Galina Kopytova

Galina Kopytova was born in Moscow. She graduated from the Leningrad State College of Theater, Music and Cinematography. From 1974 she works at the Russian Institute of Art History. In 1987 she became the head of the RIII Department of Manuscripts. Her research interests include the history of Russian musical culture in connection with the musical culture of Europe. The book Society of Jewish Folk Music in St. Petersburg-Petrograd (St. Petersburg, 1997) has been translated into German (Ernst Kuhn Verlag - Berlin, 2002).

The monograph Jascha Heifetz: Early Years in Russia (St. Petersburg: Composer, 2004; 2006) was published in USA in 2013 (Indiana University Press). Spotlighting Auer"s close-knit circle of musicians, Galina Kopytova underscores the lives of artists in Russia's 'Silver Age'―an explosion of artistic activity amid the rapid social and political changes of the early 20th century. Tracing Heifetz" little-known upbringing, the book uncovers the events and experiences that shaped one of the modern era's most unique talents and enigmatic personalities. Using previously unstudied archival materials and interviews with family and friends, this biography explores Heifetz"s meteoric rise in the Russian music world ― from the first violin lessons with his father, to his studies at the St. Petersburg Conservatory with the well-known pedagogue Leopold Auer, to his tours throughout Russia and Europe.