Mason Summer Piano Academy

Born in Ukraine, Misha Tumanov started his musical education in Costa Rica at the Instituto Superior de Artes and the Pre-College Program of the National University studying with Dr. Alexandr Sklioutovsky. After Mr. Tumanov graduated with honors from the National University at age seventeen, he continued his studies with Dr. Ray Kilburn at Ball State University, receiving a Master’s Degree and Artist Diploma in piano performance. Currently, Mr. Tumanov is a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Maryland, under Dr. Larissa Dedova, where he is recording works of the early Soviet Avant-garde, including Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Myaskovsky, Feinberg, and Roslavets.

Mr. Tumanov has taught in the DC area since 2010. Previously, he taught at the National University of Costa Rica, the Instituto Superior de Artes, and Ball State (both private lessons and group classes). Mr. Tumanov has also taught group classes at George Mason University and the University of Maryland. He has been often invited back to Costa Rica to work with students preparing for competitions and major performances, most notably the International Competition of Slav Music 2009 and 2010, where the students received two Second Prizes and one Third Prize. Mr. Tumanov’s students have performed at the Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, as well as prominent local venues.

Mr. Tumanov’s experience as a teacher ranges from 4-year-old beginners to advanced adults. Mr. Tumanov is passionate about guiding his students to find their own artistic voice and discovering the joy of music.

Mr. Tumanov has participated in masterclasses with such distinguished pianists and teachers as Gyorgy Sandor, Alexander Braginsky, Alexander Kobrin, Jerome Rose, and Jonathan Biss. In 2006 he released a CD featuring works by Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Schumann, and Rachmaninov.

Mr. Tumanov is a frequent performer at festivals and conferences, both as a solo and collaborative pianist, including the International Double Reed Society conference, MTNA, Piano Technicians Guild, and Orfeo Music Festival in Italy. He has been a featured soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, the National and Youth Symphony Orchestras of Costa Rica, as well as the Ball State Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Tumanov has won numerous awards and competitions, including second place at the East-Central Division of the MTNA National Competition, the Indianapolis Matinee Musicale, and 1st Prize at the Pinault International Competition in New York.

In addition, Mr. Tumanov is the pianist/organist and Concert Series Coordinator at the United Christian Parish in Reston, VA.

Masha Feygelson began her musical studies in Moscow and has extensive experience working with children, both as an instructor in a classroom setting and as a private music teacher. Since joining the MCAA faculty in 2013, Ms. Feygelson has built a flourishing studio of young pianists whose levels range from beginner to advanced.

Ms. Feygelson has performed as a piano soloist and chamber musician both in the United States and abroad. She has received accolades in competitions including the Duquesne National Young Artist Competition in Pittsburgh, the American Fine Arts Festival in New York City, and the Orfeo International Music Festival in Vipiteno, Italy. She has also performed in the ARTS! by George series at GMU and the GMU School of Music Honors Recital.

Ms. Feygelson attended Levine School of Music in Washington D.C., and Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, studying piano with notable teachers Anna Ouspenskaya, Dr. Michael Coonrod, and Ya-Ting Chang. She received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in Piano Performance from George Mason University, where she studied with Dr. Anna Balakerskaia. Ms. Feygelson also began her foray into vocal study in the George Mason jazz program with Dr. Darden Purcell, and has also studied with operatic soprano Fabiana Bravo and holistic vocal coach Tiffaney Moore Borgelin.

In addition to teaching and performing, Ms. Feygelson also works as an accompanist, church pianist, and vocalist in the D.C. metropolitan area.

Topher Ruggiero is a classical pianist, educator, collaborator, and a promoter of new music. 

Music is something that has been a part of Topher’s life from a very young age. He was fortunate enough to have many talented and influential teachers, mentors, and supporters throughout his growth as a musician. Topher is extremely passionate about continuing and promoting the love of piano and the arts, the importance of music and performance, and the high quality of teaching and education needed to influence musicians of all ages. 

As an arts advocate and passionate musician, Topher has performed in a variety of concerts and events including solo, concerto, collaborative, choral, and master class settings. 

