Vents MagaZine Music and Entertainment Magazine
Related Articles
Q) You grew up in Samara in a musical family, with your mother teaching piano and your father bringing home American records from his international jazz tours. You’ve mentioned becoming obsessed with Al Jarreau’s Breakin’ Away and listening to the cassette until it wore out. What was it about that record that captivated you, and how did discovering American jazz and soul music influence the musical identity you would eventually develop?
A) I grew up in a family where music was part of everyday life. My mother was a piano teacher, and my father was a jazz trombonist who performed internationally with a big band. He brought home recordings of American jazz, soul, and funk that were difficult to find in the Soviet Union at the time.
I was still in elementary school when I discovered Al Jarreau’s Breakin’ Away. I was absolutely fascinated by his voice! I listened to that cassette so many times that it eventually wore out. His extraordinary vocal freedom, rhythmic phrasing, improvisation, and emotional expression captivated me.
At the same time, I was studying classical piano. Classical music taught me discipline and structure. Those influences became the foundation of my musical identity.
Q) Your background spans classical piano, jazz vocals, big bands, symphony orchestras, soul, funk, and pop. You’ve spent years developing your abilities across very different musical worlds, but you’re now releasing original songs under your own name for the first time. What made this the right moment to bring all those influences together and introduce listeners to Kristina Aglinz as a songwriter and recording artist?
A) My native language is music. I’ve performed as a classical pianist, jazz vocalist, and bandleader, working with orchestras and musicians from many different backgrounds. Throughout those years, I was also composing my own music.
I believe everything has its own time. As we grow, our experiences deepen our understanding of what we create.
Today, I feel ready to share my compositions with a wider audience. They reflect everything I’ve learned and loved throughout my musical journey.
I don’t feel limited by any particular genre. I feel free to follow my artistic vision and create music that expresses my thoughts, feelings, and ideas.
Q) Your classical training led you to earn a master’s degree in piano performance, while your first trip to Los Angeles culminated in being named Overall Grand Champion at the World Championships of Performing Arts, with a Gold Medal in Jazz Vocal. How did those experiences shape your confidence as a performer, and was there a moment when you realized that singing could become just as central to your musical identity as playing piano?
A) I became interested in the piano before I could even walk or talk. I began my formal piano studies at the age of five and eventually earned a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance. That education gave me a profound understanding of music and a strong technical foundation.
But I always loved singing, especially jazz. For me, piano and voice were never separate musical worlds.
Winning the Overall Grand Champion title and a Gold Medal in Jazz Vocal at the World Championships of Performing Arts in Los Angeles was an unforgettable experience. It was a wonderful recognition of my abilities as a vocalist and gave me greater confidence to pursue both aspects.
Q) Your debut single, “Heaven Is Shining Bright,” opens the journey toward your first full-length album, expected in early 2027. What inspired this song, and why did it feel like the right introduction to this new chapter? Does it capture the central message or emotional atmosphere you hope listeners will find throughout the album?
A) “Heaven Is Shining Bright” expresses something I believe very deeply: God is love, and His love is infinite.
I composed the music, and Anatoly Berlin wrote the lyrics. We wanted to convey a message of faith and the enduring power of love, even during life’s most difficult moments.
One of the closing lines captures the heart of the song: “LOVE WILL NEVER END.”
To me, God’s love is like the sun, shining on everyone and sharing its warmth without exception. It doesn’t distinguish between people or ask where we come from. Its light is there for all of us.
I chose this song to introduce my upcoming album because its message reflects an essential part of who I am. Although the album explores different musical styles and emotions, I hope listeners will discover a common spirit of love, beauty, and humanity throughout.
Q) You’ve spoken about your belief that “God is love,” and spirituality appears to be an important thread running through your music. How does your faith influence your songwriting, and how do you translate something as personal and sometimes difficult to articulate as a spiritual belief into songs that can resonate with listeners from different backgrounds?
A) My faith is an important part of my life, and it naturally influences my music.
