Stars from USC Thornton

Violinist
VERONIKA MANCHUR

Pianist
MATTHEW HARIKIAN

Ukrainian violinist Veronika Manchur has won top prizes in several violin competitions, including the Jarecki International Violin Competition in Poland, the International Kocian Competition in the Czech Republic, and the Canadian Music Competition. Throughout her professional music studies, Veronika has performed with the Oakville Chamber Orchestra, Guelph Symphony, and Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra. More recently, she had the privilege of participating in the Pacific Music Festival in Japan, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival Orchestral Academy in Germany, the Bowdoin International Music Festival, and the Musical Chairs Chamber Music Festival and the Orford Musique Festival, both taking place in Montreal, Quebec.

A native of Fresno, California, Matthew Harikian has performed as a soloist with the Wayzata Symphony Orchestra and Opera San Luis Obispo Orchestra. Recent festival participation includes Pianofest in the Hamptons and the Meadowmount School of Music. In 2022, he was selected as one of the nine collaborative piano fellows at the Music Academy of the West. Matthew is currently pursuing his DMA in collaborative piano under the tutelage of Kevin Fitz-Gerald at the University of Southern California. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in piano performance from St. Olaf College and a Master’s degree in both piano performance and music theory from the University of Minnesota.