Topher began his musical career at the age of 10 where he took piano lessons in his hometown of Shrewsbury, New Jersey. His natural talent for piano, influential piano teachers, and many lessons and performances sprung his musical journey forward to Ithaca College where he studied Piano Performance. From there, Topher received his Master’s in Piano Performance at Kent State University and completed his education at Ball State University with a Doctor of Arts degree in Piano Performance and Music Theory. 

Throughout his career as a teacher and performer, Topher has worked at several universities, including his most recent as Assistant Professor of Music at Alderson Broaddus University in West Virginia. Currently, Topher serves as the Associate Chair of Piano at Levine Music’s Virginia campus where he manages piano faculty and student placement and teaches a full piano studio. During the summers, he also teaches at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, Michigan. Topher also concertizes throughout the Washington D.C. area as a performing artist with the Friday Morning Music Club, a non-profit organization that promotes the arts and presents free concerts for the community. 

In his spare time, Topher enjoys reading, watching sports and movies, exploring restaurants and breweries, and spending time with family and friends. He currently resides in McLean, Virginia with his wife, daughter, son, and two cats.

A native of Kanagawa, Japan, pianist Yukiko Fujimura is an active performer and dedicated educator. She appears regularly as a soloist and collaborative artist, with career highlights including a concerto performance at Minsk’s Great Philharmonic Hall.

Fujimura is a prizewinner of numerous competitions, including the Music Teachers National Association Young Artist Performance Competition and the Schubert Club Competition. She holds a Doctor of Arts in piano performance from Ball State University, where she studied with Ray Kilburn.

Known for her student-centered teaching approach, Fujimura is passionate about helping students develop confidence, creativity, and expressive playing. She has presented workshops on piano pedagogy across the United States and internationally.

She currently serves as Assistant Professor of Music at Union Commonwealth University and is President of the Kentucky Music Teachers Association.

Brian Ganz is widely regarded as one of the leading pianists of his generation.  

A laureate of the Marguerite Long Jacques Thibaud and the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium International Piano Competitions, Mr. Ganz has appeared as soloist with such orchestras as the St. Louis Symphony, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Baltimore Symphony, the National Philharmonic, the National Symphony, the City of London Sinfonia, and the Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra, and has performed with such conductors as Leonard Slatkin, Marin Alsop, Mstislav Rostropovich, Piotr Gajewski and Yoel Levi. 

The Washington Post has written: “One comes away from a recital by pianist Brian Ganz not only exhilarated by the power of the performance but also moved by his search for artistic truth.” For many years Mr. Ganz has made it his mission to join vivid music making with warmth and intimacy onstage to produce a new kind of listening experience, in which great works come to life with authentic emotional power. As one of Belgium’s leading newspapers, La Libre Belgique, put it, “We don’t have the words to speak of this fabulous musician who lives music with a generous urgency and brings his public into a state of intense joy.”

In January of 2011 Mr. Ganz began a multi-year project in partnership with the National Philharmonic in which he will perform the complete works of Frédéric Chopin at the Music Center at Strathmore. After the inaugural recital, The Washington Post wrote: “Brian Ganz was masterly in his first installment of the complete works [of Chopin].” This year’s February recital marked the tenth in the series. (For four excerpts from that recital, see “Videos.”) The next recital in the series will take place on February 27, 2021.

Mr. Ganz is on the piano faculty of St. Mary’s College of Maryland, where he is artist-in-residence, and is also a member of the piano faculty of the Peabody Conservatory. He is the artist-editor of the Schirmer Performance Edition of Chopin’s Preludes (2005). Recent performance highlights include Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 at the Alba Music Festival in Italy and with the National Philharmonic at Strathmore, Mozart’s Piano Concerto K. 466 with the Virginia Chamber Orchestra and the Annapolis Symphony, Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto with the Billings Symphony, and a solo recital for the Distinguished Artists Series of Santa Cruz, California. 

Dr. Linda Apple Monson, International Steinway Artist, serves as the Director of the Dewberry School of Music in the College of Visual and Performing Arts at George Mason University. A Distinguished Service Professor, Monson was awarded the John Toups Presidential Medal for Excellence in Teaching at George Mason University’s 2018 Spring Commencement Ceremony. The Toups Presidential Medal is presented to “a faculty member whose teaching exemplifies Mason’s commitment to ongoing innovation and excellence in delivering a transformative learning experience to our students.”

