Our Teachers
Anastasia Markina, PianoBorn and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia, Anastasia Markina started playing piano when she was almost four winning her first competition six years later. Her first teacher, Tatyana Shrago led her to win her first international piano competition in Marsala, Italy in 1992. After graduating from Music School, she took lessons with Alexander Mndoyants and Maria Mekler. In 1994, she entered the Rimsky-Korsakov College of Music where she studied for four years in the studio of Mary Guseva, student of Pavel Serebryakov. While there, she won several international piano competitions, including 1st prize at the 1st International Maria Yudina Piano Competition, 1st prize in solo and 1st prize in chamber music at the Beach of Hope International Music Festival and Competition in Dobrich-Albena, Bulgaria, and was one of the three prize winners at the Peter the Great Music Festival in Groningen, Holland in 1997. After receiving her diploma with honors from the College of Music, she was invited to study in the United States by Victor Rosenbaum, well-known teacher and pianist, and director of the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA. In 1999, she moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area to continue her education at the University of North Texas in the studio of Prof. Vladimir Viardo (Gold medalist of the 1973 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition). While studying at UNT, she continued winning competitions in the United States, including 1st prize at the San Angelo Sorantin International Music competition, 1st prize at the First Boesendorfer International Piano Competition, 1st and Grand prize at the Young Texas Artist Music Competition, and 2nd prize at the First Jose Iturbi Music Competition. In November 2005, she has performed Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the San Angelo Symphony under Hector Guzman. In January 2007, she has performed Ravel Piano Concerto in G with the Phoenix Symphony under Lawrence Golan. Her performances include solo and orchestra appearances in the United States, Mexico and Austria, including performance with Eugene Osadchy and Mark Peskanov on the Barge Music Series in NY, NY in 2009, performances at the Vetta Chamber music festival in 2010 with Eugene Osadchy and Joan Blackman. Other collaborations include recitals with James Gallway, Emmanuel Borok, and Joseph Alessi among others. CD recording with Eugene Osadchy has been released in 2010.
Bryan Burns, GuitarBryan Burns began studying the guitar at the relatively late age of nineteen. Having first been inspired in his formative years by the amateur guitar playing of his father, he has since spent the last decade refining his artistic talent under the guidance of numerous formidable guitar minds. As his love for the 19th-century guitar repertoire began to blossom, Bryan sought out the Italian masters to further his interpretive understanding of their rich musical heritage. His studies with Matteo Mela and Lorenzo Micheli, both in festivals and privately, had a tremendous impact on his musical and artistic development. In 2009 Bryan turned his attention to the world renowned guitarist Eliot Fisk in efforts to glean some insight into Mr. Fisk’s mastery of Baroque transcription. During his post graduate work with maestro Fisk at the New England Conservatory of Music, Bryan focused primarily on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, Domenico Scarlatti, and Johann Froberger. Bryan holds two degrees from the University of North Texas (B.M. 2008(Summa Cum Laude) and M.M. 2009) and an artistic Graduate Diploma (with honors) from the New England Conservatory of Music. Bryan has won numerous awards in the field of music, both in academic and performance. He is currently a Doctoral candidate at the University of North Texas where he is completing a Ph.D. in musicology and classical guitar. As a performer, Bryan has given concerts both in the U.S. and abroad, appearing as a featured soloist for several guitar Societies in America.
All AMA teachers have passed the Safe Sanctuary Quiz and a background check.
For more information please contact Executive Director Anastasia Markina at Anastasia@ArgyleUMC or at 940.464.1333 ext. 116.
