Meet Us
Staff pianist at San Francisco Conservatory of Music, MTAC San Mateo Board
Co-Founder
Piano Instructor
speaks English & Mandarin
Ke Coco Chen is an active solo and collaborative pianist in the Bay Area. She received her Master Degree and Professional Studies Diploma in Piano Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Prof. Yoshikazu Nagai. She holds the piano performance B.M degree from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where she was under the tutelage of Dr. Weicong Zhang. She received lots of national scholarship awards during her studying time in schools. Upon completion of her studies, she is chosen to serve as a staff pianist in San Francisco Conservatory of Music because of her accomplishments in her major. She accompanied many master classes, department and solo recitals for the instrumental students in the Conservatory. Ms. Chen also gives numerous solo piano and chamber music recitals every year in the San Francisco Bay Area. She worked as an accompanist for the Atlanta Music Academy and Alonzo King Lines Ballet as well. Besides playing, she is passionate about teaching as well. Her students have successfully got into the piano performance program in the conservatory and passed many ABRSM and CM exams in these years. Ms.Chen is a board member of the Music Teachers Association of California in the San Mateo County. Ms.Chen’s article about the composer Gustav Mahler was published in the authentic magazine Music Lovers in the Shanghai.
Former Music Faculty at San Francisco High School of Arts, MTAC Composition Member
Co-Founder
Piano, Composition, Music Production, and Music theory Instructor
speaks English & Mandarin
Yujing Bai is an active contemporary composer and music educator who was born and raised in Taiyuan, China. She graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and she got her master degree in composition. She holds a Bachelor's degree in music design and production major from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Her works contribute to a variety of instrumental, chamber, film, electronic, vocal and other collaborative directions. She has worked with the Hollywood film composers Roger Neill and Larry Groupe at the Palomar Film Music Workshop. Ms. Bai has been teaching piano, musicianship, composition, and music theory since 2012. Her students have passed the ABRSM exam in both piano and music theory. Ms. Bai is also a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and Music Teachers Association of California. Ms. Bai is serving as the music theory, musicianship, and composition teacher at the San Francisco High School of the Arts. She is passionate about teaching music with young kids and she believes music can bring joy and happiness to students. For more composition, current film music projects at www.yujingbai.com
Ms. Tianyu Yan is a pianist who was born in Tianjin, China. She holds an BA degree in piano performance from Tianjin Conservatory of Music, and later got a MM degree and a Performance Certification from Northern Illinois University. She has accompanied many instrumental and vocal students in their recitals as Graduate Assistance at Northern Illinois University and as a piano accompanist in DeKalb High School choir as an accompanist instructor. She has participated in many piano competitions and won many awards in China, Hong Kong and Germany. And during her school years, she attended various international master classes in China and Europe and has been praised by many famous pianists. She also has given many recitals in many cities of different countries. And since 2012, she has taught many different students in China, Germany and the United States. She has a lot of teaching experience and is good at creating a fun classroom atmosphere, let the students learn the piano in a relaxed environment.
Tianyu Yan
Music Director & Piano Instructor
speaks English & Mandarin
Anna Muravitskaya is an opera singer with a unique experience in performance, vocal training, dance and theater. She began her artistic journey as a five year old in ballroom dancing, added piano and later vocal and theatrical studies. Her journey is unique as she took a detour to theater where she explored genres such as theater of the ridiculous and grand guignol. Her personal singing journey has taken her to explore different methods of vocal study ranging from the Garcia method to Marchesi and finally the Melocchi method. She prides herself in finding out everything related to bel canto and the old school of
singing. Anna learned most of her musicianship from her piano teacher with whom she dutifully studied for over fifteen years. Her relationship with piano and dance has helped her understand different aspects of performance, music and art. Currently she plays with other genres such as jazz, folk and tango as a vocal artist. She has started her own project titled Opus Gratia where she puts on concerts for her audience in a more intimate setting in various exciting venues around the wider Bay Area. She enjoys teaching as it gives her a different insight into music. She finds pedagogy to be a therapeutic practice for both herself and the student as they get to explore music and excellence together.
Anna Muravitskaya
Vocal Instructor
speaks English
Sichen Ma
Piano Instructor
speaks English & Mandarin
Sichen Ma has performed at various venues across the world. Some of his important concerts include a collaborative concert in the 2004 Beethoven Music Festival at the Beethoven Hall in Bonn; a performance of Beethoven’s 4th concerto with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Walt Disney Hall, and with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in the Roy Thompson Hall; Brahms 2nd Piano Concerto with the Colburn Orchestra, under the Baton of Maestro Donald Tovey at the Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena, California. In a review of Ma’s solo concert in Bad Betrich, Germany, the Rhein-Zeitung has lauded his performance of Beethoven and Schumann as “with much warmth, heart, and sensitivity”.
