Alumni Profiles


Nori Crystal

 
“Music has meant everything to me. Both of my parents work professionally in the arts, and I was very influenced by them. I was diagnosed with a learning disability at a young age and music, being the one thing that came naturally to me, gave me huge confidence. When I play the violin I experience another world. Whenever I perform I hope the audience enjoys listening as much as I enjoy playing.

“I truly love my work as a music teacher at the Inner City Education Foundation and a performer in a variety of professional orchestras, including the Disney Candlelight Orchestra. I have a true passion for what I do and that is a privilege.

“The Conservatory introduced me to chamber music. I had soloed and played in orchestras, but playing in chamber ensembles is very difficult because each member has to shoulder so much responsibility, and that is scary. My coach, Rosemarie Krovoza, helped me to realize my potential, and consequently, I greatly improved as a performer.”

Nori Crystal received a bachelor of music from the University of Redlands, where she was the recipient of a music merit scholarship for four years. She currently works full time for the Inner City Education Foundation, a twelve-school charter system located in South Central Los Angeles, and performs in a variety of studio orchestras.

Eddie Trager

 
“Taking lessons at the Conservatory enabled me to go to UC Santa Barbara as a percussion major, where the small percussion department allowed me the opportunity to play many styles of music and on many instruments. I participated in orchestra, percussion ensemble, wind ensemble, the ensemble for contemporary music as well as jazz combos, and tabla and sitar.

“Right now I've got several musical projects in the works, including a Folk/Melodic/Goblin Death Metal band called Nekrogoblikon. Our second album is currently being mixed and mastered for release. I also play in a shred-jazz band that will soon record its first album. Other projects include an indie band--Awkward Starfish-- that is currently recording its first album and a progressive metal project called The Sirens of Titan. Meanwhile, I continue to play solo acoustic folk music, and I will record soon.

“In the near future I'll basically be recording, touring, practicing and composing. I plan on dipping my fingers into the electronic music and pop scenes soon. I will also be working with composers who will be writing percussion pieces with me in mind, which I've done before - an excellent experience; that's mainly where I'll be playing my classical music. Eventually, I'd like to get involved with video games and movie scoring, and perhaps play in an orchestra but that's far ahead.”

Jacque Robinson

 
“My first introduction to music was in the fourth grade at Cleveland Elementary school. I decided to play the cello and oftentimes it was bigger than I! My two sisters ended up playing the violin and we became our own little trio.

“I decided to pursue music study when my teachers began telling me I had great potential and I began excelling very quickly. My teachers introduced me to the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra and that was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I met so many other students from different parts of Pasadena and the surrounding community and it offered me my first opportunity to travel on a plane outside California and play in Carnegie Hall!

“I feel the Pasadena Conservatory prepared me for my career. During the time I was a student, I had no idea where it would possibly take me. I ended up studying music through the 12th grade with many wonderful teachers like Roberta Wilcox and Cameron Stone encouraging and teaching me along the way. I remember all the times I didn't want to practice as well as the times I was scared to play in front of the public. Reflecting back on that, I know it was preparing me for life now: being reliable, being focused, being comfortable speaking in front of the public. Being a musician at a young age offered me the chance to learn those transferable skills that are so important now as a Pasadena City Councilmember.

“Strangely enough, my favorite memories of the Pasadena Conservatory are the recitals. I was always very nervous about having to play, but I was always proud of myself after completing my performance. My advice to aspiring musicians is always do your best and the rest will follow. The lessons learned as a musician will help you in all facets of your life later on down the road.”

Pasadena City Councilwoman Jacque Robinson became one the youngest elected officials in the history of the City of Pasadena at age 28. Born and raised in Pasadena, Jacque is an alumna of John Muir High School (1996) and earned her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley (2000). She is earning a M.A. in Public Administration from California State University, Northridge.

Michael Gutierrez


 
“I'm sure everyone is introduced to music from the very beginning through songs and lullabies that they hear in their infancy. My early childhood was spent in Mexico, and I feel that the folk music influenced me greatly. My first introduction to classical music, however, was in the form of a string quartet. I was too young to remember it now (My mother loves telling the story!), but I was apparently enthralled with the violin. As long as I can remember I have been fascinated with the sound of the violin. It seems as if I always wanted to be a violinist, but the real decision was made when it was time to choose a major in University.

“I think the Pasadena Conservatory provided me with a great opportunity to continue developing my musical talents at a developmental age. The PCM was brand new back then, and there was a family atmosphere about it that was fun and positive. The most important thing I learned at the Pasadena Conservatory is that music is fun! My favorite memory of the Pasadena Conservatory are the potluck dinners after recitals and chamber music lessons.

“My advice to aspiring musicians is don't worry about the future or how 'good' you are. Music should always be made out of a sense of love and fascination- a challenge and an adventure. Focus on that, and the rest will take care of itself.”

Learn more about Michael Gutierrez

Christopher Goodpasture

 
“My interest in the piano first began at the age of three when I was given a small electronic keyboard as a present from my parents. When I was six years old, I enrolled at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, where my formal training began. As I grew older and gained a more thorough understanding of the piano, I developed a goal to pursue it as a career and make music and performing my life-long passion. From the age of six up until the age of eighteen, the Conservatory provided me with frequent opportunities to perform and share my love for music, which was excellent exposure for me, particularly at such a young age. I spent my last six years at the Conservatory studying chamber music in addition to my solo endeavors and I think this experience in chamber music opened my eyes to a new side of music. Chamber music has remained a steady passion of mine and a huge part of my repertoire ever since. These aspects of my training at the Conservatory I am the most grateful for. In my experience as a pianist, I have always found that success demands a complete understanding of the music one plays, and not simply just what's on the page. Though it sounds clich, my advice to aspiring musicians is pretty simple: Make your own opportunities, always keep moving forward, and, of course, never lose sight of what you want to accomplish.”

Learn more about Christopher Goodpasture

Kenneth Pattengale

 
“I'd like to consider myself having led a short life defined by personal leanings towards what we all would loosely term art. While that journey has taken me through classical music training, bouts of filmmaking and writing, immersion in the study of history and all the way back around again to expressing myself through music, I have found peace in having made some small purchase -a secret and private accomplishment- over such a definition. While many consider the rigors of studying classical music necessary as a foundation to further musical pursuits -be those classical or otherwise, professional or otherwise- my every waking hour exhibits something more potent. Especially as computed by a four-year-old cello student at Pasadena Conservatory of Music (yup, that was me) and certainly of any age or mind, the very nature of music requires familiarizing yourself with a language that exists somewhere -not defined by- but in between symbols, bodies, ideas, discipline, sounds, mathematics, magic, technics, whimsy, heart, passion and rhythm. More than that alone which resonates from a cello, or stands on a page, or is practiced relentlessly, or enjoyed privately: learning the language of music has prepared me emotionally for what it means to ask more from myself. To be a better friend, worker, family member and companion. To find myself at peace with who I am.”

Learn more about Kenneth Pattengale

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