Arts Alive San Antonio

By Jasmina Wellinghoff, editor of Arts Alive San Antonio

How did you and your former husband decide to leave Russia and come to the U.S.?
We came to the U.S. through an exchange program, AIESEC, in 1989. The Ministry of Culture (in Russia) called my ex-husband (Valery Grokhovski) and asked if he wanted to take advantage of this opportunity.

Did that appeal to you?
This was the first foreign country that I had a chance to visit. When I arrived to JFK, it was like arriving on another planet. All the different people from all over the world; I had never seen Indian people, Black people… huge buildings and the hustle and bustle of it all! And, somehow, I felt like I was home right away. I think subconsciously I felt like this was home; “I want to be here,” I said to myself. Everyone was loud and friendly. I did not feel like an odd ball in this variety of people.

What was your American destination? San Antonio?
No, our destination was in Bloomington, Illinois. Valery was the visiting professor at the university there and I and my son were his family. I started making friends and learning English. My son picked up the language very quickly. People were very kind. For example, one of our suitcases got lost, so people gave us clothes, all kinds of clothes. I have a picture of my son in pink pajamas that I sent him to school in. (Laughs). I did not know that a boy should not wear pink (more laughs). He now lives in Houston; is a corporate lawyer and has his own family. I am very proud of him.

Does San Antonio feel like home?
Oh, absolutely. I have now lived in the U.S. longer than in the Soviet Union, and most of my American life has been here in San Antonio. I came to San Antonio in 1991. Yes, it’s my home and I care about it.

How do Americans differ from Russians?
I was fortunate from the beginning because I met wonderful people. I met kind people, people who care about other human beings and the environment, including the culture… people who contribute to make this world better. That was a huge difference from the Soviet Union, where everybody relied on the government but secretly hated it anyway.

Have you gone back to visit?
I have. I actually got my doctorate in Russia after I immigrated here. Last time I was there was in 2005. I stopped going because there was an unpleasant anti-Western – and especially anti-American – propaganda there.
What was it about?
It was like they didn’t have any local problems; they were only discussing American problems.
Friends would ask me questions but I did not want to discuss those political things.

Let’s go back to music. How did your career develop here in San Antonio?
My first job was at UTSA’s music department as a staff accompanist. I stayed there for four years. And that was very interesting and challenging but did not satisfy my entrepreneurial ambitions.

Did Musical Bridges Around the World accomplish that?
MBAW was born in 1998, with my friends and family performing for music lovers, but it actually started with my invitation to my former professor who was working in Monte Negro, (a former republic of Yugoslavia.) I invited him and he played at a home concert.  Everybody loved it and Said: “Anya, bring another teacher.” After that, we incorporated and later got the non-profit status. I had no background in organizational skills and had “no idea what to do.” I had no ambition to run an organization and be responsible for other people’s salaries, etc. When MBAW was being created, I felt like some miracle was happening around me. I now feel that it is an honor to run an organization like Musical Bridges. What is my priority right now is strategic development. I like to plan and to dream, and bring people together.

Do American audiences behave differently than Russian audiences?
Yes, American audiences are different and San Antonio audiences are different. For many concertgoers, the music we play is something they are experiencing for the first time. So, we want to introduce them to the best. All our concerts are free, so there are no financial barriers.

You just returned from China where you attended the General Assembly of the World Federation of Music Competitions. How was it?
China is very different. It’s like a different planet. It’s very regulated, so there’s no crime, no dirt, totally different world. Their ancient history is fascinating but even in the 70s people still died from hunger. Now there are no more hungry people and there are millions of piano players Overall, it was very interesting.
——————————————————————————————————————–To see all MBAW programs go to https://musicalbridges.org