ARB Position: Accompanist

Since the completion of his Masters of Music at Rice University, Jonathan Benjamin has built a varied career as a pianist, composer, and arranger. While in Houston, he arranged, conducted and performed Gershwin pieces for Tim O’Keefe’s Fascinating Evening. For American Repertory Ballet, he has composed, orchestrated, arranged, and performed for many pieces including a restaging of Twyla Tharp”s Eight Jelly Rolls, Kirk Peterson’s Eyes That Gently Touch, Douglas Martin’s Pride and Prejudice, Ethan Stiefel’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, and most recently Luis Napoles’s Compasso. He also regularly plays at Broadway Dance and Steps Over Broadway, as well as keeping a busy freelance career throughout the Tri-State area.

Richard Moskowitz studied piano from an early age and began accompanying ballet classes as a teenager on Long Island and at Ballets Arts in Manhattan. During that time, he had the opportunity to play for distinguished teachers including Igor Schwezoff, Wilson Morelli, Vladimir Dokoudovsky and Nina Stroganova.

He went on to medical school, followed by surgical residencies and fellowships, and built a successful 40-year career in surgery.  While practicing medicine, he continued to hone his musicianship in his spare time.

After retiring from surgery, Richard happily returned to accompanying, once again bringing live music to the studios where he began. He now plays for Princeton Ballet School of the American Repertory Ballet, Alvin Ailey, Ballet Arts, Hofstra University and more.

Originally from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Jason Bembry received a B.M. in Piano Performance from New York University having studied under Anthony de Mare. Jason has seen significant success, winning awards as early as age 15 and performing at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and The Kaufman Center. As a classically trained pianist having studied music theory and composition extensively, Jason was commissioned in 2019 and 2024 to write two piano concertos for the Lawrence Middle and Intermediate School Orchestras. Debuting in 2018, Jason is also a published singer/songwriter with two pop-rock EPs and multiple electro-pop single releases this year alone. He makes a conscious effort to include his classical, jazz, and new age roots into every song he writes. As a solo-artist, Jason has played packed shows across New York, including The Bitter End, The West End Lounge, The Well, and The Delancey. With a growing fanbase across streaming services, Jason attributes his success to his classical piano training and his passion for moving others through music.

Pavel Zarukin earned his DMA in Musical Arts in 1985 from the St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia, where he was also a professor from 1986 to 1991. During his studies, he was awarded second prize in the Viotti International Piano Competition in Vercelli, Italy. After immigrating to the United States, he taught piano at the Musical Arts Academy of Bucks County, as well as general and choral music at various New Jersey public schools. Currently, Pavel teaches at Christ the King Regional School in Haddonfield, New Jersey, and he is the music director at Beth David Reform Congregation in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania. He is also a staff accompanist at the American Repertory Ballet/Princeton Ballet School in Princeton, New Jersey, where he regularly appears in the ARB/PBS stage productions as the featured pianist.

Ian Howells is a pianist/accompanist based in the Tri-State area. He is a graduate of the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University and Mercer County Community College, where he received degrees in Jazz Studies. He developed his love for music from a young age, experimenting with multiple instruments before taking a further interest in piano. Upon entering college, he took a fond interest in playing and studying jazz, while still keeping to his classical roots. Dubbed a “musical chameleon,” he splits his time between many genres, such as choral accompanying, jazz combos, and musical theater styles.

Jaeyeon Chung was born in South Korea and began playing the piano at an early age, accompanying her church choir by the time she was 12 years old. She attended Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ where she majored in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, before returning to Dankook Graduate School in Seoul, South Korea where she majored in Piano Accompaniment. She studied Dance Accompaniment at Sungshin Women’s University (Graduate) School In Sungshin, South Korea, later earning a third graduate degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ. Jaeyeon has performed extensively in places such as the Australian Opera House in 1992, Ecole Normale, France in 1997 where she also studied. Jaeyeon’s illustrious accompanying resume includes playing for the Gospel Church in Yeouido, Korea in 1992, Seoul Arts High School in 2005, the Korean Ballet Company and Bergen Catholic High School, Oradell, NJ 2015. For a period spanning more than 10 years, Jaeyeon has accompanied and performed in numerous colleges, universities and other venues in South Korea and around the world. Today Ms. Chung is on the staff at Westminster Choir College in NJ where she accompanies several choirs. She also serves as accompanist for the Princeton Ballet School, pre-kinder school music teacher in Basking Ridge, NJ, and organist at Pemberton Grace Church.