Today we’d like to introduce you to Oleg Boyko
Hi Oleg , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Ukraine in the city of Mariupol in 1976. I lived and received my primary education in the city of Chernihiv. Later I entered the National Music Academy of Ukraine in Kyiv. While studying in Kyiv, I took part in several international guitar competitions, winning which gave me the opportunity to take training courses in Italy and Germany.
Since 2000, I worked as a guitar teacher at the Chernihiv High College of Music. Over the past years, I have often given solo concerts in European countries, and have taken part as a jury member in many regional and international guitar competitions.
I am also the author of several methodological works for beginning guitarists. And since 2020, began actively participate in various projects as a composer. Some works have received awards at international composition competitions.
In February 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I worked under a contract abroad and in the summer of 2022 I flew to Belgium, where my wife was at that time.
Now I work as a guitar teacher in several music academies, collaborate with several wonderful musicians as a composer and from time to time I try to play concerts both solo and together with other musicians.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
At the beginning of any path or career, a lot of difficulties naturally arise. These are, of course, financial difficulties when you do not yet have sufficient qualifications to earn a certain income. It’s tough competition within your profession. But the person is still young, he gains experience, meets different people, acquires connections and acquaintances that subsequently help and make life easier.
In my case, upon arriving in another country, I had to start all over again. I found myself in the situation of a 20-year-old person, the only difference being that I didn’t have much time left to achieve at least part of what I already had.
All this, like many of my compatriots, was destroyed by the Russian war. Therefore, I often think how appropriate it is to talk about one’s own comfort or the success of one’s career, while many Ukrainians are worried about completely different thoughts.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My personal creative activity consists of three components. These are pedagogical, concert and composing directions.
Each of these areas has its own, perhaps small, successes that I can be proud of. Of course, these are primarily my personal achievements, which are known in a narrow professional circle.
However, if we talk separately about each type of activity:
– over 20 years of teaching activity, I have managed to educate several students who have achieved very significant professional results, many of them work as teachers in music schools;
– as for concert activities, from victories in international competitions to many different concert performances, both solo and in an ensemble with other musicians, as well as with orchestras, there are also many moments to be proud of. This type of activity was incredibly active at the beginning of my career, then paused somewhat due to the birth of my son, with whom I wanted to spend more time. Subsequently, it was not possible to resume my former activity, so at the moment performances are not held regularly enough, I’m still working on it);
– as for composing, at the moment this is the most promising type of activity, although not everything here is moving as quickly as I would like). Nevertheless, there are a number of already performed works that have become popular in certain circles. It also brings a lot of joy and pleasure to collaborate with famous and wonderful musicians in this field. Therefore, there is reason to expect several interesting premieres in the near future, for which I have some hopes.
What does success mean to you?
For me, success is synonymous with being in demand. So that it is not a person looking for a job, but a job finding a person. This is an opportunity to provide for yourself at a sufficient level by doing what you love.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.boyko.cn.ua/index.html
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olegboyko_official/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OlegBoykofficial/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kokonkok
