About
Russian School of Music Irvine offers violin lessons, piano lessons, viola lessons, guitar lessons, cello lessons, theory lessons, and music classes. The program includes private violin lessons, violin lessons for kids, adult violin lessons, online violin lessons, music lessons for kids, adult music lessons, and online music lessons. The school teaches and works with all ages and levels, from beginners to graduate degree musicians.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Trial lessons are 30 minutes long
• Price: 30 min trial lessons-$125
Russian School of Music Irvine offers a first lesson free, with trial lessons lasting 30 minutes. The school provides an individual curriculum tailored for each student. Performing options at the school include student recitals, competitions, auditions, and home concerts. In response to COVID-19, the school switched most violin classes to online lessons and now teaches violin worldwide. The school offers private violin lessons in Mission Viejo, California. Russian School of Music Irvine states, “We shape musician in you! We believe in your talent!”
The leadership team includes Feliks Volozhanin as Director of String Program, Anton Smirnov for the Piano Program, and Irina Kulikova as Director of Guitar Program. Feliks Volozhanin is a cellist and cello teacher with over twenty years of experience in Russia and the US, studied at the State Institute of Music in Moscow with Kirill Rodin and at Southeastern Louisiana University with Karen Jung, and was a teaching assistant of professor Bongshin Ko at Cal State Fullerton. Anton Smirnov is a graduate of Yale University School of Music and Novosibirsk Conservatory, holds an Artist Diploma from Oberlin Conservatory, has made more than 1,000 public performances worldwide including at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center's Avery Fischer Hall, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and is a prizewinner of several international piano competitions. Irina Kulikova graduated with distinction from the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, the Conservatoire of Maastricht, and the Gnessin's Academy in Moscow, has received over 30 awards including 1st prizes at several international guitar competitions, and has recorded four solo CDs, three of which are distributed worldwide by the Naxos label. The teachers at the school are winners of international competitions, world renowned musicians, and active concert artists.
Feliks’ students have a high success rate auditioning to Irvine Honor Orchestra, with one third of the 2017 Irvine Elementary Honor Orchestra cello section being his students. His students also compete at various competitions and are members of orchestras including Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, All Southern California Elementary Honor and Irvine Honor Orchestras, and Orange County Youth Symphony. Irina Kulikova’s awards include 1st prizes at the Michele Pittaluga competition in Italy, Guitarra Alhambra in Spain, Forum Gitarre Wien in Austria, and Iserlohn in Germany. Anton Smirnov’s competition prizes include the Moscow International Competition for Young Musicians, International Russian Music Piano Competition in San Jose, Oberlin Concerto Competition, Corpus Christi International Concerto Competition, Louisiana International Piano Competition, and the NTD International Piano Competition in New York.
Parent feedback about the school and its teachers includes comments that instructors such as Feliks and Lydia are patient, kind, and able to work well with young children, and that students look forward to lessons and practice voluntarily. Parents report that their children have made noticeable progress in violin, viola, and cello, and describe teachers as able to identify weaknesses, train students to overcome them, and keep lessons engaging for children as young as five years old. Multiple parents state that they are happy they found the school and recommend both the school and specific instructors.
Last updated July 22, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Trial lessons are 30 minutes long
• Price: 30 min trial lessons-$125
Russian School of Music Irvine offers a first lesson free, with trial lessons lasting 30 minutes. The school provides an individual curriculum tailored for each student. Performing options at the school include student recitals, competitions, auditions, and home concerts. In response to COVID-19, the school switched most violin classes to online lessons and now teaches violin worldwide. The school offers private violin lessons in Mission Viejo, California. Russian School of Music Irvine states, “We shape musician in you! We believe in your talent!”
The leadership team includes Feliks Volozhanin as Director of String Program, Anton Smirnov for the Piano Program, and Irina Kulikova as Director of Guitar Program. Feliks Volozhanin is a cellist and cello teacher with over twenty years of experience in Russia and the US, studied at the State Institute of Music in Moscow with Kirill Rodin and at Southeastern Louisiana University with Karen Jung, and was a teaching assistant of professor Bongshin Ko at Cal State Fullerton. Anton Smirnov is a graduate of Yale University School of Music and Novosibirsk Conservatory, holds an Artist Diploma from Oberlin Conservatory, has made more than 1,000 public performances worldwide including at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center's Avery Fischer Hall, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and is a prizewinner of several international piano competitions. Irina Kulikova graduated with distinction from the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, the Conservatoire of Maastricht, and the Gnessin's Academy in Moscow, has received over 30 awards including 1st prizes at several international guitar competitions, and has recorded four solo CDs, three of which are distributed worldwide by the Naxos label. The teachers at the school are winners of international competitions, world renowned musicians, and active concert artists.
Feliks’ students have a high success rate auditioning to Irvine Honor Orchestra, with one third of the 2017 Irvine Elementary Honor Orchestra cello section being his students. His students also compete at various competitions and are members of orchestras including Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, All Southern California Elementary Honor and Irvine Honor Orchestras, and Orange County Youth Symphony. Irina Kulikova’s awards include 1st prizes at the Michele Pittaluga competition in Italy, Guitarra Alhambra in Spain, Forum Gitarre Wien in Austria, and Iserlohn in Germany. Anton Smirnov’s competition prizes include the Moscow International Competition for Young Musicians, International Russian Music Piano Competition in San Jose, Oberlin Concerto Competition, Corpus Christi International Concerto Competition, Louisiana International Piano Competition, and the NTD International Piano Competition in New York.
Parent feedback about the school and its teachers includes comments that instructors such as Feliks and Lydia are patient, kind, and able to work well with young children, and that students look forward to lessons and practice voluntarily. Parents report that their children have made noticeable progress in violin, viola, and cello, and describe teachers as able to identify weaknesses, train students to overcome them, and keep lessons engaging for children as young as five years old. Multiple parents state that they are happy they found the school and recommend both the school and specific instructors.
Last updated July 22, 2026.
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