Kelly Adams is a twice-over graduate of the University of Southern California where she received a Bachelor of Music degree in music industry and a Master of Arts degree in music education. In 2013, she attended the Kodály Association of Southern California (KASC) Summer Institute where she fell in love with Kodály’s revolutionary methods and ideology, eventually receiving her certification under Dr. Kathy Hickey and Dr. Niké St. Clair in 2016.

Now Kelly serves as Past President on the KASC board, and currently teaches Level I Pedagogy during KASC’s Summer Institute at Azusa Pacific University. She continues to build Kodály-based curricula for the National Children’s Chorus as its Principal Associate Conductor and recently conducted students from schools across Los Angeles in the 2023 KASC Honor Chorus Festival.

Kelly is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Music Teaching and Learning at the University of Southern California. When she’s not teaching or conducting, Kelly performs, writes and records with the band Karmina (search Queens of Heart to hear Karmina’s latest album) and sings in feature films (How to Train Your Dragon, Wonder, Pan, The Lorax, Promising Young Woman). Kelly is thrilled to conduct her daughter Rudi in Minuet at the National Children’s Chorus.

Krystin Cowan holds a Master of Music in Music Education from the University of Redlands, Kodály Certification from the Kodály Association of Southern California (KASC), Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of California, Riverside, and a single subject teaching credential in music. 
​

Ms. Cowan is an active music educator and has been teaching music in K-12 public schools and community colleges since 2011 with extensive experience teaching beginning instrumental musicians, older beginners, and elementary classroom music. She currently serves as an elementary music specialist and beginning string orchestra teacher for Riverside Unified School District, Curriculum Specialist for the Riverside Arts Academy, and is Associate Faculty at Riverside City College. As a bassist, Ms. Cowan maintains an active performance schedule in the Southern California area. 

LÁSZLÓ J. CSER  in widely known in the Southern California  as an outstanding classical pianist, jazz performer and music educator. He has charmed audiences of all ages in academic and entertainment venues.

Mr. Cser graduated from the Bartók Conservatory, Budapest, Hungary. He earned BA and MA degrees ay California State University, Los Angeles, with Post Graduate Studies at the University of Southern California. He emigrated to America with his violinist wife, Marika Cser, in the 1970s. 

Mr. Cser is Professor Emeritus of Music at Los Angeles City College where he taught harmony, musicianship, piano and jazz subjects from 1975-2005. He developed and has taught the Musicianship curriculum for the Kodály Assoc. of Southern California (KASC) since 1980. He is a lifetime member of KASC and a member of the Organization of American Kodály Educators. He belongs to the American Federation of Musicians Union Local 47.

Mr. Cser’s publications include the following:
•    The Essentials of Tonal Music                                                            1988
•    Harmony and Musicianship with Solfege                                             1997
•    Harmony and Musicianship with Solfege (Daniel Wanner, co-author)     2016

Eric Lifland holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Pennsylvania. As a choral conductor, he counts Jerry Blackstone, Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, Mandy Brigham, and Steve Kronauer as his primary mentors. Eric completed his Kodály certification at the Kodály Association of Southern California and serves on their board as Executive Secretary and Choral Festival Chair. 
​
Eric has worked at Los Angeles Children’s Chorus for six years, where he is currently the Apprentice Choir Director, Young Men’s Ensemble Assistant Conductor, and advanced sight-singing instructor. Eric also works as a middle and upper school music teacher at Polytechnic School, where he directs the choral program, accompanies and coaches musical theater, and teaches music history and theory. Eric maintains a selective private studio of voice and piano students, including a Spotlight Grand Prize Finalist in Classical Voice. 
 
Previously, Eric worked for Education Through Music-Los Angeles for five years as a K-5 general music and choir teacher in several LA public schools, including Normandie Elementary and Rio Vista Elementary. Eric also served as Assistant Conductor of the Pasadena-based choir Artes Vocales for five years and briefly worked as an assistant to Broadway director Hal Prince.

Devoted to music education, Shelly Suminski Mahpar is on the brass faculty at The Colburn’s Community School of Performing Arts, Victor Valley College and teaches Level 2 Pedagogy at California State University Bakersfield’s Kodály Certification Program. She previously taught general music and orchestra for 11 years. Shelly has been involved with non-profit organizations in the Los Angeles area since 2005. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Organization of American Kodály Educators as the Western Division President. Shelly is a Past President of the Kodály Association of Southern California. She served as the 2023 Co-Chair for the International Kodály Symposium in Los Angeles.

Ms. Suminski Mahpar received a Bachelor of Music in Trombone Performance from the University of Southern California. As an active freelance musician in Southern California, Ms. Suminski Mahpar has performed with many local orchestras and musical theatre companies as well as in major venues across the United States, Middle East and Asia. In 2019 she performed the world premier of Meditation and Decision for solo trombone and piano at the International Trombone Festival (ITF) in Muncie, IN. Shelly returned to ITF in 2022 performing as a founding member of the all-women Empress Trombone Quartet.