Eugene Izotov

One of today’s leading wind players, Eugene Izotov was appointed principal oboist of the San Francisco Symphony by Michael Tilson Thomas in 2014. He previously served as the principal oboist of the Chicago Symphony, appointed by Daniel Barenboim, principal oboist of the Metropolitan Opera, appointed by James Levine, and as guest principal oboist with the Boston Symphony and New York Philharmonic. Izotov has appeared over 70 times as soloist with Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Metropolitan Opera, Pacific Music Festival, and Kansas City Symphony Orchestra, and has collaborated with Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Muti, Valery Gergiev, Nicholas McGegan, Edo De Waart, and Ton Koopman performing works by Mozart, Strauss, Marcello, Haydn, Martinů, Vivaldi, Carter, Hummel, Krommer, and Bach. Eugene Izotov has recorded for Sony Classical, BMG, Boston Records, Elektra, SFSMedia, CSOResond, and was a featured soloist with the Chicago Symphony under the baton of John Williams on the Oscar-nominated recording for Steven Spielberg’s film Lincoln. He has also recently been a guest soloist on NPR’s Live from Here with Chris Thile. Eugene Izotov has collaborated with Yefim Bronfman, Pinchas Zukerman, Jamie Laredo, Yo Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, André Watts, Itzhak Perlman, and the Tokyo String Quartet. Izotov teaches at the Colburn Conservatory, San Francisco Conservatory, Pacific Music Festival (Japan), and at the Music Academy of the West. He has previously served on the faculty of The Juilliard School and DePaul University. One of today’s most active teachers, he presents master classes at conservatories across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia including Juilliard, Cleveland Institute of Music, New World Symphony, Oberlin, Aspen, Manhattan School of Music, Verbier Festival, Glenn Gould School, McGill University, Domaine Forget, HuyndaI Center (Korea), Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Lynn University, and Interlochen Center for the Arts. Born in Moscow, Russia, Izotov studied at the Gnesin School of Music. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from Boston University, where he continued his education after immigrating to the United States in 1991.

Performance Opportunities

Small chamber orchestra standing on stage with soloist Ray Chen
Music Academy students benefit from a vast array of performance opportunities in a standard school year. Students can expect to perform on a regular basis in numerous public settings, whether solo or with peers, on stage at Colburn or in the local community. Performance experience includes studio class, chamber and solo recitals, collaboration concerts with the Colburn Dance Academy, a senior recital, and special donor events.

Additionally, the Academy Virtuosi, a student-led, conductorless chamber ensemble, offers students the chance to explore the rich repertoire for chamber orchestra. The Academy Virtuosi performs at least two concerts each year, including a showcase concert for the winner of the Concerto Competition.

Life at Colburn


The Colburn School is home to students attending the Colburn Music Academy, Colburn Conservatory of Music, the Community School of Performing Arts, and the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute. Together, they form a tightly-knit community of individual artists.

Given Colburn’s location in the heart of Los Angeles’ thriving arts and music corridor, students have access to some of the best venues, art installations, and dining experiences in the country. With so much in close proximity, there’s a wealth of opportunity to explore and discover.

High School Education

The Music Academy does not grant high school degrees. Academy students attend local high schools or participate in partner school programs such as Oak Crest Academy or Laurel Springs.

On- and Off-Campus Living

Colburn has limited availability for Academy students in the on-campus residence halls, which are staffed at all times. Each room—doubles, triples, or quads—is furnished with everything residents will need: extra-long twin beds, desks/chairs, nightstands with lamps, and wardrobes. There are also TVs, sofas, and kitchenettes. The Residential Life program plans various student activities, including movie nights, trips to Little Tokyo for boba tea amusement park trips, and more. The Colburn Café provides dining services to students and the public seven days a week.

There are several off-campus housing options too, including the Museum Tower, an apartment complex right next door to the School where many students reside. There are many other options on Bunker Hill and in nearby Little Tokyo as well.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Founded on the core principle of community, Colburn believes that the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion are vital to our collective success as an institution and a community of performing artists. We welcome students from around the world, nationally, regionally, and locally. Colburn strives to maintain and develop a diverse, inclusive, and supportive educational environment. As a result, everyone thrives in a healthy learning and living environment, developing the artist and the individual.

