I am a teacher, scholar, translator, and tutor of Slavic Languages and Literatures and a classical vocalist who specializes in Slavic repertoire. I received my Ph.D. and M.A. from The Ohio State University and my B.A. from Northwestern University. I spent 15 years teaching at the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures and served for 8 years the Managing Director of the Summer Language Institute (SLI). You can read in the University Times about my work at Pitt's SLI here.
Alongside my activities in research and education, I am an active opera singer and coach other singers in diction, particularly in Slavic languages with Russian language being my primary area of expertise. Learn more about my singing and upcoming performance on my music site.
Below you will find information about services I offer my clients, my areas of research, and my teaching experience. If you have need of one of my services, please contact me via the form on my contact page.
I am happy to offer the freelance services listed below. Many of these services may be delivered remotely, including tutoring and consultations by video conference. Inquiries are welcome via the contact page on this website.
Tutoring in Russian language
Translation from Russian to English
Translation from English to Russian
Translation from Czech to English (not available for documents written in technical language or other jargon-heavy language)
Interpretation from Russian to English
Interpretation from English to Russian
Tutoring or consulting in English academic writing
Instruction in Russian diction
Instruction in Czech diction
Phonetic transcriptions in IPA of Russian and Czech songs and arias
Translations of Russian and Czech songs and arias
One of my main areas specialization is Slavic literature, especially nineteenth-century Russian literature and Russian romanticism. I have a secondary interest in the Russian Silver Age and love the poetry of Zinaida Gippius.
Most recently, I have developed several studies of adaptations of Nikolai Gogol's work to stage and have a book proposal in the works on this topic. Stay tuned!
On the linguistics side, I have a special interest in phonetics and pronunciation. I published a detailed description of the pronunciation of the Russian language in classical singing in my dissertation.
Click here for link to my dissertation at OhioLINK.
I am currently developing an Open Educational Resources about Russian phonetics and pronunciation. The first-of-its kind course offers both theory and practical exercises for developing accurate pronunciation and listening comprehension proficiency. Best of all, it will be the first such resource to be available cost-free to the public! Check back soon for the link to the course! In the meantime, you can learn more about my approach to teaching pronunciation in the Fall 2025 issue of the ACTR newsletter.
My love for opera and ballet first motivated me to learn Russian when I was an undergraduate student at Northwestern University. I wrote a master's thesis about "academic folk dance" at Ohio State and also discuss opera culture in my dissertation.
Click here for link to my dissertation at OhioLINK.
More recently, my conference activities have centered on Ukrainian art song and opera. I have been involved in promoting the exquisite Ukrainian vocal works that were repressed from publication and performance during colonization. Click here to view Pitt's Concert of Ukrainian Words and Music. You may also receive high quality downloads of the songs for a donation of any size at https://www.ukrainetrustchain.org/donate-sli
First-year (Beginning) Russian
Second-Year (Intermediate) Russian
Third-Year (Advanced) Russian
Fourth-Year Russian
The Sounds of Russian (phonetics course)
Russian Conversation
Intensive Second-Year Russian
First-Year Czech
English Academic Writing
Russian Through Singing
The Russian Short Story in Context
Masterpieces of 19th-Century Russian Literature
Masterpieces of 20th-Century Russian Literature
18th-Century Russian Literature
Tolstoy
Gogol
Contemporary Cultures of Eastern Europe
Early Russian Culture
Forbidden Love on Page and Screen
Madness and Madmen in Russian Literature
Russian Literature in Musical Adaptation