meet the team

In 1998, Mr. Dunford appeared with the Richmond Symphony performing Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F Major and Rhapsody in Blue. He did a repeat performance of Rhapsody in Richmond as the opening act for Aretha Franklin.

After working as a collaborative pianist in Chicago for four years, David moved west to California in 1999. In California, Mr. Dunford performed Gershwin's piano concerto with the Oakland East Bay Symphony. He appeared twice with the Sacramento Symphony performing Berstein's Age of Anxiety in 2000 and Rhapsody in Blue in 2002.

As a collaborative pianist, Mr. Dunford has performed numerous recital programs all over the country including Symphony Center in Chicago, the Brookings Institute in Washington D.C. and Carnegie Hall in New York City.

He is regularly invited as an instructor for UCI’s Summer Academies in the Arts Chamber Music Intensive. It is a program created for experienced high school students for the purpose of college and career preparation.

In June 2023, he received a fellowship to the Montecito International Music Festival where he studied with John Perry and Peter Takacs and his staff included accompanying string masterclasses and coaching junior chamber music participants. He was invited in 2021 to attend the Orfeo International Music Festival in Vipiteno, Italy with scholarship. In 2019, he attended the prestigious Philadelphia Young Pianists' Academy festival where he worked under world-renowned pianists such as Gary Graffman, Dang Thai Son, Ching-Yun hu and others

Launa's approach to teaching violin and viola is noteworthy, as she recognizes the uniqueness of each student and tailors her methods accordingly. By incorporating different teaching styles, including the Suzuki Method and various music genres, she aims to create well-rounded musicians who truly enjoy the music they play. Moreover, her emphasis on intertwining life lessons into music education highlights a holistic approach to learning.

Her extensive list of teaching positions in the Orange County area, including roles as a string coach and professional, speaks to her influence and involvement in music education. The array of orchestras and programs her students participate in further underscores the impact she has on their musical development. A few of these noted programs include: Pacific Symphony’s Santa Ana Strings, Pacific Symphony’s Heartstrings Program, Casa Romantica Summer Music Academy, Santiago School Strings Conservatory, Newport Coast Elementary School, Eastbluff Elementary School, Thurston Middle School, Laguna Beach High School, Santiago Middle School, Orange County School of Performing Arts, Pacific Symphony’s Youth Orchestra, Orange County Youth Symphony, Prelude Sinfonia, Prelude Chamber Strings, Prelude Strings Orchestra, Orange Unified School District Honors Orchestras, Irvine Unified School District Honors Orchestras, and more.

Launa's post-graduation achievements, such as performing at Carnegie Hall and collaborating, running master classes, and performing with orchestras worldwide, showcase her continued dedication to musical performance. Beyond her musical pursuits, her interests in hiking, traveling, snowboarding, weight lifting, Spartan Races, and spending time with her family and animals add a personal touch to her multifaceted life.

Launa Kressin is not only a skilled musician and teacher but also someone who passionately enriches the lives of her students through music and embraces a well-rounded lifestyle.

Other than competition, Wendy has also sent students to participate in the National Honor Series in New York's Carnegie Hall and Vienna Musikverein to enrich their orchestra experience. In 2018 and 2022, her OCMD students received great acclaim for their performances alongside the Pacific Symphony Orchestra at Segerstrom Concert Hall for the Lunar New Year Fest. Moreover, for the last 2 years, she has also organized benefit concerts where the proceeds have gone to charities. These concerts have also given her students opportunities to perform and raise money for good causes.

Born and raised in Orange County, Follman is a dedicated arts educator focusing on the underserved communities, veterans, neurodivergent youth, and those with cognitive disorders including Alzheimer’s, Dementia and Parkinson’s Diseases. Deeply committed to education in the arts, she led the Orange County School of the Arts as Artistic Director; and the Voice & Choral Conservatory as Director from 2000-2009, where she actively worked to mentor aspiring young artists; create strategic partnerships with leading arts and educational institutions; and to develop long-term educational programs and funding to support the visual and performing arts. Currently, Ms. Follman holds the positions of Campaign Director and Director of Voice for non-profit, Orange County Music & Dance in Irvine, California.

She has been the recipient for the National Security Organization with the 2017 Women in Defense “Service to the Flag Award”, the 2016 Orange County Business Journal (OCBJ) “Women in Business” Award, and also received from the OCBJ, the 2016 “Longevity Award – Family Owned Business”. In 2018, she was named as AACSB’s “Influential Leader”. She was honored by the Girl Scouts of America with the 2017 Celebrate Leadership Award. Additionally, she was honored as the “Artist of the Year” from Arts Orange County; and “Outstanding Contributions in Education Through the Arts” from the Orange County Department of Education.

Robin Follman is also a highly recognized and accomplished businesswoman in the Energy and Aerospace manufacturing business sectors. She led the team at Markall Inc. as CEO, along with its manufacturing arm, RA Industries, LLC, as a privately held, woman- and minority-owned full-service engineering and fabrication completion center that operated in Santa Ana, CA and Houston, TX, for three generations, spanning more than 60 years.

Ms. Follman received her AA degree locally at Saddleback Jr. College in Mission Viejo, California and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Indiana University, Bloomington. Taking advantage of Orange County’s educational resources, Follman earned an Executive MBA degree from Chapman University in 2015, and now serves on the Executive Board as the Secretary on Chapman University’s Board of Governors as well as the Board of Counselors for the Argyros School of Business and Economics at Chapman University. She continues to focus her energy philanthropically by supporting and raising awareness for several non-profit and charitable organizations including the Irvine Barclay Theatre, Pretend City Children’s Museum, the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the Jocelyn Diabetes Center at University of California, Santa Ana College, and the Girl Scouts of America. Ms. Follman has repeatedly been designated by the Orange County Business Journal’s (OCBJ) OC500 as one of the most influential people in the Orange County business community.

From Randy to Eric Johnson to Yngwie to Shawn Lane, David is determined to achieve these high levels of technique to implement them in his style and teach his students. David has taken private lessons with many outstanding guitarists, most notably Pebber Brown, who has taken him as a personal student for many years until this day. David has also attended many guitar clinics performed by his influences to further his knowledge of technique and understand what is important to study/practice to achieve specific goals. Besides privately learning to form some of the best guitarists globally, David has taken Music courses in college to further his knowledge in reading music. David did not major in music but instead Majored in Theoretical Mathematics.

Currently, Milton is a percussion instructor at OC Music and Dance where he teaches private lessons in orchestral and concert percussion, mallet percussion, and drumset. His private teaching studio includes adults and students as young as 5 years old, with many of them preparing for honor band, youth orchestra, and college auditions.

Milton also coaches percussion at YOLA at HOLA in Downtown Los Angeles where he works primarily with Hispanic and Latinx students in grades 4-12.

Milton holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of California, Irvine, and a Master of Music from California State University, Fullerton. He is also studying advanced harmony and jazz theory with a private instructor.

Milton is also a fluent Spanish speaker.

Bei Bei is one of the world's premiere guzheng (Chinese Zither) musicians. She started to play the guzheng at the young age of seven. She majored in guzheng at the Central University of Nationalities in Beijing and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts under several guzheng masters. Bei Bei roots her art in classical music and expands into other styles as a performing artist and composer. She combines new with old into creative new expressions, especially in her collaborations with musicians from different genres such as funk, jazz, hip-hop, and dance. She has released four albums since 2006, and her music can be heard on numerous national and international radio and TV programs as well as video games and films.