Larisa Migachyov

​Larisa Migachyov is a Russian-born American ragtime pianist and composer known for her whimsical, food-themed compositions and contributions to the modern ragtime revival.​

Born in Russia, Migachyov began classical piano training at the age of five and studied at a rigorous Russian music school, focusing on piano, theory, and composition. After immigrating to the United States, she continued her classical piano studies in Minnesota but eventually pursued a career in engineering, earning a degree in the field and working in Silicon Valley. Later, she attended law school at the University of Pennsylvania and became a patent attorney. ​

Migachyov's return to music was serendipitous. She discovered ragtime after seeing a flyer for the San Antonio Ragtime Society in a health-food store. This led her to attend a meeting, where she became enamored with the genre. Inspired, she composed her first rag, "Purple Chicken Rag," which she premiered at the 2006 Scott Joplin Festival in Sedalia, Missouri. ​

Since then, Migachyov has composed nearly 40 ragtime pieces, often with playful, food-related titles such as "Garlic Pudding Rag," "Flaming Cabbage Rag," and "Hot Chocolate Rag." Her compositions are noted for their traditional ragtime structures and lyrical qualities, drawing inspiration from classic composers like Joseph Lamb. ​

Migachyov has performed at numerous ragtime festivals, including the Eau Claire Ragtime Festival and the West Coast Ragtime Festival. She has released three albums: "A Heap of Rags" (2006), "Oh, That Ragtime Chick!" (2009), and "A Dream Come True" (2013), the latter featuring performances of her compositions by prominent ragtime musicians. ​

Selected Performances

Lamb Chop (2012) - Larisa is a lawyer by trade, but composes some of the most sublime ragtime music I've ever heard. All of her ragtime titles are food related; whimsical titles like Lemon Slice Rag, Chicken Fried Steak, and Flaming Cabbage Rag among others. Lamb Chop was written in 2012. It's very much written in the classic ragtime style and I never get tired of hearing its intense lyrical beauty. Larisa dedicated this piece to Patricia Lamb Conn, who was the daughter of classic ragtime pianist Joseph Lamb. The title is a clever nod to Mr. Lamb's beautifully poetic ragtime compositions of the early 1900s.

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Gefilte Rag - Here's Migachyov's wonderfully fun Gefilte Rag, played by the great Martin Spitznagel.

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Chicken Fried Steak - Another wonderfully written Migachyov rag played by pianist Mimi Blais.

Locating The Music

You can contact Larisa about obtaining her sheet music at her website; www.larisamigachyovmusic.com.

List of Piano Compositions

Purple Chicken Rag (2006)

Garlic Pudding Rag (2006)

Candy Apple Rag (2006)

Gefilte Fish Rag (2006)

Gitche Gumee Rag (2007)

Peppershaker Rag (2007)

Breadcrumbs Rag (2007)

Laughin' Latkes (2007)

Flying Tomato Rag (2007)

Flaming Cabbage Rag (2007)

Arugula Leaf Rag (2007)

Sauerkraut Sorbet (2008)

Green Tea (2008)

Lavender Rag (2008)

Hot Chocolate Rag (2008)

Lemon Slice Rag (2008)

Pirozhki Rag (2008)

Royal Ice Cream Rag (2009)

The Long Road To San Antonio (2009)

Macabre Marzipan (2009)

Cardiac Rag (2009)

Pumpkin Bread Rag (2009)

Cucumber Lemonade Rag (2010)

Relativity Rag (2010)

Chocolate-Covered Cauliflower Rag (2010)

Reni's Rag (2010)

Gruyere et Vacherin Half-n-Half (2011)

Lamb Chop (2012)

Chicken Fried Steak (unknown composition date)

Sutter Chip Rag (unknown composition date)

The Blueberries of Metabetchouan (unknown composition date)

Danny's Rag No. Pi (unknown composition date)

Eucalyptus Dreams (unknown composition date)