Master Classes Calendar

Master classes are free for PCM students and families. Adults $15. Students and seniors with ID $10.

Scott Tennant Guitar Master Class

April 20, 6 pm, Room 200

Tennant is the author of Pumping Nylon, the best-selling book and video on guitar technique, and he is a founding member of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, which is now well into its second decade as a groundbreaking ensemble. Their album "Guitar Heroes" won a 2005 Grammy award in the "Best Classical Crossover" category.

John Walz Chamber Music Master Class

April 24, 9:30 am, Room 200
John Walz is a celebrated soloist and chamber music artist, known for his dazzling virtuosity and elegant musicianship. A student of famed the French cellist, Pierre Fournier, he has appeared as soloist with more than 150 symphony orchestras on 4 continents. His performances of 25 different concertos include both standard showcases and rarities like Martinu's Concerto #1 and William Schuman's Song of Orfeus.

In 1979, Mr. Walz, along with pianist Edith Orloff, founded the Pacific Trio. Now performing with violinist Roger Wilkie, this renowned ensemble has played more than 900 concerts throughout North America and Europe.

In addition to his solo and chamber music duties, he is currently the principal cellist with the Los Angeles Opera, a position he previously held for 20 years with the Long Beach Symphony.

His ever expanding discography includes recordings of the concertos by Dvorak, Haydn, Shostakovich, Bloch, Martinu, Vivaldi, and trios by Brahms, Dvorak, Smetana, and the newly released Pacific Trio CD featuring Beethoven's Triple Concerto and Archduke Trio.

He is on the faculty of the Idyllwild Arts summer program and Academy.

Stephen Cook Piano Master Class

April 29, 7 pm, Room 200
Stephen Cook received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Music degrees from the University of South Carolina where he studied composition with Dr. Samuel Douglas and piano performance and pedagogy with Dr. Max Camp. Additional studies were with Edith Oppens at the Aspen School of Music and with Dr. Manuel Alvarez at the Conductors Institute, University of South Carolina. While completing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California, Dr. Cook served as an assistant lecturer in the Keyboard Studies Department under the direction of Stewart Gordon. From 1996-2004, he was the Director of the Pianist Program at the Orange County High School of the Arts in Santa Ana, California, a nationally recognized pre-professional arts conservatory. He serves on the Executive Board of the California Association of Professional Music Teachers, is a former Research Program Specialist with the Music Intelligence Neural Development Institute at the University of California, Irvine, and currently holds faculty appointments with the Colburn School of Performing Arts, Los Angeles and Whittier College. Stephen Cook is a frequent clinician and adjudicator for such organizations as the Music Teachers’ Association of California, the California Association of Professional Music Teachers and the Southwestern Youth Music Festival. Recent activities included adjudication of the Pro-Romania International Piano Competition in Bucharest, Romania, performance and master classes in Tokyo, Japan and numerous concert appearances with Broadway talent Susan Egan. Arranging and composition credits include sacred anthems from Abingdon Press, the East Los Angeles Classic Theater (Romeo and Juliet), numerous musicals for children and orchestral arrangements for Susan Egan engagements.