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Elena Toponogova – pianist

Elena is a concert pianist and chamber musician based in London. Her main interest is the Russian repertoire with a special focus on the music of Nikolai Medtner. In 2017, Elena received a Master of Performance degree from the Royal College of Music, studying under Norma Fisher. Her studies were generously supported by the Norah Seary Trust, Altrusa Careers Trust, the Future of Russia Foundation and Tsukanov Family Foundation. Elena has taken part in many international festivals including Bloomsbury Festival in London and Timani Music Festival in Oslo. She has been performing as a soloist and chamber musician in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Russia. She has appeared at the prestigious Rachmaninov Hall of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatoire, Salzburg Wiener Saal, Amaryllis Fleming Hall, V&A Museum, St.Martin-in-the-Fields among others.

What has creating art meant to you over the last year?

During lockdowns in the UK, I drew as often as I could. I called it drawing therapy. It allowed me to fully concentrate on what I drew and forget everything else. It’s very much like a meditation, but instead of focusing on breathing you follow lines and colours.