Join host Stefania Passamonte for the 5th edition of Future Classic Women Awards as she speaks with Victoriia Karimolina, an exceptional opera singer and flutist studying at the London Performing Academy of Music. Originally from Chernihiv, Ukraine, Victoriia fled her home country due to the war and is now based in Northampton while commuting to London for her studies. In this touching and inspiring conversation, she shares her journey from childhood flute lessons to discovering her true passion for opera singing, and discusses the emotional complexities of pursuing her musical dreams while separated from her father, who is currently serving in the Ukrainian army.
Throughout the episode, Victoriia opens up about her love for opera—particularly Carmen by Bizet and The Magic Flute—and recalls singing the Queen of the Night aria as a child in the streets of Ukraine. She also reflects on the beauty of nature and horse riding in the English countryside, finding solace in these simple pleasures during challenging times. The conversation touches on the realities of being a Ukrainian refugee student, balancing full-time work with intensive university studies, and the difficulties of maintaining contact with loved ones during wartime. Listeners will be moved by her resilience and determination to build a musical career while supporting her mother and staying connected to her homeland.
Main Topics
Victoriia Karimolina is a first-year undergraduate opera singer and flutist from Ukraine now studying at the London Performing Academy of Music on scholarship
She began studying flute at age 6 for breathing development but discovered her passion for singing and opera later, eventually pursuing formal vocal training
Victoriia fled Ukraine due to the war and is now living in Northampton with her mother, while her father remains in Ukraine serving in the military
Her favorite opera is Carmen by Bizet, and she has performed Voi che sapete from Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, among other pieces
She balances full-time work with full-time university studies and performs at charity concerts to help raise funds for Ukrainian refugee students and support schools in Ukraine
Despite lacking electricity and water during the war, Victoriia demonstrated resilience and determination to escape and pursue her musical education in the UK
She finds peace and connection to nature through train travel between Northampton and London, viewing it as a calming escape from daily pressures
Full TranscriptHello and welcome on the 5th edition of Future Classic Women Awards with me Stefania Passamonte on Women's Radio Station...▼
Hello and welcome on the 5th edition of Future Classic Women Awards with me Stefania Passamonte on Women's Radio Station, the program where we search for the most amazing new female artists on the classical panorama. Today we have an upcoming artist, wonderful opera singer student and flutist from the London Performing Academy of Music, Victoria Carimolina. Good morning, Victoria. Good morning, how are you today? Ah, very good. And you? Yeah, I'm fine. I'm really very glad that you, you, um, you called me today to come to the radio. Very excited to have you. We can't wait to hear everything what we've— you've done since you arrived here. Now, Victoria comes from Ukraine. Where do you come from exactly? Which city? Uh, city, um, Chernihiv. It's, um, near Kyiv, near the capital of Ukraine. Um, but my mother, mother city, another town is, uh, Shostka, but it isn't really popular. Wonderful. Where is that? I don't know. I'm sorry. I know Kyiv. I've been in Kyiv, but not in— this is really north to the, uh, in, in Ukraine. It's really north. Okay. Um, so you're here in the UK with your mom, isn't it? Yeah, that's right. And where are you? You're not in London, so where are you? I'm outside and, um, um, in Northampton. I'm living right now. Uh, so usually I'm taking trains, but I like, I like travel by trains. This is so, so wonderful to see a forest, to see nature every time when I'm traveling. It's really nice and calming. Oh, that's beautiful. How long does it take you from Northampton to London when you come to your classes at the London Performing Academy of Music? Oh, it's taken me more than 1 hour. Sometimes it can be 2 hours. Well, you know, I moved out of London too, so it takes me around an hour as well to come to London. And it's true, I mean, the power of traveling by train is just so beautiful because you can see the landscape where I come from, actually, so it's near the sea. I'm in Kent. I see the sheep and the horses, and this is something you cannot see when you are in the city. Do you see this one when you are coming on the train, or you see different animals like cows, or I don't know? Yeah, I've seen sheep and cows when I travel by train. But, you know, really, in Northampton, where I'm living, this is not city, it's town. And I've seen, when I travel by bus, just the normal town bus, I've seen horses and they like, uh, you can come, anybody can come and like touch them, to see them, anything. Oh, really? Yeah. Oh, beautiful. Do you have this in Ukraine? I think