Accordionist Maria Telesheva was recently featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts. Maria began playing accordion at 6, winning her first competition just months after picking up the instrument. She is the daughter of world-class accordion player Sergei Teleshev, who’s originally from Russia and came to Eugene for the Oregon Bach Festival in 1996. The two have recorded two albums as duo “TWO ACCORDIONS.”

Telesheva is featured on “From the Top,” NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts that feature bright, young musicians. The 17-year-old played Bach’s “Prelude and Fugue No. 2 in C Minor.”

Maria won the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award in 2025 and was awarded $10,000 that went toward a new accordion.

To celebrate her Tiny Desk Concert video release, the duo performed live for a special concert at NEHS on January 30, 2026 at the school.

For further information: steleshev@yahoo.com