Paul T. Stetsenko (born 1962 in

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian-born organist, choral conductor, and composer of church music. Stetsenko, the son of an architect and a painter, always wished that he could be an organist, growing up in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...

. He studied choral conducting at the

Rheingold M. Glière Music College Glière Music College was the first Ukrainian music conservatory established in the late 19th century in Kyiv. In the early 20th century it was split into two music schools, Glière Music College and Kyiv Conservatory (now ''Kyiv Academy of Musi ...

, and later piano at the

Kyiv Conservatory Pyotr Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine ( uk, Національна музична академія України імені Петра Чайковського) or Kyiv Conservatory is a Ukrainian state institution of higher music e ...

, where he earned a master of music degree

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

in 1989. In 1990 he moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

to study organ and church music at

The Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

. After completing his master's degree in organ, Stetsenko then earned a

Doctor of Musical Arts The Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) is a doctoral academic degree in music. The DMA combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization (usually music performance, music composition, or conducting) with graduate-level academic study ...

degree from

in 2000. His teachers include John B. Weaver (organ), Leonid Shulman (conducting), Olga Orlova (piano), and Liudmila Kasyanenko (piano). In 2009–2011, Paul Stetsenko performed the complete organ works of J. S. Bach as part of

Bach Vespers at Westminster Westminster Presbyterian Church of Alexandria, Virginia, U.S. located at the corner of Cameron Mills Road and Monticello Boulevard in the city's North Ridge section. Westminster Presbyterian Church is a member of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A ...

, in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandr ...

, VA.

References

Musicians from Kyiv American classical organists American male organists Musicians from Alexandria, Virginia Juilliard School alumni Kyiv Conservatory alumni 1962 births Living people Ukrainian SSR emigrants to the United States Classical musicians from Virginia 21st-century organists 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American keyboardists Male classical organists {{Ukraine-keyboardist-stub