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Mission & Leadership

Bringing the transformative power of classical music to children who need it most.

Our origin

How it began

Katya Grineva smiles from the piano bench beside the Steinway on the Carnegie Hall stage, in a deep red gown

I first got the idea of establishing a nonprofit organization in 2023 following a concert I played at the beautiful Taos Art Museum at Fechin House. While in Taos, I was interviewed by journalist Tamra Testerman for the Taos News and was asked about my vision for my musical future and the legacy I hoped to leave behind.

I shared my passion for bringing the transformative power of classical music to underserved children, and it was Ms. Testerman who suggested that creating a nonprofit organization could provide the funding, partnerships, and support needed to expand this mission on a global scale.

I was so inspired by that conversation and encouraged by friends and colleagues with nonprofit experience, that I began taking the necessary steps to turn my vision into reality.

“They discover a profound truth — that they belong in beautiful spaces, in big dreams, and in a world full of possibility.”

The founder

About Katya Grineva

Katya Grineva was born in poverty in a small Russian town under Soviet rule, where she first discovered her purpose in the world of classical music. From those beginnings, she rose to perform on some of the most celebrated stages in the world — for U.S. presidents and international royalty alike.

Katya has completed 23 seasons at Carnegie Hall, with her 24th annual Carnegie Hall holiday performance scheduled for December 27, 2026. Since 2008, she has devoted herself to bringing classical music to inner-city New York children.

Katya Grineva as a young girl in Soviet Russia, seated in profile at an upright piano, reading sheet music with her hands on the keys, circa 1977
1977 Katya at the piano · Soviet Russia

In 2024, she founded Katya Concerts for Kids as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit — turning a lifetime of performance into a mission of access, so that children who have never heard live classical music can experience it, and discover themselves in it.

Her belief is simple and unwavering: every child deserves to feel the music, and to know that they belong in the beautiful spaces where it lives.

Explore Katya's concert career at katyagrineva.com

Katya Grineva sits alone at the grand piano on the Carnegie Hall stage, looking out over the vast, empty auditorium
On the world's greatest stage From a small Russian town to the Carnegie Hall stage — and now, opening those same doors for children who have never imagined themselves inside a concert hall.

Our mission

Katya Concerts for Kids was established in 2024 to bring hope, wonder, and inspiration to some of the nation's most deserving and underserved children — many of whom have never heard live classical music or imagined themselves inside a grand concert hall.

The children who attend are not simply an audience. They are welcomed into an experience that stirs the heart and awakens possibility — an experience truly life-changing.

Leadership

Board of Directors

Executive Officers

  • Katya Grineva

    President

    New York City / Woodstock, NY

  • Tara Gilvar

    Vice President

    Longboat Key, FL

  • James Beer

    Treasurer

    Saugerties, NY

  • John Briscoe

    Secretary

    Cambria, CA

At-Large Board Members

  • Tamara Lang

    Woodstock, NY

  • Karen (Kay) Sobel Lojeski

    Long Island, NY

  • Syd Andrews

    New York City

Advisory Board

  • Carol Stenberg

    Chair

    Rhinebeck, NY

  • Ann Watts

    San Jose, CA

  • Patricia Grant Lancaster

    Bronx, NY

The Helen Gurley Brown Foundation logo

In partnership with

The Helen Gurley Brown Foundation

We are proud to count the Helen Gurley Brown Foundation among the supporters who make this mission possible.

A registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit

Katya Concerts for Kids is a confirmed 501(c)(3) public charity. Contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

EIN: 99-2144966