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Hailey's Corner: Humoresque by Antonín Dvořák A popular classic, this is a song that I learned in Suzuki Book 3 that has stuck with me throughout the years. Playing this song was pure fun. I loved the pauses between each note in the beginning and the long, emotional strides of the bow later. The orchestra in this video does the song justice in a way that my eight-year-old hands never could have. Even if you’ve heard this song many times before, I highly recommend listenin

Meet Hailey Jiang, breaking ground as the first ever Vira + Friends intern. Hailey will be working with us while closing out her time at Buckingham Browne & Nichols High School. One of Hailey's assignments is to share her love of music with us in a regular feature called Hailey's Corner. Enjoy! Hi all, My name is Hailey Jiang, and I’m a student at BB&N. I’m so excited to be working with Vira + Friends over the next 8 weeks for my Senior Spring Project! For a decade of my li

Ukrainian Music Initiative IN THE BLUE OF THE SKY Friday, June 5th at 7:30pm Pavlo Gintov, Margarita Rovenskaya, Vira Slywotzky Follen Church 755 Massachusetts Avenue Lexington, MA 02420  CLICK FOR TICKETS *to benefit the work of Common Man For Ukraine*

INTRODUCTIONS Ukrainian Music Initiative at All Souls NYC Last week pianist Pavlo Gintov wrote: There is an abundance of remarkable music by Ukrainian composers across every style and genre, much of which still awaits rediscovery and wider recognition. I'm continually struck with surprise and admiration as I uncover these hidden gems for myself. What a tremendous privilege and joy for Ukrainian Music Initiative to share a selection of these hidden gems at All Souls NYC, a bea

AT THE MOVIES a cabaret of songs from the silver screen Saturday, May 9th at 7pm Vira Slywotzky + David Sytkowski PANGEA 178 2nd Avenue New York, NY 10003 CLICK FOR TICKETS

INTRODUCTIONS Ukrainian Music Initiative Pavlo Gintov, Margarita Rovenskaya, Valeriya Sholokhova, Vira Slywotzky Sunday, April 12th at 5pm All Souls NYC 1157 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10075 CLICK FOR TICKETS Ukrainian Music Initiative is thrilled to partner with All Souls NYC in bringing INTRODUCTIONS to the Upper East Side. A sampler of member favorites, INTRODUCTIONS features music by ten composers, highlighting the abundance and variety of two centuries of classical c

All The Things We Are a concert/cabaret of American music Saturday, March 28th at 2:30pm Joshua Jeremiah, Brooke Schooley, Vira Slywotzky and David Sytkowski Saint John's in the Village 218 West 11th Street New York, NY 10014 RECAP by AKPANOLUO ETTEH What I enjoy most about a Vira + Friends performance is the opportunity to expand my musical horizons beyond my typical listening habits. As I reflect on All The Things We Are , I’m musing about the curatorial challenge pose

Today we have a word from Brooke Schooley in preparation for this Saturday's performance of All The Things We Are a concert/cabaret of American music at Saint John's in the Village. I am SO excited. See you there!  CLICK FOR TICKETS a word from Brooke Schooley... Since leaving a traditional career in finance, I have really struggled with trying to explain to people what I do. I don’t really spend the majority of my time doing any one thing! The irony is, when I used to have

All The Things We Are a concert/cabaret of American music Saturday, March 28th at 2:30pm Joshua Jeremiah, Brooke Schooley, Vira Slywotzky and David Sytkowski Saint John's in the Village 218 West 11th Street New York, NY 10014 CLICK FOR TICKETS All The Things We Are  is the launch of a new series honoring the breadth, bounty and beauty of American classical and popular song. Journey with us from a sizzling stovetop in Martin Hennessy’s “Crocque Monsieur” to city pavement

Ukrainian Music Initiative INTRODUCTIONS Sunday, April 12th at 5pm Pavlo Gintov, Margarita Rovenskaya, Valeriya Sholokhova, Vira Slywotzky All Souls NYC 1157 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10075  CLICK FOR TICKETS

