Maria Stalin-Andriasova Named Global Ambassador of Peace for Culture and International Relations

Maria Stalin-Andriasova Named Global Ambassador of Peace for Culture and International Relations. International Understanding Through Music, Art, and Collaborative Artistic and Human Rights Projects: From Moscow to New York City, from Japan to The Vatican: Representing The Family Which Established Three Generations of Nobel Peace Prize-winning Organizations.

NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Maria Stalin-Andriasova Named Global Ambassador of Peace for Culture and International Relations. International Understanding Through Music, Art, and Collaborative Artistic and Human Rights Projects: From Moscow to New York City, from Japan to The Vatican: Representing The Family Which Established Three Generations of Nobel Peace Prize-winning Organizations.

Through her performances for international audiences, her collaboration with global artists, and her use of Music and Art to highlight international human rights issues, Maria Andriasova has demonstrated an uncommon ability to serve as a cultural liaison between nations. Her deep respect for different cultures, as shown through her work and life, makes her the global ambassador, which is both fitting and unique. Maria Andriasova has been involved in several international cultural projects, particularly those that blend music with humanitarian themes, artistic heritage, and collaborations across nations. Maria Andriasova's family members co-established and sponsored three Nobel Peace Prize-winning organizations, Nihon Hidankyo, The Memorial, and UNESCO's World Food Programme, and today she serves as a representative of her Family and its extraordinary achievements in the fields of Music, Arts, Sciences, Politics, Human Rights, Morality, and Ethics.

Maria Andriasova's work involving Japan centers on the legacy of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, highlighting themes of peace and human dignity, "Children and a Thousand Cranes" project. As a child, Andriasova's drawings inspired her father, the iconic Russian composer Iosif Andriasov, to write his Second Symphony "Children and a Thousand Cranes." In 1974, as a child, Andriasova recited a poem about a young Hiroshima girl named Sadako for an international OIRT radio broadcast originating from Moscow for an audience of over two billion people. In October 2024, Andriasova dedicated her childhood drawing "Vertolyot", "Helicopter" and her earlier performance to the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize winners, Nihon Hidankyo, who are the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. Andriasova was extensively featured by the Japanese media. Her debut and her work on the "Children and a Thousand Cranes" project received coverage by Japanese media, including Asahi TV and a front-page major story covered by newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, Tokyo, Japan.

Maria Andriasova's projects relating to The Vatican are both Artistic, personal, and diplomatic. Her marriage to The Vatican Artist Guillermo Esparza has led to several projects with religious and international connections. It started with the Gala concerts for Pope John Paul II. In 1995, Maria Andriasova was invited to perform as a Moscow-born, United States cultural representative at a Gala concert for the Pope, celebrating friendship between the United States and The Vatican. She continues to compose and perform music specifically for sacred spaces, which accompanies the installations of her husband Guillermo Esparza's sacred Artworks in cathedrals and churches internationally.

Maria Andriasova's projects also involve numerous musical performances and awards. Her musical career includes notable international achievements and collaborations. A graduate of The Juilliard School in New York City, where she studied Piano Performance with Oxana Yablonskaya, Maria Andriasova is a laureate of The Gulbenkian Prize, Lisbon, Portugal. She has performed extensively, including Federal Hall Memorial Museum, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts with Maestro Bruno Ferrandis, Carnegie Hall with Maestro Richard Westenberg, Davies Symphony Hall with San Francisco Symphony Orchestra for a contemporary music festival in a performance of her father's chamber works by invitation of Maestro Michael Tilson Thomas, with Maestro Gennady Cherkasov, People's Artist of Russia, and Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra in Moscow, collaborated with Maestro Vakhtang Jordania and Russian Federal Orchestra, Grand Hall of Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Maestro Karen Durgaryan and Ohan Duryan State Symphony Orchestra, Yerevan, Armenia, and premiered her original compositions at Moscow Composers Union, The Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral, Church of St. Paul The Apostle, Church of the Holy Innocents, and at New York University's Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life. She has performed for numerous world leaders in performances which featured the music of her father Iosif Andriasov. In her native Moscow, Maria Andriasova's performances have been featured by Russian State Radio and Television, where she was named a Soloist at the age of nine years old, recorded by Radio Fund of Russia, Moscow, with broadcasts that have reached international audiences of over two billion people. Maria Andriasova was nominated for a "Mozart Award" in 2009 for her work as a film composer. She was featured by CBS, FOX News Network for PM Magazine, New York City, Asahi TV, Yomiuri Shimbun, Tokyo, Japan, OIRT International Radio (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Poland, Germany, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Czechia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Belgium, and France.) As a cultural ambassador, Maria Andriasova uses her artistic talents and background to foster international understanding and goodwill. Maria Andriasova's journey from a child prodigy in Moscow to an acclaimed musician in the United States, with significant ties to Japan and The Vatican, supports her humanistic views as a global cultural ambassador.

