Yuliyard Celebrates 10 Years of Music Classes

The Yuliyard Aesthetic Center, a music school located in the Highlands Plaza, will celebrate its 10th anniversary by hosting a special free concert at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 4 at the Santa Monica Public Library. The performance will feature pianist Yuliya Barsky, the founder and director, performing with fellow instructors and musicians. The program will include Bach’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in C minor, Beethoven’s “Romance for Violin and Piano,” Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in D Minor, Rachmaninoff’s Sonata for Cello and Piano, and Mozart’s Quartet in G Minor. The center offers instruction in piano, violin, music theory, music history and appreciation and chamber ensemble. The studio has worked with nearly 100 families in the Palisades during the past 10 years, with most students staying on average from six to nine years. “Some music studios approach their student flow as a ‘fast food’ chain while offering a ‘quick fix’ for an immediate hunger or interest,” Barsky says. “The policy at Yuliyard is different’we create bonds with the whole family.” Barsky began studying music in her native Siberia at age 4. When she was 19, she and her family immigrated to the United States two weeks before the collapse of the Soviet Union. She has a degree in piano pedagogy and accompaniment from Russia and a master’s degree in music performance from UCLA. Her teaching experience is extensive, both in Europe and the U.S. All lessons are taught in the traditional style of the old Russian classical school. Students 6 years and older develop musicianship skills and ear training and learn to read music and perform memorized repertoire in a formal setting. “We encourage our students to study broad aspects of music and art, if not to become professional musicians themselves, then to become well-educated and informed, to be able to grasp a wider range of cultural heritage than what is presented in the mass media,” Barsky says. While many of her students become professional musicians, Barsky says she’s eager to work with children and adults at every level. “It’s like learning a new language, and everyone is welcome,” she says. Yuliyard Aesthetic Center is located at 1515 Palisades Dr. Contact: 454-9697 or visit www.palisadesmusiclessons.com.