North London Russian School of Music and Culture

North London Russian School of Music and Culture

Natalia Kouznetsova - musicologist and published composer, founder of The North London Russian School.

1. N. Kouznetsova studied at the Astrakhan Conservatoire where she was later a lecturer, as well as being Senior Music Editor to the Astrakhan Region Philharmonic Society before taking up a Fellowship at the Russian Academy of Music in Moscow.  She wrote a large number of articles about musical performance and teaching published in the Russian media, including three articles in academic journals about the interaction between different arts. Natalia is a member of The Guild of International Songwriters and Composers and other organisations. Many individual songs by Natalia have been performed by schools and others in London in recent years.

Natalia's music for children has been published by the educational publisherThe Full Pitcher online since 2005 (www.fullpitcher.co.uk/nataliak.htm). The book of her compositions and arrangements was published by The Full Pitcher in 2010.The first performances of N. Kouznetsova`s score The Prince of the Rocks: the worldof J.M.W.Turner, symphonic songs inspired by the life and paintings of J.M.W.Turner, took place at Pushkin House, London, in September 2011. Patron of the concerts was Her Serene Highness Princess Natalya Grigorievna Eromina Youssoupoff. The piano arrangement was made and performed by international award-winner Alexander Karpeyev (www.akarpeyev.com). The vocals were performed by soprano Ksenia Jones and tenor Igor Outkine. Natalia is currently employed by Haringey Council as a piano teacher in schools in Muswell Hill and Highgate. Over the years she has successfully prepared dozens of pupils for ABRSM piano and theory grade exams.

Alexander Karpeyev - pianist (www.akarpeyev.com). In 2000 he entered the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatoire where he studied with Professors Alexander Mndoyants and Vera Gornostayeva. He graduated with the highest honours in 2005 and won a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London where he is a student of Professor Joan Havill.  He is currently pursuing a doctorate jointly with City University of London.

Alexander has been a major prizewinner in many international competitions including the 1998 Ibla Grand Prize, Ragusa, Italy; the 2001 International Competition for Young Musicians, Enschede, Netherlands; the 2004 Competition Arthur Rubinstein in memoriam, Bydgoszcz, Poland; the 2004 Adilia Alieva International Piano Competition, Gaillard, France; the 2006 Tunbridge Wells International Concert Artist Competition and the 2009 Amy Brant International Piano competition, Birmingham (UK).

He won First Prizes at the 2006 Oxford Music Festival’s Professional Piano Recital Competition, the 2007 Dudley International Piano Competition and the Norah Sande Award 2008. He was awarded the Worshipful Company of Musician's Silver Medal in 2008.

Alexander has given recitals in major venues in the UK (Purcell Room, Barbican, Cadogan Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London; Bridgewater Hall in Manchester).  Abroad, he has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in Belgium, Greece, Japan, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine. He has featured on BBC Radio 3 and the Performance Channel of Sky Television.

Russian language, literature and handwriting are taught by Nadezhda Ivanova, Inna Guseva, Oksana Nikolenko, Ilona Tarchukova Marchik and Iryna Borodulina.   All staff in the school have been checked by the current police and criminal record vetting procedures.     Nadezhda Ivanova is an experienced teacher and philologist. Nadezhda graduated from Belorussian State University as philologist and teacher.  She also studied in the Liepaja Academy of Pedagogy and qualified as basic school English language teacher.  Nadezhda has 16 years professional experience of teaching Russian to bilingual children, both in Latvia and London. Nadezhda Ivanova has an individual approach to each child and teaches from beginner up to GCSE Russian. Iryna Borodulina is an experienced teacher and philologist.  Iryna graduated from the Odessa State University with the qualifications of philologist and teacher of Russian as a foreign language.  During the last 15 years Iryna Borodulina has been preparing children in London secondary schools for Russian GCSE exams. Inna Guseva is a teacher, psychologist and methodologist with a degree in teaching and psychology from the Latvian Pedagogical University, Liepaja, Latvia.  Inna is fluent in four languages (Russian, English, Latvian and Ukrainian) and has been specifically trained in bilingual teaching. Inna Guseva has 21 years of teaching experience. She was teaching in Northern Ireland and Britain for the last 8 years.

Oksana Nikolenko is a professional teacher. Oksana graduated from the Ukrainian State M.P.Dragomanov Pedagogical University with the qualification of secondary school teacher. Oksana Nikolenko has an individual and creative approach to each child. She is very reliable, carering and nice with children.

 Ilona Tarchukova Marchik  is a professional teacher, educated in Volgograd, Russia. Ilona has 8 years professional experience of teaching Russian to bilingual children, both in Spain and London