Blending of diverse musical traditions.

Andriasova's musical background represents a unique blend of cultures. She was immersed in the Russian classical tradition from a young age, performing the works of Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev alongside her father, the renowned composer Iosif Andriasov. Her training at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York allowed her to integrate Western musical styles, building a professional career in the United States as a pianist and film composer.

International projects and performances.

Andriasova's work consistently crosses borders and engages with international themes and audiences. Two projects stand out: Japanese relations and Vatican performances. Andriasova's connection to Japan through the "Children and a Thousand Cranes" project, inspired by her childhood drawings, symbolizes a message of peace and remembrance. Her performance of a poem about a young Hiroshima girl Sadako for an international broadcast was seen by billions. Performing for Pope John Paul II in 1995 as a Moscow-born United States cultural representative highlighted her role in fostering diplomatic relations between Russia, United States, and The Vatican through music. Andriasova's collaboration with international artists, including her work with her husband, The Vatican Artist Guillermo Esparza, has led to cross-cultural artistic collaborations, including combining her music with his sacred Art.

Preserving and sharing cultural heritage.

Through her artistic and archival work, Andriasova actively preserves and shares her family's rich cultural heritage, including the Music by her father, the iconic Russian composer Iosif Andriasov, and the Art by her grandmother, Soviet Artist Maria Fyodorovna Bedjanova-Andriasova, ensuring the preservation of this cultural Family legacy together with the Russian Ministry of Culture, Moscow, and The Nobel Museum, Baku, Azerbaijan. Collaborations with institutions such as Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., and the New York Public Library permanently document and archive her work and the work of her family, including her husband Guillermo Esparza, making it accessible for future generations globally.

By using her talents and her family's history to connect people through Art and Music, Maria Andriasova transcends national borders and embodies the spirit of a global cultural ambassador. She comes from a distinguished Moscow family with deep roots in music, science, politics, and the Arts. After relocating from Moscow to New York City in 1979 with her parents, the family brought their professional expertise and heritage to the United States.

Maria Andriasova's distinguished Family members include:

Father: Iosif Andriasov (1933, Moscow – 2000, New York City) was a highly regarded composer and moral philosopher born in Moscow. Iosif Andriasov graduated from Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory and was recommended for membership in the Union of Soviet Composers by Dmitry Schostakovich. Iosif Andriasov was also a moral philosopher and a political dissident. In 1979, he and his family emigrated to the United States with the help of U.S. Senators Jacob Javits, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and Edward Kennedy after Andriasov famously refused the Soviet government's Lenin Prize in 1974 which culminated in his personal view that Artistic freedom is separate from any political or government affiliation. He became a symbol of Artistic freedom in the Soviet Union and in the West. Iosif Andriasov was Recognized and Blessed by His Holiness Patriarch and Katolikos of All Armenians Vazgen The First. Iosif Andriasov and Maria Andriasova's artistic collaboration "Children and a Thousand Cranes" co-established and sponsored the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Human Rights organization Nihon Hidankyo, which was established to honor human dignity and remember victims of wars.

Mother: Professor Marta Leonidovna Kudryashova-Andriasova, Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, a musicologist, music theorist, and an author. Professor Kudryashova-Andriasova is a prominent music critic and music publisher in the United States. She writes extensively on the music and ethics of her husband Iosif Andriasov.

