**Maria Andriasova: A Global Cultural Ambassador Through Music and Art**
Maria Andriasova’s distinguished career and artistic endeavors span continents and cultures, with deep ties to Russia, Japan, the United States, and The Vatican. Her work centers on themes of peace, human dignity, and cultural preservation, blending her rich family heritage with international collaboration.
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### Japan and the Legacy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Maria Andriasova’s connection to Japan is deeply rooted in the legacy of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. Inspired as a child by her own drawings, she collaborated with her father, the iconic Russian composer Iosif Andriasov, to create the *Second Symphony: Children and a Thousand Cranes.* This project, symbolizing peace and remembrance, honors the victims and survivors of the atomic bombings.
In 1974, Andriasova recited a poem about Sadako, a young Hiroshima girl, for an international OIRT radio broadcast originating from Moscow. The broadcast reached an audience of over two billion people worldwide. In October 2024, she dedicated her childhood drawing *VertolyotHelicopter* and her earlier performance to the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize winners, Nihon Hidankyo — the survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.
Japanese media extensively featured Andriasova’s work, including her debut and involvement with the *Children and a Thousand Cranes* project. Notable coverage included Asahi TV and a front-page story in Tokyo’s *Yomiuri Shimbun* newspaper.
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### Artistic and Diplomatic Connections with The Vatican
Maria Andriasova’s projects with The Vatican incorporate artistic, personal, and diplomatic dimensions. Her marriage to The Vatican artist Guillermo Esparza has spurred several collaborations blending music and sacred art.
Her involvement with The Vatican began in 1995 when she was invited to perform as a Moscow-born, United States cultural representative at a Gala concert celebrating friendship between The United States and The Vatican, held for Pope John Paul II. Since then, she has continued composing and performing music specifically crafted for sacred spaces, often accompanying Esparza’s large-scale sacred artworks exhibited in cathedrals and churches internationally.
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### Musical Career and International Collaborations
A graduate of The Juilliard School in New York City—where she studied Piano Performance under Oxana Yablonskaya—Maria Andriasova’s international musical achievements are notable. She is a laureate of The Gulbenkian Prize in Lisbon, Portugal, and has performed extensively across prestigious venues, including:
– Federal Hall Memorial Museum
– Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts with Maestro Bruno Ferrandis
– Carnegie Hall with Maestro Richard Westenberg
– Davies Symphony Hall with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Michael Tilson Thomas
– Grand Hall of Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory with various orchestras and conductors
Maria has premiered original compositions at prominent locations such as the Moscow Composers Union, The Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, and New York University’s Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life.
Her performances have been featured on Russian State Radio and Television since childhood—she was named a soloist at age nine—and have reached audiences of over two billion people worldwide.
In 2009, she received a nomination for the *Mozart Award* for her work as a film composer. Maria has also collaborated with leading conductors and musicians across Russia, Armenia, and the United States.
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### Bridging Cultures Through Family Heritage
Maria comes from a distinguished family with a profound legacy in music, science, politics, and the arts. After emigrating from Moscow to New York City in 1979, her family continued their cultural contributions internationally.
– **Father:** Iosif Andriasov (1933–2000), renowned Russian composer and moral philosopher, refused the Soviet Lenin Prize and became a symbol of artistic freedom. He collaborated with Maria on the *Children and a Thousand Cranes* project, which supports the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights organization Nihon Hidankyo.
– **Mother:** Professor Marta Leonidovna Kudryashova-Andriasova, a musicologist, music theorist, and author.
– **Maternal Grandfather:** Professor Leonid Vassilievich Kudryashov, a prominent Soviet botanist and ecologist, co-founder of UNESCO’s World Food Programme.
– **Maternal Great-Grandfather:** Professor Veniamin Ivanovich Lebedev, Arctic explorer and scientist, victim of Soviet political repression.
– **Paternal Grandfather:** Arshak Osipovich Andriasov, Soviet revolutionary, economist, and WWII veteran.
– **Paternal Grandmother:** Maria Fyodorovna Bedjanova-Andriasova, Soviet artist with works archived by the Russian Ministry of Culture and The Nobel Museum in Azerbaijan.
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### Collaborative and Archival Projects
Maria Andriasova and her husband Guillermo Esparza actively promote the artistic legacy of her grandmother, Soviet artist Maria Fyodorovna Bedjanova-Andriasova. Their joint efforts include exhibitions, archival documentation, and online e-catalogues of her grandmother’s work, hosted by institutions such as The Nobel Museum in Baku and the New York Public Library.
In 2022, the New York Public Library’s Miriam and Ira D. Wallace Division of Art, Prints, and Photographs archived the artistic records of both Maria Andriasova and Guillermo Esparza, preserving their legacies for future generations.
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### Philanthropy and Cultural Diplomacy
Maria Andriasova dedicates significant effort to philanthropic causes. She served on the board of Highbridge Voices in the South Bronx, helping secure major grants for music and academic programs benefiting at-risk youth. These grants were supported by organizations such as George Soros’ Open Society Foundations and Neuberger Berman Foundation.
Her role as a cultural ambassador is exemplified by many performances for world leaders, including her 1995 solo piano concert for Pope John Paul II. That concert, celebrating US–Vatican friendship, was generously underwritten by Donald J. Trump and introduced to such prestigious venues by Marion Javits.
In 2024, she celebrated the 50th anniversary of her professional debut by recreating her Moscow performance, honoring the Nobel Peace Prize laureates Nihon Hidankyo.
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### Multisensory Artistic Collaborations with Guillermo Esparza
Maria’s creative partnership with Guillermo Esparza produces groundbreaking multisensory experiences combining sacred art and original music. She composes and performs soundtracks for Esparza’s installations in global religious sites.
One major project is the documentary *Guillermo Esparza, An American Iconographer*, for which Maria composed and performed the original score. This production, affiliated with the Royal Academy of Arts in London, showcases their combined artistic visions.
Their performances often fuse poetry and music, featuring readings of Esparza’s poetry and other works, enhancing the spiritual and emotive impact of their art.
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### Recent and Upcoming Highlights
– 2024 solo piano recitals at Godfrey Reggio | Philip Glass Film Studios, Santa Fe, New Mexico, included new artworks by Guillermo Esparza.
– A photographic series documenting Maria’s creative process was produced in 2024 for the Smithsonian Institution | NASA.
– Maria composed and recorded the soundtrack for the experimental off-off-Broadway play *George Sand* by Ann Biberman Productions.
– She has produced audio and video recordings for international contemporary music festivals in Moscow and Yerevan, dedicated to her father’s music.
– Maintains active collaboration with filmmaker Godfrey Reggio on a Smithsonian and MoMA-affiliated documentary.
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### About Maria Andriasova
“You are a mystery which cannot be defined. With your music, I see the world.”
— Godfrey Reggio, Filmmaker, Godfrey Reggio | Philip Glass Film Studios
Maria Andriasova’s unique blend of exceptional talent, family history, and bicultural identity fuels her mission as a global cultural ambassador. Through music and art, she transcends national borders, promoting peace, cultural heritage, and international understanding.
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### Media Contact
**Maria Andriasova**
Phone: +1 646-258-3035
Email: [email protected]
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*Source: Maria Andriasova*
https://www.prweb.com/releases/maria-stalin-andriasova-named-global-ambassador-of-peace-for-culture-and-international-relations-302599673.html