Natalie Nowytski and Olenka Nowytski have been performers since childhood. From singing to playing musical instruments to dancing to acting, these versatile performers have shared the stage as nearby as their home state of Minnesota and as far away as The French Pyrenees. Both accomplished musicians in their own right, their collaboration on their debut album, Winter (Zyma), brings them back to their Ukrainian roots, using both classical and folk techniques they have studied over the years.
A classically trained vocalist and performer since childhood, Natalie has become respected as a master artist of Eastern European vocal styling. Often dubbed "chameleon voice," Natalie sings in more than 50 languages—including her native Ukrainian—and in nearly as many distinct vocal styles. She frequently conducts vocal workshops and teaches a growing roster of private students. Her performance credits include regular appearances with Peter Ostroushko, Ruth MacKenzie, Joe Chvala and the Flying Foot Forum, and Ethnic Dance Theatre. She has performed on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion and at the prestigious Koprivshtitsa folk festival in Bulgaria, both with Mila Vocal Ensemble, which she directed for several years. Although she calls the voice her main instrument, Natalie plays nearly a dozen folk and classical instruments: She is the vocalist/percussionist/bassist/flautist for local folk dance band Orkestar Bez Ime (OBI), vocalist for the traditional Bulgarian dance band Traki, and vocalist/bassist for the Madison-Minneapolis Hungarian band, Szászka. In a departure from her folk music life, Natalie also bridges the indie rock/pop/electronica scene—writing, performing and recording with her duet partner, Reid Kruger. Please visit www.natalien.com for more information.
Olenka has had an extensive singing career, including being one of the youngest vocalists, as a teenager, in the adult Ukrainian chorus Dnipro. She has performed and recorded with Yevshan Zillia women's chorus and The Ethnic Dance Theatre Vocal Ensemble (now Mila Vocal Ensemble). She has traveled overseas to perform at international folk festivals and has studied with renowned folk vocalists, including Vesela Ilieva of Varna, Bulgaria.