Laura Mikkola
Fabio Banegas
Classical pianist, music scholar and editor, Fabio Banegas, has appeared in recitals and as soloist in the United States, Europe and in his native Argentina. He studied at the National University of Rosario (UNR) where he obtained two degrees: Piano Performance and the National Professorate of Music. He continued his education in the United States earning a Master of Music (MM) at California State University Fullerton (CSUF) under Dr Susan Svrček. Fabio Banegas is an interpreter of the complete piano works by the Argentinean composer José Antonio Bottiroli, of whom he was a student, and has given world premières of many of the composer’s works. He is a recipient of many awards, most notably, from Argentina, the Friends of the Arts of Rosario Award and the Mozarteum Santa Fe Music Award; and from the US, the Redfield Award of the Orange County Philharmonic Society and the Phi Beta Delta Internationalist Award.
George Takei
George Takei is a social justice activist, social media superstar, GRAMMY-nominated recording artist, a New York Times bestselling author, and pioneering actor whose career has spanned six decades. He has appeared in more than 40 feature films and hundreds of television roles, most famously as Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek, and he has used his success as a platform to fight for social justice. He now serves as Chairman Emeritus and a member of the Japanese American National Museum’s Board of Trustees, and a member of the US-Japan Bridging Foundation Board of Directors. Takei served on the board of the Japan-United States Friendship Commission under President Bill Clinton, and, in 2004, was conferred with the Gold Rays with Rosette of the Order of the Rising Sun by the Emperor of Japan for his contribution to US-Japan relations.
