A native of Voronezh, Russia, pianist Alyona Aksyonova Waldo has pursued an accomplished and versatile career as a chamber musician, collaborative pianist, and educator. Recent engagements include faculty artist for the Third Coast Chamber Collective’s Summer Festival and Adult Chamber Music Retreat in Grand Rapids, MN, and the Clazz International Music Festival in Tuscany, Italy. Alyona is a regular chamber musician for the LunART Festival in Madison, WI, concert soloist with the Edgewood Chamber Orchestra, pianist for the flute/cello/piano ensemble Trio Collage, and collaborative pianist and chamber musician for faculty and student recitals at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music.

Alyona has performed across North America, Europe, and Asia as a member of the cello/piano recital team A.W.Duo. As a chamber musician, performance highlights include Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC, performances with cellist Sara Sant’Ambrogio at the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival in Highlands, NC, and top New York City venues including Carnegie Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Polish, Russian and French Consulates, and Alice Tully and Merkin Concert Halls at Lincoln Center. Alyona was pianist of the Listen Closely Chamber Music Initiative, presenting concerts of historical and newly commissioned works for the people of uptown Manhattan. Other notable positions include staff pianist for the La Lingua Della Lirica Festival in Novafeltria, Italy; faculty of the International Piano Festival in Portland, ME; and staff pianist for Mannes Preparatory Division.

During her years of activity in Russia, Alyona was winner of the Gavrilin Governor’s International Competition, finalist of the International Gnessin Piano Competition in Moscow, and a regular concert soloist with the Voronezh Academic Symphony Orchestra.

Alyona’s name is written in the Golden Book of Voronezh for her outstanding academic and artistic acheivements as a student at the Voronezh Special Music School. Before commencing formal piano studies at age 10, Alyona began her musical journey at age 7 as a student of the domra, a plucked, fretted instrument from the Russian folk tradition. 

She received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from Mannes College, the New School for Music (NYC), under the tutelage of Vladimir Feltsman and Pavlina Dokovska. Now living in Madison, WI, Alyona is active as a collaborative pianist and music educator.