Andriy Milavsky holds a Master's Degree in music from the Kyiv State Conservatory in Ukraine. An accomplished clarinetist, he has toured Eastern and Western Europe with State Orchestras such as the Kyiv, Moscow, Tartu, and Lviv, performing classical and folk repertoires at major concert halls. Since his arrival in the United States in 1991, A. Milavsky has appeared with the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra, the Amato and Riverside Operas; has worked on experimental projects produced Off Broadway; and taught music privately and institutionally. His teaching experience abroad, as well as Stateside, has set a precedent among educators in music. Currently, A. Milavsky performs regularly as a B-flat, A, E-flat, and bass clarinetist with opera and symphony orchestras, woodwind and string quartets, and clarinet duets. Volodymyr Sirenko, Principal Conductor of the National Symphony of Ukraine, says, "Andriy Milavsky is a sophisticated musician and a brilliant soloist. He brings a profound contribution to the orchestral palette." Mr. Milavsky is also an Eastern European folk musician par excellence. His experience in Carpathian folk music spans 20 years as a performer, soloist, and orchestra leader/arranger with some of the top traditional state collectives in Ukraine. Today, Mr. Milavsky is actively involved in promoting Ukrainian music; conducting Carpathian folk seminars; arranging and recording melodies for Ukrainian dance companies; lecturing at universities; giving radio interviews with the BBC and WNYC, among others; acting as a consultant to record producers working on Eastern European projects, and more. His Carpathian folk ensemble, Cheres, based in Manhattan, is renowned as the best ensemble of this genre in the United States. The group's renditions of centuries-old folk hits can be heard on six CDs to date, including Cheres: From the Mountains to the Steppe (Village Music of Ukraine), available online at www.cheres.net.