A Russian-born, classically trained violinist and writer, Larissa Mirru moved to New York City at age 18 to study violin at the Juilliard School with legendary pedagogue Dorothy DeLay. At the time, she did not speak a word of English and was told to take ESL courses for a year before enrolling at Juilliard. A few years after completing her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in violin performance, she went on to receive her Juris Doctor from SUNY Buffalo Law School. In her mind, law school was the closest thing to an intellectual boot camp—in English. After passing the New York Bar exam, she returned to New York City, where her artistic pursuits expanded to include composing songs, writing poetry, and, of course, playing the violin.

Growing up in the Soviet Union, Larissa was fascinated by literature and storytelling from an early age. Some of her earliest memories are centered around books. As a toddler, she was known for following adults in the family with a book in hand, begging them to read to her. The Russian educational system encouraged young children to memorize poetry as a way of developing memory, and one of her earliest recollections is reciting rhymed fairy tales by Pushkin and Nekrasov from memory.

Music also became part of her life at a very young age. At two, she began singing duets with her father, whose hobbies, notably, included playing the guitar, composing pop songs, and writing poetry. It was a case of the apple not falling far from the tree. A family friend introduced Larissa to the violin when she was six, a pursuit that eventually took over her childhood and adolescence. Competing and touring extensively throughout Russia and abroad as a young teenager, she navigated the music world with ease but found it increasingly limiting and isolating. Having had little say in her education, she nevertheless dedicated her youth to the violin—a pursuit that ultimately got her out of Russia and brought her to the United States.

When the COVID pandemic struck, making art became a refuge. Craving personal space, Larissa moved her baby grand piano into her bedroom and threw herself into songwriting. Writing music during the day and poetry before dawn kept her sane throughout the lockdown. These efforts produced a studio album, Larissa Mirru, released in July 2022 and available on major streaming platforms, and her first book, Pandemic Years: Poems 2020–2022, a collection of poetry available digitally on Kobo and Kindle.

Currently at work on her first fiction novel, Larissa is keeping a journal of some of the historical research and discoveries encountered along the way, while continuing to explore music through violin playing and songwriting.