Elena Ulyanova began studying piano at age five under her mother, Larisa Ulyanova, in Saki, Crimea. She quickly distinguished herself, winning multiple first prizes in Ukrainian and Russian competitions. Her early successes earned her full scholarships to prestigious Moscow institutions, including Gnessin College of Music, Gnessin Academy, and the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Shortly after entering the Conservatory, she became a prizewinner in the second Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition. She completed her Master of Music degree and pursued postgraduate studies with Victor Merzhanov, performing extensively with the Moscow Philharmonic Concert Association, and taking masterclasses with Emanuel Krasovsky, Victor Derevianko, John O’Connor, Howard Shelley, and Leslie Howard.
In 2004, Elena recorded her first solo CD of Liszt works with Classica Records. After immigrating to Washington, D.C., she collaborated with Howard Shelley on Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, which, along with Piano Concerto No. 2, was performed with the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra and released on her 2006 Bel Air Music CD. Her performances have been featured on WFMT (Chicago), CKWR (Ontario), and WQED (Pittsburgh).
Elena has appeared as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral collaborator worldwide, performing in the U.S., Russia, Ukraine, Great Britain, Austria, Korea, the Netherlands, China, Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania. She has played with the Vienna Musikverein Orchestra, Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, Crimea State Symphony, State Russian Orchestra “Boyan,” Omsk Philharmonic, and notably performed Rachmaninoff’s Second Concerto with the White Lilacs Festival Orchestra on just four hours’ notice. In 2014, she was named a Steinway Artist.
As an educator, Elena has received multiple teaching awards and serves regularly as a juror and examiner for piano competitions and senior recitals, shaping the next generation of pianists.