Short Bio - 300 Words.
Alisa Roberta Gukasian (she/her) is a classical violinist and educator based in Southern California. She is currently pursuing doctoral studies in Violin Performance at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, where she studies with Professors Varty Manouelian and Movses Pogossian. She also serves as the EMMI and K–12 Instrumental Assistant at Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica, and has performed in Russia, Armenia, and the United States.
A passionate advocate for culturally rooted music education, Alisa is an AMP Fellow with UCLA’s Armenian Music Program, where she studies the kamancha. Through the program’s outreach efforts, she introduces Armenian folk music and violin to students in underserved communities.
Alisa’s teaching is rooted in technical clarity, expressive depth, and mentorship. She has taught students of all levels in private and group settings. Her interdisciplinary interests in music and history are reflected in her work as a Whitsett Smithsonian Curatorial and Enrichment Fellow at the National Museum of American History.
She holds a Master of Music in Violin Performance from UCLA. She also earned dual bachelor’s degrees in History and Violin Performance from California State University, Northridge (CSUN), where she studied with Dr. Lorenz Gamma and graduated with honors. She served as Assistant Concertmaster of the CSUN Symphony and received Honorable Mention in the UCLA All-Star Competition.
Originally from Moscow, Russia, Alisa began violin studies at the Chopin Academy before continuing her training in the United States with Joe Ketendjian and at the Colburn School, and through periodic coaching with Patty Kopec. Outside of music, she enjoys time with family and long walks in nature.
Mini Bio - 150
Words.
Alisa Roberta Gukasian (she/her) is a classical violinist and educator based in Southern California. She is currently pursuing doctoral studies in Violin Performance at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music under Professors Varty Manouelian and Movses Pogossian. She also serves as the EMMI and K–12 Instrumental Assistant at Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences and has performed in Russia, Armenia, and the United States.
An advocate for culturally rooted music education, Alisa is an AMP Fellow with UCLA’s Armenian Music Program, where she studies the kamancha and engages in community outreach.
Her teaching emphasizes technical clarity, expressive depth, and mentorship.
She holds a Master of Music from UCLA and dual bachelor’s degrees from California State University, Northridge, where she studied with Dr. Lorenz Gamma. She was Assistant Concertmaster of the CSUN Symphony and received Honorable Mention in the UCLA All-Star Competition.
Long Bio - 600
Words.
Alisa Roberta Gukasian (she/her) is a classical violinist, educator, and arts administrator based in Southern California. She is currently pursuing doctoral studies in Violin Performance at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, where she studies with Professors Varty Manouelian and Movses Pogossian. As a performer, she has appeared in Russia, Armenia, and across the United States, engaging with a wide range of solo, chamber, and orchestral repertoire.
Alongside her performance career, Alisa maintains an active role in arts education and administration. She serves as the EMMI and K–12 Instrumental Assistant at Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica, where she works closely with EMMI Director Gina Coletti to support and help lead the upper school, middle school, and elementary school music programs. In this role, she contributes to the day-to-day operations of the program, including managing the music library and preparing performance materials, coordinating and hiring guest musicians, and assisting in the planning and execution of major program initiatives such as student tours, including recent travel to New York City. She also regularly coaches ensembles and substitutes for rehearsals, gaining valuable experience in orchestral direction and pedagogy, while supporting the broader logistical and artistic needs of a large and dynamic music program.
A passionate advocate for culturally rooted music education, Alisa is an AMP Fellow with UCLA’s Armenian Music Program, where she studies the kamancha. Through the program’s outreach initiatives, she works with students in underserved communities, introducing Armenian folk traditions and broadening access to classical and folk music education. Her teaching practice is grounded in technical clarity, expressive depth, and thoughtful mentorship, and she has taught students of all levels in both private and group settings.
Alisa’s academic and artistic interests are deeply interdisciplinary, bridging performance, pedagogy, and historical inquiry. She served as a Whitsett Smithsonian Curatorial and Enrichment Fellow at the National Museum of American History, where she conducted research on violin pedagogy and contributed to projects exploring immigrant influences on American musical culture. Her scholarly work includes research on performance practice and violin traditions, reflecting her broader interest in the transmission and evolution of musical styles across cultures.
At UCLA, Alisa has also served as a Teaching Assistant for The Art of Listening, where she led discussion sections, developed lecture materials, and facilitated conversations on musical analysis and listening practices. This experience further strengthened her commitment to accessible and engaging music education, particularly for non-major students.
She holds a Master of Music in Violin Performance from the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. She also earned dual bachelor’s degrees in History and Violin Performance from California State University, Northridge (CSUN), where she studied with Dr. Lorenz Gamma and graduated with honors. During her time at CSUN, she served as Assistant Concertmaster of the CSUN Symphony, and at UCLA she was recognized with an Honorable Mention in the All-Star Competition.
Originally from Moscow, Russia, Alisa began her violin studies at the Chopin Academy before relocating to the United States, where she continued her training with Joe Ketendjian and at the Colburn School. Her development has been further enriched through additional coaching with Patinka Kopec. Outside of music, she enjoys spending time with family and finding inspiration in nature.