I believe music can express feelings and experiences that words alone cannot fully communicate. I don’t want to tell listeners what they should feel. I prefer to leave room for their own interpretations and emotional connections.
That is one of the most beautiful qualities of music: the same composition can touch different people in entirely different ways.
Q) Your songs draw from different periods of your life, bringing together experiences and ideas that may have taken years to fully understand. When you revisit something you wrote in an earlier chapter of your life, how does your perspective as a musician and person change the way you interpret it? Did assembling this album reveal unexpected connections between songs written years apart?
A) Some of my compositions were written years ago, during very different periods of my life.
When I revisit them today, I hear them through the experience I’ve gained as a musician, composer, and producer.
What interests me most is discovering meanings and emotions that were present in these compositions from the very beginning but had not yet been fully revealed.
Through new arrangements, harmonies, instrumentation, and musical textures, I want to bring those original ideas to life with greater clarity and depth.
It’s also fascinating to discover how compositions written years apart can connect with one another and form a larger musical story.
Q) Your journey from Samara to Los Angeles represents a significant personal and cultural transition. How did immigrating to the United States reshape your relationship with music, identity, and belonging? Do you find that elements of your upbringing and cultural background continue to surface in your performances or songwriting, even when you’re not consciously drawing on them?
A) I grew up immersed in the great tradition of Russian classical music education, a tradition with roots reaching back to the nineteenth century. I was fortunate to study with outstanding teachers who passed on the knowledge and artistic values of this remarkable musical heritage.
Moving to Los Angeles opened an exciting new chapter in my life. It gave me opportunities to collaborate with extraordinary musicians and experience different musical traditions firsthand.
Living in the United States has broadened my artistic perspective while allowing me to preserve the musical heritage that shaped me.
I feel fortunate to have experienced both worlds. They have enriched each other in ways I could never have imagined.
Q) You had the opportunity to work with the late Jorge Calandrelli, whose distinguished career spans orchestral arrangements, film music, and collaborations with major artists. What did that experience mean to you, and what did you learn from working with someone whose musical vision could bridge so many different styles and traditions?
A) Working with Jorge Calandrelli was an important experience in my musical life.
Jorge was an extraordinary musician, arranger, and producer with a remarkable understanding of harmony, orchestration, and musical expression. His ability to work across different musical styles was something I deeply admired.
We collaborated on arrangements of my original compositions, and I greatly appreciated the opportunity to work with him. His artistry and musical insight made a lasting impression on me. Today, I enjoy arranging my songs myself and bringing my musical ideas to life in my own way.
Q) With your extensive experience as a concert pianist and vocalist, you’ve spent much of your career interpreting music written by other people. How does the experience of performing your own compositions differ from interpreting someone else’s work, and has putting your personal thoughts and beliefs into original songs changed the way you approach your craft?
A) Performing the music of great composers is an extraordinary experience. As a classical pianist, I’ve spent years studying their works, understanding their intentions, and developing my own interpretations.
Jazz offers another dimension through improvisation, where interpretation and creativity come together in the moment.
But performing my own compositions is different. I’m no longer interpreting someone else’s musical ideas — I’m expressing my own.
Every melody, harmony, and musical phrase reflects decisions I’ve made as a composer.
It gives me both tremendous freedom and responsibility. I can shape every aspect of a composition, from its original conception to the final arrangement and performance.
For me, that creative independence is one of the most rewarding aspects of making original music.
Q) As you prepare to release your debut album in 2027, you’re embarking on a journey that brings together a lifetime of musical influences, personal experiences, and spiritual reflection. What do you hope audiences discover about you through this first collection of original music, and what would you like this new chapter to make possible creatively?
A) I look forward to continuing to compose, arrange, and perform my own music and share it with audiences around the world. I hope listeners will discover my musical voice through my original compositions, arrangements, and the emotions behind them.
I love people, and I love communicating with them!
Music allows us to connect in a very special way, even without ever meeting in person. Someone may hear my song, and although we may never meet, I feel that through music, we have already become friends.
