TENNIKOVA, Daria

Daria Tennikova is a Russian-American composer, pianist, and educator whose recent work responds to the war in Ukraine and contemporary political and humanitarian concerns, often contrasting violence and suffering with innocence, empathy, and kindness. She earned a professional degree in collaborative performance and piano pedagogy from Mussorgsky Music College in St. Petersburg, a B.M. in Composition from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and an M.M. in Composition from Rice University. She is currently completing doctoral studies in composition at UW–Madison, with a minor in piano performance. Alongside composing, Tennikova teaches music theory, musicology, piano, and composition and received UW–Madison’s TA Fellow Mentor Award in 2024 and 2025.