Education

Dr. Radina Dosseva was born in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, where she began her music studies at the age of 5. She lived in Africa for several years with her family, where she learned about different types of music and cultures. In 2003 she moved to the United States with her family and in 2008 she completed her music education at the Levine School of Music and her high school education at George Mason High School in Virginia. 

She went on to receive her Bachelor’s degree with a double major in Music and Sociology from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, followed by a Master’s degree in Music Theory and Composition from East Carolina University in North Carolina. Dr. Dosseva then continued her studies and received a second Master’s degree in Piano Pedagogy from George Mason University in Virginia, followed by a Doctorate in Piano Pedagogy from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where she studied piano with Dr. Nikita Fitenko and piano pedagogy with Dr. James Litzelman. She previously taught group piano and music theory to undergraduate students at ECU and CUA. 

Dr. Dosseva is a member of SMT, SEM, CMS, HC, MTNA, VMTA, NVMTA, and BMI, and is a piano, music theory, and composition teacher in the Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. areas. Dr. Dosseva is also on the Governing Board of the Washington International Piano Festival (WIPF), which is held every summer on the campus of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Dosseva has more than 10 years of extensive teaching experience, both in classroom and private settings, and she welcomes students of all ages and levels, including adult students. She also regularly attends educational webinars, workshops, and conferences. She teaches privately at students' homes as well as at the following schools:

• Mason Community Arts Academy of George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
• Let's Play Music!, Falls Church, VA

In 2016, she was a recipient of the Fairfax Spotlight on the Arts Scholarship for the Mason Community Arts Academy, where she currently works as a teaching artist and serves as the Piano Area Coordinator. She was also a recipient of the Mason Community Arts Academy Faculty Enrichment Fund Award in 2023.

https://masonacademy.gmu.edu/faculty-enrichment-fund-awardee-dr-radina-dosseva/

In addition to private lessons, she has also taught a group class, "Building Your Musicianship Skills," on music theory and history topics. 

Dr. Dosseva has had several students place in the Honors Recital at the 1st (2017) and 5th (2023) Mason Community Arts Academy Biennial Music Competition in Fairfax, VA. Additionally, her composition student, Ivy Xu, won 1st prize in the middle school division of the YWCC in 2022:

https://masonacademy.gmu.edu/congratulations-ivy-xu/

In addition to teaching, playing the piano, and composing, Dr. Dosseva also played prima domra (a type of mandolin) for 10 years in the American Balalaika Symphony under the direction of Peter Trofimenko. She has performed in numerous concerts of the orchestra in the Washington D.C. area.  

Dr. Dosseva joined the Washington Balalaika Society in 2019, and has already performed in several concerts of the orchestra under the direction of Svetlana Nikonova. 

Dr. Dosseva was also featured 3 times in the Balalaika Guild Newsletter: Check out the following issues for the articles:

• Fall 2020: Volume 18, No. 3, page 4
• December 2019: Volume 42, No. 4, page 7
• Summer 2019: Volume 17, No. 3, page 4

Check out these cool articles on Dr. Dosseva's experience with and love of folk music!

November 18, 2019 by Zi Wang

https://masonacademy.gmu.edu/piano-teacher-shares-love-for-balalaika-orchestra/

April 22, 2019 by WBS

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10158403863584606&id=9720529605