yes, but yeah, yeah, usually we can even see sometimes people are riding horses and they going just like, just like that, they taking horses and they They maybe, you know, took them, uh, they, they took something to horse to carry and they, they moving like that. They, they, um, they riding horses. Really, really nice. You every time exciting. Why, why, why I see this every time? It's not usually, it's like, um, it was many, many times ago, right? And now it's— yes, everything should be cars and electrical, but sometimes you can see horse as well. That's true, that's true. Well, you know, I think, um, well, in this country they have very much the tradition of horse riding. And, uh, like, as soon as we moved out of London, in the school of my daughter, it was very normal to go and do the pony club, to go horse riding, and everyone horse rides somehow. So I think it's a beautiful way of being with nature. And when you are with animals, I think there is this beauty of just forgetting about any politics, about any worries, and it's just, you know, enjoying life as it is. So it's very powerful, isn't it? Yeah, it's given, I think, you another emotions and something like native inside that you feeling nature inside and you connecting with the nature. So yeah, I think the kind, the same way. Yeah. Well, another way I guess is music. This is a program about music, and I think people, when they listen to music, they get, you know, the opportunity to be in another place, to travel with their mind, with their feelings, to unlock things that wouldn't be unlocked otherwise. What would you say is your favorite piece to listen to when you want to relax? The classical one. If you have, yeah. I really like to listen to Bizet. I really like his Habanera. Oh, okay. From Carmen. Yeah, I really like this. It's just, it's so relaxing me. Yeah, and I'm listening to the many, many, many artists who sings opera as well. I'm just can— I just can search for any video complication and listen to them. Absolutely. Yeah, well, there is something that I would like to ask you. I mean, you are enrolled at the London Performing Academy of Music for the opera course for singing, and the second instrument is the flute. So we're gonna listen to you in both the capacities, and also you performed with the other LPMAM students at the proms, at the Music Education Awards. So you performed in various wonderful events. So I would like to ask you, were you ever thinking that one day you would become an opera student, and were you ever dreaming of actually being in London? Studying? I did not really understand the question. Sorry. I know you're young. Don't worry. I know you're young, but when you were younger, like a child, did you already know that you wanted to go and become a professional singer, for example, and study singing, or were you dreaming of doing something else? All right. Really, when I was really young, at 6 years old, the parents Parents thought that it will be really good idea to take me to the flute, to study flute, because breathing, because you can maybe don't have some problems, you can solve them because you're playing and using your, using your breath properly. So that's why I used to go to the flute and it take me 10 years to study flute. And step by step, sometimes I usually sing. I sing and I just after that realize that why I'm spending so much time to singing as if I play flute, but I'm not studying anything. I need to go to any teacher to give me advices to learn me how to do it properly, because otherwise I will sing all my life way, or just I will, I will block something. So I just was really, really interested in this, how to sing properly and everything. And that's why I become, I started studying this because, yeah, because of this. But that's very, that's very, very interesting. For example, I've always been a big fan of opera myself, and I would have dreamt to learn to, to sing, to become an opera singer, you know, one to be Violetta singing Verdi's Traviata. Wow. But the problem is I started very young being a professional pianist. I did concert competitions when I was already young, winning. So I was very successful in that. So I, I thought, you know, I had to continue in that direction because that took so many years, you know, of craft and studies. And, and I was very good at it. But my passion for opera stayed there. So you see what I mean? So if ever I went on to study opera, it would have been because I loved opera. Now, you went because you loved singing as it is more than opera itself, or you also liked opera? I really like opera, and all the teachers that I had for singing, they teach me just opera singing. So something pop, something jazz, I just sing for myself. And I'm looking for any videos on YouTube to understand more about this. But really what I want to know, it's more about opera because it's, for me, it's like basic. It's just, it's just masterpiece. It's the best singing I see, I hear ever. So that's why I'm really interested in it. And I remember when I was really young, something like 6, 7, 8 years old, I remember when I started to sing opera as well. I remember it