Marina Osman Biography

Marina Osman
Photograph by Dai Jeffries

Marina Vasilieva Starostenkova was born in 1965 in Polotsk, Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, into a family of musicians. Her mother was a bayan player, a choirmaster and a singing/vocal teacher and her father was a theoretician, graduate of the Gnessin State Musical College.

After moving to Murmansk, Marina started her music studies in 1980 entering a piano class. In 1984, she graduated with distinction after completing the full academic course in the speciality fortepiano and was given the qualification of teacher of a music school and concertmaster.

During her studies in Murmansk, she became laureate of the Regional Contest of the soloist-pianist in the North-West region of the USSR and the winner of the Contest of Soloist-Pianists held in Murmansk. In the same year, she entered the Belarusian State Academy of Music in Minsk in the speciality fortepiano where she stayed until 1990.

Whilst she studied in Minsk, from 1989, she became a piano teacher and concertmaster in Novopolotsk State Musical College in Novopolotsk where she continued working until 2010.

She was a member of the jury of the third International Chamber ensemble competition “Nova Musica” in Daugavpils and took part in concerts both in Belarus and Russia, and also in jazz festivals in Germany, Poland, Lithuania and Russia in 2009.

Now in England, Marina Osman frequently gives concerts at the Pushkin House in London and has given piano and theory lessons since 2011 at the same time as working with Daria Kulesh in several line-ups.


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