Dr. Katya Anoshkin
The founder and artistic director of MJA (former Boston Bilingual Singers).
(617) 877 8515 - please leave a text or voice message connect@musicaljourneysacademy.com
Katya is a choral conductor and music educator residing in Needham. While working on her Master’s degree in Choral conducting in 1990s, in Moscow, Katya was the choral conductor as well as voice and solfeggio teacher for the Children's Choir Chapel "Phoenix" in Moscow. After graduating with Honors and studying for two years at the Moscow Conservatory named after P.I. Tchaikovsky, in the choral D.M.A. program under the leadership of Dr. B.G. Tevlin, Katya moved to USA. Arriving in America in 1999, she worked at a private Jewish school in Brookline as a music teacher where she organized two elementary school choirs.
Katya has held a variety of choral conducting positions with both amateur and professional level choirs, such as the Russian women's choir of Boston, the mixed community choirs of Wilbraham and Carlisle, the Boston Choral Ensemble, and the Education Bridge Festival choir. While working as a church music director at Wellesley Hills UU church for four years Katya conducted the church choir, provided piano accompaniment, and administrated the music program.
Performer
Since her youth Katya has been seriously engaged in solo and choral singing participating in international choral festivals and numerous concerts. Since arriving in Boston she has been singing with various professional groups. Katya sang with New England Conservatory Camerata, Boston University choral ensembles, and Marsh Chapel Choir. Katya is a founding member of the Voices21 choral project, a professional choir ensemble of selected vocalists that participates in international festivals and gives concerts in Boston. During the pandemic Katya has joined a newly formed women's choir NOVA and creates her solo virtual singing projects.
She has been an active participant of the Russian-American festival "Educational Bridge Project" where she conducted master classes, organized meetings of Russian and American conductors, and arranged for concerts in Boston and Moscow. Katya serves as a board member for the EBP. Katya is a passionate advocate of children taking voice lessons, and recently she has become a student voice festival chair of the Needham Concert Society.
Education
Katya holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in choral conducting from the Ippolitov-Ivanov Music College and the Gnessins Russian Academy of Music (cum lauda). She also spent a year and a half studying at the Doctoral program performance track of the Department of Choral Performance of Contemporary Music at the Moscow State Conservatory. Katya earned her D.M.A. in Music Education from Boston University. For further professional training, she continues to actively attend workshops and master classes conducted by the American League of Choral Conductors and Voice Study Center (England).
Gulnara Ibrahimova Ozdemir
Piano teacher (in Russian, Azerbaijani, and Turkish languages)
Gulnara was born in the city of Baku, Azerbaijan. She started receiving professional musical education at the age of 6. She graduated with honors from the music college named after A. Zeynali and the Azerbaijani state of University of arts and culture in the city of Baku. Gulnara also has an ABRSM international diploma in piano of the highest category. In 1995, she immigrated in Turkey and in the span of 26 years, she was the leading teacher in one it the most well-known and prestigious musical schools of Izmir.
During this time, Gulnara has brought up many students, laureates at the school, which is a representative of Royal Schools of Music in UK, has accumulated unique experience and knowledge in preparing for the international ABRSM exams, her students successfully passed tests of any complexity.
The teaching technique, teaching psychology, music theory and history, and a sincere love for children and teaching. All of these qualities plus the individual approach provide exceptional quality of music education which can be received from Gulnara. Gulnara is fluent in Russian, Azerbaijani, and Turkish easily communicates with children, uses boundless trust of her students' parents.
Excellent accompanist with rich collaborative experience, Gulnara has become a famous ad sought-after pianist not only in Izmir but throughout Turkey.
