Board of Directors
Maria Dossin, President and Co-Founder
Maria Dossin feels comfortable conducting a large choir or orchestra, playing the organ, singing or designing a complex software application. A musician by calling and passion, she graduated with honors from the Tchaikovsky Conservatory. After moving to the US and working for two decades as a choral conductor, organist and teacher, Maria decided to pursue a career in business. In 2010 she received an MBA from the University of Oregon Lundquist College of Business in corporate finance and security analysis.
Since then, she has been busy working in the financial industry and technology field. Currently a software engineering manager at Gen Digital, Maria keeps her passion for music alive through her involvement in the Eugene art scene and as the co-founder of the Oregon Piano Institute.
An avid skier, she enjoys all that Oregon has to offer in outdoor activity with her husband and grown-up kids.
Andrew Verner, Treasurer and Advertising Manager
Although born in the United States, Andrew grew up in Germany and Turkey. He holds a PhD in Russian History from Columbia University and is the author of The Crisis of Russian Autocracy: Nicholas II and the 1905 Russian Revolution. He taught at Swarthmore College and the University of Illinois. After obtaining an MBA, he started a new career as a university administrator, retiring from the UO Lundquist College of Business in 2017.
As a teenager, Andrew fell in love with classical music, opera in particular. Sadly, his piano lessons never advanced beyond the beginner level. Eventually, voice became his favorite instrument, and Maria Dossin his guide to Russian choral music.
Andrew is involved in the local community as a two-time president of his Rotary club and the long-time treasurer of the Oregon Association of Rowers. He likes to travel, garden and do home improvements. He has been married for more than a half century and is the father of two boys and grandfather of two girls and one boy.
Ruth Seeger, Secretary and Community Outreach
Ruth was born and raised in the mid-western part of the US. She is a retired geologist, having spent her career with the US. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Ruth lived and worked in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Montana, Arizona and Oregon. Her work was primarily focused on commodity production (oil, gas, gold, etc) as well as mining law, federal policy and environmental protection. Special assignments included international consulting on mining related issues in Venezuela, Georgia and Armenia. She currently resides in Oregon. In addition to serving on the Board of the Oregon Piano Institute, Ruth is a Board member of the League of Women Voters of Lane County and Co-chair of the Membership Committee. Other passionate projects include an orphanage/elder housing project and a new hospital in Kampot Province, Cambodia; serving as a Resource (Foster) parent for the Oregon Department of Human Services and a Disaster Action Team supervisor with the American Red Cross.
Ruth is the parent of two smart, passionate and kind grown daughters, who live in Salt Lake City, UT and Minneapolis, MN. They are changing the world for the better!
Amy Bunker, Social Media & Communications
A native of Oregon, Amy was raised by parents who recognized the importance of a musical education. Amy studied Suzuki violin, beginning at age 5. While she did not make music a career, Amy credits her focus, patience, and work ethic to those early years of musical training.
After studying psychology at the University of Puget Sound, Amy earned a Master’s Degree in Organizational Psychology from Springfield College in Massachusetts. A one-time expert on the use of teleconferencing tools in the workplace, Amy’s research focus was the effectiveness of virtual team collaboration. Amy’s passion is applying the tools of science to the understanding of human behavior; in particular, helping organizations best understand their customers. Her decade of work in marketing research found her based in several metropolitan areas including Seattle, Minneapolis, and Sacramento, where she continued to attend arts events.
Amy eventually traded in her business hat to focus exclusively on raising her three children. Each of Amy’s children have learned musical instruments and, most importantly, have learned the value of being audience members. Amy believes that a strong community is an inclusive community where coming together for arts is available to everyone.
Staff
Juan Avendaño, Graphic Designer
Nikita Istratov, Research and Student Outreach
Nikita Istratov, Research and Student Outreach
Juan Avendano is a Colombian pianist with degrees from the National University of Colombia and Western Michigan University. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in piano performance and a master’s in collaborative piano at the University of Oregon under Dr. Alexandre Dossin. Juan has won several prestigious competitions and taught at inst
Juan Avendano is a Colombian pianist with degrees from the National University of Colombia and Western Michigan University. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in piano performance and a master’s in collaborative piano at the University of Oregon under Dr. Alexandre Dossin. Juan has won several prestigious competitions and taught at institutions like the National University of Colombia and Western Michigan University. His performances include collaborations with the Rogue Valley Symphony and participation in festivals such as Bowdoin and Gilmore. Beyond music, Juan is also a visual artist, serving as a visual artist director, videographer, and photographer for events like the Columbia River Chamber Music Festival and Piano UO Festival. He’s thrilled to join the Oregon Piano Institute team. More on his visual arts can be found at www.sebastianavendano.com
Nikita Istratov, Research and Student Outreach
Nikita Istratov, Research and Student Outreach
Nikita Istratov, Research and Student Outreach
Nikita Istratov has been playing piano since the age of 6. He completed high school in Portland, OR with a full IB Diploma and is now beginning his first year at the University of Oregon, studying piano performance under Dr. Dossin. In his time in high school, he completed Level X of the OMTA Syllabus program “With Distinction”, performed
Nikita Istratov has been playing piano since the age of 6. He completed high school in Portland, OR with a full IB Diploma and is now beginning his first year at the University of Oregon, studying piano performance under Dr. Dossin. In his time in high school, he completed Level X of the OMTA Syllabus program “With Distinction”, performed at Weill Recital Hall in New York twice, won first prize at the 2021 Pittsburgh International Piano Competition, first prize at the 2021 Oregon State OPUS competition, and won the OMTA Donna and David Eason as well as Francis Virgina Melton scholarships. He was also selected for and attended the 2023 New York University MPAP Summer Piano Intensive. He has taken masterclasses with artists including Filippo Gorini and Julio Elizalde. Nikita loves attending concerts and studying classical music, from analysis to conducting to the psychology of music. Outside of music, Nikita also loves photography and got his pilot’s license last summer.