaperoned two Concert Choir tours and assisted with rehearsals and performances. She has worked as LACC’s Opera Chorus Manager, coordinating LACC’s involvement with the LA Opera productions Hansel & Gretel, El gato montes, Tosca, Turandot, La Bohème, Otello, and The Magic Flute.

A former attorney, Ms. Stark found her calling of working with children in the arts while volunteering in the Music and Theatre Departments of Mirman School.

Koji Sakano

Associate Chorus Manager

Koji Sakano, Associate Chorus Manager, joined LACC in the 2023-24 season. Though he is not an alum of LACC, he studied for five years under LACC’s Fernando Malvar-Ruiz and Fred Meads, at The American Boychoir School. Since graduating from the boychoir, Mr. Sakano has continued to study choral music, earning a Bachelor of Music in choral music from USC in 2023. Outside of LACC, he serves as the Bass Section Leader at First United Methodist Church Pasadena.

Julia Nowak

Assistant Chorus Manager

Julia Nowak, Assistant Chorus Manager, joined LACC as a chorister in 2008, beginning in Preparatory Choir and graduating from Concert Choir and Chamber Singers in 2017. Following her time as a chorister, she studied music with a voice concentration at Gettysburg College, and returned to LACC as a summer intern during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Working locally since 2020, Ms. Nowak has gained professional experience in both artistic management and legal administration. In addition to her role on the Chorus Management team, she is continuing her education at Pasadena City College, and intends to pursue a career in law or arts development.

April Johnson

First Experiences in Singing Instructor

April Johnson, First Experiences in Singing Instructor, started her journey with LACC in 2005, teaching Musicianship classes for several of the choirs. She currently teaches the First Experiences in Singing program for 1st and 2nd grade singers, as well as Musicianship classes for Apprentice Choir.

Ms. Johnson is also the full-time music teacher at the Granada Hills Charter School in Northridge for students in grades TK-8th grade. Ms. Johnson teaches private music lessons in the Pasadena area for voice, piano, flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, french horn, and ukulele.

Eileen Stressling

Next Experiences in Singing Instructor

Eileen Stressling, Next Experiences in Singing Instructor, is a musician and educator working throughout the Los Angeles and Orange County area. At Azusa Pacific University, Ms. Stressling studied piano performance, and sang for four years with the university chamber singers, competing in international choral festivals in Marktoberdorf, Germany, and tours in France and Xi’An, China. After graduation, she began working in music education at Bishop Amat Memorial High School, Marina High School, Mark Keppel High School, Hull Middle school, and currently teaches music in the Ocean View School District.

Ms. Stressling maintains a private piano studio and works as a freelance pianist for churches, theater companies, and choral ensembles. She feels lucky to be a part of mentoring the next generation of choristers at LACC.

Lee Taylor

Director of Development

Lisa Larson

Office Manager

Jared Clark

Marketing and Communications Manager

Jasmine Dashtizad

Development Coordinator

Kristin Runnels

Manager of Institutional Giving

Sprchrgr

Accountant

ReedSmith

Legal Services

Quigley & Miron

Auditor