I’m a pianist, and I teach, write, and play. 

My father was my very first teacher, and he taught me a lot. He improvised brilliantly by ear and has perfect pitch but couldn’t read music since he dropped out of early music conservatory shortly after starting. He taught himself how to play accoustic guitar, and spent some time playing a balalaika in a band and some time working as a DJ for fun. 

My mom played piano until she was about 16, and she spent most of my childhood practicing with me. She finished music conservatory back in Russia, and knew what was on the page. Being the daughter of a touring opera singer and an amateur ballerina, she played piano, danced, and sang on the radio when she was little.

I started messing around on the piano at an age that would probably be considered too early for most, so, when asked when I started, I usually just say 4. Truth is, I had lessons in reading notes and beginner theory before I had formal lessons in playing piano, and we spent much of my early childhood playing composing games and counting rhythms with the brilliant young teacher who came to our apartment. Mom and grandma subsequently helped me learn to read, and by age 4, I started piano lessons at the Saratov Conservatory. 

Fast forward 2 years, and we moved to Israel, where I kept playing. I remember biking to my piano lessons, practicing on the Petrof upright that we shipped from Russia, and occassionally playing on the broken-down neighborhood piano at our favourite restaurant on our block. I kept taking ballroom dance and drawing too (both of which I started around age 4), and besides that, most of my memories were of the beach.

We moved to Vancouver, Canada when I was turning 8. I got a new teacher, and started doing local competitions. At one of these, I met someone who’s playing I really, really liked. They thanked me when I complimented them, and they referenced their teacher for credit. I started my lessons with Dr. Sasha Starcevich shortly after.

Ten years later, I met my husband, Nicholas Rada, through that same teacher. Nicholas had studied with Sasha for years, but we had never overlapped as students until both going to the same music festival. Nicholas and I played Mozart’s Two Piano Concerto with orchestra, and stayed together ever since.

Besides playing together, Nicholas and I have been teaching together for many years. In 2020, we got married, and started our own joint studio, which we run in Burnaby, British Columbia. Together, we have partnered to create a holistic music program for aspiring young pianists interested in pursuing music at a high performance standard or professionally. From our studio space, we provide lessons in piano, theory, harmony, history, composition, and collaborative chamber studies. All of our lessons our available online as well as in person.

Most recently, my husband and I have worked together to create a two-piano recital as part of my Doctoral performance program, which will be debuted live in Fall 2021.