MULTIMEDIA WORKS

As a visual person, I've always wanted to share what music means to me beyond the voice: the atmosphere, the emotion, the things that live between the notes. My multimedia work grew out of that urge to show what music feels like on the inside. Whether it's through textiles, video, or storytelling, I try to make the invisible parts of music visible.

It’s about expanding how we experience sound: layering it with visuals, texture, and movement to create a fuller emotional language. These projects are a way for me to explore music from the inside out, and to invite others into that space.

GRANDMA’S SHAWL

Grandma’s Shawl is a staged recital where music, poetry, and visuals shift fluidly between media forms to tell a story of connection, kindness and resilience. Inspired by the Kokum shawls and the shared histories of Indigenous and Ukrainian women, the piece unfolds with intimacy and layered meaning.

Developed through Soundstreams’ New Voices 2024 program, the project features soprano Natalya Gennadi, mezzo-soprano Kristine Dandavino, pianist Jo Greenaway, and violinist Oleksandra Fedyshyn.

Natalya curated the repertoire, co-directed the work, and designed original visuals, costumes, and animated projections, weaving traditional motifs, archival materials, and embroidery-inspired textures into the visual language of the performance.

NATALYA WITH A Y

What does success mean when dreams collide with reality? And how much life can you pack in a suitcase? Natalya with a Y is a multimedia portrayal of a young immigrant mother and aspiring opera singer, navigating identity, ambition, and belonging within the Western classical music industry. This eclectic, surreal short film weaves together memories, aspirations, and disillusionment, ultimately arriving at a peaceful acceptance of life’s complexities. The narrative confronts themes of ageism, body image, financial hardship, and artistic reinvention, inspiring audiences with humor and empathy to reflect on their own paths. Produced during the 2023 Civic Engagement Residency with Pacific Opera Victoria, the project features original puppetry, archival footage, AI animation, stop motion, CGI, and sound design — all created by Gennadi. Music selections by Verdi, Handel, Cecilia Livingston, and Stanyslav Lyudkevych underscore the narrative, performed by pianist Trevor Chartrand and soprano Natalya Gennadi. Natalya with a Y was recognized as a finalist in the Noteworthy Projects category of OPERA America's 2024 Awards for Digital Excellence in Opera, celebrating its innovative artistic vision and emotional resonance.

LETTERS HOME

Letters Home – Листи додому was an intimate multimedia recital co-produced with Pacific Opera Victoria in support of the Ukrainian Village (Kiwanis) Transition House. Held on October 20, 2023, at the Baumann Centre, the event featured soprano Natalya Gennadi, bandura virtuosos Georgiy Matviyiv and Mariia Smolinska, and acclaimed Canadian pianist Robert Holliston.

The program showcased contemporary Ukrainian classical music alongside custom-made multimedia videos using stop-motion animation, ink, chalk, natural textures, and layered visuals. Georgiy and Mariia contributed their own videos for their performances, while Natalya created original visuals for hers, adding a deeply personal and immersive layer to the experience.

Set in a softly lit space, with programs folded into envelopes like handwritten letters, the recital felt like visiting a close friend’s living room at sunset—sharing good news from home over a warm cup of tea.

KEEPERS OF THE CIRCLE

Keepers of the Circle was a collaborative, site-specific performance installation created by soprano Natalya Gennadi and Irish-Cree artist Natalie Rollins as part of the Civic Engagement Artist Residency (CEAR) with Pacific Opera Victoria. Rooted in dialogue between Ukrainian and Indigenous cultural traditions, the piece explored unexpected parallels through sound, movement, and shared symbolism.

Natalie Rollins choreographed the movement, accompanied by her drum, while Natalya performed an a cappella piece in a pseudo-folk style by Ukrainian-Canadian composer Anna Pidgorna. The project was intentionally hands-on, fluid, and interactive - an evolving conversation in space that invited reflection, connection, and care.