Piano with Sophia T.

This excerpt is taken from Sophia's website:       Sophia is an uprising artist, songwriter, pianist, composer, music producer, educator, and bandleader based in Los Angeles California, specializing in a diverse musical style and eclectic range of repertoire that combines the colors of jazz, classical, and popular music. Sophia graduated from Cal State Northridge Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s of Music in Media Compostion in May 2018. She is a recognized pianist and composer, and in February 2020 was selected as a finalist for the Instrumental and Vocal arranging scholarship presented by the Association of Composer and Lyricsts, and in February 2019 she was selected as a composer finalist for the world famous Winter International Arts Festival in Sochi, Russia for three of her original works. She is a recognized composer and student at Cal State Northridge, and received the Igor Paltsev Composition Scholarship in 2015 for three of her original works entitled Forward Motion, Drifting, and Contemplation. She has shared the stage with legendary musicians such as Gene Coye, Nick Mancini and the Cal State Northridge Jazz "A" Band, which is one of the top college big bands of the U.S. She has performed at major venues such as the Valley Performing Arts Center, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, the Colts Stadium in Indianapolis, the Alamodome, the Georgia Dome, the Hall of Liberty, and Cal State Northridge. She studied with phenomenal jazz pianists Matt Harris, and Gary Fukishima, as well as the head and founder of the Film and Commercial Writing department, Dr. Elizabeth Sellers. Active as a collaborative artist, Sophia performs as a pianist with different ensembles professionally, for private and public events, with ensembles including DR&, a jazz swing band, the Westlake Village Symphony Orchestra, and the New Valley Symphony Orchestra. She has been a featured soloist in many of her performances, including in 2014 where she was a featured soloist on the synthesizer with the world famous Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps, when her group won the Fred Sanford Gold Medal in Percussion Sophia has been playing the piano since the age of three, and acquired her Grade 8 Certificate in Piano from the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music (ABRSM) when she was 14. Upon graduating high school, she was awarded the United States Marine Corps “Semper Fidelis” Award for Music Excellence, and under the instruction of acclaimed pianist Lou Touman, she auditioned and was accepted as a Piano Performance major at CSUN, at that time studying with the world renowned pianist and CSUN faculty member, Dr. Salas. Rest in Peace. She is currently working on several projects as a solo artist, performing with jazz and contemporary groups professionally, and teaching online lessons. “As a teacher, I am whole heartedly committed to nurturing the development of students as they continue with the journey of playing music, and evolve into beautiful musicians. Achieving this requires a present awareness of my students and the music they are drawn to, while also presenting them with music and knowledge from various genres, styles, and times, to broaden their perception of the world we come from and thrive in.  My intention is to provide each individual with the necessary tools to play music passionately, beautifully, and with understanding. My goals as a music educator are to help students experience the joy of learning and playing music while becoming a well-rounded and well-versed musician. I aim to build a personal relationship with each of my students, and to provide a comfortable, challenging, fun, and vibrant learning experience as well so that all of my students can excel to their fullest potential."  - Sophia ♫ Sophia teaches masterclasses at 6-12th grade schools, as well as privately either at your home or in a private room at Cal State Northridge. Artist Statement Art of all forms, whether it be through painting, dance, sculpting, music, visual media or design, allows us to catch a glimpse of what human expression is capable of showing us and making us feel. Art transcends the reality that we live in day to day, and transports and inspires us to seek beyond what we know. Through music, a medium of sound created with instruments and technology, we are able to mitigate human suffering and create positive energy for the world. Music exists as a means by which we can free ourselves from the limitations of society and reality so that we can coexist in harmony and understanding; increasing the human potential for happiness. Music, and art as a whole is vital to human existence to show us the human potential of happiness and beauty in the world." - Sophia