Faculty and Staff

Maria Amirkhanian - Instructor

A native of Yerevan, Armenia, Maria Amirkhanian began piano lessons at the age of five. After graduating from Tchaikovsky School of Music, Maria was accepted to Komitas State Conservatory, where she obtained her B.M. in piano performance under guidance of Armine Mokatsian. In 1993, Maria was accepted, with a full scholarship, to CSU Fresno where she became a student of Andreas Werz. In addition to performing throughout California and internationally, Maria has participated in master classes with Peter Frankl, Barbara Nissman, Tomas Ungar, Ruth Loredo and Oxana Yablonskaya. In 1994, Maria was awarded second place at the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition in Pasadena.

The following year she won first place at the 1995 MTA Solo Competition, a statewide event. Maria was the winner of the Fresno Organizers Scholarship Award in 1996. In 2000, she obtained her DMA from Moscow Conservatory, Russia, where she studied under Yuri Hayrapetian. After serving as a piano instructor at CSU Fresno, Maria joined the faculty of Gavilan College Music Department in the Fall of 2006. In addition to teaching, Maria is the coordinator for Bach to Blues Concert series and the Marian Filice Piano Competition. Aynpes Uzum Em, Karot

Dahveed Behroozi - Instructor

Pianist and Composer Dahveed Behroozi is a Bay Area based musician primarily devoted to the independent jazz and classical scenes. Dahveed’s playing has been described as highly expressive, lyrical and colorful by numerous publications nationwide. Dahveed has recorded and performed as a leader, as well as a sideman with Thomas Morgan, Tim Bulkley, Billy Mintz, Dayna Stephens, Ed Neumeister, Todd Neufeld, Aaron Lington, John Shifflett, Jason Lewis, Bob Kenmotsu, Cuong Vu and Jeff Denson.

Originally from San Jose, CA, Dahveed studied with pianist Hans Boepple at Santa Clara University. He received his BA in Jazz Piano from The Manhattan School of Music in 2002 where he studied under Fred Hersch. He then received his Master’s from The Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College where he studied classical and contemporary piano literature under Ursula Oppens.

Dahveed is currently on the faculty at Gavilan College where he teaches courses in music history, composition, world music and theory. He is an active performer on the west coast, where he leads several different groups and also plays in other musicians groups.

Dr Bradley M. Stone - Instructor

Dr. Bradley M. (“Brad”) Stone has been a jazz radio programmer for over 40 years. He has been actively involved at several non-commercial (university and community) radio stations, including KSJS, KKUP, KUCI and WQAX. He has worn many hats, as music director, producer, faculty advisor and DJ/show host – but his real passion and expertise has been in jazz music programming. He is a multiple award winner for his work as a music director, including a 10-time winner of national “Jazz Programmer of the Year” awards at the annual JazzWeek Summit and Gavin Seminars (including a 3-time winner of the Bobby Jackson Award for Internet Radio Programming). He was also the recipient of the prestigious “Duke DuBois Humanitarian Award” by JazzWeek in 2008, a national award for lifetime achievement and service to the jazz and jazz radio communities. He has served as an invited panelist, moderator and organizer at many jazz conventions over the years, including the JazzWeek Summit, the Gavin Seminar, the International Association for Jazz Education’s (IAJE) Annual International Conference, and the JazzConnect, Jazz Times and Jazz Improv conferences. (more)