Olga A. Yakupova

In 1981 she graduated from the Ufa State Institute of Arts in piano performance (class of Professor T. M. Rusanova). In 1998 she completed postgraduate studies at the Magnitogorsk State Conservatory in the specialization «History and Theory of Performance Art» under the supervision of Professors V. Yu. Grigoriev and E. B. Dolinskaya (Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory).

In 1998 she defended her Candidate of Art Criticism dissertation in the field 17.00.02 «Musical Art» on the topic «Aspects of Alfred Cortot’s Work: Performance, Pedagogy, Editorial Activity», supervised by Professor V. Yu. Grigoriev (Doctor of Art Criticism, Honoured Artist of Russia).

In 2000 she was awarded the academic title of Associate Professor. She began teaching while still a student: from 1974 to 1981 she taught piano and worked as accompanist at the Glinka Magnitogorsk Music College; from 1981 to 2000 she taught in the Department of Collaborative Piano at the Magnitogorsk State Conservatory, and from 1998 to 2000 she headed the Department of the History and Theory of Performance Art there.

Since 2000 she has taught in the Piano Department of the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, combining teaching with scholarly, methodological, and educational work. From 2003 to 2010, as Executive Secretary of the Admissions Committee, she played a major role in organizing and conducting entrance examinations at the Academy.

Since 2010 she has headed the Piano Department at the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music. Deeply committed to developing the piano curriculum for students of different specializations, she contributes to the design of syllabi and presents papers on methodological issues at conferences (Moscow: 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017; Ufa: 2002; Saratov: 2014, 2016; Kazan: 2017). As a panelist she has participated in discussions on the piano course for non‑piano majors at the Moscow Creative‑Education Forum held within the International «NAMM Musikmesse Russia 2016» exhibition.

To unite the efforts of the teaching community in addressing the future of the piano curriculum, she regularly organizes academic and practical conferences. In recent years these have included:

• the Academic and Practical Conference «Repertoire Policy for the Piano Course in the Twenty‑First Century», Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, Moscow, 14 May 2011;
• the All‑Russian Academic and Practical Conference on the piano course for musicians of different specializations «Traditions and Prospects», Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, Moscow, 1 December 2012 (marking the 50th anniversary of the Piano Department);
• the Academic and Practical Conference on the piano course «The Genre of the Miniature in Educational Outreach», Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, Moscow, 7–8 December 2013;
• the Academic and Practical Conference on the piano course for musicians of different specializations «Current Issues in the Piano Course», Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, Moscow, 23 May 2015;
• the All‑Russian Academic and Practical Conference on the piano course for musicians of different specializations «Contemporary Trends in the Piano Course: Methodological and Educational Aspects», Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, Moscow, 27 November 2015;
• the All‑Russian Academic and Practical Conference on the piano course for musicians of different specializations «The Piano Course: Current Issues and Prospects for Development», Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, Moscow, 9–10 December 2016;
• the All‑Russian Academic and Practical Conference «The Objectives of the Piano Course in the Context of Contemporary Educational Challenges», Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, Moscow, 25 November 2017.

On her initiative, the two most recent conferences (2016 and 2017) included concerts in the Shuvalova Music Salon featuring pupils and students from all three tiers of the Gnesin system— the Gnesin Moscow Secondary Special Music School, the Gnesin College, and the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music—providing a significant practical demonstration of the Gnesin tradition.

She has contributed to and co‑edited collections of articles on the methodology of the piano course, including:

• Methodological Aspects of the Piano Course, eds. V. D. Nyrkova and O. A. Yakupova, Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, Moscow, 2015, pp. 81–94, ISBN 978‑5‑00086‑772‑3;
• Educational Outreach in the Context of Music Education, collection of articles, eds. V. D. Nyrkova, O. A. Yakupova, and N. A. Govar, Pero Publishing, Moscow, 2015, pp. 60–75, ISBN 978‑5‑00086‑773‑0.

Continuing the tradition established by her predecessor and mentor V. D. Nyrkova, who headed the department for more than forty years, she organizes and develops the Festival‑Competitions of Educational Programmes «Music and Word» for students of different specializations at secondary and higher institutions of culture and the arts (2011, 2014, and in 2016 with international status).

