Biography
Neonila Lagodyuk
Neonila Lagodyuk, a composer, teacher and performer of classic music and jazz.
Neonila Lagodyuk was born on October 3, 1957 in the town of Boguslav, Kyiv region, to parents Lagoduk Olga Mykhaylvna, a teacher of the English language, and Lagodyk Hrygoriy Vasylyovych, a construction worker. After the release of a newspaper article “The Child Prodigy” and the audition by professor Borys Yevgenovych Mylych Neonila was enrolled to the specialized ten-year M.V. Lysenko Music School for talented children and graduated it with honors in 1976. Due to suffering an arm disease Neonila had to leave the conservatory after 3 years of study. In a couple of years when she recovered from the disease she was admitted to the Pop Music Performers and Conductors Department at the Kyiv Institute of Culture and graduated the Institute in 1997.
Today Neonila is a pop music piano teacher at the evening Kyrylo Stetsenko Music School No. 1.
Neonila Lagoduk began to compose music at the age of 5. She performed solo at the embassies, best Kyiv clubs and international festivals. Neonila is a brilliant performer of classic, popular music and jazz. Her compositions having their own unique style and charm are of great success. The composer also conducts master classes in different towns of Ukraine and as a result helps to more and more students to understand and master jazz and gains a wider audience with her performing.
Neonila Lagodyuk is an author of the first piano jazz textbook “The School of Jazz Performing” (2002) based on the composer’s teaching methods and music pieces. 2002 was also the year of the issuance of Neonila’s first solo CD album “Original Piano Jazz Compositions”.
In 2005 12 jazz studies written in different styles were published under the cover of “Jazz Studies with Improvisation”. The second solo CD “Grand Piano Alone” including “The Ballade for the Queen of England” which was 3rd in the chart of The World Top 10 of the BBC musical hits which was also recorded in 2005.
In 2006 Neonila Lagodyuk composed music for two documentaries “Museum of Inevitability” which was shot at Dovzhenko Film Studio and won Grand Prix at Vienna Film Festival, and “Towards Love and Care”, a charity film about autistic children shot at the Kharkiv Film Studio.
In 2007 “The Jazz and Pop Piano Miniatures”, a Neonila’s collection of piano pieces, was published.
In 2008 the 3rd solo CD album “The Omnibus” was recorded.
Collection for young jazzmen “Merry jazz” collection was published in 2008. Two collections of music school teacher repertoire were released in 2010: “Jazz and variety pieces for saxophone” backed up by piano and “Jazz piano ensembles”. The pieces are popular and played at contests, jazz festivals. She initiated biannual concerts of Neonila Hryhorivna class students. She regularly conducts master classes in all regions of Ukraine and began to hold them as per the invitation of foreign schools, particularly this year in Sweden, where she conducted master classes at the University of Stockholm and music school "Orpheus."
At the same time, in addition to pedagogical and methodological activities Neonila Grygorivna is a unique composer and performer. She is an author of more than 700 compositions of different genres for various instruments. Her creative work is regularly covered in mass media. Auteur programmes with Neonila are frequent decorations of domestic radio and TV (radio and TV channel "Culture", radio "Era", newspaper "Culture and Life", "Music newspaper”, TV channel 1 +1, TRK" Kyiv". TV channel ICTV created a video film about Neonila. Piano composition "Ballad to the Queen of England” performed personally was recognized as the third in the rating of the world musical discoveries according to BBC World Service version. A music to the documentary film of O. Dovzhenko film studio "Museum of inevitability" (2007, director Ivan and Rolland Sergiyenko) was awarded with the main prize at Vienna Festival. Music created by Neonila gains popularity in the cinema (2007 “A special walk" and "By Columbus way”.). To date three musical CDs with author’s compositions performed by an author have been released. Compositions and pieces of all three CDs are exceptionally popular with jazz musicians, teachers of musical educational institutions and constitute an indispensable part of jazz festivals. A concert-presentation of "Stagecoach" album on March 5, 2009 in Ukrainian national “School of jazz and variety art" was praised as a worthy contribution to development of professional jazz art in Ukraine. Benefit performance of Neonila Lagodyuk was held in Large Hall of Musical Academy of Ukraine on April 29, 2010. A concert is planned for December 12, 2010 in the Philharmonic Society Hall of Columns. Neonila was awarded a diploma of the culture department on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the variety department and appreciation of Golosiyevskyy district state administration of Kyiv city. Neonila Lagodyuk is purposeful, initiative and communicable person and brought up generations of musicians. She is well known among artists and creative youth honours her.
