Larysa Kuzmenko

Full biography Larysa Kuzmenko

Larysa Kuzmenko is a Ukrainian-Canadian composer known for her works that blend contemporary and folk styles. She was born in Winnipeg, Canada in 1956, but her roots are deep in Ukraine, which serves as a significant source of inspiration in her musical compositions. Kuzmenko completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Music, and then went on to earn her master's degree from the University of California, San Diego.

Kuzmenko has a prolific career in composing, having written for various platforms such as orchestra, choir, chamber music ensembles, and solo instrumentals. She is also a recipient of numerous awards and grants from music organizations both regionally and nationally. She has won some of the industry's top awards, including the Order of Canada, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of California.

Kuzmenko's works are celebrated for their layered, contemporary sounds that feature strong vocal writing with a folk-inspired feel. Her compositions are driven by themes of identity, displacement, and longing, which are rooted in her own Ukrainian heritage. She has often used folk melodies and traditional Ukrainian texts to create new works of music that embrace the themes of Ukrainian culture, echoing an unease with one's displacement from home, which is relevant to today's cultural challenges.

Kuzmenko has also had an impact on education, having served as a professor at Wilfrid Laurier University's Faculty of Music for over 20 years. Her compositions have even been performed all around the world and recorded with various ensembles across North America, Europe, and Asia. Kuzmenko's works are critically acclaimed for their unique sound, blending contemporary and folk elements into a seamless whole.