Contact: April Kim Co-Director, Music Inspires Program Chamber Music | OC [email protected] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CHAMBER MUSIC | OC ANNOUNCES NEW INITIATIVE - THE MUSIC INSPIRES PROGRAM - IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CLAIRE TREVOR SCHOOL OF THE ARTS AT UC IRVINE IRVINE, CA – On March 27, 2017, Chamber Music | OC announces the launch of The Music Inspires Program, a new initiative designed to provide world-class music education for low-income Orange County families. In collaboration with the Claire Trevor School of the Arts at UC Irvine, Music Inspires will represent the only full-scholarship music education program of its kind taking place on a top university campus. Designed to develop instrumental competency and self-confidence while encouraging collaboration and teamwork through the art of chamber music, The Music Inspires Program will be co-directed by Dr. Kevin Kwan Loucks, President of Chamber Music | OC, and April Kim, Assistant Director of Chamber Music | OC’s distinguished Young Artist Program. Faculty will include Trio Céleste, Ensemble-in-Residence at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, and other top music educators throughout Southern California. Participants of The Music Inspires Program will experience the positive impacts of music while being immersed in Chamber Music | OC’s wide program offerings. The initiative will develop a lifelong appreciation for the arts and will positively impact participant's social and academic performance through the introduction of creative learning processes. Music Inspires will take place at UC Irvine providing a uniquely stimulating environment for learning while engaging the senses at a top-rated university. The program will be offered at absolutely no cost to the participants and will begin September 2017. Applications for The Music Inspires Program will be available on May 1, 2017 at www.chambermusicoc.org ABOUT THE DIRECTORS Dr. Kevin Kwan Loucks enjoys a multifaceted career as international concert artist, educator, and arts entrepreneur. He has been described as “impeccable” (La Presse, Montreal), “a shining talent” (Völser Zeitung, Italy), “a pianist of exhilarating polish, unity and engagement” (The Orange County Register, California), and in 2015, was named one of Orange County, California’s most influential people by OC Weekly. He has earned ovations from Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, to Prösels Castle in Italy, the Kennedy Center, Kumho Art Hall in South Korea, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, and Lichtenstein Palace in Prague, and has performed on National Public Radio, CBC Radio 2, Classical KUSC, the Public Broadcasting Service, KABC-TV Los Angeles, and the Korean Broadcasting System. A Korean- American adoptee and graduate of The Juilliard School in New York City, Loucks was mentored by Julian Martin, Henk Guittart, David Finckel, Wu Han, and Nina Scolnik. He is an alumnus of programs at the Aspen Music Festival, Music@Menlo, and The Banff Centre, and holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stony Brook University where he served as Head of Piano for the Pre-College Division and Teaching Assistant for the Emerson String Quartet. Loucks is currently completing an Executive Master of Business Administration at the Argyros School of Business and Economics at Chapman University. April Kim is a Korean-American violinist who seeks to utilize her dual-cultural background and musical passion to communicate with others. Kim graduated from the Claire Trevor School of the Arts at University of California, Irvine, where she was a Rawlins Scholar from 2009 to 2013 as a student of Professor Haroutune Bedelian. She also studied chamber music with Dr. Lorna Griffitt, Professor Nina Scolnik, and conducting with Dr. Stephen Tucker. In addition, Kim performed in masterclasses for Eugene Drucker and Emanuel Ax through Chamber Music | OC’s Young Artist Program. As an educator, Kim has taught violin at public elementary schools throughout Southern California and currently maintains a private studio in Orange County. Kim is a frequent participant in Chamber Music | OC’s various Community Outreach events and enjoys performing different genres of music including contemporary, jazz, and pop with artists including Faith Evans and Common Kings. Kim continues to study violin with Dr. Iryna Krechkovsky and is the Assistant Director of Chamber Music | OC’s Young Artist Program. She is currently a candidate of the Fully Employed MBA at the Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine. UPCOMING CHAMBER MUSIC | OC EVENTS April 15, 2017 Carnegie Hall Debut Zankel Hall New York, NY April 23, 2017 Young Artist Workshop with Dr. Vera Ivanova Contemporary Arts Center, UC Irvine Irvine, CA May 28, 2017 Young Artist Performance Class with Trio Céleste Contemporary Arts Center, UC Irvine Irvine, CA June 11, 2017 Rising Stars Recital St. John's Episcopal Church Rancho Santa Margarita, CA ####.