**Laura E. Kennedy ** is a scholar of Russian music and ballet and a specialist on Dmitri Shostakovich. She has travelled and researched extensively in Russia. With a Ph.D. in historical musicology from the University of Michigan, she has held the Charles Ezra Daniel Associate Professorship at Furma...

**Laura E. Kennedy ** is a scholar of Russian music and ballet and a specialist on Dmitri Shostakovich. She has travelled and researched extensively in Russia. With a Ph.D. in historical musicology from the University of Michigan, she has held the Charles Ezra Daniel Associate Professorship at Furman University and is currently Head of Music at Blanchelande College. She lives in Great Britain.