Born on 12 April 1994 in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, Anastasiya Petryshak has received several notable recognitions. These include the “European Personality in Classical Music” award in 2016 and “Woman of the Year” at the 2022 Profilo Donna awards.
According to her teacher, Salvatore Accardo, “Anastasiya is a very talented violinist with perfect intonation, a very charming sound, a brilliant technique and pure musicality.”
Anastasiya Petryshak
She actively supports humanitarian efforts for Ukrainian orphans and children affected by the ongoing war, and has collaborated with leading musical figures, including a long-term partnership with tenor Andrea Bocelli since 2010.
Petryshak/Bocelli perform Leoncavallo: “La Mattinata”
Love at First Sight
Petryshak started her musical journey with piano lessons at the age of five. Soon thereafter, as she was walking in the centre of her hometown, Ivano-Frankivsk, she was captivated by a street performer playing Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons on his violin.
As she recalled, “I was fascinated by that sound which was very similar to the human voice, on the one hand, it was a tiny, very detailed instrument and on the other hand it was infinitely big and maestoso.” (House of Violin)
She quickly convinced her parents, who engaged her first violin teacher, Marta Kalynchuk, when Anastasiya was 8. The first years of study were decisive and formative, as Kalynchuk taught her how to make music.
Petryshak remembers, “She taught me how to convey emotions and feelings… She made me understand that music must penetrate people’s souls, that the violin is a ‘clef’ which allows me to enter and make the audience enter another world, where there is more magic, where everything can be as per your wishes and where fantasy is free, without any barrier.” (House of Violin)
Maurice Ravel: Tzigane (Anastasya Petryshak, violin; Lorenzo Meo, piano)
The Call of Italy
Anastasiya Petryshak
By age eight, Petryshak began performing in public, participating in local music events that showcased her emerging talent and provided platforms to hone her technique before audiences.
She achieved her first success in national-level competitions in Ukraine, but dreamt of studying in Italy. Petryshak had always considered Italy the country of music, and she went on to study in Bologna, Parma, Cremona, Imola, Gubbio, and Siena.
In 2010, Petryshak started her studies with Salvatore Accardo. “He has been essential for my growth as a musician, and so has his wife, Laura Corna. I study with her in a two-year course at Monteverdi Music School in Cremona. She is important to me and is always standing by my side, so she helps me grow up not only as a musician but also as a person.” (House of Violin)
Anastasiya Petryshak performs Massenet: Thais, “Meditation”
Creating Emotional Bonds
Anastasiya Petryshak
Anastasiya Petryshak thrives in front of an audience as she seeks to build a connection during her concerts. “Whenever I play, I feel the energy of every spectator, and I share my own energy with them. As a matter of fact, the relationship between the public and the musician is fundamental; there must be a real emotional exchange which becomes one whole thing during the concert.”
“When you play and are moved, you also touch your audience, you talk to them, you make them take part in what you are feeling, you let them enter your emotional world. The audience, in turn, is never passive; they think, hear, feel and return.” (House of Violin)
Anastasiya Petryshak performs Schubert: “Ave Maria”
Heart and Strings for Ukraine
Anastasiya Petryshak is particularly active in using music for charity, specifically in support of her native Ukraine. In 2022, she performed in a charity concert with TulSun Foundation in Malaga, supporting Ukrainian orphans and children with disabilities affected by the war.
Her YouTube Video “My heart cries for Ukraine” includes “Moment of Despair” by Ukrainian composer Mykola Lysenko, and all revenues are directed to Ukrainian charities. Petryshak has a long history of charitable work, including benefits for earthquake victims in Haiti, children’s hospitals, and other social causes.
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