Linda Apple Monson has recently been inducted into the Steinway Teacher Hall of Fame in New York City on October 4, 2023. The Steinway & Sons Music Teacher Hall of Fame is a prestigious designation “recognizing the work of North America’s most committed and passionate piano educators.”

Named the George Mason University Distinguished Faculty Member of the Year (2012), Monson also received the Influential Women of Virginia award (2014). Monson delivered two TED-X talks and received the Toastmaster’s International Communication and Leadership Award (2014) “in recognition of outstanding dedication, leadership, and contributions in the areas of education and international understanding.” Monson is the recipient of the George Mason University Teaching Excellence Award (2009) “for exemplary dedication to student learning and commitment to educational excellence.” In honor of the extraordinary impact of Monson’s teaching and music leadership at George Mason University, multiple donors established in 2011 the Dr. Linda Apple Monson Music Endowment Fund. A professor at Mason since 1999, Monson has also served as Director of Music at Springfield United Methodist Church for many years.

A $5 million scholarship commitment from the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family established the Dr. Linda Apple Monson Scholars Endowed Fund to support outstanding artist-scholars in Mason’s School of Music. Monson was recognized through the renaming of the Grand Tier III of Mason’s Center for the Arts in her honor to the Dr. Linda Apple Monson Grand Tier. The Board of Visitors approved the renaming of Mason’s School of Music to the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music in 2020, in honor of the Dewberry’s legacy of giving and generous support of the School.

A nationally recognized arts leader, Monson was elected to the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) Commission on Accreditation, the board granting accreditation for music programs at universities and conservatories across the nation. Monson currently serves as Chair of Region 7 of NASM (representing seven states) and she serves on the NASM Executive Board. She was selected for the Fulbright Senior Specialist Roster, in collaboration with the U.S. State Department and the Council for International Exchange of Scholars. Monson served as a juror for the 2023 International Young Artist Piano Competition (2023) in Washington D.C., International Juror of the Washington Piano Invitational Competition (2013) at the Kennedy Center and was named a Visiting Guest Professor at Nanjing Normal University, China (2010).

An active performer-scholar and an internationally recognized master teacher, Monson has given lecture-recitals, solo piano recitals, and piano master classes throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Australia. An advocate of new music, Monson has presented numerous world premieres of solo piano works. Her research and performance have been featured in invited lecture-recitals at the College Music Society International Conferences in Lithuania and Estonia in July of 2023. She has been a featured presenter at CMS International Conferences in Brussels, Sydney, Stockholm, Helsinki, Buenos Aires, Dubrovnik, Bangkok, Madrid, and San Jose. Monson has also given lecture-recitals and piano masterclasses internationally in Seoul, Oxford, Dublin, Nanjing, Kuala Lumpur, San Jose, and San Juan. Monson delivered an interdisciplinary lecture-recital at the Oxford Round Table in England and was a featured lecture-recitalist for the Alban Berg International Festival in Hannover, Germany. She was an invited concert artist, lecturer, and piano master class clinician at Nanjing Normal University, China where she has been appointed a visiting guest professor. Monson has presented her research and delivered lecture-recitals at National Conferences of the College Music Society held in Minneapolis, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, and Miami. In addition, Monson has also presented solo piano recitals and piano master classes at countless universities throughout the United States and abroad.

Monson currently serves as Chair of the Provost/Chairs Forum for George Mason University. She previously served as President of Mason’s chapter of Phi Beta Delta, a national honor society dedicated to recognizing scholarly achievement and excellence in international education. She also served five terms as a Faculty Senator at George Mason University and was elected by the university faculty to serve on the Mason Presidential Search Committee (2011-12). Additionally, she served on the University Provost Review Committee (2018). Serving on the Friends of Music at Mason Board and the Faculty Arts Club, Monson is also a presenter for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute of George Mason University. In addition, Monson is a frequent performer at Mason as a solo and collaborative piano artist.

