Meet Ilia and Velly Tosheff

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ilia and Velly Tosheff of the Tosheff Piano Studio Los Angeles and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ilia and Velly Tosheff, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
One of the biggest challenges of a business owner is work-life balance! Bringing a family and a child to the equation bumps up the challenge by a whole another level! Topping that with the fact that the whole parade needs to march out through the windy and steep road of a global pandemic just adds another layer of obstacles to the course. You realize that your work-life balance is like walking on a tight rope! Juggling between kid’s distant learning, virtual business meetings, research, songwriting and maybe some house chores and family time all blend into one! Every room in the house is an office, a classroom or a library where every existent electronic device is constantly rolling and barely ever turned off. Your day starts early with child’s school and ends late, just to barely be able to cover the basics! Late at night when the kid is sound asleep, you find yourself in peace having the time to research ideas, new strategies, compose and finally able to set your mind free to explore the creative world. Oftentimes you find yourself finally signing off for the “day” in the early hours of the morning, just a few short hours from the first sun rays and the start line of another marathon! Wearing the hat of a business owner, an educator, a musician, song writer, video creator, a mom and a dad, and a 2nd grade “teacher” is not easy but the desire and passion to help the community and your family, and at the same time grow as a person and a professional all keep the flame burning and makes it all worth it in the end! At the end of the day, challenges and hard times make you grow, innovate and expand to your biggest potential.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
After graduating from USC and having had a 14-year international concert career, we decided to start our own private piano school in West Los Angeles (Brentwood). We felt like we had a lot to give to the community having studied at some of the finest piano schools in Europe and the US combing different approaches and teaching techniques, all sprinkled with our own twist and the experience from our own performing career. Tosheff Piano Studio was born with the intent to help everyone who desires to learn the magic of music, no matter the skill level, genre or style of music, all presented in a contemporary and a fun way to learn. Our clientele ranges from 5 to 80-year old and includes people from different backgrounds and walks of life. If you have always wanted to learn piano, improve your chops or brush up on your skills, try a complementary lesson and watch your dream come to life! We think you’ll like what we have for you! Velly also loves making music and recently started her own project called SuperPianoBlondie, which is an unique blend of electronic music (EDM) with piano and urban dance beat. “The musical style of SuperPianoBlondie is diverse, but definitely her own. Although she primarily plays electronic music instruments and keyboards, her music is an avant-garde mixture of EDM, classical, trap, jazz, progressive rock, ambient, and world. With impeccably performed piano parts, light, happy and uplifting, her music takes the listener on a flight through a futuristic kaleidoscope. A magical journey. It flows and unveils worlds immersed in lighthearted, but thoughtful melodies, over-imposed on staggering syncopated dance beats. A treat to all senses. Forget boredom – this is SuperPianoBlondie!” ~ John Alajov

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For us it would be more of a wider range of things to do in Southern California. We’d love to show them the coastal bluffs of Santa Monica, the Palisades and Palos Verdes. We’d visit the landmarks of Beverly Hills and Hollywood, the beautiful El Mathador Beach in Malibu, and on a wider scale our favorite Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, San Diego and Santa Barbara. We love our beaches and palm trees, and the weather can’t be beat! Minus the June Gloom, agrrr! lol

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The moment we arrived in LA about two decades ago, our lives changed tremendously! We arrived from Europe with 4 suitcases, a few “dimes” and a big dream! We were accepted at USC with a full-tuition scholarship and our days were filled with studies, long hours of practicing and preparing for international competitions, concerts and events. In addition, we started teaching piano lessons so that we could support ourselves and cover our living expenses. It was hard from day one since we knew nobody and had very little help. We had to quickly adapt to our new life in a new country and at same time continue with our artistic endeavors. Our performances helped us meet new people and some of them were gracious enough to support our projects and even livelihood. The names are many to be mentioned on here but they know who they are and we deeply appreciate their help! Thank you guys from the bottom of our hearts!

Website: PianoLessonsLA.com
Instagram: @TosheffPianoStudio @SuperPianoBlondie
Facebook: @TosheffPianoStudioLosAngeles @SuperPianoBlondie
Yelp: Piano Lessons West LA
Youtube: PianoLessonsLA , SuperPianoBlondie