On a warm Sunday afternoon on August 20, 2006, Lyudmila Fesenko takes the stage of the Millenium Theater in Brooklyn, New York. She looks ecstatic and begins singing "Memory". Her voice is at once a dramatic soprano. The effect is like honey being slowly poured. Wearing a pink taffeta Galit couture dress, there is a radiance about her. After the applause for her first number, Ms. Fesenko does a duet from "La Traviata". She is gracious to her partner and sings with confidence.

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After the performance, I meet Lyudmila in the dressing room for an interview. A note about her wardrobe, Lyudmila wears Galit Couture to all of her concerts. (For more on the sensational Galit Couture, please visit www.GalitCouture.us ) While sitting across from Ms. Fesenko, I notice her large, expressive blue eyes which I couldn't see from a distance when she was onstage. She speaks with ease while answering my questions about her life.

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Born in Kiev, Ukraine, Lyudmila first wanted to be a dramatic actress and has a degree in theater and film from Karpenko Karyi in Kiev. However, a singing career has been her ultimate path and she holds another advanced degree in singing from the Tchaikovsky Conservatory also in Kiev. The training in acting has been useful to her as a singer and she incorporates acting in her arias. Placido Domingo, who combines acting and singing in his stage performances, is one of her influences.

Ms. Fesenko is primarily a classical singer who has performed all over the world. An opera debut in Ukraine has led to performances in such places as China, Germany, Yugoslavia, Italy and Israel. She now resides in New York and has showcased her talents not only in the Big Apple but also in other large cities such as Philadelphia, Baltimore and St. Louis. Next up is a series of concerts in Canada in September and Carnegie Hall early next year, to name a few of her plans.

Puccini's "Madame Butterfly", Verdi's "La Traviata", Donizetti's "Love Drink", Mozart's "Le Nozze Di Figaro" and Strauss' "Die Fledermaus" are some of Lyudmila's favorite operas to have played in. Of Strauss, in particular, Ms. Fesenko calls his music, "a burst of champagne".

A singer for most of her life, Ms. Fesenko still seems to revel in her craft. She feels that the classical world is constantly evolving and admires inventive direction of the operas she adores performing. "The new approach is to interpret the opera and to stage it with singers wearing tee-shirts and jeans. This is very modern", Ms. Fesenko says.

"I am an optimist", Lyudmila says. "I have an open soul and open eyes. I wonder at everything". With this outlook on life , professional goals include widening her fan base. She would like for people to "remember me and to love me". Being approached by fans on the street brings her joy.

This life pursuit of musical excellence started at a young age when Lyudmila was a girl singing along to the radio. This love of the stage has never ceased. "The stage is my home", Lyudmila says. Whether in China or Germany, she always feels comfortable.

As the show at the Millenium comes to an end, Ms. Fesenko returns to take the final bow. She is smiling and the only one on stage jumping up and down with such giddiness. Lyudmila Fesenko is back at home.

(By Irina Zak, August 2006)

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