O. A. Yakupova has served on juries for numerous All‑Russian and international competitions, including:

• the Open Orenburg International Competition for Young Performers named after Leopold and Mstislav Rostropovich (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016);
• the All‑Russian (since 2016 International) Festival‑Competition of Educational Programmes «Music and Word» for students of various specializations in secondary and higher education in culture and the arts, Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, Moscow (2011, 2014 – Chair, 2016);
• the Open All‑Russian Competition in the Piano Course for students of various specializations in secondary and higher professional education in culture and the arts, Saratov State Conservatory named after L. V. Sobinov (2014, 2016 – Chair);
• the International Competition «Piano Academy» in the piano course for students of various specializations in higher and secondary music institutions, Kazan State Conservatory named after N. G. Zhiganov (2015, 2017 – Chair);
• the D. B. Kabalevsky International Competition «Reviving History: Russia’s Musical Relay – Composers for Children and Young People», Moscow, 2017;
• the All‑Russian Competition of Educational Programmes in Chamber Music and Piano Duets «Music of the Duo», Popov Academy of Choral Art, Moscow (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 – Chair; 2016, 2017 – Co‑chair).

Recent highlights of her artistic and educational work include:

• leading five masterclasses at the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music within the Moscow Department of Education’s «University Saturdays» project: «Specific Features of Studying the Piano Course in the Twenty‑First Century» (1 November 2014, with V. D. Nyrkova); «Faces of Spain» (31 October 2015, with N. A. Govar); «An Excursion into the History of Orchestral Instruments» (15 May 2016, with N. A. Govar and V. D. Nyrkova); «Dance as a Reflection of Its Era» (14 May 2017, with L. V. Artemyeva); and «Pushkin and Lermontov in Music» (18 November 2017, with S. S. Matorina and M. Yu. Kuindzhi);
• serving as accompanist at the 6th International Competition for Wind Orchestras and Wind‑Instrument Performers in Zrenjanin, Serbia, on 24 June 2017, where she received a Second‑Prize Diploma for Accompaniment;
• assisting in organizing a series of concerts for the V. A. Matorin Charitable Foundation «Reviving the Culture and Traditions of Russia’s Small Towns», and serving on the Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

Over many years of teaching, O. A. Yakupova has trained a large number of students, many of whom now teach in music institutions across Russia and abroad and have become prize‑winners and diploma‑holders at various competitions. Under her academic supervision, N. F. Garipova (Doctor of Art Criticism, Professor, Honoured Artist and Honoured Higher‑Education Worker of the Republic of Bashkortostan), R. R. Shaikhutdinov (Head of the Piano Department at the A. G. Schnittke Moscow State Institute of Music, Honoured Artist of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Professor), and Z. M. Denisova (Dean of the Faculty of Creative Industries at the Yekaterinburg Academy of Contemporary Art, Associate Professor) have successfully defended their Candidate of Art Criticism dissertations.

In recent years, focusing her teaching on piano instruction for non‑piano majors, she has prepared many prize‑winners of competitions and festivals, including:

• V. Khoroshavina and Yu. Volodina, First‑Prize laureates in the Piano Ensemble category at the 3rd All‑Russian Competition of Educational Programmes in Chamber Music and Piano Duets «Music of the Duo», Popov Academy of Choral Art, Moscow, 17–18 May 2014;
• Ya. Chekletsova and A. Sarzhant, Third‑Prize laureates in the Piano Ensemble category at the same competition;
• Yu. Volodina, N. Bazhenov, and I. Filipchik, First‑Prize laureates in the Collective Literary‑Musical Educational Programmes category at the 7th All‑Russian Festival‑Competition «Music and Word», Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, Moscow, 5–7 December 2014 (programme prepared jointly with N. A. Govar);
• Yu. Volodina, A. Orekhova, K. Girina, D. Yakovlev, and S. Yudichev, Grand‑Prix laureates in the Accompaniment category at the 4th All‑Russian Competition of Educational Programmes in Chamber Music and Piano Duets «Music of the Duo», Popov Academy of Choral Art, Moscow, 16–17 May 2015 (programme prepared jointly with S. S. Matorina);
• N. Sitchikhina, K. Barchugova, I. Zabelina, O. Savintseva, A. Bogoyavlenskaya, and O. Lakhnova, First‑Prize laureates in the Collective Literary‑Musical Educational Programmes (Ensemble Performance) category at the 8th International Festival‑Competition «Music and Word», Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, Moscow, 10–12 March 2016 (programme prepared jointly with T. D. Kroshilina);
• M. Skuratovskaya, First‑Prize laureate in the Piano Solo category at the 8th International Festival‑Competition «Music and Word», Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, Moscow, 10–12 March 2016;
• M. Skuratovskaya, Grand‑Prix laureate in the Solo Performance category at the 3rd Open All‑Russian Competition in the piano course for students of various specializations in secondary and higher education in culture and the arts, Saratov State Conservatory named after L. V. Sobinov, 25–30 April 2016;
• N. Sitchikhina, D. Mantrov, D. Yakovlev, A. Nekhamets, A. Matveeva, and D. Makhov, First‑Prize laureates in the Accompaniment category at the 5th All‑Russian Competition of Educational Programmes in Chamber Music and Piano Duets «Music of the Duo», Popov Academy of Choral Art, Moscow, 14–15 May 2016 (programme prepared jointly with S. S. Matorina);
• M. Skuratovskaya, First‑Prize laureate in the Piano for Non‑Majors category at the D. B. Kabalevsky International Competition «Reviving History: Russia’s Musical Relay – Composers for Children and Young People», Moscow, 28 February – 5 March 2017;
• A. Rudenko, Second‑Prize laureate in the Piano Performance (Solo) category at the 2nd International Festival‑Competition «The Magical World of Art», Moscow, 2017.