Today I'm thrilled to introduce baritone Joshua Jeremiah. Josh will be joining us for All The Things We Are a concert/cabaret of American music on Saturday, March 28th at 2:30pm at Saint John's in the Village.  CLICK FOR TICKETS This season finds Josh singing classic roles including Escamillo the Toreador in Carmen and creating characters in new operas from NYC to Hawaii (lucky!). You’ll love listening to his full, rich voice and watching the way he transforms into each per

Morhana / Моргана music by Kyrylo Stetsenko to a poem by Mykola Voron Vira Slywotzky, contralto + translation Dina Pruzhansky, piano Sean Swinney, recording + sound engineer Calvin Laliberte, illustraion + video design Visit a world beyond, lose yourself in pursuit of the beautiful, the unattainable Morhana. Congratulations and thank you to the team behind this venture!

CONSONANCE Ukrainian Composers and the Western Canon at Shevchenko Scientific Society Experiencing Ukrainian Music Initiative's second program take shape has been exhilarating. Beginning with the foundational, Classical music of Ukrainian Dmytro Bortniansky and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the concert then moves to exploration and development of folk themes in the works of Czech Bohuslav  Martinů and Ukrainian Zoltan Almashi. The Avant-garde songs of Ukrainian Stefania Turkewi

CONSONANCE Ukrainian Composers and the Western CanonThursday, February 19th at 7:30pm Ukrainian Music Initiative Pavlo Gintov, Margarita Rovenskaya, Valeriya Sholokhova, Vira Slywotzky Shevchenko Scientific Society 63 4th Avenue New York, NY 10003   CLICK FOR TICKETS Ukrainian Music Initiative's second program celebrates two centuries of musical dialogue and cultural exchange between Ukrainian composers and their counterparts further west. The music of this all-new con

I'm thrilled to announce the timely release of our latest video: In Winter / Зимою with music by Yakiv Stepovy to a poem by Olexander Oles. As the evidence of Sunday's dynamic storm disappears, as the snow melts and unmasks our temporarily transformed world, I hope you'll enjoy In Winter / Зимою , a musical tale of sun melting ice. In Winter / Зимою music by Yakiv Stepovy to a poem by Olexander Oles Vira Slywotzky, contralto + translation Dina Pruzhansky, piano Sean Swinney,

All The Things We Area a concert/cabaret of American music Saturday, March 28th at 2:30pm Michael Scarcelle, Vira Slywotzky and David Sytkowski Saint John's in the Village 218 West 11th Street New York, NY 10014  CLICK FOR TICKETS

CONSONANCE Ukrainian Composers and the Western Canon Thursday, February 19th at 7:30pm Ukrainian Music Initiative Pavlo Gintov, Margarita Rovenskaya, Valeriya Sholokhova, Vira Slywotzky Shevchenko Scientific Society 63 4th Avenue New York, NY 10003  CLICK FOR TICKETS

A pleasantly surprising grown up experience on the Lower East Side. A rainy Saturday night's eve found me with a chilled martini in hand, eating delicious food and listening to the angelic voice of Vira telling stories that resonated, recalling ourselves and our experiences in NYC and beyond. The music captured moments of all kinds, from the joy of navigating a busy city to the melancholy of personal loss, reminding us of all that makes life worthwhile.

Saturday, January 10th at 7pm Vira Slywotzky + David Sytkowski PANGEA 178 2nd Avenue New York, NY 10003 CLICK FOR TICKETS Today in NYC the sun will set well before 5pm while the temperature dances around freezing. Fear not - Saturday evening you will find both light and warmth at PANGEA! Celebrate the heartbeat of NYC, traverse landscapes of love, passion and lust, give in to the allure of ambition, take pleasure in agony - all in song! Treat yourself to a mocktail or cocktai

Tickets for our night at Pangea are now available! David and I can't wait to kick off 2026 with you in style - with food, drink and music. Saturday, January 10th at 7pm PANGEA 178 2nd Avenue New York, NY 10003 CLICK FOR TICKETS