gayatri venkatesan

vice president of recitals

Native of San José, California, Gayatri Venkatesan's interest in music began at a very young age.  Starting with piano lessons at age five, her love and studies in music only continued to grow as she got older.  She began her study of voice in Indian Classical music at the age of eight under Smt. Jayashree Varadarajan, and later at the age of 15, took her first voice lesson with renowned coloratura soprano, Patrycja Poluchowicz.  Since then, she has studied and coached under Ron Valentino, Dr. Erin McComber, Susan Gundunas, and Dr. Julia Nielsen.

Her students have enjoyed lead roles in several community theater productions, and in addition, have received gold medals at the state and national level in the Royal Conservatory of Music annual examinations.  Ms. Venkatesan is also active in the Royal Conservatory of Music and NATS communities.

​Arya Music Studio was founded by Gayatri Venkatesan in 2015 with an aim to provide western classical voice lessons to students of all ages.  Since its founding, Arya Music Studio has trained several students using the Royal Conservatory of Music voice curriculum, and a number of students have gone on to receive National Gold Medals for their participation in the RCM exams.  Students of Arya Music Studio have also enjoyed leading roles in various community theater productions.  

Benjamin liupaogo

co-vice president of Student Auditions

Benjamin Liupaogo is a distinguished Lecturer in Vocal Studies in the Department of Music at Stanford University. A proud Pacific Islander of Samoan heritage, he is an accomplished tenor and collaborative pianist whose career spans opera, concert, choral, and chamber music performances across the United States and Europe.

Benjamin is a sought-after artist and educator with an impressive range of affiliations. He is a tenor with the Grammy Award–winning San Francisco Symphony Chorus (AGMA) and a regular AGMA Extra Chorus member of the San Francisco Opera Chorus. He also sings professionally with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale, Grace Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys, and has performed with ensembles such as American Bach Soloists and Volti.

From 2017 to 2019, Benjamin was a young artist with Madison Opera, where he sang and covered principal roles. He also served as assistant director and vocal coach at Musica nelle Marche, a summer opera program in Urbino, Italy, performing throughout the country from 2017 to 2022.

Benjamin’s expertise extends beyond performance. He is a highly versatile classical musician with experience as a collaborative pianist, vocal coach, répétiteur, church musician, and music director/conductor in opera, musical theatre, and choral music. He has worked with leading institutions including the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, San Francisco State University, University of San Francisco, DePaul University, Roosevelt University, University of Notre Dame, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison Opera, North Park University, and numerous youth choral organizations such as the San Francisco Boys Chorus, Golden Gate Boys Choir and Bellringers, and Pacific Boychoir Academy.

Deeply committed to mentorship and community engagement, Benjamin serves as a board member and Co-Vice President for Student Auditions for the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (SFBAC-NATS), where he also works as a collaborative pianist. He also sits on the board of the Samoan Community Development Center (SCDC), helping to uplift and amplify Pacific Islander voices across the Bay Area.

Benjamin holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from San Francisco State University, a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Roosevelt University, and a Master of Sacred Music from the University of Notre Dame. He earned a Graduate Performance Certificate in Opera from DePaul University and is currently completing his Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice Performance—with a minor in Collaborative Piano—at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Passionate, multifaceted, and deeply rooted in both his cultural heritage and the classical tradition, Benjamin Liupaogo is a vital force in the world of vocal music—one whose artistry and mentorship continue to inspire singers and audiences alike.