Maria Ivanova
Choral teacher
Maria received her primary musical education at the Perm Music College in 2018, specializing in choral conducting. During her studies, she taught choral class and music theory at a music school in Perm. Continuing her education, in 2022 she received a bachelor's degree in choral conducting at the St. Petersburg Institute of Culture in the class of Associate Professor E. Zhukova. During her studies in St. Petersburg, Maria was an artist of the professional chamber choir "St. Petersburg Serenades" under the direction of E. Losev. Maria was also a member of the touring choir "Rimsky Korsakov" under the direction of S. Ekimov. The choir presented the program "Voices on the Neva" in 30 cities in France, Luxembourg and Belgium. In addition to professional ensembles, Maria worked as a conductor-chorus master with an amateur choir of students of the acting faculty of the St. Petersburg Institute of Culture, where the artists successfully presented classical works by W. A. Mozart, D. Verdi, and S. Rachmaninoff in their acting shows. After moving to the United States in 2022, Maria continued her musical career in Boston. She is a member of the Chorus pro Musica choir, which performs regularly at large venues such as Symphony Hall, Jordan Hall, Sanders Theatre, Old South Church, Church of the Covenant in Boston, and Carnegie Hall in New York City. Maria is a regular member of Tufts University's Early Music Ensemble and also sings in the professional church choir at an Anglican parish in Dorchester.
Rebecca Matte
Voice teacher.
Rebecca is a soprano and music educator from Rome, NY. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, where she was awarded the “Vocal Department Performance Excellence” award. In May of 2025, she graduated with Master's degree in Vocal Performance from Boston Conservatory at Berklee. During her time at Boston Conservatory, she performed with the Graduate Conductor's Choir and Opera Studio. Rebecca's teaching philosophy is rooted in vocal pedagogy and student-centered learning. She teaches classical, pop, and musical theater styles, and is thrilled to be joining the Boston Bilingual Singers team!
Ivan Gusev
Piano teacher
Originally from Kazakhstan and Russia, Ivan Gusev is an award-winning pianist and organist whose performances have been celebrated across Russia, Europe, and the United States. He has appeared at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Moscow Conservatory, Mannes School of Music, Hunter College, and the Saint Botolph Club.
Ivan holds Master’s and Doctoral degrees from the Moscow Conservatory and a Master’s from Mannes School of Music at The New School (NYC). His accolades include top prizes at the Gershwin International Music Competition, Chopin International Piano Competition, and the Mauro Monopoli Prize in Italy. He is a Steinway Award recipient and a current fellow at the Saint Botolph Club in Boston.
A passionate educator, Ivan teaches piano at Concord-Carlisle High School and serves as Music Director at Church of the Holy Spirit in Mattapan. He has developed his own original method of piano instruction—distinctive and deeply personal—which has helped students achieve success in competitions and gain admission to top music programs. Ivan especially enjoys working with children, nurturing their musical growth with patience, creativity, and enthusiasm.
Beyond piano, Ivan is a passionate organist, gospel choir director, and composer of original works and transcriptions for piano, organ, and choir. His musical journey was featured in Donald Isler’s book Afterthoughts of a Pianist/Teacher as an inspiring story for fellow musicians.
Rachmaninoff: Etude-Tableaux Op. 39 No. 2 in A minor
Eva Dominiak
Guest lecturer in music literature.
Eva Dominiak is a musicologist and a composer. She graduated with honors from the Moscow Music College named after A. Shnitke and the Gnessins Russian Academy of Music with a degree in composition. During her studies, she specialized in electronic and computer music. Eva has also taught an author’s course “Musical Computer” at the Moscow Children’s School of Arts named after E.F. Svetlanov.
Over her 20-year career, she has composed music for symphony orchestras, chamber instrumental and vocal compositions, theater productions, and media background tracks.
Eva has participated in various festivals and competitions, including the Chamber Vocal Music Festival named after Nadezhda Yureneva (2010, diploma), the All-Russian Competition of Composers “CelloVek” (2006, special prize of the Charitable Foundation “Russian Performing Arts”), and the Yesenin Competition of Young Composers of Russia (2001, II prize).
https://soundcloud.com/evadominiak/sets
Music by Eva Dominiak
Vocal Katya Anoshkin
Piano Gulnara Ozdemir