Maternal grandfather: Professor Leonid Vassilievich Kudryashov, PhD (1910, Moscow – 1976, Moscow), geo-botanist, biologist, morphologist, ecologist, embryologist, Chairman Emeritus, Moscow State Lomonosov University's Department of Higher Plants, Department of Biology. Professor L.V. Kudryashov's legendary textbook "Botanika", written by him in Latin, Greek, and Russian in the 1940's, was translated and published in all the languages of the former Soviet Union, as well as in Germany, Bulgaria, and China, and still serves as a scientific textbook to this day. As the leading Soviet botanist, Professor L.V. Kudryashov co-established the Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization, UNESCO's World Food Programme, which was established to fight world's hunger.

Maternal great-grandfather: Professor Veniamin Ivanovich Lebedev, PhD (1883, St. Petersburg, Russian Empire – 1939, Arkhangelsk, Russia, USSR), Russian Military Officer, member of the government in Krasnodar, chemist, explorer of the Arctic, botanist, ecologist, who established ALTI University, Arkhangelsk, USSR. A talented scientist, Professor V.I. Lebedev fell victim of political repressions in the 1930's Soviet Union: he was the central figure in the infamous international spy case "The Wiklund Case", USSR – Norway – UK, and was executed by the Soviet Union in 1939. Professor Veniamin Ivanivich Lebedev was later rehabilitated and his archives were officially de-classified and published in Russia in the 2000's. His story now serves as the subject of several articles, books, historical research dissertations, and scientific symposiums in Russia and in Norway. The Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization "The Memorial" was established to preserve the memory of Professor Veniamin Ivanovich Lebedev and other victims of political repressions.

Paternal grandfather: Arshak Osipovich Andriasov (1893, Sheki, Azerbaijan, Russian Empire – 1948, Moscow, USSR) was a professional revolutionary, an Old Bolshevik, professional agitator, economist, World War II veteran of the Red Army, who served with Nikita Kchruschev as under-secretary of USSR Communist Party in Moscow District under the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Arshak Osipovich Andriasov held numerous high-government positions under Joseph Stalin: he was the chairman of Grosneft, USSR's Oil production, and the Head of Soviet Union's gold reserves. He participated in the legendary Battle of Moscow during World War II and worked in Kremlin, Moscow.

Paternal grandmother: Maria Fyodorovna Bedjanova-Andriasova (1898, Tiflis, Georgia, Russian Empire – 1974, Moscow, USSR) was a Soviet Artist. Her Artworks are catalogued by the Russian Ministry of Culture, Moscow, The Nobel Museum, Baku, Azerbaijan, and by her granddaughter Maria Andriasova.

Husband: The American artist Guillermo Esparza, with collections at The Vatican Museum in Rome, The Phanar Museum in Istanbul, Turkey, U.S. National archives, Smithsonian Institution | NASA, private and public collections.

Maria Andriasova's international achievements and collaborative projects, her life and career demonstrate a significant capacity to bridge cultures and foster international understanding through Music and Art. Her role as a cultural and international ambassador is based on her musical and artistic background. Her education at both the prestigious Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow and The Juilliard School in New York City provided her with a deep understanding of two distinct and influential musical traditions. Maria Andriasova has worked with artists and institutions across the borders. In 2024, she performed with American filmmaker Godfrey Reggio for a documentary film affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution and MoMA Museum of Modern Art in New York. Her other high-profile international performances include The Vatican performance. In 1995, Maria Andriasova performed for Pope John Paul II in a Gala concert celebrating friendship between the United States and The Vatican. Maria Andriasova is also a well-known figure in Japan. Her connection in international relations with Japan is significant, dating back to 1974 when she recited a poem "I am Sadako, a Girl from Hiroshima", a poem by Vladimir Lazarev about Hiroshima for an international audience of over two billion people. Her work, including a childhood drawing "Vertolyot", "Helicopter", was dedicated to the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize winners, Nihon Hidankyo, the survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.

