Irina Petrik
Lecturer/private music instructor
Office: Zankel Music Center 321
Phone: (518) 580-8390
Email: irinapetrik@skidmore.edu
Websites: www.irinapetrik.com www.ucvp.org
Education:
- Master of Vocal Pedagogy, Westminster Choir College, Princeton NJ
- Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, CA
- Artist Diploma, GlièreMunicipal Academy of Music, Kyiv Ukraine
Areas of Research and Teaching Interests:
- Stanislavsky acting method
- Slavic languages diction for singers
- Fair representation, inclusivity and social justice for marginalized and underrepresented creative voices
Bio:
Praised for her "vivid presence" and "radiant luscious timbre", the Kyiv-born Ukrainian American soprano Irina Petrik is quickly gaining popularity as a charismatic singing actress of today in the United States and beyond. Once a performer with Kazka children theater, and later a resident soloist with the Kyiv Youth Symphony and Choir, Irina graduated with honors and obtained an Artist Diploma from the historic Glière Municipal Academy of Music, where she studied voice performance upon receiving a full four year scholarship from the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.
After moving to the United States, Irina obtained her Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in California and a Master's degree in Vocal Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey.
Since then Ms. Petrik has performed as a soloist and featured guest artist with the National Operetta Theater of Ukraine, National Philharmonic of Ukraine, Harpa National Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland; New York City Ballet and Orchestra, Opera Saratoga, Syracuse Opera, Arizona Opera, San Francisco Lyric Opera, Hubbard Hall Opera Theater, Lowell House Opera at Harvard University, First Coast Opera, Schenectady Saratoga Symphony, among others.
A versatile and gifted performer, Irina is equally comfortable in genres ranging from opera, operetta and sacred music to musical theater, jazz, contemporary commercial music and traditional ethnic music. However, Irina's heart undisputedly belongs to Ukrainian traditional music, and she recently celebrated this affinity by releasing an album titled "Songs From The Heart", dedicated to this unique genre. It is currently available on all platforms worldwide, including Amazon Music, Apple Music, ITunes, Spotify and Pandora.
Irina is a passionate advocate of cultural diplomacy and strives to promote and bring awareness to Ukrainian music, traditions and rich heritage to audiences throughout the globe as an artistic ambassador and educator.
She has performed as a featured guest artist at the Festival of the United Nations, O-Fest International Festival, Montreal Ukrainian Festival, Denver Ukrainian Festival, Soyuzivka Ukrainian Festival, among others.
In light of the political unrest in Ukraine, Irina was proud to present a Ukrainian opera “Cossack Beyond the Danube” in New York which she co-produced in collaboration with Boston-based Commonwealth Lyric Theater and Zorepad Ukrainian Dance Ensemble. The project was met with much critical acclaim and enthusiasm, premiering to a sold out audience at the SUNY Albany Performing Arts Center in 2015.
In 2018 Irina received a Top 40 Under 40 Award from the Department of Culture of Ukraine and was given an honored alumna status by her alma mater Glière Municipal Academy of Music on its 150th anniversary in Kyiv.
After a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Putin in 2022, Irina launched UCVP, the Ukrainian Classical Voice Project, a groundbreaking and timely educational initiative focused on illuminating Ukrainian vocal music, bringing up the subject of cultural appropriation of Ukrainian repertoire and popularizing Ukrainian classical arias and art songs among students and professional performers of all ages.
Since the beginning of the war, Irina made it her mission to spread the word about her nation's fight for freedom in academic circles and beyond. She conducted Ukrainian diction workshops, seminars on underrepresented composers of Ukraine and lecture recitals at the NATS National Association of Teachers of Singing at Skidmore College, Rio Hondo College in California, Philomela Women's Ensemble in Virginia, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Troy Music Hall in New York, The Friday Club of Chicago, SUNY Oswego, with many more planned for 2023-2024 school year.