was The Magic Flute. This was the queen scene. Oh gosh, the queen's scene. The Queens of the Night. Yes, yes, yes. Yeah, yeah, I just, I just remember when I went, um, I used to go to the, to the outside, outside from the building, and neighbors can hear this and they like asking me, uh, why you sing this in the street? Why you don't sing in your home? Why you don't sing at all? Why you play flute. Yeah, so I'm getting— I'm starting to realize and thinking and thinking about it. Oh wow. Well, it is one of the most virtuoso arias as well. I mean, it's so demanding. Whenever you see the Queen of the Night singing those super high notes, I'm always, you know, left speechless. It takes so much work, so much technique, and also a very special voice because not everyone can actually reach those super top high notes. So, and then the opera itself is so magical. I love it. It's really beautiful and special. Now, which one is your favorite opera then? Do you have one? Is that The Magic Flute or someone or something else? It's Bizet. It's Carmen. Carmen. Carmen. Aha. All right. Well, let's start listening then to you. Now, Victoria is at the first year undergraduate at the Lano Performia Academy of music, so she's very much a singer in development, in full development. But let's listen to a recording of "Voi che sapete" from The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart. And this was "Voi che sapete" from the Marriage of Figaro, performed by our singing student Victoria Carimolina. Victoria, Now, you arrived to the UK from Ukraine because of the war. So you were living in Ukraine when the war started. Do you still have family in Ukraine? I know you managed to come here with your mother, but do you still have a family member in Ukraine, or they're all safe? Yeah, of course, I have the rest of the family in Ukraine. Especially my father. Mm-hmm. And he's army right now, and he's fighting for Ukraine. He's really brave, and I'm just trying to get in touch every time with him, um, just to be sure that he's safe at least. So yeah, do not tell us where he is. But I understand that it's incredibly difficult for anyone to know that, you know, there is a war in their home country and that to have to leave their father and other family members behind for fighting with the war. So I think what was very difficult for me when I was trying to help the students escape was the fact that we would connect via WhatsApp via Zoom, and the internet connection would be disrupted from the war, from the bombing and everything. And that was making us losing contact for days and being very, very worried. Does this happen with you as well? I imagine sometimes I had any electricity in home for a long, long, long, for example, I don't remember, 3 days. I didn't have any electricity, any water in house during the war. And this just was crazy because everything which you can get, for example, water, it's just shop, you can buy it, or but you have only one shop in your area because they are closed, everything closed. Um, but I think I have a kind of surviving, surviving something in me, so I'm just trying to do my best. I tried to do my best, so, uh, finally I came here through everything. I just go through everything that I what I had before. I'm really happy that I made it. Well, I'm very happy too. I mean, you've been fantastic. You know, you're studying hard, you're studying for free at the London Performing Academy of Music. We've been very, very lucky to manage to receive scholarship for our Ukrainian refugee students, and we're still doing concerts to try to raise more scholarship. Because we don't have scholarships for everyone. And at the same time, you're also working to maintain yourself with your mother as well, because life is not free, unfortunately, here. And so you're doing very demanding work while at the same time studying and coming down to London and performing at the concerts that we've been doing. We've done fantastic concerts. A week ago at St. Mary's University for a special charity that was sending money to Ukraine to rebuild schools and help teachers that they are coping with the everyday, you know, with what's happening in there. So how difficult it is to have a full-time job and at the same time to be a full-time student at university? Uh, this feels, uh, sometimes very, very difficult, but, um, you know, when, um, I'm working and I'm playing concerts, and usually you can do everything in the same time because usually sometimes it's happened, yeah, I have concert in the same day when I'm working, or I have lesson during my work, so I'm just trying to I'm trying to find a way to maybe to not to ask my work to just have a day off or to take a day off at the exam. So I'm just trying to manage everything together. So everything should be like harmony because I like harmony, but I really enjoy when I'm busy. I'm really enjoying this. I'm so in work. I'm hardworking. Wonderful. Is your employer very kind with you, you know, allowing you to perform? Like when we performed at the Royal Albert Hall for the Proms, does he understand this or are they difficult? No, they really understand. They