Maria Starkova

Maria Mitrofanovna Starkova was a distinguished Soviet pianist and pedagogue who held the title of Honored Artist of the Ukrainian SSR (1946) and the academic rank of Professor. Born on August 1, 1888, in Odessa, she began her piano studies in 1904 with Ilya Aysberg. She continued her education at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory under the guidance of Vladimir Drozdov and Felix Blumenfeld, graduating in 1912.

Starkova began her concert and teaching activities in Kishinev in 1912 but soon returned to Odessa to teach at the Odessa Conservatory starting in 1913. By 1926, she had become a professor and directed the methodological department of the piano faculty. A significant contribution to music education occurred in 1933 when she, along with Pyotr Stolyarsky, A. L. Kogan, and Berta Reingbald, helped organize the famous specialized music school for gifted children, later known as the Stolyarsky School.

During the Second World War, Starkova was evacuated to Kuybyshev from 1941 to 1944, where she taught piano at the local music college. She returned to Odessa to continue her work, training a generation of accomplished musicians including G. A. Branovskaya, Lyudmila Ginzburg, and Yakov Zak. In recognition of her outstanding achievements in training musical personnel, she was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour in 1937. She died in Odessa on June 8, 1970.

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