OLENA KOSTENKO – THE FOUNDER OF THE KHARKIV TSYMBALY SCHOOL
Authors: Kuzhba Mykhailo , Yurchenko Olha 
Published: March 2021

Introduction. 2020 became an iconic and significantly groundbreaking year for all mankind. Its events made us change our view on many aspects of our life, which from one side has become a generator to search of new ways and solutions and from another one – emphasized once again the importance of events and processes of the past, reminded of the value of existing assets. All that, of course, didn’t pass by the artistic sphere, in which usual events (concerts, performances, exhibitions, conferences, etc) found their new transformation thanks to opportunities of digital technologies and due to quarantine restrictions. It is possible to outline the process of reflection (an artistic one in our case) on a personal example of the authors of the article as direct active participants in the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the cimbalom class of Kharkiv National University of Arts named after I. P. Kotlyarevsky, which took place online. It was almost a 3-month long remote marathon “Cimbalom Slobozhanshchyna”, which consisted of archival and current records of representatives of Kharkiv cimbalom school: from toddlers – students of schools of aesthetic education to already famous Ukrainian musicians – graduates of the cimbalom class of KhNUA. New conditions and ways of realization provided an opportunity to look holistically at the creative potential and powerful development of one performing school. The desire was not just to provide a creative biography of the founder of the cimbalom school of Slobozhanshchyna Olena Opanasivna Kostenko, but to emphasize the versatility of her creative personality and reveal all aspects of her creative work, which from our point of view became the key that opened famous Kharkiv cimbalom school. Objectives. The objectives of this article are to acquaint the world with the creative personality of Olena Kostenko, to single out and highlight the spheres of her creative activity, the set of which became the basis for the formation of a modern Kharkiv cimbalom school. Results and Discussion. Olena Opanasivna Kostenko is an Honored Artist of Ukraine, Associate Professor, Founder, and Leader of the Kharkiv Cimbalom School, a well-known teacher, methodologist, author of many concert arrangements for cimbalom and ensembles with the participation of cimbalom and creative projects. All these aspects of creative activity will be considered in more detail and in the context of the history of the performing school. Founder. Almost in one decade of the XX century, the whole hierarchy of cimbalom education was formed in Kharkiv: school – specialized school – conservatory (primary – secondary – higher art education), at the origins of which stands one person – Olena Kostenko. Lecturer. The synthesis of many aspects, such as many years of fruitful pedagogical work, love for work of life and cimbalom, fidelity to human principles and flexibility to new realities, constant creative search, inexhaustible enthusiasm, and personal qualities of Olena Opanasivna are the “magnet”, in our opinion, that attract like-minded creators, students-followers. Her pupils are numerous winners of international and national competitions. Olena Opanasivna’s graduates successfully work in the teaching field in Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Lutsk, they are soloists of professional groups of Kharkiv. Pedagogical and personal principles of O. Kostenko are: creativity and productivity, freedom and respect, accessibility and peculiarity. Methodist-researcher. O. Kostenko is the author of numerous publications, which can be divided into historical-research and educational-methodical publications. She is a regular speaker of methodological seminars and workshops organized by the Regional Training Center for Cult Education of Kharkiv region and the city of Kharkiv, which addresses problematic and topical issues of primary art education, namely cimbalom. Editor and compiler. Music editions by O. Kostenko became no less valuable, even more significant contribution to the cimbalom art. Olena Opanasivna stimulates active editorial activity among her students, arguing its importance and need for expanding and updating the cymbal repertoire, interest in finding new readings of musical creativity, enriched and diversified concert programs, and more. Social activist. O. Kostenko’s projects of a series of concerts became significant events for the music world of Kharkiv. They were held in the halls of the Kharkiv Philharmonic, Kharkiv National University of Arts named after I. P. Kotlyarevsky and Kharkiv Music College named after B. M. Lyatoshinsky called “Cimbalom from A to Z” (2005), “Evening of Ukrainian folk instruments music” (2007), “The world of cimbalom from A to Z” (2008, 2012), “Festival of ensembles of Ukrainian folk instruments” (2009), “The world of cimbalom” coauthored with M. Kuzhba (2013), “Cimbalom playing” (2013, 2014), “Cimbalom in Slobozhanshchyna” – ensemble music (2015), “The cimbalom constellation of Slobozhanshchyna” (2017), “Let’s interpret Boris Mikheev’s music on cimbalom” (2018), Remote marathon to the 30th anniversary of the cimbalom class of KhNUA “Cimbalom Slobozhanshchyna” (2020–2021). We would like to emphasize the constant participation of Olena Opanasivna in the jury of well-known and professional international, all-Ukrainian and regional competitions. Conclusions. Undoubtedly, all the stated above proves the active process of formation and flourishing of the youngest cimbalom school in Ukraine – Kharkiv one, which has been going on for more than 40 years and is headed by a bright creative personality (with its individual style, personal qualities). We state the fact that due to the versatility of Olena Kostenko’s creative activity (founder, teacher, methodologist-researcher, editor-compiler, public figure) it is impossible to imagine the system of folk instrumental art of Slobozhanshchyna at the present stage without cimbalom and cimbalom performing school. Constant creative activity and openness to new forms of the latter characterize it as productive, modern, and original.