was really amazed when I told them that I need to go to the concert, so please give me day off. And they said, oh, are you really a musician? Of course you can, you can get, of course you can get your day off because, because I think because I'm trying my best, I'm trying my best at the work and I'm really happy that I have, I had so many friends and I made so many friends. They speak with me in English so I'm speaking to them English back and I'm learning, I'm trying my best at this language and I'm gonna become more skilled in this language. I really like English. So yeah, I'm just in learning all the time. I'm in learning. That's absolutely beautiful. All right, let's listen to another of your songs that you just learned, an aria, another aria from The Marriage of Figaro, that is L'ho perduta, me meschina. Now this is in Italian. How is it going with your Italian? Because I know you're a singing professor is Italian. I'm Italian and sometimes we do speak Italian. Are you learning Italian as well? I tried my best to learn Italian, but usually I just turn it on when I'm doing something or I'm getting sleep. I'm just turning on and listen. So I just want to get more in understanding some kind of sounds, something that connecting together, how it's becoming words. And sentence, but I don't really know translating. I just know kind of how it's hearing, how it's— what is made of, something like that. Just enjoy it. Super. Well, let's listen then. La Perduta Meschina. Non la trovo, ischile, io l'ho creduta, chissà dov'issarò. Non la trovo. And this was La Perduta Me Meschina from the Marriage of Figaro, sung by the LP MAM student Victoria. Kari Molina. Victoria, so you also play the flute. So you came to Delfimam to study opera, but in the end we were doing these incredible performances and we thought we could use your skills with the flute. So you're studying flute as a second instrument with Yue, that is a fantastic flute professor. So tell us a little bit about the flute. You like the Habanera Bizet, but I think there is a version from Carmen, a fantasy from Carmen for flute. Is it? I didn't know. I should try this. Thank you for giving— Oh, it's a super virtuoso one. Normally I think you play when you are a postgraduate, so it might be a bit tricky at the moment, but definitely check it out. It's really fantastic. I did play with different flutists when I was at the Royal Academy, when I was a student there. So what's your favorite piece for flute? Do you have one? I like my pieces, what I'm playing right now, and I'm thinking all the time just about them. And I really like pieces that we're playing together in the concerts together with orchestra. I really like them. So I just can say that they're kind of my favorites because I'm always thinking only about them. And well, when you said we can listen to some of them. Yeah. When you said about Bizet and you said this is like tricky, kind of tricky piece. And I just wanted to tell that right now I didn't play for a long— I playing right now one year flute, but Before I played 10 years, something like that, flute. But I had the space between this times. I had the space. Yes. And yes, I am right now feeling like I need to remember everything because I forgot everything during the war because it's make something that you just— some things you can live and you need to go through this and sometimes you just have a bad memory or something like that, you just can't remember everything. And you're doing step by step and you, you're just gonna find everything what you got before. So this is what happened to me. I just want to reach the same level what I had, and after that I want to, I want to go for, and I want to go forward and forward and just want to reach the new levels. That's what I'm feeling kind Flute. Beautiful. Well, that's, that's exactly the spirit, you know, and that's what's making you to be, to be successful in life. You will see, no matter what life is throwing at you. I mean, I think war is quite a terrible thing to happen to anyone, um, you know, but there is always challenges that could be in different ways. And this is, you know, the spirit is to keep going and to learn. That's definitely education is something that can always help getting more skills. There is a saying in Italian that says impara l'arte e mettila da parte. Can you translate this? Are you good enough now with your Italian? No, no, no, no, no. Can you please tell me what this means? Of course. Impara l'arte, it means learn art. And "mettila da parte," and put it on a side, because you never know when that will become useful. So always learn new skills. Yes. Do you have something similar in Ukrainian? A similar saying? No, I'm not sure, but I have the similar in my life right now. I want to do the same. I'm trying to play many, many instruments. So the kind of have different hobbies and to become a more musician person from the different ways. And absolutely, yeah, like that. Particularly, you know, when you play in an orchestra or in a group, when you know how the other instruments are working, how they are, what's their technical limits as well