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Oksana Yurievna Kolesnikova
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Classically trained in Russia, FSU alumna becomes pop sensation
BY VIDA VOLKERT, FLORIDA STATE TIMES
Russian-born FSU music alumna Oksana Yurievna Kolesnikova was trained as a classical pianist. At 9, she was already delighting audiences with her interpretations of Tchaikovsky and Beethoven. In her teens, however, she moved with her family to the United States, where she became exposed to classics of a different kind: that of rock-and-roll.
"I was playing in different venues and people in the audience would come up to me and ask me to play different music. They would request, for instance, Led Zeppelin and, coming from Russia, I was like 'who the heck is this Led Zeppelin?'" Kolesnikova said.
Today, the 25-year-old artist, a petite woman with deep blue eyes, says she is no longer a stranger to the hard rock band's music or other contemporary sounds. A popular face in Tampa and St. Petersburg Fla., where she resides with her manager and husband Alex Concas, she performs at a variety of events and venues.
Kolesnikova has released four albums, including a compilation of her own compositions - a mix of acoustic piano and electronic synthesizer melodies - and has traveled the world performing for American troops stationed at military bases in Europe and Asia. In addition, she is marketing her own line of keyboard synthesizers.
From classical pianist to popular sensation, Kolesnikova said her achievements have been possible in part thanks to the strong foundation in music composition and music computer programming she received at FSU.
"I feel so self-sufficient when I perform and put on my shows. And I do all my orchestration without relying on anyone else," Kolesnikova said. "I have that knowledge and nobody can take it away."
Kolesnikova chose FSU because she wanted to stay in Florida, where her family lives, and because she wanted to go to a school with high standards.
"I did my research and from all the schools in Florida, I learned FSU has the strongest and best musical program," she said.
Initially, Kolesnikova was a performance major, but switched to the electronic side of music because she felt that was a better way to expand her knowledge and creativity. She earned her bachelor's degree in music as liberal arts in 2001.
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