Hello from another side of ocean
Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2025 7:13 am
Hello to all
My name is Oleksiy. 48 y.o. I am a tuba player from Kyiv, Ukraine.
I have been playing the tuba since I was 11 years old. At first it was a children's brass band, then a music school, a music college, and finally - the Kyiv Institute of Culture (orchestra faculty).
As my colleagues at the time said, I had good prospects, but... At some point, fate turned everything upside down. And I ended up in the Demonstration Orchestra of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, then service in the police orchestra, then reformers came to the country. They started their reforms with the police, namely - reducing the number of police officers, namely - with the liquidation of brass bands in the police system. So I ended up in the Kyiv city fire rescue orchestra, which was liquidated due to martial law and the need to release regular positions (16 people). According to the official order - "because the orchestra does not have special training to eliminate the consequences of Russian bombings".
But the war with Russia brought an unexpected moment back to my musical life.
The Principal tuba player of the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Alex Lee, was called up to the regular army. And so it happened that I am now working on his chair at this orchestra.
It's like being invited to the national team of Ukraine to perform at the Olympics after 16 years of absence)))
It was hard, but I'm back in business. So, at the moment I am a musician of the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine. I am discovering new and long-forgotten aspects of performing art on tuba. And I understand more and more that this is art itself, and not only very hard work, as the teachers taught us in Soviet times, when I took my first tuba steps.
Regards
Oleksiy
Peace to all.
My name is Oleksiy. 48 y.o. I am a tuba player from Kyiv, Ukraine.
I have been playing the tuba since I was 11 years old. At first it was a children's brass band, then a music school, a music college, and finally - the Kyiv Institute of Culture (orchestra faculty).
As my colleagues at the time said, I had good prospects, but... At some point, fate turned everything upside down. And I ended up in the Demonstration Orchestra of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, then service in the police orchestra, then reformers came to the country. They started their reforms with the police, namely - reducing the number of police officers, namely - with the liquidation of brass bands in the police system. So I ended up in the Kyiv city fire rescue orchestra, which was liquidated due to martial law and the need to release regular positions (16 people). According to the official order - "because the orchestra does not have special training to eliminate the consequences of Russian bombings".
But the war with Russia brought an unexpected moment back to my musical life.
The Principal tuba player of the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Alex Lee, was called up to the regular army. And so it happened that I am now working on his chair at this orchestra.
It's like being invited to the national team of Ukraine to perform at the Olympics after 16 years of absence)))
It was hard, but I'm back in business. So, at the moment I am a musician of the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine. I am discovering new and long-forgotten aspects of performing art on tuba. And I understand more and more that this is art itself, and not only very hard work, as the teachers taught us in Soviet times, when I took my first tuba steps.
Regards
Oleksiy
Peace to all.
