A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, pianist Tatiana Vassilieva returns to Opera Santa Barbara after coaching Falstaff, Don Pasquale and Madama Butterfly here in previous seasons. Ms. Vassilieva has worked on music staff at Santa Fe Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Sarasota Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Edmonton Opera, Ash Lawn Opera, Opera North, Boston University Opera Institute, and Eastman Opera Theatre, among others. She held fellowships at the Vocal Piano Program at Tanglewood Music Center and the Collaborative Piano Program at Music Academy of the West, and participated in the Britten-Pears Young Artists Programme in Aldeburgh, England.  Ms. Vassilieva attended the Eastman School of Music, earning a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance and a Master of Music degree in both piano performance and accompanying.