Lynn Vartan, Dr.
Associate Professor, Music-PercussionQuick Information
Contact
- 626.622.8289
- Email Lynn Vartan
- Liberal Arts and Humanities Building 132
Office Hours
MW 1:30 – 2:30 or by appointment
Affiliations
- College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts
- Faculty Fellow, Institute for Applied Creativity
- Faculty Fellow, Center for Health & Nature
Helpful Links
Biography
Dr. Lynn Vartan is an internationally renowned music performer and educator, known for her collaborative performances and artistry as well as her dynamic warmth and energy on stage. She has been multiple times Grammy nominated and was a performer on an album that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Music. She has been invited internationally to perform and teach in Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Mexico, Columbia, England, Romania, Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Ireland and Denmark among others, and is currently a US Fulbright Specialist. Dr. Vartan is endorsed by the Paiste Corporation, Remo Inc. and Marimba One, and has a signature series of marimba mallets developed for her with Marimba One.
As a concerto soloist Lynn has performed with various orchestras including the Hubei Opera and Dance Company of Wuhan, China, the Sierra Wind Symphony, The Helena Symphony, The Cheyanne Symphony, The Orchestra of Southern Utah, Southwest Chamber Music, and has premiered new concertos by both American and Chinese composers. She has participated in cultural exchange projects such as the “World Percussion Group,” “Ascending Dragon” Project in Vietnam, “The Dream of Helen “project and China and the “East Meets West” project designed around her as a soloist in Wuhan, China.
As a new music percussionist Lynn has worked with Michael Colgrass, Vinny Golia, Arthur Jarvinen, Ursula Oppens, Joan Tower, Glen Velez, Xtet, James Newton, Chinary Ung, the Hilliard Ensemble, the Tambuco Percussion Ensemble and Grammy Award-winning Southwest Chamber Music. She has commissioned and/or performed nearly 50 new works for percussion by composers such as Donald Crockett, William Kraft, Carlos Rafael Rivera, Steve Hoey, Veronika Krausas, Erica Muhl, Arthur Jarvinen, Sean Heim, Jeff Holmes, Keith Bradshaw and Shaun Naidoo. Lynn has recorded on the ECM New Series, Albany Records, Cuneifroms Records, Bridge Records New World Records, Lian Records, Yarlung Records, and Cambria. Her current chamber music projects include Darkwood Duo (clarinet and percussion), Duo Vís (violin and percussion) and Duo LinLynn (percussion duo).
Lynn is currently Professor of Percussion Interarts at Texas A&M University, where she build programs and projects that bring together the worlds of music with dance, film, design, theatre and all the visual and performing arts.
Education
Doctorate of Musical Arts
University of Southern California
Masters of Music Performance
University of Southern California
Bachelor of Arts, Music Performance
California State University, Northridge
Scholarly Interests
- Building Immersive & Inclusive Concert Experiences
- Interarts Performance
- Music & Nature
- Developing mental health resources for college students through interactive music
- Developing artistry and artistic identity in students and young professionals in the performing arts