A native of St. Petersburg, Anya Shatilova is a professional player of the Russian plucked lute domra and scholar whose research interests include traditional musical practices in nineteenth-century Russia, performance on Russian plucked lutes (domra & balalaika) in the U.S., pre-revolutionary Russian diaspora in the U.S., and Finno-Ugric music in St. Petersburg, Russia. Her other interests include the impact of sound studies on the research of musical instruments, media studies, music & film, queer theory & music, and decoloniality.

Her recent article “Listening to Ethnic Identity Online: Digitally Mediated Finno-Ugric Traditions in St. Petersburg” appeared in the special issue of the journal Digital Icons: Studies in Russian, Eurasian and Central European New Media.

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. Apart from being an active practitioner of Russian traditional instrumental music, Anya is interested in expanding the repertoire for the domra, which led to collaborations with her friend, experimental music composer Max Gibson.

Anya received a BM in Music Performance from St. Petersburg State University of Culture and Arts (Russia). As a solo and ensemble artist, she received numerous awards and was a founder of the ensemble “Esse-Quintet” which received international recognition and was featured in fRoots Magazine. Anya also received an MM in Musicology from the New England Conservatory of Music.