Oberlin Portrait: Elena Loskova

The exuberance performers feel after finishing a great gig is almost euphoric. Elena Loskova exudes that excitement every day. Such positive energy is also a characteristic of people who have made peace with their world and are growing steadily within it. Both parts of that equation apply to Elena.

Now a senior at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, this Russian powerhouse pianist has come a long way from accompanying her older sister, Irina, at their home in Russia.

“She always wanted to me to play for her, and sometimes sing the other parts as well,” says Elena. “Of course I was always the tenor, or the bass! And if I wouldn’t cooperate with her, she would take the music and hit me over the head with it!”

Despite this early “training,” Elena enjoys accompanying singers, although physical threats no longer play a role in her collaborations. Much of Elena’s time this semester has been spent working with upper-level voice students at the Conservatory. This spring she will play recitals with Malia Bendi Merad ’03 and Liora Grodnikaite ’02, MM ’03. And once a week she studies secondary voice herself with Professor of Singing Lorraine Manz, an avocation she picked up during her sophomore year.

For all of Elena’s love of singing, she plans to remain on the left side of the piano, which is a good thing for the piano world. On April 6, 2003, she played a rousing Rhapsody in Blue with the Oberlin Orchestra, conducted by Steven Smith. The performance was the fruit of her success in Oberlin’s annual Concerto Competition—she is one of four winners in the 2002-03 competition.

Elena was introduced to Oberlin in 1998, when she performed in the International J.S. Bach Competition in Saarbrücken, Germany. There she met Oberlin Professor of Pianoforte Monique Duphil, who was one of the jurors. Although Elena is usually reluctant to pigeonhole her inspirations and style, she readily declares an unabashed affinity for baroque music.

“I don’t know what it is about it. But the dance, the space within it, the affectations of its ornaments, are all fascinating to me.”

After playing her allotted Bach that summer, Loskova approached Duphil about her playing. Duphil thought Elena and Oberlin would be a good match.

“I think she is one of the best,” says Loskova of Duphil, with whom she studies at Oberlin. “And not just because she’s my teacher. She is constantly performing.”

When Loskova finally arrived in Oberlin, at the age of 21, it was to a flurry of paperwork. Although not a complete newcomer to the United States (she had been an exchange student in Alaska as a teenager), she says her English was far from perfect. “I was always trying to read through all the forms. I did not know then that Americans don’t even read all the forms!”

A conversation with Elena Loskova:

What inspired you to be a musician?
I knew early on that I needed to express myself, but it was still difficult to decide exactly what I was going to be because I am a versatile person and there are so many interesting things going around. Then I found music. Actually I think it was rather predetermined for me, because my mother is a violinist and my father is very musical, too, even though he is a pilot. And my sister, of course, is a singer.

What keeps you inspired on discouraging days?
I almost don’t have discouraging days. Perhaps it’s because I am Russian, so I don’t mind the feeling of melancholy or of sadness. I’ve learned to enjoy it, because there’s so much beauty in it. Being a musician, one must learn to be inspired by everything.

What is the most memorable performance you have ever seen and why?
It would be hard for me to name some particular performance. I can be impressed either by a student's, an amateur's, or an artist's performance. The same goes for composers. I respect and enjoy the work of other people. I am always impressed by my teacher's performance. It's always on a top level—very interesting, educational, and inspiring.
Actually, when I think it over, you might add that I am crazy about J.S. Bach, Mozart, Schumann, and Piazzolla.

If you could perform with any musician, living or dead, who would it be? What would you perform?
I think this question is a bit dangerous to answer. One would limit oneself by choosing. Sometimes I want to play with a particular student or teacher because of the feeling they have for the music, and it doesn’t matter whether that person is a student or a professional artist. It’s the feeling in the performance that is important.

If you could master another instrument, what would it be?
Voice! There is something about a tenor or soprano’s voice when they hit that high note, it just stops the house. The feeling washes over you, as the pianist, and then you become a part of it also. Actually, if I would have an opportunity to study everything, little by little, I would do it! It would be a bit upsetting, because you can’t master everything, but at least you would have an idea, which is very important.

If you could not be a musician, what other profession would you choose? What profession would you definitely not choose?
I think I would be a painter if I weren’t a musician. It’s hard to decide what I would not be, because there are so many jobs, and I wouldn’t want to speak badly of some job I don’t know anything about. Any job has its own music, you know.

What do you listen to for inspiration? In your free time? After a long day?
It’s hard, because a long day starts with music, and during the day it’s music, and at night, music. But really, it depends on my mood. I like all music except rap and country—with a few exceptions (shh!).

What do you like to read?
Well, biographies, but not only that. I like psychology books, and I like Oscar Wilde, a lot. I should really read some more American literature as well.

What are three words that describe you?
Sensitive, assertive, and passionate.