O. A. Yakupova has received diplomas «For Pedagogical Excellence».

She is the author of 25 published works, including teaching manuals, a piano‑course syllabus, and scholarly articles. Among them are:

• O. A. Yakupova, The Performance, Pedagogical, and Editorial Work of Alfred Cortot, a textbook on piano performance for students of higher music institutions, Magnitogorsk, 1999;
• O. A. Yakupova, On Working with Sergei Rachmaninov’s Romances in the Collaborative‑Piano Class, a methodological guide for piano students at music colleges and conservatories, Magnitogorsk, 1999;
• O. A. Yakupova, «Alfred Cortot as Interpreter of Schumann’s Piano Works», in Issues in Music Performance and Pedagogy, inter‑university collection of articles, ed. A. Glazunov, Magnitogorsk, 2000;
• O. A. Yakupova, «The Unity of Artistic and Technical Training as a Condition for Interpretative Culture», in The Educational Process as Cultural Activity, Proceedings of the 3rd International Academic and Practical Conference, Samara, 2000;
• O. A. Yakupova, «On the Relevance of an Integrative Approach to Teaching the Piano Course for Non‑Piano Majors», in Music Pedagogy and Problems in Teaching Piano, ed. N. F. Garipova, Ufa, 2003;
• O. A. Yakupova, «Our Teachers», in The Piano Course for Musicians of Different Specializations at the Gnesin Institute: Past and Present, Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, Moscow, 2006, pp. 448–501;
• Piano: Course Syllabus for Students of Different Specializations, Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, Moscow, 2011 (O. A. Yakupova served on the editorial board and compiled the syllabus for string‑orchestra majors and the recommended repertoire list);
• O. A. Yakupova, «Studying Large‑Scale Piano Forms in a Historical and Stylistic Perspective», in The Piano Course for Musicians of Different Specializations: Contemporary Approaches, Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, Moscow, 2012, pp. 75–103;
• O. A. Yakupova, «On Stylistic Features of Federico Mompou’s Piano Music», in Methodological Aspects of the Piano Course, eds. V. D. Nyrkova and O. A. Yakupova, Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, Moscow, 2015, pp. 81–94, ISBN 978‑5‑00086‑772‑3;
• O. A. Yakupova, «Forms of Optimizing the Piano Course Today», in The Piano Course for Students of Different Specializations: Traditions and Prospects, Saratov State Conservatory, 2015, pp. 8–12;
• O. A. Yakupova, «National Musical Traditions in the Educational‑Outreach Orientation of the Piano Course: Manuel de Falla’s Seven Spanish Songs», in Educational Outreach in the Context of Music Education, Moscow, 2015, pp. 60–75;
• O. A. Yakupova, «French Piano Performance at the Turn of the Twentieth Century: Alfred Cortot», Art Education and Science, 2015/2(3), pp. 74–80;
• O. A. Yakupova, «On Author’s and Performer’s Rights in Music Interpretation», Art Education and Science, 2015/2(3), pp. 177–183;
• O. A. Yakupova, «On Alfred Cortot’s Interpretative Aesthetic: The Unity of Improvisational and Logical‑Constructive Principles», Art Education and Science, 2015/3(4), pp. 103–110;
• O. A. Yakupova, «French Piano Music in Alfred Cortot’s Performance and Research», Art Education and Science, 2015/4(5), pp. 135–142;
• O. A. Yakupova, «Alfred Cortot as Interpreter: Repertoire Tendencies», Art Education and Science, 2016/1(6), pp. 114–116;
• O. A. Yakupova, «On the Experience of Organizing Festivals and Competitions of Educational Programmes in the Piano Course for Students of Different Specializations», in Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Arts, Design and Contemporary Education (ICADCE 2017), vol. 144, pp. 756–758;
• N. A. Govar and O. A. Yakupova, «On Developing Motivation for Piano Study among Students of Different Specializations», Art Education and Science, 2017/4(13), pp. 153–155, and other works.

In 2010 she was awarded an Honorary Certificate of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation for her significant contribution to the development of culture, received the title «Veteran of Labour» in 2010, and in 2020 was awarded a Letter of Appreciation from the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation.