Alla Zahaikevych (Ukrainian: Алла Загайкевич; born 17 December 1966) is a Ukrainian composer of contemporary classical music, performance artist, organiser of electroacoustic music projects, musicologist. Her name is alternatively spelled Alla Zagaykevych on all releases and in texts which are in English.
Biography
Alla Zahaikevych was born in Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine. In 1990 she graduated from the Kyiv Conservatory (now the National Music Academy of Ukraine), having been taught musical composition and orchestration by the Ukrainian composerYury Ischenko [uk].[1] During 1993–1994 she completed her postgraduate studies in composition with Ischenko and in music theory with I. P’jaskovsky. During 1995 and 1996 she studied composition and musical informatics at the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique (IRCAM) in Paris. From 1986 to 1999 she was a member of the folklore ensemble "Drevo" of the National Music Academy of Ukraine, Under the director, Ye.Yefremov, she investigated authentic Ukrainian singing and participated in numerous folkloric expeditions, conferences, and festivals.
In 1998 Zahaikevych became a lecturer at the Music Information Technologies' Department of the National Music Academy of Ukraine in Kyiv, where with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation, she founded the Electronic Music Studio..Her compositions include symphonies, instrumental and vocal chamber music, electro-acoustic compositions, multi-media installations and performances, chamber opera, and film music.
Selected compositions
Contre S (dedié à Guy Debord) for Kontra-Trio (cb-flute, cb-saxofon, tuba) add electronics (2011)
Mithe IV : KS (dedicated to Karol Symanowski) for violin and electronics (2011)
"Numbers and Wind" ("Drawings by Memory") chamber opera on verses by Mykola Vorobjov (in Ukrainian) (3 voices, fl, cl, fg, cr, tn, prc – 2, p, vn, vl, vc, cb) (1992–1997)
"Ausgesetzt auf den Bergen des Herzens..." on verses by Rainer Maria Rilke (in German) for soprano and orchestra (1996)
"Et dans un long tournoiement j'entrerai dedans l'etang celeste" on poetry by Oleh Lysheha for bassoon, double bass, clarinet/bass clarinet, electronics (1996)
"Musique Aveugle" for piano and orchestra (1995)
"Sans l'Eloignement de la Terre" for violin, accordion and guitar (1994)
"Intermezzo" for symphony orchestra (1993)
"Trio" for violin, cello and piano (1991)
"Symphony" on the poetry of Vladimir Mayakovsky (in Russian) for baritone and symphony orchestra (1990)
Electroacoustic performances and multimedia works
Prostory Svitla (English: Spaces for light): Premiered at the Warsaw Autumn in 2022 and described as "a constantly shifting equilibrium between electronics and orchestra".[2]
"Musique naïve" (dedicated to CAT trio) performance for accordion, gitare, theremin and electronics (2011)
"Life as Music" generative in real time composition for Oboe, Clarinet in B, Alto Saxophon, Percussion and Contrebasse (2011)
"Raven", music for experimental performance piece created by Yara Arts Group (New York) inspired by the poetry by Oleh Lysheha (2011)
"Contre S (dedié à Guy Debord)" electroacoustic performance for Electroacoustic's Ensemble (2010)
"Nord/Ouest" electroacoustic performance for folklor voices, violin, flute, percussion and electronics (for Electroacoustic's Ensemble) (2010)
"While Falling Asleep: To Wake Up.. While Flying Up: To Submerge.." electroacoustic installation in four waves for project «MAVKA» (2009)
"Secret Thirteen Mix 067" (Sarunas Nakas & Alla Zagaykevych) 2013
"Disturbance Fields" (Julian Kytasty and Alla Zagaykevych) 2017
Awards and honors
In 2004, Zahaikevych earned the Oleksandr Dovzhenko State Prize.[3] In 2017, she earned a Golden Dzyga award for Best Composer.[4] In 2019, she earned a Filmed in Ukraine (Ukrainian: Знято в Україні) award in the Composer category.[5] In 2022, she earned an award from the I Will Tell International Film Festival in the Best Sound Design category for her work in the film Budynok Slovo (Ukrainian: Будинок Слово).[6] In 2023, she earned a Women in Arts award in the Women in Music category.[7]
References
^Amin, Agai Kuh (2006). "Загайкевич алла леонідівна" [Alla Leonidivna Zahaikevych] (in Ukrainian). National Union of Composers of Ukraine. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
^Adam Possener (Winter 2022–23). "Music of Resistance: Warsaw Autumn and the politicisation of the Avant-Garde". Oxford Review of Books. 7 (1): 5–6.
Skrypnyk, G., ed. (2008). "Загайкевич Алла Леонідівна" [Zagaykevich, Alla Leonidivna] (PDF). Encyclopedia of the Music of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). Vol. 2. Kyiv: Publishing House of the Institute of Art History, Folklore and Ethnology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. p. 107.