Anya Shatilova, a St. Petersburg native, is a professional domra player and scholar specializing in vernacular musical practices in nineteenth-century Russia, music from the Russian Empire in the United States, and Finno-Ugric music in St. Petersburg, Russia. Her theoretical interests include sound studies and musical instruments, media studies, music & film, queer theory & music, thing theory, decoloniality, and nuclear violence.

In 2021, Anya contributed an article titled “Listening to Ethnic Identity Online: Digitally Mediated Finno-Ugric Traditions in St. Petersburg” to the special issue of the journal Digital Icons: Studies in Russian, Eurasian, and Central European New Media. Her recent work, “Decoloniality and Russian Music: Finno-Ugric Legacy in Contemporary St. Petersburg,” was published in Folklorica’s 2023 issue.

As part of her public-facing work, Anya serves on the Board of Directors of the Balalaika & Domra Association of America, a non-profit organization that promotes balalaika & domra music in the United States. Anya is also interested in expanding the repertoire for the domra, which led to collaborations with her friend, experimental music composer Max Gibson.

Anya holds a BM in Music Performance from St. Petersburg State University of Culture and Arts in Russia and an MM in Musicology from the New England Conservatory of Music.