Elina Karokhina

Background

She is the daughter of the 2003 Pushkin Prize-winning author and jazz (saxophone) musician L"ev Fyodorovich Karokhin and Galina (Savich) Karokhina.

Education

She completed her education in Saint St. Petersburg. Earning a Doctor of Musical Art degree in the balalaika.

Career

She began her formal training at the Mussorgsky Music College of Saint St. Petersburg and continued her training at North.A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint St. Petersburg State Conservatory, earning a degree as an Orchestra Soloist. She continued her training at the Conservatory, which included a number of concerts in Germany to fulfill the obligations of her scholarship. Following her graduation, she began working as a musician, both as a performer and a teacher of balalaika, mandolin, and piano.

Elina is a Musician Laureate of the international folk instrument performers’ competition "Troyanovski".

Elina served in the Russian Army in the Military Ensemble in the Northwest Order of Red Stars and her unit received honors in competitions across Russia. She is currently the balalaika player for Mikhail "Misha" Smirnov"s troupe "Barynya Ensemble", which is based out of New Jersey.

With Anthony Thistlethwaite (formerly of “The Waterboys")- “All The Way” and “Welcome to the White Nights” on the album Crawfish and Caviar, recorded 10/95 (Demon Records) in Saint St. Petersburg, Russia, with special guest Mick Taylor, formerly of the Rolling Stones. {page 19}.

Achievements

• She was a diploma winner at the 1997 "Cup of the North" competition held in Cherepovets, Russia.

Membership

As a member of a quartet within the military orchestra, Elina has performed private performances for Russian generals. She was a member of the band for the Moscow Circus, “Smirnov’s Folk Trio” with Rudolf Smirnov and Maxim "Max" Anukhin and also performed with Rudolf and Max as a member of the Russian folk group "Izba Trio" before immigrating to the United States in October 2010. Nadir Mamedoff- “My Russia”, toured/recorded Civil Defense as a member of his backing musical trio “Troyka”.