The Promise of "Someday"

Finding the Courage to
Compose, Perform, and Teach

Welcome!

Born, raised, and educated in Moscow, Russia, now based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, U.S., I’m a pianist-composer who believes music should be enjoyed, not endured. Whether you are here for lessons or my music, you'll find:

- For Piano Students: While I welcome all ages, my passion is guiding adult learners—a profoundly rewarding yet often overlooked group. I offer a supportive, creative, and stress-free environment where we master time-tested techniques through the pieces you love, building a repertoire that feels uniquely and authentically yours.

- For Listeners and Musicians: Original compositions where classical tradition meets contemporary storytelling and emotional clarity. I warmly welcome collaborations—from sight-reading sessions to performances—with string players, arrangers, fellow pianists, teachers and beyond, interested in exploring new repertoire.

EXPLORE MY MUSIC

EXPLORE PIANO LESSONS

The "Full" Story

Part 1: The Origins

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Circa 1975: Mrs. Shumsky's choir - where discipline and joy of music first fused for me

In the 80s, I swapped études for Soviet rock and jazz—a rebellion against the immense pressure of a system that prized technical perfection above personal expression.

When the time came to decide on my future career, I faced a crossroads. Though passionate about music theory, I knew my strengths were more analytical than performance-based. I turned to my profound interest in linguistics, where the discipline, focus, and memory I had cultivated in music found a new application. I channeled these skills into the rigorous study of English in a highly competitive program at Moscow State Linguistic University, a challenging and rewarding journey that further developed my resilience, analytical skills, and capacity for dedicated focus.

Music remained my constant companion through my studies and a subsequent role at the USSR Theater Union. I devoured every concert at the Tchaikovsky Hall, followed international piano competition news, amassed a collection of classical LPs and tapes, taught myself new piano works, and became the life of countless parties, singing improvised songs with friends.

My first language was music. At six, my grandmother—a concert pianist—enrolled me at Moscow Regional prestigious full-time Central Children’s Music School (now ЦДШИ), where the piano became both partner and disciplinarian. Those nine years shaped me: the glacial silence after mistakes, the unspoken demand for perfection, the rare thrill of a teacher’s nod.

By graduation, I could decode Bach’s logic, effortlessly transcribe chord progressions by ear, and ace dictations—all thanks to my formidable theory and choir teacher, Ghelena M. Shumsky, and her relentless drills. Yet I never imagined that decades later, after careers in law, marketing, and interpreting, those very exercises would become my compass back to music—on the other side of the world...

Part 2: Before the Piano Called Me Back

VIDEO (2:27) "Bogoroditse Devo" - an forgettable experience singing Sergey Rachmaninov's All-Night Vigil (Vespers) at The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul, Philadelphia, with Choral Arts Philadelphia directed by Matthew Glandorf. September 2012.

Read my essay about what it meant for me that day.

My move to the U.S. in 1991 opened a new chapter. My focus shifted to building a stable life in a completely new culture: graduating with honors from the American Institute for Paralegal Studies, dedicating nine years to a career as a bilingual paralegal, and raising two beautiful busy children.

My deep connection to the arts soon found a new expression. For thirteen years (2006-2019), I ran a marketing and PR consulting firm in the Philadelphia region, where I turned my passion into a profession -- advocating for a diverse roster of clients in the performing arts industry, including emerging and established festivals, choirs, orchestras, composers, and dance companies.

Yet, music was always in my soul. Vocal studies and choral singing—from complex textures of Bach and Rachmaninov to the haunting beauty of Bulgarian polyphony—became my sanctuary.

Piano teaching surfaced in shorter spells—a year at Lake Superior State University’s piano studio for youth, and later, working with private students.

I continued to play to keep my skills sharp, learning classical works, accompanying friends, and bringing jazz and pop standards to life at family Christmas gatherings. But that intimate, experimental dialogue with my instrument—the quiet, magical space I craved to discover my own voice—remained a whispered promise for ‘Someday…’

Part 3: From Harmony to Melody

My ‘Someday’ started not at the piano, but at the microphone. It was an incredible opportunity to collaborate on an album created by my good friend, singer-songwriter Boris Sonis, bringing me into the creative orbit of both Boris and his brilliant producer, Igor Kisil of Sweet Rains Records (NYC).

VIDEO (0:49): Producer Igor Kisil, singer-songwriter Boris Sonis, and I - listening to the final mix of Boris' song "First Love" (Первая любовь). The Sweet Rains Records recording studio, New York City. October, 2023. The song was released In March 2025.

My role for the project expanded from managing the marketing and strategy for the album's release to include crafting backup harmonies, performing duets, and even drafting piano arrangements.

In the Sweet Rains recording studio -- a hallowed space where artists like Sting have walked— I suddenly transitioned from the safety of the choir to the vulnerability of the solo vocalist. Amid the glow of vintage microphones and under Igor's creative guidance, I discovered a voice I had never dared to trust, and the profound experience shattered a lifelong doubt: I wasn’t just promoting art—I was creating it.

Then, on a hot June morning of 2023, seemingly out of nowhere, melodies began ambushing me one by one - in dawn dreams, mid-traffic, even in the steam of my tea - like uninvited Soviet apparatchiks demanding paperwork.

My first instinct was resistance: But who am I to compose? Yet this music, so personal, so unusual, and pleading to be preserved, would not be exiled. Surrendering to its flow felt like coming home. My Soviet-era piano teacher would've crossed herself.

Those whispered melodies have now grown into a full body of work—an album's worth of solo piano pieces that I am actively shaping, recording, and refining, working with amazing sound engineers. The discovery of my own unique style and voice as a composer continues.

* * *

My journey in music has been a fulfilling adventure. In 2024, I became a proud member of American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), reflecting my commitment to my craft and to the community of music creators. That same passion for creation now fuels my piano studio, where I guide fellow adults on the path of finding their unique musical voice. This is just the beginning of a new chapter, and I can't wait to share where the music takes us next.

EXPLORE MY MUSIC

EXPLORE PIANO LESSONS