Information About Ksenia - Enfield teacher

Personal Description:

SUMMARY
Ksenia is a London-based violinist, pursuing a versatile career as a teacher, soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. Ksenia is a member of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.

She has played under many distinguished conductors, such as Antonio Pappano, Barry Wordsworth, Vladimir Jurowski, Andris Nelsons, Mark Elder, and Edward Gardner.

BACKGROUND
Ksenia was born in Russia in 1985 and imbibed music at an early age through her mother’s role as a choreographer. At the age of nine, she won 1st prize in the National Young String Players competition held in Yekaterinburg. She studied in Moscow with Alexey Gulianitzcky at the Central Music School then with Igor Frolov at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, from where she graduated with distinction in 2009. She then moved to London, supported by a Leverhulme Trust scholarship, to study with Dr. Felix Andrievsky at the Royal College of Music, where she received a Masters degree in Advanced Performance in 2011. She was invited to stay a further two years at the Royal College, through the award of the Richard Carne Junior Fellowship. In this role, she coached chamber ensembles and founded the competition “Ensemble with Piano”.

TEACHER
At the Moscow Conservatoire Ksenia was awarded a Teaching Diploma and, since then, she has enhanced her teaching skills and experience through extensive private tuition, both in Russia and subsequently in London. Her pupils have won prizes at music competitions such as the Marlow Festival and the North London Festival. Also, her pupils have won places or scholarships at specialist music schools such as the Purcell School, the RCM Junior Department, the RAM Junior Department and Junior Guildhall.

As well as individual tuition, Ksenia has led workshops with children from schools in London as part of the Southbank Sinfonia programme. Ksenia enjoys working with the Royal Opera House Education department. This has included involvement in the “Chance to Dance” project and acting as a tutor in the TAKE FIVE Summer School. As a member of the Gamma Majoris ensemble, which combines the talents of four soloists, she has promoted the enjoyment of classical music by very young children, through innovative shows such as musical fairy tales.

SOLOIST
As a soloist, Ksenia has performed with the Southbank Sinfonia, the London Chamber Players, the Moscow Camerata, and the Crimean Symphony Orchestra. She has given solo recitals in several European countries, including Sweden (as part of the Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm), Norway (at the Edvard Grieg museum in Troldhaugen), and Germany. In the UK, her solo performances have been at a wide range of venues in London, including the Britten theatre, and elsewhere, – e.g. Cheltenham Town Hall, St Mary’s Church Aylesbury, and Milton Keynes City Church in aid of a charity supporting children from Chernobyl. In 2014, Ksenia performed live on BBC Radio 3 with Gareth Malone and the Military Wives playing music for choir and two solo violins. Ksenia’s awards in solo competitions include the Hans & Mary Romney prize at the Tunbridge Wells International Young Concert Artists competition, a diploma at the Nedialka Simeonova competition in Bulgaria, and the Città di Padova 2nd prize in Italy. She is also a recipient of the Albert Cooper Trust Award.

CHAMBER MUSICIAN
Ksenia’s chamber music career began whilst she was a student. The Messiaen Quartet was formed in 2005 and has won 1st prize at the International Competition of Contemporary Chamber Music in Poland and 1st prize at the Alcobaca International Chamber Music Competition in Portugal. Following on from the Alcobaca prize, the Messiaen has performed at several leading festivals, in particular the Cistermusica Festival in Portugal, the Essen Receiving Russia Festival in Germany, and the Art-November Festival in Russia. The Muse Piano Quintet was formed in 2009 and has won 2nd prize at the Concurs Josep Mirabent i Magrans in Spain. Their performances have been primarily in the UK, including leading venues such as St John’s Smith Square and St Martin-in-the-Fields. They have also given master classes, – e.g. at Cheltenham Ladies College and whilst in residence at Latymer Upper School. The Muse has worked with Thomas Adès and John McCabe in performances of their works at the Purcell Room, organised by the Park Lane Group, and has performed with the leading clarinettist, Michael Collins. Both the Messiaen and the Muse have broadcast recitals and issued recordings. In recent years, Ksenia has played in other groups, such as the Covent Garden Soloists, with whom she has toured in Spain, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei, and across the UK.

ORCHESTRAL PLAYER
Ksenia has played in a wide range of major orchestras, – symphonic, chamber, opera and film session orchestras. Her participation in London-based orchestras began with the Southbank Sinfonia, of which she was a member in 2011, and has subsequently included the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Chamber Orchestra, the Russian Virtuosi of Europe Chamber Orchestra, Aurora Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of London, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, of which she became a member in 2016.

