The gift of music

  Anastasia has been a musician for three decades, and her piano performances includeboth solo repertoire and with orchestra. She is a winner of the prestigious Watson Fellowship—an award that allowed her to travel around the world for a year, doing a study of a Cultural Phenomenon of a Child Prodigy. During the fellowship Anastasia lived and worked in Austria, Germany, France, England, Italy and Russia. She interviewed several musicians who were Wunderkinder in the past. These interviews deepened her interest in children’s psychology and in learning processes involved in the development of a young musician.

Since childhood Anastasia has been fascinated by ballet and classical music. She was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, where she graduated from the Special Music School for Gifted Children, affiliated with the Saint Petersburg Music Conservatory. She was a piano student of Elena Ostrovskaya, as well as of the internationally renown composer Zhanneta Metallidi. While living in Russia, Anastasia spent several years touring throughout Europe when she was singing in the Uventa children’s choir. In 1993 the Uventa choir received the First prize at the International Competition of Choral Singing in Nancy, France. Anastasia keeps very fond memories of performances in concert halls and cathedrals across Europe. She will always be grateful to her teachers and parents who exposed her to the beauty of music and helped her to have the most amazing childhood.

At the age of seventeen Anastasia immigrated with her parents to New York, where she continued her musical studies. Anastasia holds a degree in piano performance from Mannes School of Music, NY. She appeared in various venues in New York, playing solo and with orchestra. Her highlights have been Grieg’s piano concerto and Schumann’s piano concerto with orchestra, as well as Scriabin’s piano sonata #4. In addition to musical education, Anastasia had a strong interest in philology. As a result, in 2006 she obtained a Masters degree in French literature and Pedagogy from New York University.

Anastasia was particularly inspired by the art of pianist Vladimir Horowitz and by the British cellist Jacqueliene Du Pre. Among her favorite composers are Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, Bach, Mozart and Mahler. She is also fascinated by the music of Russian composers-- Sergey Rachmaninov, Alexander Scriabin , Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov.

In the past fourteen years, Anastasia dedicates her time to teaching piano. She holds a piano studio in Morristown, New Jersey. Classical music is an infinite source of joy, inspiration and strength. Anastasia is delighted to share her love for music with others.