Inessa Niks

Inessa Niks is a graduate of the Special Music School for Gifted Children, piano department, and the St. Petersburg Conservatory, musicology department, Russia. She concurrently studied for several years voice with Elizabeth Ginsburg in St. Petersburg, who herself followed the method of maetro Umberto Masetti (teacher of legendary Russian singer Antonina Nezhdanova). In 1982, she established her piano and musicology studio in Redlands, CA. In 1991, she also became a co-instructor in the newly established Niks Hand Retraining Center using the Hand Guide device to help musicians get rid of tension. She is the author of a number of articles dealing with problems in piano technique published in the California Music Teacher magazine. She is also the author of the final version of the manual “Play Without Tension”, co-author of the final version of the manual, “Type Without Tension” and the author and performer in the recording of the lecture-recitals titled “The Mystery of Singing Tone” and “Distinctive Sound of Great Composers".” Together with her son, she contributed to the research (1997-2017) in vocal technique. She is co-author and illustrator of a free video course, “Ten Exercises for Singing Without Tension,” based on 20 years of research in vocal technique.

Her biography was included in the Who's Who of American Women (1999-2000 edition and 2000-2001 Millenium edition, Marquis Publication), an honor limited to individuals "who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in their own fields of endeavor." She also earned inclusion in the International Who's Who (1999-2000 edition, International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England) in the category of Music and Musician's Directory. Her biography was included in Outstanding People of the 20th Century, for her contributions in the fields of Piano Technique and Musicology (2000 edition, International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England), 2000 Outstanding Musicians of the 20th Century (2001 edition, International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England), and Outstanding Intellectuals of the 20th Century (2002 edition, International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England).  Recent awards include Who's Who In America: Music Educator (2008-2009 edition, Marquis Publication), International Mozart Award for Musical Achievement (2008-2009 edition, International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England), and World Who’s Who of Women (15th Fully Revised Edition 2011, International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England).