Where It Started
I picked up the saxophone when I was eleven, in Ukraine, and I can’t really explain why it felt so right — it just did. I went on to study at the Glier Kyiv Municipal Academy of Music, where my teacher was Artem Medelenko — one of the leading saxophone voices in Ukraine, who had been through virtually every major jazz festival in the country and whose students have gone on to study and perform across Europe and the US. He gave me the fundamentals, but more than that, he gave me a sense of how to listen.
The Scene in Kyiv
Kyiv has a jazz scene most people outside Ukraine have never heard of — and it’s real. I was fortunate to come up in it, playing alongside people like Dennis Adu, Yakiv Tsvetinskiy, Boris Mogilevsky, Ilya Yeresko, Anoki Dolidze, and Khrystyna Kirik — musicians who are each world-class in their own voice. That kind of company raises your game.
It also opened doors to the rooms that mattered. I played regularly at JazzClub 32, Barmen Dictat, and other key venues in Kyiv’s live jazz scene — as well as private events in some of the city’s finest locations. Those were nights where the audience came to really listen, and you had to earn every bar.
Playing in those rooms taught me that jazz is a conversation. You’d better have something to say.
Years at Sea
After Kyiv, I spent several years performing on cruise ships — Royal Caribbean and Princess Cruises — in the show band. That meant a full spread of instruments every night: alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute, and clarinet. Production shows, backing guest entertainers, and my own jazz sets with the band.
Playing every night for a different audience — sometimes in the Caribbean, sometimes in the Mediterranean — changes you. You learn to hold a room. You learn to read the energy fast and adjust. You stop thinking about performing and just start playing.
What I Believe About Music
I love the full spectrum. From the kind of music that makes your body move before your brain catches up, to the kind that cuts through everything and leaves a mark. Both matter. The groove matters. The space between the notes matters.
The saxophone can carry all of it — and that’s why I never got tired of it.
Events & Experience
Over the years I’ve played at a wide range of occasions:
- Corporate events — live sets, background music, cocktail entertainment
- Weddings — ceremony, drinks reception, and evening celebration
- City festivals and public events — outdoor stages, open-air performances
- Private parties — birthdays, anniversaries, and everything in between
- Church services and ceremonies
I perform as a soloist with playback, in a duo, trio, or full quartet — and as lead alto with the Nordwest Bigband in Bremen.
Right Now
Based in Bremen, Germany. Open to bookings across Germany and abroad.