Dina K. Kirnarskaya

Musicologist, musical psychologist; member of journalists’ Union of Russia (1995), member of composers’ Union of Russia (2006).
Ph. D., professor.
Head of History of Music Chair, Rector’s adviser at the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music.

Education

Gnesin Russian Academy of Music (1987)
Visiting Professor — London Institute of Education (1996) British Council Grant
Visiting Professor — Harvard University (1997-1998) Fulbright Grant
Visiting Professor — Boston College (2008) Fulbright Grant Ph. D. degrees:

• «Music perception: adequacy issues»  — dissertation towards Ph. D. status in Musicology / Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (1998);
• «Theory and practice of musical giftedness’ assessment» — dissertation towards Ph. D. status in Psychology / St. Petersburg University (2006).

Courses Taught

• History of Music (since 1987 to present);
• Psychology of Music (2015-2018);
• Psychology of Music Education (2019 to present — online for Russian regions).

Publications

In Russian:

• Kirnarskaya, D. (2026) Puzzles in Music: Art-Practicum. AST Publishing, 2026-112 p.;
• Kirnarskaya, D. (2025) Puzzles in Fine Arts: Art-Practicum. AST Publishing, 2025 112 p.;
• Kirnarskaya, D. (2025) Classical Music for Everyone. Middle Ages. Renaissance. Baroque. Classicism. 3-d edition. Slovo Publishers. 432 p.;
• Kirnarskaya, D. (2023) Elena Gnesina. The Leader’s Life and Times: documentary novel. Gnesins Russian Academy of Music, 360 p.;
• Kirnarskaya, D. (2022) Classics on the Run. Musical Masterpieces from Middle Ages to the Present. Slovo Publishers, 296 p.;
• Kirnarskaya, D. (2004) Musical Abilities. Talents — XXI Publishing, 496 p.

In English:

• Kirnarskaya, D. (2009) The Natural Musician. On Abilities, Giftedness and Talent. Oxford University Press. 432 P. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199560134.001.0001.

Scientific Articles in Russian:

• Kirnarskaya, D. (2025) «Black Box» of Musical Feeling: facts and fiction // Contemporary Musicology. 2025 Т. 9, № 3 С. 134-160. https://doi.org/10.56620/2587-9731-2025-3-134-160;
• Kirnarskaya, D. (2024) Elena Gnesin Enigma // Scholarly Papers of Russian Gnesin Academy of Music. 2024 № 3 P. 10-28. https://doi.org/10.56620/2227-9997-2024-3-10-28;
• Kirnarskaya, D. (2021) Why workaholics are not Mozarts? Musical Abilities in post-cognitive era [electronic version] // Contemporary Foreign Psychology. 2021 Vol. 10 № 4. P. 64-72. https://doi.org/10.17759/jmfp.2021100406. Режим доступа: https://psyjournals.ru/journals/jmfp/archive/2021_n4/Kirnarskaya;
• Kirnarskaya, D. (2018) National Mentality in Music Education: Russia — West // World of Science, Culture and Education. 2018 № 1 P. 52-54;
• Kirnarskaya, D. (2018) How to educate a successful musician? Self-efficacy and its formation in family // Part 1 Scholarly Papers of Russian Gnesin Academy of Music. 2018 № 2 P. 4-15. // Part 2 Scholarly Papers of Russian Gnesin Academy of Music. 2018 № 3 P. 15-25;
• Kirnarskaya, D. (2017) Three sources and three parts of Russian reform in Education: Art of Music Experience // Contemporary Education. 2017 № 4 P. 1-16;
• Kirnarskaya, D. (2016) Why we need mass music education? Major question: is pedagogy art or science? // Arts’ Education and Science. 2016 № 3 P. 44-54;
• Kirnarskaya, D. (2014) Human talents’ structure from musical perspective // Philarmonica. 2014 № 1. P. 98-112;
• Kirnarskaya, D. (2014) Musical Prodigies: «real» and «pseudo» // Scholarly Papers of Russian Gnesin Academy of Music. 2014 № 3 (10). P. 55-74;
• Kirnarskaya, D. (2013) Psychological Portrait of Composer written by himself // Scholarly Papers of Russian Gnesin Academy of Music. 2013 № 3 (6). P. 68-86;
• Kirnarskaya, D. (2012) Architectonic Ear in Composer’s Giftedness // Scholarly Papers of Russian Gnesin Academy of Music. 2012 № 1 (1). P. 69-80;
• Kirnarskaya, D. (2009) Ten Reasons for your Child’s Music School Enrollment // Music Psychology and Psychotherapy. 2009 № 6 (15). P. 75-78.

