Dr. Radina Dosseva

Languages: English (fluent), Bulgarian (fluent), Spanish (intermediate)

Musical Styles: Classical, Jazz, Blues, Contemporary, Pop, Rock, Folk, Non-Western, Chamber, Broadway, Disney, Film and Video game music, etc. If we can find the score for it, I’ll teach it!

Specialized Skill Levels: All

Additional Areas of Instruction: Piano, Music Theory and Composition, Musician Wellness

Affiliations: Washington Balalaika Society, Washington International Piano Festival, Society for Music Theory, Society for Ethnomusicology, Humanities Commons, College Music Society, MTNA, VMTA, NVMTA, and BMI.

Adult Students Welcome!

Dr. Radina Dosseva was born in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, where she began her music studies at the age of 5. She has lived and studied in different countries (Bulgaria, Libya, Nigeria, United States) with her family, where she learned about different types of music, languages, and cultures.

Dr. Dosseva holds a Bachelor’s degree with a double major in Music and Sociology from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, a Master’s degree in Music Theory and Composition from East Carolina University in North Carolina, and a second Master’s degree in Piano Pedagogy from George Mason University in Virginia, where she studied piano with Dr. Monson, chamber music with Dr. Balakerskaia, and piano pedagogy with Dr. Haroutounian. Dr. Dosseva also received a Doctorate in Piano Pedagogy from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where she studied piano with Dr. Fitenko and piano pedagogy with Dr. Litzelman. She also holds a 150-hour Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language with specializations in Teaching Business English and Test Preparation Courses, plus an additional 40 hours of coursework in teaching English to Korean Speakers, Mandarin Speakers, Arabic Speakers, and Young Learners, all from the University of Toronto, Canada.

In 2016, Dr. Dosseva was a recipient of the Fairfax Spotlight on the Arts Scholarship for the Mason Community Arts Academy, where she currently works as a teaching artist and serves as Piano Area Coordinator. She was also a recipient of the Mason Community Arts Academy Faculty Enrichment Fund Award in 2023.

Dr. Dosseva is a member of several music organizations, and is also a piano, music theory, and composition teacher in the Northern Virginia area. Furthermore, Dr. Dosseva serves on the Governing Board of the Washington International Piano Festival (WIPF), which is held every summer in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Dosseva has more than 14 years extensive teaching experience, both in classroom and private settings, and she welcomes students of all ages and levels, including adult students. She regularly attends educational webinars, workshops, and conferences, and has previously taught a group class, “Building Your Musicianship Skills,” on music theory and history topics, at the Mason Community Arts Academy. She has had several students place in the Honors Recital at the 1st (2017) and 5th (2023) Mason Community Arts Academy Biennial Music Competition in Fairfax, VA. Additionally, her composition student, Ivy Xu, won 1st prize in the middle school division of the International Young Women’s Composition Competition in 2022. Two of her piano students were recently selected to participate in a Young Pianist Event, part of the Little City Concert series in Falls Church.

In addition to teaching, playing the piano, and composing, Dr. Dosseva has also been playing prima domra (a type of mandolin) for the past 17 years, first with the American Balalaika Symphony and, currently, with the Washington Balalaika Society orchestra.