Ukrainian-Australian violinist Dr. Markiyan Melnychenko CF (violin 2008) is based in Melbourne, where he teaches privately in his home studio in Glen Waverley, and is a leading soloist and chamber musician, as well as a passionate advocate for music by Ukrainian composers.
Born in Ukraine and migrating to Australia at the age of four, Markiyan spent his early years in Sydney before his family settled in Melbourne. He attended Huntingtower School, a small independent grammar school with a vibrant music program, and whilst still attending high school, was selected for the first year of ANAM’s new program, the Young Academy in 2005.
Coordinated by Joy Lee and Rita Reichman, ANAM’s Young Academy program, which ran for four years, identified Australia’s most talented young musicians (some as young as seven or eight years old, but mainly secondary school students) to learn from ANAM’s esteemed faculty each weekend, and perform recitals as part of ANAM’s concert calendar. Markiyan attended the Young Academy for two years, learning from the late Alice Waten, where his talent and artistic excellence were nurtured. “Although classes were just a few hours each weekend, the inspiration gained from the Young Academy program was significant for me,” recalls Markiyan.
“We had frequent performance opportunities in front of an audience, unique masterclasses (often with international artists visiting ANAM proper), and the drive to excel that comes from being surrounded by other high-level students of a similar age."
Immediately following the completion of his schooling, Markiyan was accepted into the Academy proper and commenced in early 2007, learning from Alice Waten and William Hennessy. Whilst at ANAM, Markiyan remembers receiving masterclasses and lessons from a wide variety of international guest artists. It was through ANAM, that Markiyan was introduced to the renowned violin pedagogue Oleh Krysa, who visited Melbourne regularly to teach at ANAM, and they shared the same Ukrainian heritage. Coming from the same city as Markiyan’s own family, Professor Krysa was a regular guest for dinner at the Melnychenko family home when he visited Melbourne.
Professor Krysa came from an esteemed lineage of violin teachers, having learned from David Oistrakh at the Moscow Conservatory in the 1960s, he later became his teaching assistant. Since 1989, he has been a Professor at the Eastman School of Music in New York, and Markiyan felt a distinct connection to his teaching style and artistic spirit. He successfully auditioned for his class at Eastman and commenced his university training in mid-2008.
Markiyan ended up spending six years at the Eastman School of Music, studying with Oleh Krysa, obtaining both his Bachelor and Master of Music and receiving multiple university prizes for his study. After returning home to Melbourne in 2014, Markiyan worked as a freelance violin soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, building a burgeoning solo career including concerto performances in Australia and Europe, being represented by an artist’s agent and gaining momentum on the international circuit; at one point having performed in 17 countries. He served on faculty at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne from 2016-2019 and was Principal First Violin of the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra from 2017-2022.
In 2019 he was awarded a prestigious Churchill Fellowship to travel to Germany to study violin pedagogical technique with renowned violinist Antje Weithaas at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler, Berlin. Sadly, COVID-19 put a spanner in the works, delaying Markiyan’s travel to Germany until 2022. However, the successful completion of his Fellowship inadvertently led to the commencement of a PhD at the University of Melbourne, something which ended up becoming a project “from the heart”. “Never, in my wildest dreams, did I ever think I’d become an academic and take on a PhD. I’m a musician – I’m a practitioner, not someone who wants to write about music.”
But subsequently, he did – and the practical nature of his PhD has really suited his research style, with a topic very close to his heart: Ukrainian classical and folk music.
Folk songs have always had a special place in the lives of Ukrainians, passed down through the generations, remaining a strong presence of cultural and social identity despite many years of repression. They are a battle cry, a rallying force as Ukraine’s people have suffered through loss of homeland, family, identity, culture and people across many generations.
Since the late 19th Century, folk music has had a huge influence on Ukrainian classical composers, particularly as the country began to form its own cultural identity. Until very recently, Ukrainian music was virtually unheard outside of Ukraine. And even within Ukraine itself, under various decrees, Ukrainian music, theatre, even the Ukrainian language were banned from performance, publication and everyday use. The censorship and belittling of Ukrainian culture by various occupying forces over many centuries make it all the more remarkable that Ukrainian music was created with such deep cultural roots, and furthermore, how precious to now begin to hear the works that have survived against the odds, with countless others lost and destroyed across history.
The centrepiece of Markiyan’s research has been the 210 minutes of recorded material – which has taken the form of a three-CD set entitled Postcards from Ukraine released by Toccata Classics. The collection features absolutely stunning performances by Markiyan alongside a cast of (coincidently, all) ANAM alumni – Stewart Kelly (piano 2013), fellow Young Academy colleague Peter de Jager (piano 2008), Josephine Vains (cello 1998) and Benjamin Martin (piano 2003). With this 3-album set, Markiyan has produced a ground-breaking collection which spans works by Ukrainian composers throughout the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, many of which have not previously been recorded or published.
The first CD, “Violin Miniatures” is exactly that – featuring violin and piano works by Mykola Lysenko (1842-1912, considered the forefather of modern Ukrainian classical music, was one of the first to turn to traditional Ukrainian folk music for inspiration, as did many 19th Century European composers as part of the nationalistic trends of the time); and composers continuing Lysenko’s folk-art music legacy such as Vasyl Barvinsky (1888-1963), modernist Borys Lyatoshynsky (1895-1968, contemporary to Shostakovich with his works also repressed by Soviet forces), and others.
The second album explores chamber music, with two violin sonatas, two pieces for violin and cello, and Barvinsky’s Piano Trio no. 1, fortunately one of the pieces that survived after the composer endured ten years of brutal incarceration in a labour camp and with many of his original manuscripts destroyed by Soviet authorities.
Markiyan Melnychenko with Stewart Kelly and Josephine Vains, preparing to record Barvinsky's Piano Trio no. 1 at the Prudence Myer Studio, Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
The third album “Folk Dialogues” features six new arrangements written by Markiyan of traditional Ukrainian folk tunes, arranged for violin and piano as virtuosic concert pieces, in the same tradition as the renowned violin soloists of yesteryear, such as Fritz Kreisler, Jascha Heifetz, Pablo de Sarasate and Joseph Joachim. Markiyan not only enjoyed and felt a great sense of pride writing and performing these, but it was also a learning curve writing for his own instrument. “Many of these concert pieces are performed as recital works, virtuosic encores, and studied for didactic purposes."
"I hope that my new works can be performed and enjoyed by both musicians and audiences alike."
Indeed, this collection of new works for the violin, plus together with the spotlighting of Ukrainian classical chamber music has given Markiyan renewed purpose; a chance to elevate the profile of music from his cultural roots, and share it with musicians and audiences worldwide. We look forward to sharing with you Markiyan’s upcoming projects as he continues to be an ambassador to this stunning music, deserving of many future performances as we become more aware of under-represented music in our concert halls.
Words by Laura Panther, Alumni Manager, April 2026
Images supplied
For more information about Markiyan’s upcoming performances visit markiyanmelnychenko.com
Markiyan’s Postcards from Ukraine are available via Toccata and online streaming:
Volume I: Violin Miniatures
Volume II: Chamber Music
Volume III: Folk Dialogues
Hear Markiyan with Stewart Kelly (piano 2013) and Justin Beere (clarinet 2014) perform at the album launch of Postcards from Ukraine, Wed 6 May at 7pm, Melbourne Recital Centre.
Sheet Music for Markiyan’s 6 Ukrainian Folk Songs for Violin and Piano is available for purchase at Bows for Strings.
To learn more about Ukrainian classical and folk music, read Markiyan’s PhD dissertation here.