July 29, 2005

Aug. 5 & 6

Viktor and Anna Polonsky, founders of the Polonsky Piano School, join some of the piano instructors who will be teaching in Evergreen—including Larisa Konakova, Naira Kikvidze, Irina Karapetian, and Izabella Dagman—with some of their Evergreen students. Not pictured: Piano teachers Vera Gerasimov and Irina Basin,violin teacher Olena Ross and math, science and chess instructor, Dr. Edward Dagman.

Polonsky Piano School celebrates grand opening
in Evergreen

Polonsky Piano School—the Russian School of Music—invites the community to a grand opening celebration of its Evergreen location at Evergreen Village next to Lunardi’s on Aug. 5 and 6.

“We are very excited about opening our new branch in Evergreen,” said Viktor Polonsky, who founded the school with his wife Anna. Both are Russian-born concert pianists. “Many students come to our existing locations from this area, and many more students have called the school, requesting that we open a location in Evergreen.”

Polonsky said the school will be opening in Evergreen with about 100 students already signed up for lessons. In addition to offering individual piano and group piano lessons, on regular and digital pianos for ages 3 and up, the school also offers violin lessons, as well as math, science and chess lessons with the well-known Russian master, Dr. Edward Dagman.

“We feel this type of intellectual development is similar to the abstract thinking music requires,” Polonsky said. “Math, science and chess will help the musical development of our students. They correspond and complement each other.”

Dr. Viktor Polonsky with his young piano student Kristine Ko.

Polonsky hopes to replicate the adult piano lesson groups popular at his other locations in West San Jose, Saratoga and Santa Clara. Adults—from computer programmers to physicians—take group lessons just for the love of it or to be able to help their kids practice the piano at home.

“Group lessons are less stressful, more fun and much cheaper,” notes Polonsky.

Come meet the owners and the instructors who will teach in Evergreen on Friday, Aug. 5, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 6, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. No need to sign up for classes—curious visitors are also welcome.

Polonsky Piano School is located at 4055 Evergreen Village Square, Suite 230, San Jose, Calif. 95135. It’s on the second floor in the building next to Lunardi’s. For more information, call the school’s general number at (408) 257-6181 or Polonsky’s cell phone at (408) 472-3280.

About the Polonsky Piano School

Originally founded in Santa Clara in 1996, the Polonsky Piano School soon expanded to West San Jose and Saratoga. More than 400 piano and violin students are currently enrolled at the school, studying with 30 teachers from countries such as Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, Taiwan, China and Japan, as well as the United States.

Group Piano Class teacher Naira Kikvidze works with her students.

All teachers of PPS have received their bachelor’s and master’s in their native countries or in the United States, blending their international experience into their piano and violin teaching methods.

After emigrating to the United States in 1990, Anna and Viktor worked as professors of piano at Miami and Dayton universities, teaching in this country and abroad in Italy, Israel, Canada, Russia, Georgia, Moldova, South Korea, Australia and Brazil.

“We strongly believe that every child can and should learn music—that music lessons develop intellect, as well as the soul of a person,” Viktor said. “We also believe that performance activities are a very important part of music education.”

All PPS students perform at least two to three times a year, participating in studio recitals, competitions, festivals and national auditions. “All these performance activities give students confidence and boost their interest (in music). They provide an incentive to continue lessons and a goal to strive for,” Anna said.

“They teach young kids to share their abilities in piano and violin with other people, and that music is about communications, feelings and ideas,” added Viktor.

For more information, visit www.polonskypianoschool.com.