Leokadiya Kashperova

Leokadiya Aleksandrovna Kashperova (Russian: Леокадия Александровна Кашперова; 1872–1940) was a Russian pianist and Romantic composer. She was the piano teacher of composer Igor Stravinsky.

She graduated in 1895 from the St Petersburg Conservatoire, conducting her cantata Orvasi. Over the following years, she composed works which included a symphony, a piano concerto, choral works, chamber music, piano solos and art-songs. These received public recognition, for example, The Russian Musical Gazette noted in 1912: "Her gifts as a composer are a most welcome phenomenon of St Petersburg’s musical life". The Times (London, 1907) observed that "Mlle Kashperova’s music shows a decided talent, very attractive in its tunefulness, grace and Russian fitfulness of mood".

In 1916, she married one of her pupils, Sergei Andropov, who was a member of the Bolshevik Party. Unrest following the February 1917 revolution meant that she had to leave her life among Saint Petersburg musical circles and it is believed that soon after that event she was in hiding with her husband's family in Rostov-on-Don. Although she later moved to Moscow following the success of the Bolsheviks in establishing the Soviet state, she undertook little public work except piano recitals of music deemed acceptable, which did not include her own Romantic compositions. However, it is thought she continued to compose in private.