Mr. Ma is also the award-winner of numerous important competitions including the 1st prize of the Asia Youth Piano Competition in the area of Great China and the 1st-prize winner in the final stage in HongKong; the 2nd prize of China Steinway Cup International Piano Competition; 3rd prize of the 10thMissouri Southern International Piano Competition in Missouri; and 1st prize of the Young Artistconcerto Competition in Torrance, California. In 2012, Mr. Ma completed his study with Prof. John Perry at The Colburn School in Los Angeles, California, and was conferred a Bachelor of Music Degree. From 2012 to 2015 Mr. Ma studied at the University of the Arts in Berlin with Prof. Klaus Hellwig. From 2016 - 2018 he focused on collaborative piano study at Cleveland Institute of Music with Ms. Anita Pontremoli where he gained his Master of Music degree. From 2018 - 2021 Mr. Ma was an associate instructor in the Doctor of Music program at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Mr. Ma has also been offered fellowships at numerous prestigious music festivals including the renowned Tanglewood Music Festival in the summer of 2017 as a Vocal Piano Fellow. The Sarasota Music Festival in Florida, Encuentro Music Academy in Spain, The Holland International Music Sessions in the Netherlands, and the Banff Music Festival in Canada
James Woodward is an up-and-coming musician and a violin and viola instructor from the Bay Area. He is classically trained, including historically informed performance, as well as jazz. He feels that it is especially meaningful to interpret the music based on current historical knowledge, therefore developing a greater appreciation of the composer’s ideas and emotions. As a Bay Area local, he has performed with the Stanford Summer Symphony, Stanford Symphony Orchestra, and the Stanford Philharmonia under the direction of Paul Phillips. He has been featured in the St. Helena Star for his historically informed Vivaldi and solo Bach performance. He received his Bachelor of Science in Music from Pacific Union College with an emphasis in violin and viola. He has studied under Chag-Hee Lee, Symphony San Jose, Jill Cohen, Symphony San Jose, Dr. Rachelle Davis, Pacific Union College, and two-time Grammy Award-Winning jazz violinist Mads Tolling. He is passionate about exploring the sound world of the violin and viola in a traditional means, as well as exploring early music, jazz, and various other styles to express additional sounds and ideas. He strongly feels that music should be an accessible, progress-based and transformative experience for everyone. He believes in a creative and personalized approach, while emphasizing technique, allowing for every student to meet his or her full potential while developing a passion and appreciation for music.
James Woodward
Violin, Viola Instructor
speaks English
Mark Cabunoc
Guitar Instructor
speaks English
Mark Cabunoc holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Humber College, where he studied jazz guitar and specialized in songwriting and music production. His academic journey deepened his understanding of music theory and composition, while also equipping him with the tools to effectively engage and inspire students of all backgrounds and abilities.
With over seven years of teaching experience, Mark has had the privilege of working with students across a wide spectrum of ages and skill levels. He has served as a music educator in school settings with organizations such as Music For Minors, where he designed and delivered an engaging music curriculum tailored to the unique needs of young learners. Additionally, Mark has flourished as an independent music teacher, providing personalized instruction to students seeking to develop their musical talents and express themselves through music.
Peter Walsh
Cello Instructor
speaks English
Peter Walsh is a versatile cellist, passionate about exploring various musical styles, including fiddle, jazz, commercial, baroque, contemporary, and classical music. As an arts educator, Peter has dedicated himself to teaching private cello lessons, offering chamber coaching, and working with youth orchestras.
Peter began his cello journey in 2008 and quickly embraced chamber music, performing duets, trios, and quartets with his sisters, fostering a deep love for collaborative music-making. During his teenage years, he participated in the Santa Clarita Valley Youth Orchestra, CAP Music at CalArts, and Junior Chamber Music Los Angeles.
Peter earned his Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. While at UCLA, he performed a recital as part of the UCLA Chancellor’s Residence recital series and enjoyed playing in the old-time string band, commercial music studio ensemble, UCLA Philharmonia, Early Music Ensemble, Flux contemporary chamber music, and Camerades string chamber music ensembles. Peter is currently working towards a Masters of Music in Cello Performance at the San Francisco Conservatory of music.
