Viktoria Grynenko - Biography

Viktoria Grynenko is a Ukrainian multifaceted violinist, educator, and researcher based in Edmonton, Canada. In 2011 Viktoria received a scholarship from Desautels Faculty of Music at the University of Manitoba and came to Canada to study with Oleg Pokhanovski. Since then, Viktoria has successfully completed a Bachelor’s Music degree in Violin Performance from the University of Manitoba and a Master’s of Music degree in Violin Performance from the University of Ottawa, were her studies were funded by the prestigious KUN scholarship. Most recently, Viktoria has graduated from the University of Alberta with a Doctor of Music degree. Studying with Guillaume Tardif, her research explored the ‘metaphoric intersectionality’ between violin and dance gestures.

Viktoria appeared as a soloist with the Norwegian Oslo Symphony Orchestra and the Ukrainian Glier Music Institute Symphony Orchestra, as a concertmaster for University of Alberta Orchestra. She has also performed as a soloist, chamber and orchestra musician throughout Canada, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Ukraine.

Viktoria’s interest in new music encouraged her to commission and premiere pieces by such composers as Henry J. Ng, Valentin Bibik, Zach Bales, Jennifer Bachynsky, Jerry Semchyshyn, Mika Pelo, Maxim Shalygin, and others. Additionally, Viktoria enjoys organising concerts in collaboration with ballet dancers to explore rare violin repertoire related to ballet.

Passionate about education, Viktoria leads numerous masterclasses for violin and chamber music students through community organisations and higher education institutions. As a dedicated supporter of El Sistema program of music education for children from low-income families, Viktoria has worked and volunteered with the program in Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Edmonton. For the past two years Viktoria served as Music Director for the Society for Talent Education and Director of its subsidiary institution, the Alberta Summer Suzuki Institute, where she also taught private and group classes in Suzuki Method.

Besides her musical accomplishments, Grynenko has also presented at conferences and lectures with such topics as “Khandoshkin vs Lolli vs Paisible”, “The case of a “Ukrainian Tartini” at the Russian Court: Exploring Ukrainian folk sources of violinist Ivan Khandoshkin’s Works”, “Hristoskov's Rachenitsa, an adaptation of Bulgarian Dance for Solo Violin,” "Violin Gestures in Bach's 'Erbarme Dich,” “Rethinking Ysaye: Hidden Treasures in 6 Sonatas for Solo Violin”.

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