Photo by Gary Gaynor/ Tucson Citzen

Our fearless leader, Mia, was born in Estonia to Russian parents, and immigrated to the US in 1950. The family moved to Tucson in 1975, and this is where Mia learned to play the mandolin and its Russian cousin, the domra. In 1979 she founded the Tucson Mandolin Society, which was active for 10 years. In 1980, she became artistic director and conductor of the UA Balalaika Orchestra, and although she has studied domra at the Minsk and Kiev Conservatories in the former USSR and at annual summer conventions, she considers herself an ametuer folk musician. In 17 years, she has molded a 4-piece student balalaika ensemble into a solid 25-member community folk orchestra, directing its artistic development, as well as handling bookings, publicity, conert production, fund raising and promotion.

Her affiliation with the BDAA has offered her the opportunity to perform with several balalaika orchestras in America -- University of Illinois, Houston Balalaika Society, twice with the New York Balalaika Orchestra in Lincoln Center, and Atlanta. With 7 Americans, she represented the BDAA in Leningrad, USSR, and performed with the prestigious Andreyev Balalaika Orchestra at their Nationally (USSR) televised 100th anniversary concert in 1988. In the summer of 1991 at an international folk festival in Russia, she conducted the combined American-Canadian balalaika orchestra in 5 concerts. She performed with a similar group summer 1993 in Yaroslavl on the Volga, Moscow and St. Petersburg. In May 1995 and 1996 she was guest conductor of the Sierra-Nevada Balalaika Society concert in Reno.

In 1989 she was Convention Coordinator of the Balalaika and Domra Association of America (BDAA), which brought to Tucson 150 musicians from all over the world. She also organized the publicity and the major BDAA concert at TCC Music Hall. In 1987 and 1988, she promoted concerts by visiting Soviet musicians at Crowder Hall and was the production manager of the London-based "Tziganka" concerts in Tucson in 1989 and 1991. In 1994 she arranged concerts in Flagstaff and Tucson for 5 outstanding Moscow musicians, and in the fall of 1995, brought the "Neva Dance Ensemble" of San Francisco to Tucson for a concert at the Temple of Music and Art.

She has served on various Boards of Directors-the UA Balalaikas, Arizona Mini-Concerts (9 years) and the international BDAA, to which she was elected 4 times. In April 1989 as a BDAA officer, she was a guest of the Ukraina Society in the USSR, in order to coordinate international folk music exchanges and conservatory study. In May 1991 she helped craft the Bi-Laws of the International Balalaika Society in Moscow. She has served on many editorial boards, chaired committees, covered publicity for numerous organizations and received many acedemic honors. She was selected a "neighbor" in 1984 by the Arizona Daily Star, in the early '80's was interviewed and performed on 'Arizona Illustrated', and appeared briefly for PBS's Frontline's documentary on Russian tourism. In 1992 she was nominated for the local Jefferson award for all her volunteer efforts.

With an MA degree in languages, Mia tought 5 years at Oregon State University, two summer sessions at the University of Arizona, instructed mandolin at Tucson Parks and Recreation Department for 4 years, and since 1984 has taught Russian language and culture at Pima Community College Adult Education Program.