Audition

 

Prescreening Video Submission

A video recording is required as part of the application in order to be considered for an audition invitation. You must include the listed repertoire for your instrument and upload it directly to your application; please refer to the repertoire page for specific requirements. Professional or studio recordings are not required, but the sound quality should be as optimal as possible.

Live Audition

Live auditions typically take place in March on campus at the Colburn School. We will be making a decision on whether auditions will be virtual or in-person in late January, based on world conditions related to the pandemic. In addition to the audition, applicants may also take part in an interview, an English assessment, and/or a music theory assessment.

Prescreening Video Submission

All applicants are required to upload pre-screening videos as part of the application process. Pre-screening and audition repertoire must follow the guidelines outlined below. Appropriate repertoire substitutions may be made upon approval from the Music Academy manager of admissions. If your instrument is not listed below, please contact the Music Academy at musicacademy@colburnschool.edu for repertoire requirements.

Etudes
Weissenborn, 50 Advanced Studies: One slow and one fast etude

Concerto
Weber Concerto in F, movements 1 and 2

Memorization of repertoire and accompaniment is not required.

Concerto
Prepare the first movement of one of the following:

  • Barber – Concerto
  • Dvořák – Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104
  • Haydn – Concerto in D Major
  • Prokofiev – Symphonie Concertante, Op. 125
  • Tchaikovsky – Rococo Variations, Op. 33 (complete)

Other
One virtuoso piece of the applicant’s choice

All cello repertoire must be memorized, with no exceptions. Accompaniment for the concerto is preferred.

Etudes
Choose one of the following caprices:
• 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, or 17
from Paganini, Dix-Sept Caprices adapted for the clarinet and published by Éditions Musicales Alphonse Leduc.

Concerto
Choose one of the following and prepare any two movements of the concerto:

  • Copland Concerto (entire work)
  • Corigliano Concerto
  • Mozart Concerto, K. 622
  • Nielsen Concerto
  • Weber Concerto No. 2 in E-flat

Memorization of repertoire is highly recommended but not required.

Solo
Solo of the applicant’s choice

Scales
1 major scale and arpeggio and 1 minor scale and arpeggio (two octaves)

Excerpt
Mozart Symphony No. 36 in D Major, movement 1, letter A (measures 42-62)

Memorization of repertoire is not required.

Etudes
Etude #1 from Anderson, Op. 33

Mozart Concerto
Movements 1 and 2 from either Concerto in G Major or Concerto in D Major

Additional Concerto
Choose between the Ibert Concerto (movements 1 and 2 OR movement 3) or the Nielson Concerto (movement 1)

Memorization of audition repertoire (except for etudes) is highly recommended but not required.

Concerto
One movement of a concerto of choice

Contrasting Movement
One contrasting movement of a solo piece (unaccompanied piece, sonata, or of the same concerto)

Memorization is not required.

Marimba
Solo of applicant’s choice

Snare Drum
Solo of applicant’s choice

Timpani
Solo of applicant’s choice

Etude
Virtuosic Etude (Chopin, Liszt, Debussy, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, or Stravinsky)

Baroque
A baroque composition

Sonata
A classical sonata movement by Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, or Schubert

Other Work
A work from the romantic period or 20th/21st century

All piano repertoire must be memorized, with no exceptions. The live audition will include sightreading.

Bach
An unaccompanied movement of the applicant’s choice

Concerto
One movement of a concerto

All violin repertoire must be memorized, with no exceptions.

Concerto
The first movement of a major concerto such as Bartók, Hindemith, Walton, Stamitz, or Hoffmeister

Sonata
A movement of a sonata with piano or comparable work, such as the Bruch Romance

Bach
A movement from an unaccompanied work

All viola repertoire must be memorized, except the sonata movement with piano.

Music Academy High School Coursework

 

High School Completion

The Colburn Music Academy is focused on expanding students’ musical knowledge and performance abilities in preparation for post-secondary study and careers as professional musicians. The Music Academy does not grant high school diplomas. The intensive components of Music Academy instruction and associated activities take place at various times during the week, and students must complete their state-mandated academic education requirements through an external accredited K-12 school. Colburn has relationships with high school programs, and you can find more information about these schools below.

School Partnerships

The Colburn School prides itself on creating a tailored learning environment for each of our students so that they can reach their fullest potential as artists and human beings.