Recently, Peter has collaborated on notable chamber music works such as Brahms' Clarinet Quintet, Piano Trio No. 1, and Clarinet Trio, Schubert’s Cello Quintet, Yehudi Wyner’s Tants and Maysele, and Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 6. He has attended prestigious festivals like the Bowdoin International Music Festival in Maine and Festival Del Lago in Ajijic, Mexico. His chamber music coaches include Ji Young An, Yuna Ha, David Kaplan, Antonio Lysy, Robin Scott, and David Ying.
Peter has recorded Richard Danielpour’s Songs of Love and Loss with the IranShar Orchestra for the Naxos label.
In masterclass settings, Peter has studied with renowned cellists such as Robert deMaine, Seth Parker Woods, Colin Carr, and Sunny Yang. He is currently studying with Richard Aaron, and his previous teachers include Antonio Lysy, Ben Hong, Niall Brown, David Ying, and Erika Duke Kirkpatrick.
Zoe Lee
Cello & Piano Instructor
speaks English & Mandarin
Cellist Zoe Lee is a versatile performer, chamber musician, and educator who seeks to connect people through music. As a recipient of the Vincent Constantino Scholarship, Zoe received a Bachelor's degree in Cello Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied with French cellist Jean-Michel Fonteneau. Zoe began her musical journey by learning piano at the age of four and won awards in solo and chamber competitions in her native Taiwan. She has also participated in renowned music festivals, including Oberstdorfer Musiksommer, Taipei Music Academy Festival, Formosa Chamber Music Festival, and Telegraph ChamberFEAST. As a chamber musician, Zoe has organized and performed in various concerts, including the unique hybrid concert Trio-20 and the string quartet collaboration with a private chef for A Piece A Meal. She has also performed with award-winning artists, such as Ragnar Bohlin and John Adams, and participated in the recording of Nick Platoff's 2022 album, "Limousine of Creative Potential." with members of the San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Ballet. Zoe is also an experienced cello and piano teacher, having worked with students of all ages for several years. She serves as an SFCM Pre-College Teaching Artist under the Bridge to Arts & Music (BAM) program, providing tuition-free instrumental instruction for underserved students. Zoe focuses on developing each student's unique strengths and needs while building a strong technical foundation and healthy mindset for their musical journey. She has had the privilege to work and learn from esteemed artists, such as Lynn Harrell, Wen-Sinn Yang, Yovan Markovitch, Yehuda Hanani, Johannes Moser, Astrid Schween, Antonio Lysy, Telegraph Quartet, and Formosa Quartet, among others. By providing a positive and encouraging musical environment, her mission is to inspire students to explore the beautiful sounds deep inside their hearts and share them with others. Zoe is fluent in Mandarin and English.
Rongrong Chen is a music educator, contemporary music composer, music theorist and pianist. She received her bachelor's degree in composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2020, and her master's degree with distinction in composition from the University of Oregon in 2023. Teaching music has been an essential part of her academic career. She has tutored music theory and musicianship for three years during her undergraduate career at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and taught introductory piano skills at the University of Oregon for one year. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, English, and Japanese.
Chen is passionate about incorporating music by women composers in her teaching and expanding the default classical music repertoire while connecting theoretical knowledge to the repertoire in every lesson, making music fundamentals relevant to students’ musical lives.
Rongrong Chen
Piano, Music theory, and Composition Instructor
speaks English, Mandarin & Japanese
Lavinia Chen
Violin Instructor
speaks English, Mandarin & Cantonese
Lavinia Chen is a professional violinist and passionate music educator who works for the San Francisco Symphony, performing music educational shows to different public elementary schools in San Francisco every morning. Lavinia earned her Master’s degree in violin performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she won competitions to perform solo violin in Vienna and London as the First Prize Winner. In 2021, Lavinia graduated from UCLA with a full scholarship majoring in violin performance, double minoring in Visual & Performing Arts Education (VAPAE) and Musicology. In recent years, she has performed on stages throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Asia.
Playing violin to Lavinia is like telling an exciting story, and she always enjoys teaching so that more students’ inner voices can be heard by music-making. Besides private teaching, Lavinia also teaches after-school programs in K-12 classrooms and at students' homes. She enjoys creating unique experiences for her students while integrating visual arts/crafting into music learning. Known for her cheerful spirit and mature teaching style, Lavinia has become many students’ favorite teacher.