Classically trained Russian pianist Oksana Kolesnikova began playing the piano when she was five years old, and now performs classical music and her own compositions--which blend classical with rock, pop, and even hip hop--around the world. Openly bisexual but married to a man, Kolesnikova talks to us about her music, performing to troops overseas, and the biggest hurdles in her career.

AE: You moved to the U.S. when you were 16. Why did you leave Russia?
OK: I was born in Siberia, and I moved here in 1993 with my family because, with the separation of the Republics, our lives became really difficult. My parents decided to give us a better future, and they thought America would be a perfect place to do that. I am so thankful that they decided to. I really love this country.

AE: What made you start branching out into other kinds of music?
OK: I studied classical music in Russia, and after my graduation from college here in Florida, I started to play for different venues where I would get requests for music I'd never heard before, like classic rock. I started to research that, buying CDs of that kind of music, and I was like "wow, that's really cool! I want to be able to do something like that." As I began to learn the pieces that people would request, I got this amazing response, because people can relate so much to their favorite music. I enjoy being able to bring out memories and emotions through music. That's an incredible gift.

So I started to explore more variety, different kinds of music, and even got into collaborations with an amazing hip hop artist to create a blend of classical and hip-hop. I love all types of music. I compose much of my own work, and every genre influences me to a different degree.

AE: How often do you come out with albums?
OK: I normally do one album a year, and I'm about to release my fifth album. Two of my albums are a selection of my favorite classical pieces, and I have another CD of original music called Freedom which was released a few years back, which has everything from classical to blues, rock and hip-hop. That CD is dedicated to the US troops, because I tour and I entertain troops overseas.

AE: Do you enjoy that?
OK: I love it so much, because for me to see those people that serve so far away from home--some of them for five or ten years--it makes you realize how much they do for our country and I just feel so privileged to be in the position to give something back.

AE: How do the soldiers react to your music?
OK: Since my program is so versatile, the crowd really gets into it. When I tour for the troops, I do three different programs, sometimes up to three concerts a day--one late at night for the soldiers, one in the afternoon for officers, then in the morning, a concert for children, because they have American schools as well.

AE: I've read that you play at churches frequently. Do you have a religious background that's important to you?
OK: I really don't categorize myself; I think of myself more as a spiritual person than a religious person. I don't have an issue with any religions or beliefs, as long as they have the same common denominator of love, peace, harmony, and helping one another. That's why I love to share my music through church venues--it's about bringing people together.

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