Larisa Topolkaraeva - Piano

Larisa Topolkaraeva has been a faculty member at the Lawrence Community Music School since 1994. A native of Tbilisi, Georgia, Dr. Topolkaraeva began her piano studies at the age of five with her pianist mother. After receiving her B.A. in piano performance from the Tbilisi State Conservatory she moved to Moscow, where she earned her master's degree with highest honor and Ph.D in piano performance and pedagogy from the Russian State Academy of Music—formerly Gnesin's Institute—in Moscow. Prior to her move to Appleton, she taught piano at the numerous music academies in Tbilisi and Moscow. 

Throughout her teaching career, Dr. Topolkaraeva's students have actively participated in and regularly won top prizes at different piano competitions, including WMTA Badger, Solo & Ensemble, and Steinway Junior among others. Her students have also participated in summer music programs at the Aspen Music Festival and School and Interlochen Center for the Arts among others. Her former students have been accepted into undergraduate music programs at the Oberlin Collage, Northwestern University, UW-Madison, Colburn School of Music, and Lawrence University. 

"Every student is different, and each of them has a very rich inner world and countless abilities.
My mission is to help each of them individually to find the way to uncover and open up their abilities and realize their full potentials. My goal is to guide them to the most precious, magical world of music, to expend their horizon of imagination and creativity, to build up their confidence, and to help them to develop and expand their musical, technical, and intellectual skills."
— Larisa Topolkaraeva