and possibilities, then you know how to play with them, you know, to wait for them to take a breath or to change the bow, all these types of things, or the piano. To be more kind to them, right? Yeah, of course. Yeah, to understand how they work right now. Yeah, yeah. Now, do you remember when you arrived and we got this opportunity to play at the Proms and we needed you to play the flute? I just took you and we went together and bought a flute at the store. Yeah, I remember. That was funny. That was a bit crazy. You were gonna have a lesson and you didn't have a flute because of course you came from Ukraine without your instrument. And this is something, you know, we've been very, very lucky to receive this incredible support from the Brits Awards, from Universal Music Group, and from the Bocelli Foundation as well, that they gave gave us some scholarship that has been used to buy the flute for you. We bought the violin for our violinist student, so the bows for the double bass students. So, um, we really are grateful and we are really, uh, you know, counting on the support from the people that are listening to us to, to help us continue supporting these young talents, uh, develop their um, there's the future in music. So the next piece then, let's listen to first of all, uh, your solo piece that is Flute Concerto in G Major, the Rondo by Mozart. And then we're gonna listen to, uh, you with the ensemble, and maybe you will choose the best one that you like from the performance that you played with all the other students. So let's listen to Mozart flute concerto in G major, rondo, performed by Victoria Karimolina. So this was Mozart Concerto in G Major, the Rondo, performed by Victoria Karimolina at the flute. Victoria, now we were talking about the ensemble performance, so which one— well, I guess for anyone the most exciting one— which one was for you? Scóric with the LP MAM students. It was Scóric. No, a place, a place, a place. A place. Spanish Dance. Spanish Dance. All right, so your favourite piece is Spanish Dance by Scóric that we performed the first time for the Music Education Awards. That was quite exciting. We were on ITV News and BBC as well. And they filmed a little bit of the rehearsal that we did at Conway Hall. That was very, very, very beautiful. And I had much fun at doing the arrangement of that piece because that was the last piece I heard when I was in Ukraine, in Kyiv, in October 2021. And that's when I signed the partnership with the Kyiv Conservatoire that then allowed me to get the military permission for the boys to come out from the war. Why is it Spanish dance? I know you like the "Habanera" by Carmen, by Bizet, so I guess you have some passion for Spanish music? Spanish influences? I think it's maybe connected with the fact that my grandfather is from Spain, but— Oh, I didn't know that. Aha. I usually like this music, yeah, because it's dancing and some passion, passion sounds and motifs. I really like them. They are like hot. They are really, really enjoyable for me. I really like them. Okay, now I'm very curious. Is your grandfather in Ukraine or in Spain? Uh, no, I don't know where he is right now. I think he already passed. I'm not sure. He's very— should be very, very old. Uh, but my father got his surname, um, the same surname. So, um, he's kind of half, uh, half Ukrainian, half, uh, Spanish. Spanish. Wow. All right. Because you've been to Spain? No, no, no, no, I haven't been to Spain. My father have been to Spain. He, uh, took the bike and he went to Spain. I've seen photos. That's quite a journey. Wow. Yeah, yeah, he traveled like through some kind of— some, some countries, through some countries from Ukraine, and then come back. And I just know the fact that my grandfather, I think, uh, I'm not sure, he came because of the war. He came from Spanish to Ukraine to become a soldier. Ah, yeah. To the Second World War. Yes. I see. That was time when everybody came to Ukraine. Yeah. This was really like popular that time. Oh, I didn't know. Wow. Well, let's listen then. Scottish Spanish dance with you at the flute. We're gonna listen to the version that we made at the concert that we did with the 5 European conservatories that came through the Erasmus+ system. So it was an orchestra mixed with students from the other conservatories as well, and Victoria was our flute Solist. And this was "Scottish Spanish Dance," arranged specifically for our LPMA students with our guest of today of Future Classical Women Awards, Victoria Carimolina, playing the flute. Now, Victoria, before we go towards the end of our conversation, there is a very special song that you recorded. Ukrainian song called Draw Me a Knight by, um, Lyubov Chekhovska. Would you like to tell us a bit about this song, why you recorded it, and, you know, what it means to you? Um, all right, yeah, it means really much for me because it's a Skoryk piece as well. He wrote the piano part and I just, uh, before, um, I just found, um, really good news that everybody who can sing, uh, we usually have in Ukraine, um, the show in the TV. We call it, um, um, Voice of Ukraine, and everybody can join