Ksenia is married to film titles director Nic Benns.

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Tutoring Experience:

At the Moscow Conservatoire Ksenia was awarded a Teaching Diploma and, since then, she has enhanced her teaching skills and experience through extensive private tuition, both in Russia and subsequently in London. Her pupils have won prizes at music competitions such as the Marlow Festival and the North London Festival. Also, her pupils have won places or scholarships at specialist music schools such as the Purcell School, the RCM Junior Department, the RAM Junior Department and Junior Guildhall.

As well as individual tuition, Ksenia has led workshops with children from schools in London as part of the Southbank Sinfonia programme. Ksenia enjoys working with the Royal Opera House Education department. This has included involvement in the “Chance to Dance” project and acting as a tutor in the TAKE FIVE Summer School. As a member of the Gamma Majoris ensemble, which combines the talents of four soloists, she has promoted the enjoyment of classical music by very young children, through innovative shows such as musical fairy tales.

Tutoring Approach:

I am available for online lessons and teach from home in North London.

INTRODUCTION & OVERVIEW
The violin is a very enjoyable instrument to play, with a wonderful and wide-ranging repertoire, but it is also technically demanding and poses particular difficulties at the start. Hence I aim to provide steady guidance of my pupils' progress along successive steps, each simple in itself and each taught with clear instructions, which build cumulatively to a well-rounded ability. This avoids the risk of overwhelming pupils with too much complexity. Instead, there is a gradual awareness and attainment of the skills required for good violin-playing, – control of body posture, quality of tone production, accuracy of intonation, range of bowing technique, and expressive musical interpretation. Above all, my over-arching approach is to foster an enthusiasm for the instrument and a love of music which will sustain each pupil as their relationship with the violin develops.

BEGINNERS
Young children are very excited when they start learning an instrument. It is the teacher’s challenge to find ways to keep their interest throughout a lesson and from one lesson to the next. I find it helps tremendously if parents attend the lessons and practise jointly with their children. Sometimes, of course, this is not possible; but it remains important that parents stay engaged in the learning process and provide affectionate encouragement. To aid this, I record a video message, jointly with the pupil, which includes guidance to parents on what is useful to do before the next lesson.



INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED
At a later stage, when children are old enough to practise on their own, my emphasis moves to teaching them how to make the best use of their practice time. In particular, I help them analyse their own playing when practising, as this ability underpins the development of skills in both instrumental technique and musical interpretation. The sense of achievement in making progress week to week plays a crucial part in sustaining motivation. In turn, this requires that the teacher finds an approach individually suited to each pupil, – understanding their goals, planning the repertoire carefully, and setting appropriate expectations. Exams are useful in this regard; and I prepare my pupils for ABRSM, Trinity, or Guildhall exams. I also encourage them to perform in concerts and to enter competitions. For intermediate and advanced pupils, exams and public performance can provide an incentive to tackle the more challenging aspects of violin technique, such as various types of bowing, playing in high positions, variation of vibrato, and double-stopping. None of these challenges is insurmountable, given appropriate guidance from the teacher and given practice and determination by the pupil.



COLLEGE STUDENTS & RECENT GRADUATES
For students at college, or who have graduated recently, I provide coaching for orchestral auditions. During my career, I have experienced many orchestral auditions and periods of trial playing, including the process leading to my current position as a member of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Orchestral auditions require a very specific type of preparation. I love sharing my experience of how best to win through this process, particularly as it can be a lonely and stressful task.



AMATEURS
A well-structured approach is important if the pleasure of amateur violin-playing is to hold its position against the competing demands of a busy adult life. For amateurs starting anew, or more typically reconnecting with their violin-playing after many years of neglect, I can provide tuition to ensure they are able to make best use of their limited time.

I can provide coaching for regularly-playing amateurs who would like to raise their standard, whether simply for the pleasure of enhanced performance or as the route to a wider horizon of playing opportunities. Typically, this coaching starts with one or more diagnostic sessions to identify the most fruitful aspects to work on. Alternatively, my coaching can respond to requests to improve specific aspects of technique. For someone playing in one of the many amateur orchestras in London, or in a chamber music group, the current repertoire can be used as a launch-pad to identify and work on different aspects of violin technique and musical interpretation.

A FINAL THOUGHT
Music lessons and practice have a wider benefit in developing qualities of mind and character, including self-discipline, effective organisation of time, and the confidence required for performance in public. Above all, there is the joy of playing music with others. It is a joy which I experience and which, through my approach to tuition, I aim to help my pupils experience.