Maria Andriasova blends culture through Art. She has been promoting her Family heritage. Andriasova and her husband, The Vatican Artist Guillermo Esparza have actively promoted the work of Andriasova's grandmother, the Soviet Artist Maria Fyodorovna Bedjanova-Andriasova, including an exhibition featuring her Art. This act preserves and shares Russian and Soviet cultural heritage on a global stage. Maria Andriasova's high-profile marriage to international Artist, The Vatican Artist Guillermo Esparza, an American public Art sculptor whose work is found in international collections, further blends culture through Art. Their partnership creates a multicultural artistic dialogue that reflects their blended backgrounds. Andriasova's other notable achievements include multiple piano performance awards, significant philanthropic work, and the archiving of her artistic legacy together with her husband The Vatican Artist Guillermo Esparza, Public Art sculptor at Smithsonian Institution | NASA at the New York Public Library. Andriasova's artistic collaborations with her husband Guillermo Esparza involve composing music for his installations and presenting exhibition of her family's Art. In 2022, the New York Public Library's Miriam and Ira D. Wallace Division of Art, Prints and Photographs archived the artistic records of both Maria Andriasova and her husband Guillermo Esparza for preservation and research.

Maria Andriasova also composed, performed, and recorded the soundtrack for the experimental Off-Off Broadway play "George Sand", Ann Biberman Productions. She has also produced audio and video recording of international contemporary music festivals in Moscow, Russia, and Yerevan, Armenia, dedicated to the music of her father, the iconic Russian composer Iosif Andriasov.

Maria Andriasova is well-known for her extensive philanthropic efforts. She served on the board of Highbridge Voices in the South Bronx, helping to secure major grants for the music and academic program for at-risk youth. These grants came from organizations such as George Soros' Open Society Foundations, The Fund for the City of New York, and Neuberger Berman Foundation, headed by George Walker IV of the Walker-Bush Family.

Andriasova is known for her solo piano performances for world leaders. One of such performances occurred in 1995, when she performed solo piano compositions, including compositions by her father Iosif Andriasov, for Pope John Paul II in a concert celebrating the friendship between the United States and The Vatican. This concert was generously underwritten by Donald J. Trump. She was introduced to performing for world leaders by Marion Javits.

In 2024, Andriasova celebrated the 50th anniversary of her professional debut in her native Moscow by recreating her performance, which honored the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize winners, Nihon Hidankyo. Maria Andriasova's artistic collaboration with her husband The Vatican Artist Guillermo Esparza is considered ground-breaking and a multi-sensory experience. Andriasova composed and performed the original soundtrack for "Guillermo Esparza, An American Iconographer", a documentary produced by Studio International, Los Angeles, California, a co-production of The Studio Literary Magazine, London, England, in affiliation with the Royal Academy of Arts in London. A recurring theme in their collaborative work is Andriasova composing and performing her original music for sacred spaces that accompanies Esparza's large-scale Art installations in cathedrals and churches around the world. There is also a significant poetry and music fusion in her performances. Andriasova incorporates poetry into her recitals, and she regularly performs original music that accompanies readings by various poets, including Guillermo Esparza's own works titled "The Seaward Angel of Desire". In 2024, Andriasova and Esparza presented an on-line e-exhibit and e-catalogue of works by her grandmother, Soviet Artist Maria Fyodorovna Bedjanova-Andriasova, whose Artwork is housed at The Nobel Museum in Baku, Azerbaijan. Andriasova's 2024 solo piano recitals at Godfrey Reggio | Philip Glass Film Studios in Santa Fe, New Mexico, included a feature of new Artworks by Guillermo Esparza. Also in 2024, Esparza photographed Andriasova in her creative process for a series of photographs for the Smithsonian Institution | NASA, Washington, D.C.

About Maria Andriasova:

"You are a mystery which cannot be defined. With your music, I see the world." - Godfrey Reggio, Godfrey Reggio | Philip Glass Film Studios, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA (Godfrey Reggio, filmmaker, Philip Glass, composer, Francis Ford Coppola, producer.)

What makes Maria Andriasova unique is not just her talent, but her family's extraordinary history, her embodiment of a bicultural identity, and her deliberate use of Music and Art to promote international peace and preserve cultural heritage.

Media Contact

Maria Andriasova, Maria Andriasova, 1 6462583035, [email protected]

SOURCE Maria Andriasova