biography

2010 is considered to be the year of birth of the Ukrainian song choir “Rainbow”. At that time it was not a choir, but a small group of first-graders who came to study at the choir department of the Balaklia Children’s Music School under the tutelage of Sherstyuk Tetyana Andriivna. There were only six of them, and with the help of parents, children sewed concert costumes in rainbow colors. That’s why the band was named “Rainbow”. Every year new voices joined the band, which later became a junior choir. The children enjoyed studying Ukrainian folk songs and works by domestic authors and performed at all school concerts and district events. The first competitive performance of the ensemble as a choir was participation in the Regional festival-competition “Muses and Children” in Dergachi, Kharkiv region in 2014, where the choir took an honorable third place.
Now the team has more than forty members. This is the only children’s folk choir in Kharkiv region. The leader of the choir is Tetyana Andriivna Sherstyuk – a person in love with Ukrainian song, a teacher with many years of experience, a teacher-methodologist. Despite the predominantly folk style of singing of the choir, the leader is very careful about children’s voices, uses the principles of vocal education and vocal culture, characteristic of academic performance. The choir has two age groups: senior and junior. However, often the team acts as a consolidated. This, firstly, makes the sound more powerful, and secondly – aims to transfer skills and abilities from older to younger.
The choir has its own creative face. Its originality is emphasized not only by the manner of singing and repertoire, but also by the originality of the musical accompaniment: the choir sings to the accompaniment of an instrumental trio. Currently, the choir’s accompanists are Maryna Volodymyrivna Holub (accordion), Olena Serhiivna Limarova (domra) and Tetyana Serhiivna Radchenko (violin).
The band’s repertoire consists of Ukrainian folk songs and works by Ukrainian composers, both classical and contemporary. Choir members also learn to reproduce folk rites and customs. The repertoire of the choir and its groups includes many calendar-ritual songs: carols, Christmas carols, spring songs. Over the years, the choir of Ukrainian song “Rainbow” and its group have won a number of competitions and festivals of international and national levels, as well as open and regional festivals-competitions. These are international: “Source of Talents”, “Winter Shine”, “Spring Sun of Arts”, “Lotus of Hope”, “First Step” (Kharkov), “Star FaSol” (Dnipro), all-Ukrainian: “Peasant Stars” (Genichesk, Kherson region), “Pure Dew”, (Kharkiv). The choir was a multiple winner of the Open Festival of World Music. M. Leontovych and the Open Festival of Polish and Ukrainian Music named after K. Szymanowski (Kharkiv). The choir group won the Golden Cup at the Delphic Games of Slobozhanshchyna and became the absolute winner of the regional festival-competition of ceremonial folklore “Generous Evening”. In 2019, the band became the winner of the regional festival “Young Talents of Kharkiv” and was invited to perform at KhNATOB. M. Lysenko, and in 2020 he won the regional festival “Art Vernissage” and performed on the stage of the Kharkiv Regional Philharmonic. The “Rainbow” choir was twice a participant in the “Children’s Philharmonic” project, whose concerts took place at KhNUM. I. Kotlyarevsky, and constantly participates in the Open Festival of Family Art “Our Red Rode”, the founder and organizer of which is the leader of the team Tatiana Sherstyuk. The performances of young choristers enjoy the love and respect of the audience, so the band is always a welcome guest at all district cultural and artistic events.