I was born in Lviv, Ukraine (Former USSR) and began studying the piano accordion at the local music school at the early age of seven, as well as taking additional private classes with well-known teachers in the area. My first performance as a soloist took place at the age of nine on the Lviv City Radio. At the age of 12 I became a member of the City Accordion Ensemble, performing regularly around the city and region. At the age of 15 I took First Place at the City Accordion Competition. After musical school I continued my musical studies at the Lviv Musical College and after graduating at the age of 19, I joined professional musicians, folklore singers and dancers in the Army Orchestra, entertaining troops around the country (USSR), as well as other Eastern European countries. After my army duty I continued my professional career at the City Union Orchestra in the Lviv Philharmonic Organization, performing as a soloist and with other bands, working with singers and dancing groups and teaching accordion. In 1989 I left Ukraine for the United States. Before getting here, I had a six-month stopover in Rome (Italy), where I performed with the famous Italian singer/guitar player Nino Meloni and his musicians and gained an extensive knowledge of Italian music. In 1990 I came to the United States, where I continue to expand my musical career. I appeared on the “New Americans in Concert”, sponsored by Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston. In 1991 I became a member of Kalinka Trio (accordion, singer-soprano and balalaika player), arranged by Mary Wolman Management. We had numerous performances throughout New England and New York areas, including an appearance on national TV on the International Channel with a program including Russian, Yiddish, Israeli and Broadway tunes. In 1994 I performed in the French Cabaret show, which featured Parisian singer Annie Royer and her band, who entertained the audiences in the Ryles Jazz Club and other venues around Boston. I formed a Klezmer band, Redl, and have been invited to perform after the restoration and the re-opening of The Vilna Shul - Boston's Center for Jewish Culture.
At the present time I own and operate Entertaining with Accordion, serving Boston and all of New England, providing live accordion music for all special occasions - Wedding Cocktail Hours, Receptions and Birthday Parties.
I also provide an on-site musical and educational one-hour concert/lecture “Traveling with Accordion around the World” to residents of Senior Centers, Rehabilitation Centers, Nursing Homes, Assisted Living Facilities and Adult Health Centers, working in close relationships with Directors of Programs, Resident Service Coordinators and Activity Directors. These musical lectures are entertaining and engaging, where the audience takes a musical trip around the world with a live accordion performance, while enjoying slides and short stories about the history of the country, historical places in the cities, people who live there and their traditions and the origins of the music I play. Residents can sing and dance along during these accordion performances, which also are very therapeutic and initiate physical activity / movement, provide an outlet for creative expression and motivate engagement with peers.
