Natasha Kislenko

Natasha Kislenko is a Senior Continuing Lecturer in the Department of Music at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), specializing in Piano and Accompanying. She joined UCSB in 2007 after teaching at California State University, Fresno, and collaborates with the Music Academy of the West. Her roles include performing, teaching, and mentoring aspiring musicians.

Education: Holds degrees from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory (Russia), Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX), and a Doctor of Musical Arts from Stony Brook University (NY). Her mentors include Anatoly Vedernikov, Gilbert Kalish, and Joaquín Achúcarro.

Research interests focus on classical piano performance, chamber music, and pedagogy, reflected in her international concert engagements and recordings. Notable accolades include the Missouri Southern International Piano Competition Grand Prize (1996), leading to solo performances with orchestras like the Santa Barbara Symphony and Varna Chamber Orchestra.

Her discography includes two acclaimed CDs with violinist Chavdar Parashkevov, praised by The Strad for her "limpid and beautiful pianism." She regularly performs and conducts masterclasses at institutions such as the University of Maryland, Tulane University, and international venues in Turkey, Italy, and Germany.