Music Teachers' Association of California

Jennifer Puhl has an extensive background in classical, theatre and church music as a pianist or organist. She is both a soloist and accompanist for choral, solo artists or mixed ensembles.

She earned a BA in Music with emphasis on piano at Pepperdine University in Los Angeles at the George Pepperdine campus.

She holds the CAGO Certificate from the American Guild of Organists,

a professional organization of which she held the office of Dean for two terms and is currently the historian for the Orange County chapter.

Jennifer enjoys teaching students of all ages and delights in finding the

key to that student's passion for learning music.

With that said, no student is alike. They each have different preferences of learning which might be aural, visual, mathematic, kinetic or other.

Finding the right recipe for a positive musical experience is crucial to that person's since of accomplishments.

Jennifer currently is an organist at St John and Baptist Catholic Church in Costa Mesa. Many students have earned awards in piano and organ competitions. Several of her students have or are becoming organists in their own churches.

Ms. Margaret Tseng first learned to play the piano when she was 31⁄2 years old. Her first public appearance, when she played Mozart’s Concerto K.V. 488 with the Kuang-Jen Symphony, occurred when she was 10. The recipient of several prizes and honors, including the 1990 International Young Artist Award and the 1996 Yamaha Artist Award of Taiwan-Special Pianist featuring Clavinova, Ms. Tseng has also performed as a duo pianist in Asia.

Ms. Tseng commenced instruction in the flute as her secondary instrument when she was 8 years old. At 14, she had already won first place twice in Taiwan’s national competition. At that point, she began her musical journey to America.

Margaret Tseng is a pianist, flutist, and chamber musician. She earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance from Indiana University, Bloomington, where she studied with Michel Block, the Rubinstein Prize winner of the International Chopin Competition. Ms. Tseng also studied with harpsichordist Elizabeth Wright, organist Larry Smith, and composer Eugene O’Brien. Also a talented accompanist, Ms. Tseng has worked with several distinguished professors and musicians, including Joseph Gingold, Joshua Bell’s instructor.

Now, in addition to teaching her students, Ms. Tseng enjoys spending time with her family. She feels that becoming a mother herself has enhanced her ability to instruct others. With more than two decades of experience in teaching young children and college-level students, Ms. Tseng is also an evaluator for the certificate of merit program and an adjudicator for many other competitions. She is currently on faculty at orange county school or Arts

A star of the Belgrade Opera, Serbia (former Yugoslavia), Ms. Kitic made her debut in 1989. as Olga in Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin".

She has performed with the National Theater in Belgrade for 8 years in a wide range of roles: from Rosina in Rossini's "Il Baribiere di Siviglia", Cherubino in Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro", Preziosilla in Verdi's "La Forza del Destino", Fenena in "Nabucco'', Bastien in "Bastien e Bastiena", Flora in "Traviata", Lola in "Cavalleria Rusticana", Mercedes in "Carmen", Orlofsky in "Die Fledermaus", Fiodor in "Boris Godunov" - to the title role of Carmen, and Principessa de Bouillon in Cilea's "Adriana Lecouvreur."

Season of 1988-89 Kitic performed with the Croatian National Theatre in Split, singing the role of Nicklaus in "The Tales of Hoffmann".

The 1997-99 seasons Ms. Kitic signed 3 year engagement contract with the Essen Opera in Germany, where she sang Giulietta in Offenbach's "The Tales of Hoffman", Sextus in Handel's "Giulio Cesare" and "Carmen" - for which she earned the German music critic's award as, "Performer Of The Season" for 1998. She performed as Carmen throughout Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, Belgium and Czech Republic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other highlight European engagements include the roles of Laura in Ponchielli's "Gioconda" at the Dorset Festival in England in 1999, and Maddalena in Verdi's "Rigoletto" at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and Festspielhaus Salzburg in 2000.

During 1998.-99. season, Kitic made her US debut in the demanding role of Eboli in Verdi's "Don Carlo", with the Palm Beach Opera, conducted by Mo. Guadagno. This inspired a return to that same opera company in season 2000, as Rosina in "Il Barbiere". In 1999, Kitic made her Carnegie Hall debut with Opera Orchestra of New York as Emilia in Otello for Carlo Bergonzi’s farewell concert conducted by Eve Queler, subsequently returning to Opera Orchestra of New York as Laura in ''La Gioconda'' , opposite Marcello GIordani and Aprile Millo. Collaborating with Mo. Queler and NYOO has produced a recording of famous arias for the mezzo-soprano.

