Kookhee Hong​, a native of South Korea, began piano lessons at age four and won first prizes in numerous Korean national competitions. She continued her studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia under tutelage of Elenor Sokoloff. She appeared in master classes by Emanuel Ax, Gary Graffman, Claude Frank, Sergio Perticaroli, Lev Natocheny and Peter Eicher. As a full scholarship student of Solomon Mikowsky, Dr. Hong completed Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees, Professional Studies Diploma and Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at the Manhattan School of Music. She won first prize at the Carlet International Competition in Valencia, second prize at the Maria Canals International Competition in Barcelona, the audience prize and Alicia de Larrocha Spanish prize at the Andorra International Competition, and was also a prize winner at the Panama International Competition. Frequently in demand as a recitalist abroad, she also appeared as a soloist with the Tenerife Symphony, the Manhattan Symphony, the Carlet Sinfonia, the Gran Canaria Philharmonic and the Panama National Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Hong currently teaches as an adjunct professor at Hope International University and Irvine Valley College. Her students have been accepted to prestigious music schools such as California State University, Fullerton, University of California Los Angeles and Eastman School of Music.

A graduate of Yale University School of Music, Anton Smirnov began his piano studies at the age of seven in Novosibirsk, Russia. He has made more than 1,500 public performances world-wide at venues that include Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center's Avery Fischer Hall, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Upon his graduation from Novosibirsk Conservatory, he moved to the US and graduated from Oberlin Conservatory with an Artist Diploma in 2010.

Anton is a dedicated and gifted teacher: his students has won numerous prizes at National and International Competitions. Besides teaching piano, Mr. Smirnov enjoys teaching chamber groups and conducting string orchestras.

As a soloist, Anton is a prizewinner of several international piano competitions including the Moscow International Competition for Young Musicians, International Russian Music Piano Competition in San-Jose, CA, Oberlin Concerto Competition, Corpus Christi International Concerto Competition, Louisiana International Piano Competition, the NTD International Piano Competition in New York, and others. He has performed as a soloist with various orchestras including the Tomsk Philharmonic Orchestra, Omsk Philarmonic Orchestra, San Jose Symphony and the Oberlin Orchestra. As a chamber musician, Anton collaborated with the members of Quatuor Ebene; double bass players Edgar Meyer and Eugene Levinson, violinists Simone Perter, Mark Kaplan and Grigory Sokolovsky, violist Barbara Westphal, Antonio Lysy, and many others.

Anton has participated in many international music festivals including “International Program New Names", Cassalmaggiore International Music Festival, Banff International Master Classes, and Sarasota International Music Festival. Anton is a member of the collaborative faculty at The Heifetz International Music Institute. He participates in the "Heifetz on Tour" music series, performing chamber music with finest young string players.

As of now, Anton is a Head of Piano Department at Russian School of Music in Irvine, CA.

Ariana Solotoff, originally from New York, lives and works in Los Angeles as a performer and teacher of violin and viola. 

Ms. Solotoff earned her Bachelor’s degree from The Juilliard School under the mentorship of Michael Tree and Masao Kawasaki, and her Masters from the Haute École de Musique de Genève in Switzerland where she studied with Miguel Da Silva. While in Geneva, she was a recipient of the prestigious Hans Wilsdorf Foundation Scholarship Award.

Ariana has performed with many chamber and symphonic orchestras across the US and Europe including Los Angeles Philharmonic, Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Venia, Hulencourt Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Regală and Orchestra Națională Radio România. 

She has made appearances on the Grammy Awards, Video Game Music Awards & Disney Channel, and recorded in several film soundtracks, pop and rock albums for artists such as Beyoncé, Yendry, Mergui and others. She has also performed live with Kelly Clarkson, Sheléa, Twenty One Pilots and joined the Yeah Yeah Yeahs for their Hidden In Pieces tour in 2025. 

As an educator, Ariana runs the Pascale Music Program where she teaches violin, viola and piano. She is also on faculty at Montecito International Music Festival, Idyllwild Arts Intensive Summer Music Program and Cremona International Music Academy in Italy.

Ariana is the creator and director of Popsical Music, an initiative driven by her passion for making classical music accessible to all. She is dedicated to encouraging newcomers to explore and engage with the genre in a welcoming and inspiring way. Ariana’s mission is to introduce as many young children and families as possible to the beauty and richness of classical music.

Dr. Boryana Popova is a professional violinist based in Los Angeles. Born in Varna, Bulgaria, she started playing the violin at age 6. She received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Bulgarian National Music Academy in Sofia. After coming to the United States, she received master’s and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from University of California, Los Angeles where she studied with Prof. Movses Pogossian and Prof. Guillaume Sutre from 2007 to 2012. While at UCLA, she was awarded with the Mimi Feldman Scholarship, Evelyn and Mo Ostin Scholarship, and the Gluck Foundation Fellowship.
Boryana currently works as a freelance musician in Los Angeles, where she has performed with several orchestras, such as Riverside Philharmonic, Long Beach Opera, Long Beach Camerata, LA Jewish Symphony, Opera San Luis Obispo, Opera Ritrovata, Musical Theatre West, American Contemporary Ballet, and Helix Collective. Boryana is also a regular member and concertmaster of Pacific Opera Project. As a session musician, she has recorded on numerous scores for film and television, pop albums, and commercials. Boryana is a violin teacher at the French Conservatory of Music in Beverly Hills and has her own private studio, as well.