Anastasia

Born 28 February, 1983 in Cleveland, Ohio, to parents of Ukrainian-Canadian and Ukrainian-American heritage, S. Anastasia has been blessed with a versatile and powerful instrument. As a young chorister and soloist, S. Anastasia was invited to Washington DC to perform at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Her parents put her through lessons in Vioce, Piano, Violin, Flute, Guitar, and Trumpet, along with pottery, gymnastics, figure skating, and 8 years of dance classes, making for a busy and creative little girl. Growing up, her best friend's mother was the Organist for a local Catholic Church, so the choir loft became Sarah's second home. Faithfully singing her heart out each Sunday, she would go on to perform with the Cleveland Orchestra Children's Chorus at Severance Hall and Blossom Music Center, including such masterworks as Puccini's, 'Turandot,' with the Cleveland Opera, by age 12, and 'Carmina Burana,' with the University of Toronto, at age 18, under the fearless direction of the illustrious Choral Chair Doreen Rao.

"As a child of the 80's, I was not really exposed to a lot of contemporary popular music. I was immersed in Classical and Folk music at home, like my Dad's Paul Robeson, and never had much interest in anything else besides Classical and Jazz on the radio until junior high...'
"I remember long car rides tucked away in the back seat of my folks' Chevy Impala, or later, it was the Oldsmobile, every time we went to the Carolinas. My mother loved Anne Murray, Broadway Showtunes, James Taylor, and John Denver. Tunes like, 'Take Me Home Country Roads,' and 'Carolina in My Mind' always take me back to those times as a child, winding through the mountains on those long roadtrips. Those memories come flooding back, like that thick, perfumed air coming in through the open'd car windows, and Karen Carpenter's silken voice lulling me to sleep," she recalls wistfully.
Fast forward to today:
S. Anastasia now holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Toronto, (2005). Already a published songwriter for a children's song she co-wrote in Noel Paul Stookey's NMH 2000 Songwriting class, "Fuzzy Wuzzy," she states--
"That was when I knew my first taste of Songwriting Success, that First Tiny Royalties cheque from Fuzzy Wuzzy. I knew then, that I was made for this. I was made to write songs, and sing some of them; to sing Most of them, and write so many songs that I'd give some away."--
Since then, she has been avidly writing songs and poetry, amassing journals full of material snapshots of her story, and working to save up about $500 to start up a publishing company on paper... not to mention another $500+ for hair and pictures. ;)
"I love to sing Motown, Jazz, Blues, RnB, and yes, even Pop songs like Brit's, even if it is all in good fun. I like nice sweet songs from the 70's, and I love anything I can put my heart and soul into. That's why I love Opera, too. The stories are so powerful, the characters so real. Just to pour the pain of years gone by all out of your face in this organic process is so cathartic. When you tap into the soul of your emotions, and hear an audience connect and respond to that, it's just amazing."
Now, [piping-hot press-kit in hot-clutching hand?] this overwhelmingly positive young lady stands poised to made her debut as a Recording Artist.
"I don't like to sing too much in small spaces anymore," she says with a shy smile, and a sparkle in her eyes.