this, but they need to go through the casting. So, um, the team of this program should search the talent people. And I just thought, maybe I just try, just need to try this. Why not? And that's why I recorded this piece. I really like this. I really like old Ukrainian jazz. And I think I'm— I perform it good. That's why I wanted to send this to the to the casting as well. Yeah, and I would like to you listen to this. Sorry, totally. Um, but you know, I had a name that is this Lyubov Tchaikovskaya. Who is Lyubov then? Uh, she is just a singer, I think. Uh, but she have, uh, she has many, many recordings in the, in the YouTube. So if you like her, you can, you can find many, many Ukrainian old music music, what she performed. This is really, really nice. I'm really, I'm really thankful to the people who find this recorded and upload to the YouTube so we can listen to all Ukrainian music. Ah, beautiful. Well, you know, that's exactly what we've been doing with the LP Mom Ukrainian students, that is to keep the country alive through the culture and through the music. And so can you tell us about the text? It's called Draw Me a Night. Can you tell us what the song is about? I think in my opinion, this is about love. This is about passion and just song about stars and sky and This is every time when you sing about this is beautiful when you imagine a power of the sky, of the stars, how they beautiful and everything. And this is song to another person. The woman sings to the man and she just wanna— she just want to man to do something to her. That will describe his love to her, so she will understand how much he loves her and everything. This is what I understand about this song. I really like this song. Wonderful. Let's listen then, Draw Me a Knight, this Ukrainian song, and sung by our guest Victoria Karimulykina. Very nice. This was Draw Me a Night by Skorik performed by our singing student from the London Performing Academy of Music, Victoria Karimolina. Victoria, that was really nice. Now there is another song that we performed, that we arranged for an orchestra, that is Vermeenich Cherubrinsky. Um, would you, would you like to tell us about this? And do you like this song? Yeah, I really like this song, and, uh, the melody is so, um, so harmonic and nice, and you can just relax when you listen to this. Uh, yeah, I think it's masterpiece, and I'm really proud to, to play with everybody because we are, I think, as well so connected and we feel each other the same way when we play something like that. We are in a good mood and we live through this. So I think this is really special for us to play this piece. This is so wonderful what you just said. This is a piece that, you know, Verminich is a classical composer from Ukraine, and he transformed this folk song. It's called— translation is "Calendula." So it's a lullaby, and it's sung by a mother telling her love to her child and telling him or her that everything will be all right. And I heard it the first time from another of our students singing it at one of our concerts. And I was very touched without knowing the meaning of it. And it's beautiful what you just said, that when you perform with the other Ukrainian students, you all feel each other and you all feel stronger, I guess, together. Yeah. And I think this is the most important message that we want to bring when we are performing these pieces. We're going to perform again this week. It's going to be our gala concert at Conway Hall. Everyone is invited, and we're going to perform these pieces. And then you're also going to perform in duo with Lalitha Malenchuk, where you're going to perform viola and flute. Am I right? Yeah, this is a duo. Yeah. So it's wonderful when you can actually play with other musicians and you can share your story together. So let's listen to "Vermanych Chornobritsy" performed by the LPMA Ukrainian students with Victoria Karimolina, our guest, at the flute. And this was Vermeenich Chornobritsk. Chernobrivtsi, or Calendula, it's better if I say it in English. That is this wonderful Ukrainian piece performed by the LP Mam Ukrainian Students and with our guest of Future Classical Women Awards, Victoria Karimolina, at the flute. Victoria, it was lovely to have you at the— on the Women's Radio station for the program Future Classical Women Awards. I hope you enjoyed talking with us at the radio. Yeah, very much. Thank you for having me. Um, I just, uh, I, I really like that I can explain all my feelings and what I'm living through, and, uh, to you listen to this. I really enjoy this. Thank you. You're very welcome. Um, you've been listening to Future Classic Women Awards on Women's Radio Station, live every day at 10 PM and 10 AM London time. If you have any questions that you would like ask to our guests or nomination for our Future Classic Women Awards, please email presenters@womensradiostation.com or tweet us @WomensRadioSTN. You've been— if you would like to listen to again or catch up on our previous programs, you can head to my presenter's page, Stefania Passamonte, Future Classic Women Awards on womensradiostation.com. Thank you for listening.
