Board of Directors

Founder & Artistic Director

Born in Odesa, Ukraine, Irina Voloshina had her first violin lesson at 6 years old. She studied at the Odessa Music School, the famous institution founded by Professor Stolyarsky early in the 20th century that brought to the world some of the greatest violin masters, such as Nathan Milstein and David Oistrakh. From there, Irina advanced into Odessa State Conservatory.

Graduated from the Conservatory with a master’s degree in Violin Performance and Pedagogy, Voloshina played in the Odessa Philharmonic for nine years.

Since moving to Southern California in 1993, Irina has appeared in recitals, chamber music groups, and orchestras such as Pasadena Symphony and Pops, Los Angeles Opera, California Philharmonic, and Hollywood Bowl orchestras.

She has performed in over 600 film scores including those by John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner, and Hans Zimmer, to name a few. She performed for “American Idol” and the “MTV Music Awards” and was a member of the Academy Awards orchestra. LA Times has described her playing as “a showcase of brilliant virtuosity.”

During the pandemic, Irina founded the “Melodia Mariposa” music series performing on the driveway of her Altadena home, presenting over 65 free public concerts. On July 24, 2021, she was named Volunteer of the Year and received the Congressional Leadership Awards: Hometown Heroes of the Pandemic in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the People of the 27th Congressional District from Congresswoman Judy Chu.

On December 21, 2022, Kathryn Barger, Supervisor of the 5th District of the County of Los Angeles awarded Irina and Melodia Mariposa with a commendation certificate in recognition of their dedicated service to the affairs of the community and for the civic pride demonstrated by numerous contributions for the benefit of all the residents of Los Angeles County.

Ken Hill received a BS in civil engineering from USC. He is a licensed civil engineer in the state of California and practiced engineering for over 20 years. Ken earned an MBAwith an emphasis in management and Ph.D. in organizational behavior, both degrees from USC.  He taught in the Marshall School of Business, management department for twenty years, teaching courses in organizational behavior, human resources management, and others.

In addition to his academic work at USC, Ken formed a consulting management practice in 1980 specializing in human resources management.  He is retired. Ken is a member of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, a past member of the Pasadena Jaycees having served as president of the Jaycees in 1970, and a member of Pasadena Rotary Club serving as president in 2011-12.

He and his wife are active supporters of the Pasadena Symphony and Pops, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Opera and the Coleman Chamber Music Association, as well as Life Members of the Arboretum Foundation. Ken served on the Arboretum Foundation board of trustees for nine years and was instrumental in bringing the Pasadena Pops to the Arboretum for their summer concert series. Ken served as president of the Arboretum board from 2012 to 2015 and has served on numerous committees including the CEO search committees in 2008 and 2023. He also chaired the new entrance construction committee in 2022. In addition to gardening, Ken enjoys practicing yoga and is a certified yoga instructor.
Ken lives with his wife in Altadena.

Ken is a native, and life-long resident, of Los Angeles. He attended the University of California at Los Angeles (B.A., magna cum laude, 1973) and (J.D., Order of Barristers, 1976). He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1976 and United States District Court, Central District of California in 1982.

He is a partner in Karno, Schwartz & Friedman, A Partnership of Professional Corporations, with offices in Encino, California, where his practice focuses on real estate transactions and related business matters.

In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of Melodia Mariposa, he also serves on the Board of Directors (and is a past President) of the Ancient Coin Club of Los Angeles. His publications include a chapter in a textbook on Italian Cinema as well as several articles on aspects of Roman Republican coinage.

Catherine has been helping Irina with Melodia Mariposa for the last 2 years and is responsible for most of the marketing, ticketing and organization of events.

Born in the UK, after a degree from the London School of Economics she moved to California with her husband and had three children – two of whom are now back studying in the UK.  She worked in Product Management at Overture, Yahoo and a number of start ups.

As a teenager she played in a number of youth orchestras in the UK, but found she preferred backstage roles!

Brady Steel started his musical training in 1979 as the first bassist in America to be taught with the Suzuki method. After receiving a performance degree from the Eastman School of Music and graduate studies at University of Colorado Boulder, Brady moved to Los Angeles, where he traded the bass for a laptop and moved into orchestra personnel management. Brady very much enjoys working with the musicians of the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, MUSE/IQUE, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Dance at the Music Center, New West Symphony, and Santa Monica Symphony.