Pianist Anna Vavilova, recipient of Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Top 25 Music Alumni Award, is the director and founder of the World of Music and Arts academy. She is also the recipient of Vancouver Foundation and the BC Arts Council Scholarships, as well as the finalist of Pacific Spotlight Competition on CBC Radio Two. Ms. Vavilova is on the board of directors of Music Encore Concert Society and alumna of BCRMTA (BC Registered Music Teachers Association) & CFMTA (Canadian Federation of Music Teachers Association).
Anna Vavilova, was born and grew up in Daugavpils, Latvia (former USSR). Her musical talents were noticed early and she was accepted to the city’s top music school to study piano, organ and voice. As a child, Anna was performing annually at provincial and national piano competitions and was often a first prize recipient. After graduating from music school, Anna was accepted without auditions to Daugavpil’s Music College, where she studied classical piano, voice and composition for three years before immigrating to Canada.
During her college years Ms. Vavilova was pursuing two passions: classical piano and pop voice. As a pianist, Anna was the top student among her peers and was often invited to take part in concerts and competitions. As a pop-singer, Anna performed original songs and was featured on Moscow’s national TV “Ostankino”. She was approached by music producers and was invited to study vocal jazz and composition in the most prestigious music academy in the world in Moscow, Russia – Gnessin’s School of Music. After returning home to Latvia, Anna’s career as a teen pop-singer sprung up overnight and she was on a chart topping singer for the next few years. By the age of 16, Anna was a classical pianist by day and a teen pop star by night.
Anna’s family immigrated to Canada in 1997 and settled in Vancouver, where she graduated from Kwantlen University College (prof. Jane Hayes) and University of British Columbia (prof. Kum Sing Lee, Dr. Sara Davis – Buechner and Dr. Henri-Paul Sicsic). During her university years Ms. Vavilova took masterclasses from world renowned musicians: V. Monastyrski (Israel), Aquiles Delle Vigne (Argentina), Martha Noguera (Argentina) and attended piano summer festivals in the US, France and Russia. In 2002 Anna appeared with the Vancouver Island Symphony (Marlin Wolfe, conductor). In 2005 Anna Vavilova was a finalist at the Pacific Spotlight Competition on CBC Radio Two, and has been awarded the Vancouver Foundation Scholarship (2005) and the BC Arts Council Scholarship (2006) to continue her graduate studies.
While pursuing her graduate degree, Ms. Vavilova became closely involved with the Russian community. At first, Anna was invited to contribute monthly articles on varies music topics in the local Russian newspaper “Vancouver and Us”. Soon she was invited by Russian Multicultural Radio, Vera 96.5 FM, to host a weekly radio show called “Music Detective”. This show focused on Anna’s thoughts and observations on current musical trends and seasonal local and global occasions.
In September 2009, Ms. Vavilova opened “World of Music & Arts” academy to provide the community with a place for music instruction which offers a consistently high standard. From 2011 to 2014 Anna was voted “Best Teacher” by Richmond Review readers four years in a row. As an experienced pianist and adjudicator Ms. Vavilova was invited to be a part of the faculty at Tsar’s Village International Music Festival and competition in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2012. Later that year Anna Vavilova has launched the 1st season of “Concerts at the Pier” at World of Music and Arts with a piano recital by American-Italian pianist Paolo Vairo. Currently, World of Music and Arts is home to 22 teachers and 450 students and has become the most prestigious and highly desirable music school for K1-12 in Richmond, BC.
Throughout all of her years in Canada, Anna Vavilova has been continuously performing solo and chamber music collaborating with international and local musicians: Rimsky-Korsakov String Quartet, Bo Peng (cello), Lee Duckles (cello), Alvin Tran (violin) and Dr. Eugene Skovorodnikov (piano). Among the most beloved performance venues are: Abbaye de Pontlevoy (France), Chan Centre (Vancouver), VAG (Vancouver), Silk Purse (West Vancouver), World of Music and Arts (Richmond), KPU (Langley), Port Theatre (Nanaimo) and many others.
Possessing a great skill in working with young and already accomplished performers, Anna is also a beloved and highly sought after piano teacher and mentor. Her students not only rank highly in local and international festivals and competitions, but also learn to work hard and follow their career dreams. Currently Ms. Vavilova resides in Richmond with her husband Joe and doggy Bimka.