In 2002, Kitic debuted with the Washington DC Opera, as Carmen. Critics and audiences praised her performance in the role of Giulietta in "Les Contes d' Hoffman" with the Los Angeles Opera. During that same season, she again performed with the LA Opera at the "Concert of Passion and Poetry", conducted by Placido Domingo. 2003 began with her debut, with the Opera Pacific as Herodias in Strauss' "Salome", and the Benefit Concert for the same company, in which she performed with P. Domingo and Mo. De Main. Another production of Carmen with Baltimore Opera rounded out the season.

In 2004. Ms. Kitic again,won unanimous raves for performing Carmen with Los Angeles Opera, opposite Richard Leech, and conducted by Placido Domingo and Nicola Luisotti.

The 2005 year started with a successful debut in the role of Dalila, in "Samson and Dalila" with the Opera Pacific. That same year Ms. Kitic was also proclaimed "Diva of the Year" from the Opera Pacific Guild.

Highlight engagements from 2005.-2008. include, Meg in Verdi's "Falstaff" with the Los Angeles Opera, conducted by Kent Nagano; Emilia in Verdi's "Othello" at the Ravinia Festival, conducted by James Conlon; debut at the Metropolitan Opera in the title role of Carmen (October 2005.); Carmen and Amneris in Verdi's "Aida" with Opera Pacific; Giulietta in "The Tales of Hoffmann" with the Cincinnati Opera.

In 2007, Ms. Kitic became the Inaugural Recipient of the Artist-in-Residence award given by Chapman University, of Orange, California.

Currently, she is an Adjunct Professor, and master class instructor at Chapman. Ms. Kitic has also lead master classes and did guest teaching at USC's Thornton School of Music, the University of Irvine, The Classical Singers Association, Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, CA, the Orange County High School of the Arts (OCHA), as well as in Rome, Italy. All this while operating a private "Milena Kitic Vocal Studio".

Ms. Kitic is a member of NATS, (National Association of Teaches of Singing), NATS-LA (National Association of Teachers of Singing, Los Angeles) , AGMA (American Guild of Musical Artists) and MTAC (Music Teacher Association of California). Kitic also regularly teaches a summer program for singers with the recently founded OCAVA/OC Ars Vocalis Academy in Rome, Italy. (www.ocava.org)

Ms. Kitic is often seen as a judge for the Music Center Spotlight Awards in Los Angeles, POSA, MTAC, Center Stage Opera and all other Orange County and Los Angeles County Vocal Competitions, and is also an enthusiastic donor for several Young Artist Programs in the United States.

The International Jeunesses Musical Competition in Belgrade, Serbia has established a special prize for "the best young Mezzo-Soprano", under the name of "Milena Kitic".

In 2008. Ms. Kitic served as a Board member of the Opera Pacific in Costa Mesa, and was on the advisory board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County from 2009-2012. She currently serves as chair for artistic excellence for LA Opera with whom she most recently performed the role of Suzuki in their production of "Madame Butterfly" (2012-13/broadcasted nationally) and her "signature role" of Carmen in Sept., 2013. Kitic also performed Beethoven's 9th Symphony at the Disney Hall in Aug., 2013. and in May/June 2014. appeared as Albine in LA Opera's production of "Thais"; with Nino Machaidze and Placido Domingo as Athanel, and in March 2015. as Mrs. Noah in Britten's "Noah's Flood", conducted by Mo. James Conlon. In March 2016. Kitic will again appear as Suzuki in "Madame Butterfly" with Los Angeles Opera (more info available at www.laopera.org).

In February 2015, Kitic performed a solo-recital in Houston, TX and her "signature" role of Carmen with The Pacific Symphony, conducted by Mo. Carl St. Claire. A repeat of Carmen is planned again on Aug. 9, 2015, during Pacific Symphony's Summer Festival in Irvine, CA.

Ms. Kitic has studied with Metropolitan and Vienna State Opera star, Kammersaengerin Biserka Cvejic. She holds BM (Bachelor of Music in Performance) from the University of Music in Belgrade, Serbia and MM (Master of Music in Performance) from the University of the Arts in Novi Sad, Serbia.