Scientific Articles in English:

• Kirnarskaya, D., & Winner, E. (1997). Musical ability in a new key: Exploring the expressive ear for music. Psychomusicology: A Journal of Research in Music Cognition, 16 (1-2), 2-16 https://doi.org/10.1037/h0094071.

Presentations at International Conferences

• «Arts and Music for Intellect and Creativity» — Vitebsk, Belarus, 05 December 2025;
• «Art-Practicum: Puzzles for Fine Arts and Music for Intellectual Development» — Moscow, Russia, 05 November 2025;
• «Arts in the Future of Education» — Vitebsk, Belarus, 05 December 2024;
• «Future for Women’s Leadership» — Solnechnogorsk, Russia, 13 October 2024;
• «Three Ears for Music as the Foundation of Thought» — Vitebsk, Belarus, 3 December 2022;
• «Music Education. Present and Future» — Tallinn, Estonia, 24-25 October 2019;
• Participating in Summit THE — Moscow and Kazan, Russia, 07-09 November 2018; 29-30 August 2018;
• Participating in Russian — Finnish Cultural Forum — Savonlinna, Finland, 26 September 2018 — 01 October 2018;
• «Evolutionary Method in Music Education» — 33rd World Conference of ISME, Baku, Azerbaijan, 15-20 July 2018;
• Participating in CIS Intellectuals Forum — Astana, Kazakhstan, 18-20 June 2018;
• «Music Education Reform: What, How and What for» — Minsk, Belarus, 14 December 2017;
• «Human Giftedness Structure» — Sochi, Russia, 16-19 June 2017;
• «How to educate Gifted Children» — Minsk, Belarus, 01-02 December 2016;
• «Music Education Marketing» — ISME International Conference, Glasgow, Scotland, 23-30 July 2016;
• «Contemporary Problems of Music Education» — Tambov, Russia, 06 February 2015;
• «Contemporary Problems of Arts Education» — Moscow, Russia, 25 March 2014;
• «How to predict professional success in music and beyond?» — «Asian Conference in Psychology and Behavioral Sciences», Osaka, Japan, 28-31 March 2013;
• «Prodigies in Music» — European Conference on Developmental Psychology, Bergen, Norway, 25-27 August 2011;
• «Am I an engineer, an artist or a scholar? Professional Success for Everyone» — VI Fulbright Science and Technology Annual Conference (FAST), Heidelberg, Germany, 2011;
• «Who am I? An architect, a musician or an actor: the psychology of artistic abilities» — IEMM, Singapore, 2010;
• «Chamber Music in Educational Context» — Almaty, Kazakhstan, 12 December 2010;
• «Russian System of Music Education» — Russian — Finnish Cultural Forum, Hameenlinna, Finland, October 2010;
• Salzburg Seminar participation on the Future of Higher Education (2003);
• Salzburg Seminar participation on Classical Music in the Third Millenium (1997).

Radio and TV Appearances in the Role of Expert BBC Russian Service Cultural Correspondent (freelance):

• 1994-2002 Radio Mayak Commentator with personal program «The Flip Side of Music»: since 2018 to present Channel Culture Programs «Non-Boring Classics» and «The Observer»: since 2013 to present First Federal Channel «Let them Speak» and «Time Shows»: since 2014 to present Lectures on Psychology of Arts and Music Since 2019 to present: Helikon opera Theatre, Zaryadie Concert Hall, TEDx etc.

Awards and Honors

Honored Worker of Education of the Russian Federation (2024).
Salzburg Seminar Grant (1997 and 2003).
Fulbright Grant (1997 and 2008).
British Council Grant (1996).