Since 1997 Neonila is the author of over 700 compositions for piano, saxophone, trumpet, violin, romances, songs, including concerto for two grand pianos in three parts. Students from music colleges in Canada, Germany and France learn to play jazz using her textbooks.
Collection for young jazzmen “Merry jazz” collection was published in 2008. Two collections of music school teacher repertoire were released in 2010: “Jazz and variety pieces for saxophone” backed up by piano and “Jazz piano ensembles”. The pieces are popular and played at contests, jazz festivals. She initiated biannual concerts of Neonila Hryhorivna class students. She regularly conducts master classes in all regions of Ukraine and began to hold them as per the invitation of foreign schools, particularly this year in Sweden, where she conducted master classes at the University of Stockholm and music school "Orpheus."
At the same time, in addition to pedagogical and methodological activities Neonila Grygorivna is a unique composer and performer. She is an author of more than 700 compositions of different genres for various instruments. Her creative work is regularly covered in mass media. Auteur programmes with Neonila are frequent decorations of domestic radio and TV (radio and TV channel "Culture", radio "Era", newspaper "Culture and Life", "Music newspaper”, TV channel 1 +1, TRK" Kyiv". TV channel ICTV created a video film about Neonila. Piano composition "Ballad to the Queen of England” performed personally was recognized as the third in the rating of the world musical discoveries according to BBC World Service version. A music to the documentary film of O. Dovzhenko film studio "Museum of inevitability" (2007, director Ivan and Rolland Sergiyenko) was awarded with the main prize at Vienna Festival. Music created by Neonila gains popularity in the cinema (2007 “A special walk" and "By Columbus way”.). To date three musical CDs with author’s compositions performed by an author have been released. Compositions and pieces of all three CDs are exceptionally popular with jazz musicians, teachers of musical educational institutions and constitute an indispensable part of jazz festivals. A concert-presentation of "Stagecoach" album on March 5, 2009 in Ukrainian national “School of jazz and variety art" was praised as a worthy contribution to development of professional jazz art in Ukraine. Benefit performance of Neonila Lagodyuk was held in Large Hall of Musical Academy of Ukraine on April 29, 2010. A concert is planned for December 12, 2010 in the Philharmonic Society Hall of Columns. Neonila was awarded a diploma of the culture department on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the variety department and appreciation of Golosiyevskyy district state administration of Kyiv city. Neonila Lagodyuk is purposeful, initiative and communicable person and brought up generations of musicians. She is well known among artists and creative youth honours her.
Since 1997 Neonila is the author of over 700 compositions for piano, saxophone, trumpet, violin, romances, songs, including concerto for two grand pianos in three parts. Students from music colleges in Canada, Germany and France learn to play jazz using her textbooks.
The Ambassador of the United States of America
July 29, 2003 Kyiv, Ukraine
To Whom It May Concern:
Over the past three years I have had the opportunity to hire Neonila Lagodyuk to play the piano for many receptions and parties. Neonila is an excellent musician, with a tremendous capacity to gear her music to the audience. Her repertoire is principally jazz, but she is ready to venture into other areas.
Necnilas music helped transform many formal events into memorable social occasions. Even during business events,
Neonila always found the right tone to facilitate the discussion and help guests feel relaxed. Her music, however, is more than just pleasant and relaxing. It reflects technical skill and the subtleties of a seasoned performer. I was fortunate to have found her and to have benefited from her musical talents.
Sincerely, Carlos Pascual