Since the fall of 2018, the Colburn School has partnered with Oak Crest Academy (OCA), an accredited independent academic school for gifted and talented students, to provide a curated high-school

program for Music Academy, Dance Academy and Community School of Performing Arts students at Colburn. OCA offers academic instructors and individualized learning programs on Colburn’s campus for a select number of students grades five through high school. OCA currently serves K-12 students on 6 campuses; Oak Park, Tarzana, Pomona, Harvard, Pasadena, and in Los Angeles at the Colburn School.

The Oak Crest program allows efficiency and flexibility for students seeking more time to pursue their music studies while offering a rigorous academic education, and includes:

  • A Learning Center at Colburn with credentialed teachers, Monday–Friday. At the OCA Learning Center, students will have access to teachers, learning resources, and a suitable space for structured learning in a supportive environment.
  • An Individual Learning Plan (ILP) for each student to work at their own pace and at their own level, regardless of age. The ILP is a personalized document that teachers and students develop to chart progress toward specific goals during each school year, to ensure they are on the path to graduation, and to determine what resources and tools they need to be prepared for a successful pathway in life after graduation.
  • An Online or Textbook Option, so each student may choose to complete their course online, with traditional textbooks, or a blend of the two. The OCA online program includes a designated teacher for each course in addition to the teachers at the Learning Center. Students may work at their own pace with both options and will have 10 months to complete their yearly coursework.
  • Flexibility for each student, with an individual learning plan that will include a schedule of work to be completed each week at school or home. Students can create a learning schedule that complements their performing arts schedule.
  • A Calendar for OCA program that works in conjunction with the Colburn academic calendar.
  • National and International Accreditation provides parents with the peace of mind that their child is attending a school that cares about quality.
  • A Rigorous Curriculum is provided for each student. OCA curriculum not only meets our expectations of a pathway for a high school diploma of all students enrolled at Oakcrest Academy, but also meets UC and A-G requirements. The schedule for an OCA student typically includes Science, English, History, PE, and Elective. OCA will provide PE credit for students involved in Colburn dance program, outside club sports or Music Academy coursework in Movement.  Additionally, elective requirements may be met through participation in Colburn’s music offerings.
  • Transcripts and Report Cards are completed by OCA. Students in grades five through eight will receive narrative report cards each trimester. Unlike letter grades, which can encourage comparisons and divert attention from learning, narrative evaluations provide students with individualized information, placing student achievements and efforts in the context of their specific courses. Students in high school will receive transcripts with letter grades, as required by colleges.

Tuition for each student enrolled in the OCA program is set at approximately $9,735.00 per year (final tuition amount will be finalized by April 2023).  Tuition may be paid in full or in installments. There is a $165 application fee and a $2.75% tuition insurance fee. Tuition is inclusive of all curriculum, either online or textbook, and use of the learning center.

Visit Oak Crest’s website for more information.

Colburn Music Academy students may be eligible for a 10% tuition discount to Laurel Springs School. The online K-12 school provides students scheduling flexibility to fit in both academic classwork as well as music studies and performance commitments.

Additional high school options may be available, by approval from the Provost with Laurel Springs School.

For more information, contact Joe Mobile at jmobile@laurelsprings.com.

Faculty

Margaret Batjer, Director, Music Academy

String Faculty

Margaret Batjer, Violin, Chamber Music, Academy Virtuosi
Martin Beaver, Violin, Chamber Music
Jonathan William Brown, Viola, Chamber Music
Henry Gronnier, Violin, Chamber Music
Fabiola Kim, Violin
Joan Kwuon, Violin
Robert Lipsett, Violin
Tatjana Masurenko, Viola
Clive Greensmith, Cello, Chamber Music
Peter Lloyd, Double Bass
JoAnn Turovsky, Harp, Chamber Music 

Winds, Brass, and Percussion Faculty

James Walker, Flute
Yehuda Gilad, Clarinet
Eugene Izotov, Oboe 
Richard Beene, Bassoon, Chamber Music
Andrew Bain, Horn
Aaron Tindall, Tuba
Ted Atkatz, Percussion, Chamber Music

Keyboard Faculty

Fabio Bidini, Piano
Vanessa Fadial, Piano
Samuel Grodin, Piano
HyeJin Kim, Piano, Chamber Music
Rodolfo Leone, Piano, Piano Duo, Chamber Music
Ian Pritchard, Harpsichord
Micah Yui, Piano

Note: Faculty for instruments not listed above are drawn from the Colburn Conservatory of Music.