An active adjudicator in piano competitions and festivals, Monson served as a juror for the 2023 Young Artist International Piano Competition and the 2019 International Artist Piano Competition. Additionally she served as a juror for the 2018 Concerto Competition for the Sewanee Summer Music Festival and the 2016 National Symphony Orchestra piano concerto auditions for young artists. She also presented a piano master for the 2016 –17 International Piano Competition (I Institute–Beijing). Monson also served as an American Juror for the 2009 Washington International Piano Competition. She was invited as a panelist and concert commentator for the Virginia Chamber Orchestra satellite broadcasts, Music of the Romantic Era and Music by Modern Masters, which were sent to all community colleges in the United States.

A native of central Pennsylvania, Monson earned three degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music of the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore: the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance, the Master of Music degree in Piano, and the Bachelor of Music Education Degree with a double-major in Piano and Bassoon. She also received a Diploma in Piano from Musica en Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain. In addition, she studied chamber music at the Music Academy of the West, Santa Barbara, California. Monson previously served on the music faculties of the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore School for the Arts, and Northern Virginia Community College. She is married to Dr. Keith L. Monson, a forensic scientist. The Monsons are blessed with two children, Kristofer and Linnea.

Dr. Anna Balakerskaia is a “consistently thrilling pianist” (Judy Gruber, Washington Post) whose expression “wells with a delightful freedom,” (Robert Dumm, Clavier) and whose sound “is warm and deep.” (Elaine Fine, American Record Guide) Indeed, the legendary Russian violinist and conductor, Viktor Tretyakov, writes this about Dr. Balakerskaia: “A unique, almost extrasensory feeling of ensemble, excellent pianism, a radiant personality – that is [Anna] Balakerskaia!”

As the three-time prizewinner of the Best Accompanist Diploma at the International Tchaikovsky Competition, her career has brought her to some of today’s greatest concert halls, including Carnegie Hall in New York City, the Teatro Colon in Buenos-Aires, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, and the Salle Gaveau in Paris, among many others.

Dr. Balakerskaia has also had the pleasure of making music with a number of internationally renowned artists, including Leonid Kogan, Mikhail Gantvarg, Ilya Kaler, Kirill Kondrashin, Daniel Shafran, Valery Gergiev, and Yuri Temirkanov. She also played with Jacqueline du Pre for Mstislav Rostrapovich.

Dr. Balakerskaia is a founding member of the “Ensemble da Camera of Washington”, a trio of musicians from Brazil, Germany and Russia, based in Washington, D.C., and renowned internationally for their “extraordinary technical skill and musical perception.” (Joseph McLellan, Washington Post) The Ensemble has produced several well-praised recordings, while also acting as Artists-in-Residence of the American Youth Philharmonic. They created the Chamber Music Program of the AYPO, where they hold monthly masterclasses and perform a series of concerts. This program is supported by a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Additionally, Dr. Balakerskaia is the founder of her own concert series, “Anna and Friends”, regularly held at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. Besides featuring the “Ensemble da Camera”, Dr. Balakerskaia has also had the distinct pleasure of featuring world-renowned violinist and conductor Zino Bogachek, with whom she has recorded several CDs, and great pianist Darya Gabay, Dr. Balakerskaia’s daughter-in-law.

Dr. Balakerskaia has had a distinct teaching career, serving on the faculties of the St. Petersburg and Moscow conservatories. She currently is in her eighteenth-year teaching at George Mason University, where she is Term Professor of Piano and Chamber Music. She also serves on the faculty of several summer music festivals in Italy, Germany, Russia, and the Netherlands. and is Artist-in-Residence at the Orfeo International Music Festival. Her students have won prizes at many international competitions, including the Rubinstein International Piano Competition and the Thomas and Evan Cooper International Competition, and currently perform and teach across the globe.

Dr. Balakerskaia received her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance, Pedagogy and Chamber Music from St. Petersburg State Conservatory, where she studied piano with Elena Gugel, Nadejda Golubovskaia, chamber music with Tamara Fidler, and accompanying with Sofia Vakman.