Songs of Love and Loss and Hope - Metin Yilmaz and Larysa Kovalchuk

This unique musical collaboration, which combines Kurdish and Ukrainian national instruments, will present the joys and cries of two cultures, as well as modern compositions with highly virtuousic improvisations. As one of the contestants recently on The Voice of Australia, Larysa's enchanting voice captured and mesmerised audiences. Larysa Kovalchuk's exceptional soprano voice, combined with the gentle sounds of the bandura,has thrilled audiences as geographically distant asher native Ukraine, Western Europe and around Australia. Larysa studied voice, bandura and conducting at Kiev Conservatorium of Music and soon became one of the nation's leading players. She performed in numerous festivals in the Ukraine and Western Europe, including Latvia, Estonia Germany and France. Larissa was a laureate of the 1993 all-Ukrainian Bandura Festival and won international renown when she performed at the 1994 "All the World's Violins" Festival in France. Since moving to Australia, Larysa has made recordings with SBS and ABC Radio and Television Companies, has appeared in Opera House, numerous Multicultural and Folk Festivals, Musica Viva Concerts and many invited performances. These include the 2014 "Noel! Noel!" concert series with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, the 2015 Woodford Folk Festival and the 2023 National Folk Festival . Larysa holds her Masters Degree in Education from the University of Sydney and currently is the Leading Vocal Teacher at the Riverina Conservatorium of Music.