WHO WE ARE
About Ostinato
Ostinato Piano Studio is led by husband-and-wife concert pianists and teaching artists who bring more than 35 years of combined teaching experience to their studio in Verrado.
Pianist and Teaching Artist
Dr. Svetlana Obregon Saens
A co-founder and owner of Ostinato Piano Studio, Dr. Svetlana Obregon Saens is a pianist, collaborative artist, and educator. A prizewinner in international competitions—including the International Music Festival “Musica Classica” in Ruza, Russia, and the 6th International Competition “Music Without Limits” in Lithuania—she has performed in recitals and concerts around the world.
An active chamber musician, she has collaborated with distinguished artists across Europe and North America. Her honors include the Honorable Award for Excellence in Performance and High Professional Achievements as a collaborative artist and teacher, the Best Accompanist Award at the Sixth Open Russian Art Song Competition in Vladimir, Russia (2010), and First Prize at Bowling Green State University’s Seventh Annual Chamber Music Competition (2013).
Svetlana holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from Arizona State University. Her principal teachers include Paul Ostrovsky, Robert Hamilton, Galina Blagovidova, Ellina Vlasova, and Robert Satterlee. She is Artist-in-Residence with the Scottsdale Philharmonic, where her recent concerto performances include Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 and Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1.
With more than twenty years of teaching experience in Russia and the United States, she has served on the faculties of the ASU School of Music and ASU Community Music School and on jury panels for the Dean & Carolyn Elder Piano Competition, ASMTA State Honors Recitals, PMTA Fall Festival and Competition, and the Arizona Study Program. Her individualized approach connects technical development with musical expression, and her students have successfully completed ABRSM, Arizona Study Program, and Royal Conservatory of Music examinations.
Pianist and Teaching Artist
Dr. Vitaly Serebriakov
Described as “a thoughtful artist with a firm technique, a gorgeous tone, and a sensitive touch” by Fanfare Magazine, Dr. Vitaly Serebriakov is a critically acclaimed pianist, teaching artist, recording engineer, and YAMAHA ARTIST. He has performed in leading venues worldwide, received prizes in international piano competitions, and released the critically praised album Infinitude, featuring music by Scriabin, Medtner, and Prokofiev.
Vitaly holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from Arizona State University. He studied with Robert Hamilton, Vladimir Feltsman, and Paul Ostrovsky. His training is rooted in the Russian school of piano playing, through a pedagogical lineage that includes Jacob Flier and Emil Gilels.
Together with his wife Svetlana, he co-founded Ostinato Piano Studio and serves as Artistic Director of Desert Hills Community School of Music. He is Artist-in-Residence with the Scottsdale Philharmonic and has performed concertos by Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Brahms, and Beethoven. His recent chamber engagements include collaborations with violinist Shlomo Mintz at the Red Rocks Music Festival.
His students have successfully completed Arizona Study Program and Royal Conservatory of Music examinations and won local and international piano competitions.
“Vitaly has proven to be an uncommonly successful teacher whom I regularly recommend to the very finest young talents and parents who seek my advice. He knows what is required to bring gifted pianists to the point of producing a first-rate piano sound, through the proper use of finger, hand and arm weight. Much of this comes from his thorough understanding and mastery of what is perhaps the best technical approach in the piano world, commonly known as the Russian school of piano playing.”