About

SCIPC is an online piano competition designed for young pianists (ages 6-18) and amateur pianists over 19 years old. It encourages participants of every level to strive for excellency in their playing and to enjoy the process of preparation as a learning experience. For this reason, every competitor receives personal feedback from esteemed judges regardless of whether they are awarded a prize or not. This competition's mission is to contribute to the progress of each and every participant in the art of piano performance, as well as to celebrate their accomplishments.

SCIPC was created in Los Angeles in the summer of 2020, at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been an online event from the very beginning and it will continue to be so in order to reach a wide and varied population of pianists. Since its inception, the competition has hosted participants from across 4 continents.

SCIPC was founded by a group of professional pianists, all graduates of the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music. They served as Graduate Teaching Assistants in the Keyboard Studies Department and currently hold faculty positions in educational institutions across California and abroad. Read more about them below.

Meet the Founders and Directors

Dr. Isaac Friedhoff has performed extensively as a soloist, recitalist and collaborative pianist in Europe, United States, China and South America, appearing in halls like the Mondavi Center for the Arts (California) and the Palau de la Música Catalana in his hometown of Barcelona (Spain). He currently lives in Turkey, where he is Associate Professor at Bahçeşehir University (Istanbul) as well as piano instructor for its pre-college program. His focus on the piano repertoire of his home country has led him to present numerous recitals and lectures on Spanish and Catalan music, including a live broadcast noon concert of works by Albéniz and Mompou at the Ann E. Pitzer Center at the University of California Davis. Dr. Friedhoff received his Doctorate and Master’s degree in Piano Performance from University of Southern California and his Bachelor’s from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. His main teachers have been Antoinette Perry, Émile Naoumoff and Edward Auer.


www.isaacfriedhoff.com
Dr. Michael Krikorian is a pianist, composer, music educator, and scholar who serves as Assistant Professor of Piano and Music Technology at California State University, Fresno. He has won top prizes in numerous competitions and given acclaimed performances across the United States as well as Italy, France, Germany, China, and South Korea. Some recent performance highlights include recitals at the Conservatoire de Lyon in France, and the Shanghai Oriental Art Center in China. The Munro Review included his sold out concert in the Philip Lorenz International Keyboard Concerts series as one of the top 20 cultural events of 2019 in the San Joaquin Central Valley. He completed his doctoral studies in piano performance with additional minor fields in theory, composition, and scoring for visual media at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. Previously, he earned his M.M. from the Manhattan School of Music and his B.A. from California State University, Fresno.

www.michaelkrikorianpianist.com

Sun-A Park Sun-A Park is a pianist and music educator who has established a national and international reputation with numerous performances, masterclasses, and presentations throughout the United States, Europe, and South Korea. Ms. Park has performed all over the world as a soloist, chamber musician, and accompanist, and has won prizes in many competitions. She is a very active member of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), and serves as the Festival Celebrations South Chair for the California Association of Professional Music Teachers (CAPMT), and formerly served as the President of the USC MTNA collegiate chapter. Originally from South Korea, she received her Bachelor's degree in piano performance with the highest honors at Baekseok University under Dr. SuYoung Rho. Ms. Park earned her Graduate Certificate, and Master's degree at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music under Dr. Stephen Pierce where she also taught as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Keyboard Studies Department. She currently teaches and performs as staff accompanist at Clovis West High School.

www.pianosunapark.com

Dr. Andrés Jaramillo serves as faculty at the Collinsworth School of Music at California Baptist University where he teaches Applied Piano, Chamber Music, Music Theory, Senior Recital Class, Musicianship, and Music in Global Cultures. Aside from teaching, Dr. Jaramillo keeps an exciting and active career as a solo and collaborative pianist, clinician and conductor. He has performed internationally in such countries as South America, South Africa, Spain, and China as well as throughout the United States. His programs typically feature standard classical piano repertory combined with Contemporary and Latin-American music. They would often premiere international and local composers’ works. Dr. Jaramillo earned his DMA degree in Piano Performance with minor fields in Theory, Instrumental Conducting, and Keyboard Collaborative Arts from USC Thornton School of Music under the mentorship of prestigious pianist and teachers, Daniel Pollack, Dr. Alan Smith and Prof. Larry Livingston. He obtained his Master's Degree from the EWU and his undergrad studies at the Juan N. Corpas University under the mentorship of Maestro Jorge Zorro Sanchez and teachers Pilar Leyva and Ludmila Weber.


Andrés Jaramillo - YouTube