Karolina Protsenko, a Sublime Musical Performer

The news feed on my outdated smart phone is very irksome. I scroll down it and find a lot of silly, stupid, offensive or irrelevant stories. I ignore most of them, look at a few and hit the don’t-send-me-such-crap button for the others. The second category does occasionally contain an item worth investigating. This happened three days ago when I saw a YouTube video of a young female violinist. I forget what the two-line teaser said, but I was willing to check it out. So pleased was I with what I saw and heard, I could nearly forgive all the other drivel.

I do not pretend to be an expert in the field of music, specifically how the violin is played. All I know about violins is that they have four strings and that Antonio Stradivari (1644–1737) made them, along with cellos, violas, guitars and harps. So feel free to disregard my enthusiastic support of Karolina Protsenko as the ravings of a dilettante.

In 2015, Nikolay and Ella Protsenko left Kiev, Ukraine with their six-year-old daughter and moved to Simi Valley, California. The family now consists of five members, with little brothers Nicholas and Leo being born there. Karolina’s parents were musically inclined, and she stated almost as soon as she adjusted to life on America’s Left Coast a desire to learn an instrument. Given the choice of the violin and the flute, she chose the former. A local teacher named Sam Fischer must have done a good job because within two years, Karolina was busking profitably at the Third Street Promenade in nearby Santa Monica.

With a repertoire including baroque and classical pieces, and more contemporary stuff like “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” “Eye of the Tiger,” “Despacito” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” she amazed and charmed street-side observers. Many made impromptu videos and posted them on YouTube, thus launching a career. She and her parents then adroitly capitalized on that by making more polished YouTube videos and setting her up on Facebook (now more than 10 million followers), Instagram and other social media sites.

After savoring that first video on my phone, I have indulged again and again. I just cannot get enough of Karolina Protsenko! She can make the violin cry. But she doesn’t just play her instrument—she plays it while dancing and prancing, gliding left and right, dipping and turning, swooping and jumping, kicking and pirouetting in a way that is saucy and yet innocent. Her long hair braided, flowing freely behind her or up in a bun and wearing an eclectic set of outfits, she engages the audience with a smile even as she fiercely concentrates on her violin. She does all this without missing a beat, and needless to say she is utterly confident. Some of her videos done at the Third Street Promenade and other venues are so beautiful, lively and joyous, I can hardly believe it; people all around are dancing, clapping, listening and observing gleefully. Sometimes young children come near, and our superstar is unperturbed. I even saw her bend down and kiss a little boy on the lips. (I later realized it was her brother Nicholas.)

But Karolina is more than a musical prodigy. As a native of Ukraine, she is painfully aware of what is now happening in the land of her birth. The Russians’ brutal attempt to take over that neighboring country caused her to speak up for human rights and freedom in Ukraine. Six of her cousins are still in Kiev, trying to avoid Russian rockets, bombs and tanks.

Karolina’s first CD, entitled “My Dream,” came out in July 2018. It and several others have done so well that her net worth is now estimated at $1.5 million. (I hope it is not imprudent to ask whether the Protsenko family sees her as its cash cow. Her parents are deeply involved in her life and career, making sure that her persona is “just right.”) She has appeared on Ellen DeGeneres’ TV show, given performances in large auditoriums and done a duet with Italian saxophonist Daniele Vitale. I have seen a video of them, as well as some of her with young male guitar players. I much prefer Karolina as a solo artist, the stage all hers.

I am told that the finest contemporary violinists are Hilary Hahn, Joshua Bell, Ray Chen, Janine Jansen, Lara St. John and Itzhak Perlman. Perhaps it is premature to say that Karolina merits inclusion in such a group. Are her technical skills on the violin those of a virtuoso? If not, we must keep in mind that she is an 8th grade student. Put differently, could Hahn, et al. match what she is doing when they were 13? Her youth notwithstanding, she is quite competent about rosining up the bow and letting loose with some tasty classical or modern music. But the manner in which she does it is what I and many others find compelling. I doubt that Hahn, et al. can play while dancing with feline grace like Karolina.

Those who master the disciplines of sport, art or music receive some of the most lavish rewards American society has to offer—fame, wealth and adulation. She has all three, and I am certain that she will have more as the years go on.

#karolinaprotsenko #violinist #ukrainianmusician #musicalprodigy

Prayers for Ukraine…