Pianist and educator Yulia Roubtsova holds a Masters degree in Western Musicology from the Saint-Petersburg State Conservatory, Russia, where she took up music history, music theory, piano and harpsichord studies. For ten years (1999 – 2009) Roubtsova was on the faculty at the prestigious Saint-Petersburg Music Lyceum, teaching a plethora of music disciplines. Currently, Roubtsova teaches keyboard harmony for pianists in the School of Music as well as piano and RCM theory in the Community Music School.
Alongside her teaching career, she served as a staff editor and music critic for a leading Russian arts publication, Afisha-biweekly (Russian version of Time Out); authored a music documentary on state television; and worked as guest artists’ liaison at the St. Petersburg Conservatory.
Since moving to the United States in 2009, Roubtsova has established a reputation of excellence in both piano and music theory instruction. Working with the Royal Conservatory Method (Toronto) at the UNCSA Community Music School, where she founded the RCM curriculum program, Roubtsova has helped many young musicians attain the highest honors in their theory and piano examinations, including some who have finished the entire theory curriculum by age thirteen. Her outstanding contribution to teaching music theory was recognized by the RCM, naming Roubtsova as the 2024 Teacher of Distinction.
Her piano students have won numerous prizes in local and statewide competitions, such as the North Carolina Bach Festival, UNCSA Piano Weekend, Moxley Piano Competition, and NCMTA Festival & Competition. Most recently, her students participated in Gijon International Piano Festival, Atlantic Music Festival, the Brevard Music Center Summer Institute, and the UNCSA Summer Piano Intensive. A number of students have continued their piano studies at the UNCSA high school program.
Roubtsova is the director of St. Mary’s Music Academy in High Point, NC. In this role, she oversees fourteen faculty members who work with over eighty students. Roubtsova took on this position during the pandemic and subsequently led the rebuilding of the institution after months of closure and a 70% decline in enrollment. She has focused on enhancing student quality and providing merit-based scholarships, enabling many young musicians to pursue their passion for music.