Faculty Friday with Sergiy Dvornichenko
As summer approaches, we have a few more faculty to introduce! For first time readers, our Faculty Friday blog is a series of questions and responses meant to feature instructors from Luzerne Music Center in a unique light. Focusing not only on their professional career, we ask faculty questions that give students and readers a glimpse into their daily lives.
Sergiy Dvornichenko will be returning to LMC as our clarinet faculty during our Junior Session! Sergiy currently holds the position of second clarinet with the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra and is on faculty at the Mahanaim Music School in Long Island, NY. As a soloist, Sergiy has won numerous international clarinet competitions, including the International Competition in Lovov, Ukraine, the Second International Clarinet Competition in Moscow, Russia, the Selmer-Paris International Competition in Kiev, Ukraine, and the Concursal International de Muzica in Bucharest, Romania. In addition to these highlights, Sergiy is also the co-founder of a music festival, "Muzichna Maysternya" in Kharkov, Ukraine.
Tell us a little bit about your history with LMC: how did you get connected and how many summers have you been on faculty?
The music world is a very small community! What a pleasure teaching at LMC! Two years ago a close friend and colleague Christopher Bush encouraged me to apply for the clarinet faculty position. That’s how it all started! I had a completely fulfilling experience teaching at LMC last summer, and certain that this coming summer will be just as rewarding.
Besides practice, what is the number one piece of advice that you would give to aspiring young musicians?
The first thing that comes to mind is “get out of the practice room and experience life!!” 😊 On a more serious note, I would say become a well-rounded, well-educated person. Listen to music 90% of your time and read interesting books that you have interest in! To become a successful musician in the twenty-first century you need more than just good instrumental ability. I believe it is vital to have good relationships with your peers. For musicians, it is very important to be surrounded by supportive colleagues, and having these people around to play music and share ideas with will help you remain challenged and motivated.
What did you think of your experience living in the Adirondacks? We heard you like to fish!
When I think of spending part of my summer at Luzerne Music Center in the Adirondacks region I experience pristine wilderness, outdoor recreation, and of course small towns and villages full of character. Fishing is one of my hobbies and it does seem like I end up spending quite a bit of time on the lake in between rehearsals and lessons. For me, fishing is a meditative kind of activity which helps me to clear my head and replenish my energy.
What is your favorite performance that you have given?
I would say I enjoy all of my performances but there are some that stand out as being very special and memorable. My brother and I I have this annual project in Ukraine called “Classical Extravaganza.” It’s a big fundraising concert with many participants from around the world which happens every December around the holidays. All proceeds from this project go to purchasing necessary equipment for Children’s Hospital in the Kharkov region of Ukraine. All the concerts we have organized in the last seven years in connection with this project are very special to me.
What is your favorite non-classical genre of music to listen to?
It’s always difficult for me to give an answer to this question because I tend to not have permanent favorites in music. It really depends on the day. However, outside of classical repertory, I find myself most often listening to the great jazz masters.
Finally, if you could be a superhero, who would it be and why?
This is an interesting question. I honestly have never thought about it. I guess my first instinct would be to say “Superman.” The name really speaks for itself and also I really like flying which Superman does exceptionally well!!
