Let the Magic Begin
In April 2024, Melodia Mariposa partnered with LarkGallery, the Harmonia Institute and WEHO City Hall to present a free concert in Plummer Park, West Hollywood.
Attendees enjoyed Melodia Mariposa String Quartet’s free concer and an entertaining dialog between Melodia Mariposa’s founder Irina Voloshina and classical music critic Laurence Vittes.
The “Harmony Within” Exhibition was curated by LarkGallery.
Great Hall, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90046 – Long Hall Plummer Park, West Hollywood.
Featured Artists
Jacqueline Brand, Violin
A native of Southern California, Jacqueline Brand was only three and a half years old when she began studying violin. At the age of 12, Jacqueline became a student of Jascha Heifetz, studying in the Heifetz Master Classes for four years. She later continued her studies with Ruggiero Ricci and Eudice Shapiro.
Jacqueline is a recipient of the Young Musicians Foundation Award and has been honored at prestigious competitions such as the Midland-Odessa and Ima Hogg national competitions. As a member of the Arpa Trio, she received first place in the Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition.
Since joining LACO in 1985, Jacqueline has appeared as a frequent soloist with the Orchestra. She has also made solo appearances with the San Francisco, Houston, Chicago and Redlands symphonies, among others, and in concerts with Helmuth Rilling in Germany. She has participated in numerous festivals, including the Mainly Mozart, Ojai, Oregon Bach, Mozart in Monterey, Banff, Shawnigan and Flagstaff festivals.
Jacqueline is active in the motion picture and television recording industry.
Irina Voloshina, Violin
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.
Giovanna Moraga- Clayton, Cello
Giovanna holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from UCLA in music performance and was a featured artist with her quartet in the prestigious Royce Hall music series. Since graduating, Giovanna has had the opportunity to work with world-renowned artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Pinchas Zukerman, Pierre Boulez, Daniel Barenboim, János Starker and Sir Neville Marriner, among others. Upon her return from an eight-month fellowship with the Chicago Symphony, Giovanna won positions with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (2004), Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the New West and Santa Barbara symphonies.
Giovanna is a familiar face in the Hollywood music scene, performing live and recording with artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, James Brown, Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake, Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder and more. Keeping a busy recording schedule, Giovanna has played on dozens of jingles, movie trailers and blockbusters, such as X-Men (2000), Spider-man (2002), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), Rocky Balboa (2006), Horton Hears a Who! (2008), The Tale of Despereaux (2008), Mall Cop (2009) and many more. Her television credits include American Idol; Felicity; The Tonight Show; the AMA, Billboard, Grammy, Soul Train, Lady of Soul and Academy awards; a GMC truck commercial and a voice over for Lifetime’s Television for Women. A versatile artist, Giovanna has scored a short film, is finishing up her first instrumental album and is in production on her debut artist project.
Giovanna lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.
Alma Lisa Fernandez, Violin
Alma attended the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and UCLA, where she received a Master’s Degree in Viola Performance. She performs regularly with such ensembles as the LA Opera Orchestra and LA Master Chorale. As a chamber musician, she has been described as “…a soulful violist” by the LA Times. Alma is a member of the Eclipse Quartet, an ensemble dedicated to performing contemporary music, which has released recordings under Bridge Records, New World, and Microfest.
She has been featured as a soloist with the Pepperdine University Orchestra, the Jacaranda Chamber Music series, People Inside Electronics, and Electronics Live! at UC Riverside, where she premiered new works for Viola & Electronics. Alma is also active in the Los Angeles recording industry, having played for numerous motion picture soundtracks, television shows, and record albums.