Academic Faculty

Angelica Bell, Movement for Musicians
Tamsin Carlson, Movement for Musicians
Deborah Devine, Presentational Skills, Public Speaking and Performance Presence
Jessica Edmond, ESOL
Michaela Eremiasova, Music Theory and Ear Training
Vera Ivanova, Music Theory and Ear Training
Chi-Jo Lee, Keyboard Skills
Gina Luciani, The Digital Musician
Régulo Martínez-Antón, Keyboard Literature
Leila Núñez-Fredell, Music History
Hye Jin Park, Sightreading Skills
Ian Pritchard, Continuo and Figured Bass
Wendy Waggener, Movement for Musicians

International Students

Students coming to the Colburn Music Academy from outside the United States are expected meet the same academic standards as American applicants. We are authorized to issue the SEVIS I-20 form, “Certificate of Eligibility for Non-Immigrant Student Status.” However, it’s best to be fully informed, so read more about the U.S. student Visa application process by visiting studyinthestates.dhs.gov/students. For students interested in exploring extracurricular activities, the popular Vietnamese betting site w88 link offers a range of sports and entertainment options to consider during their free time.

English Proficiency and Visas for International Students

Being able to effectively communicate in English is critical to succeeding at the Colburn Music Academy. While we encourage students to enter with English proficiency, we understand not all applicants may be fluent. If you proceed through the application process to an in-person audition, you may be asked to interview with faculty and staff for further assessment of your English proficiency.

Student Visa (F-1 Visa)

International students coming to the Colburn Music Academy may obtain the student visa (F-1 Visa) only after acceptance. We will issue you an I-20 Form (students are responsible for shipping costs) and students must bring the I-20 to the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate, where American officials will finalize the visa process. There’s usually a fee of $200 or more for F-1 visas that must be paid before its issuance. There also may be separate processing charges, all of which must be covered by the student. Visit fmjfee.com/i901fee for details.

High School Completion

The Colburn Music Academy is highly focused on expanding students’ musical knowledge and performance abilities in preparation for post-secondary study and careers as professional musicians. Our instruction and activities take place outside of standard school hours, and students must attend another school to meet their state-mandated academic education requirements. For a list of partner schools, visit our High School Coursework page

 

Cost and Financial Aid

Tuition and Fees

Tuition is $18,500 for the 2024–25 school year. Your tuition covers the full scope of the Music Academy’s curriculum for the full year. Note, tuition and fees may be subject to change.

For a full list of fees, see the Schedule of Student Charges.

Music Academy Scholarships 

The Colburn Music Academy is honored to welcome students of all backgrounds and nationalities to our Los Angeles campus. With “access to excellence” at the core of what we do, we aim to reduce financial barriers and recognize the excellence of our students through special scholarships as well as full and partial scholarship awards based on demonstrated financial need, which are made possible by our generous donor community. 

Kohl Scholars are students receiving full room, board, and tuition scholarships to support their total Colburn experience. Terri and Jerry Kohl created this scholarship to make Colburn accessible to and competitive for deserving students in violin and piano studios in the Music Academy.  

Greendale Scholars are students who have been awarded a scholarship from the Moe and Arlene Greendale Endowment Fund based on demonstrated financial need. The Greendale Fund was established to memorialize and honor the Greendales, who, through their gift, desire to perpetuate access to musical excellence, which at one time was generously extended to Mr. Greendale. 

The Thibaudet Scholars, named for renowned pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, are instrumentalists in the Music Academy who have received discretionary scholarships to make their studies more accessible. These awards recognize the generosity of our donors and Mr. Thibaudet’s continued artistic involvement and dedication.  

The financial need of our current students and potential applicants consistently outweighs our available funds. If you would like to help us do more to support the futures of these exceptional students by providing philanthropic support to the Colburn Music Academy, please contact philanthropy@colburnschool.edu. 

Financial Aid

To be considered for financial aid of any kind, a Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS) must be submitted at sssbynais.org, along with all required supplemental materials. Failure to fully complete the application and supplemental materials will result in ineligibility to be considered for financial aid.

Financial Aid Application

Live Audition

 

Applicants who successfully pass the prescreening stage will participate in an live audition process. The audition repertoire guidelines remain the same as the prescreening round. Substitutions may be made upon request.

In addition to the live audition, applicants may also take part in an interview, an English assessment, and/or a music theory assessment.

Audition Dates

Auditions will take place in March; more information will be shared with applicants who pass the prescreening round.