Irvin Lemus

Irvin is a cybersecurity professional by day and has been an avid musician for most of his life. Beginning with drums at the age of 7, Irvin developed a passion for music picking up piano, guitar, bass guitar, saxophone, and violin, among others. As his musical proficiency grew, he became the concertmaster and lead pianist for his local community, performing and organizing performances several times a week. While he has a strong interest in music in general, he has always been drawn toward written music, composition, and conducting. Between 2014 and 2017, Irvin conducted 4 musicals, with styles ranging from Memphis to The Addams Family Musical. In addition to directing during showtime, Irvin also performed on the piano himself. Prior to showtime, Irvin mentored and educated amateur student musicians and ran rehearsals with them prior to the performances, in collaboration with Gardena High School’s Performing Arts Department.

Irvin’s taste and passion for music is broad and diverse. A self-proclaimed metalhead, Irvin is particularly drawn toward symphonic rock, favoring groups like Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Metallica, as well as the classics –– Bach and Mozart –– to name but a few. A common theme throughout Irvin’s musical life and interests is synthesis, or bringing together styles, ideas, and concepts in a novel and interesting way. In his more recent performances and compositions, Irvin has found his “voice,” leveraging dynamic variation, polyphony and unexpected musical flourish –– such as key changes, choice of instruments, and unusual melodies –– to create unique works that are stylistically distinct.

In the intervening years since his involvement with Gardena High, Irvin has kept up his musical proficiencies as a side hobby, all the while developing his skills as a composer and arranger. He continued to look for opportunities to engage more deeply with music in his community once again, and creativity sparked an idea. That idea came to life through a hobby he discovered in 2021: Latin dance. Learning salsa and bachata dancing allowed Irvin to connect with music in a new way –– through movement –– and the desire to contribute to the lifeblood of the bachata community through music and performance, specifically the integration of classical music. This spurred his latest and most creative project: reimagining music for and conducting a live orchestra to showcase the combination of two vastly different styles of music. As he works with his team to breathe life into this project –– which aims to collaborate with pre-professional collegiate musicians by providing them with performance experience –– Irvin is very excited to continue his musical journey while also mentoring and supporting students in a meaningful way.