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My lectures
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I’ve developed my own unique way of lecturing.
I draw a lot, turning abstract concepts into concrete visuals. I love using humor—both spontaneously and through visual storytelling. I am so passionate about the art of lecturing that I’ve mastered the craft and now run a course for aspiring lecturers.
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The lecture runs 90–120 minutes, long enough to go deep.
A 60-minute version is available for series with tighter slots.
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After the lecture, I answer questions from the audience for about an hour
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The audience participates: sings, argues, votes
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No theory background needed — if you can hum, you're qualified!
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English with a Russian accent and a decade of stagecraft
Lectured at:
New York Public Library
UT Austin
Carnegie Mellon
Macalester College
Education & Experience:
10 years of public talk experience
1000+ talks
80+ cities worldwide
Co-host of a podcast on music and the war (RU)
Latest Lecture Topics
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Over the past 10 years, I've built a repertoire that covers everything from medieval chant to Radiohead. But I don't like repeating myself. I love diving into new territory, so if there's a topic you'd love to hear about — even one that sounds completely unexpected! — I'd be delighted to explore it.
Halls, series, festivals, campuses, libraries.
Date, venue, audience — that's all I need to confirm availability and fee.
Blues
Genre & style
Pop
Rock
Techno
Who Invented Musical Styles?
Blues, rock, punk, psychedelia — who named these genres, and why? Half these labels may mean nothing. We'll sort out how they actually differ to the ear, and where the names came from.
120 min + Q&A
piano
projector
Dance
Electronic
Genre & style
Music & society
Disco: The Rise and Fall of the 20th Century’s Most Influential Genre
Disco spawned nearly all modern dance and electronic music — and became the only genre ever to face an organized protest movement. How it was born, and how it was killed.
120 min + Q&A
piano
projector
History
Genre & style
Pop
Rock
Pop Music: From Urban Romance to K-Pop
Sinatra and BTS in the same genre? What counted as "pop" before the 20th century, who invented the K-pop formula, and what separates a hit from filler.
120 min + Q&A
piano
projector
Classical
History
Music & society
The conductors. Who came up with the idea and what exactly are they paid for?
Nobody thinks they're paid to wave a stick. So what makes the job so hard and so well paid? How you rehearse musicians who already know their parts — and how to hear a conductor's style.
120 min + Q&A
piano
projector
Blues
History
Genre & style
Jazz
What Is Jazz — and What Isn't?
Jazz is a way of arranging a familiar melody so your ear knows it instantly. Who invented that, how do you actually play it, and how to tell jazz styles apart by ear.
120 min + Q&A
piano
projector
Classical
History
Music & society
How Catastrophes Shape Music
Wars and disasters reshape politics and economies — do they reshape music? From Napoleon to 9/11, Messiaen composing in a camp, and the strange link between Chopin and anime.
120 min + Q&A
piano
projector
Electronic
Music & society
Technology
The Music of the Future: Fears and Hopes
From the player piano to AI, every era feared synthetic music. Which fears came true? The odd success of Angine de Poitrine, TikTok rewriting song structure, and what comes next.
120 min + Q&A
piano
projector
Classical
History
Music & society
History of Russian Classical Music
A comprehensive history of Russian classical music from Glinka to Shostakovich, taking into account the social and political context.
5 Lectures
× 120 min + Q&A
piano
projector
Classical
Electronic
Pop
Rock
How Radiohead Builds Magic
A live dissection of the machinery behind the world's most anxious band: the chords, rhythms and production tricks that make you feel unease before you know why.
120 min + Q&A
piano
projector
Got an Idea?
Looking for a comment?
03
Media & podcasts
You need a music expert who talks like a human
Comment for a story, interview, podcast episode. Tell me the topic and the deadline — you'll get a quotable take, not a lecture.