Marta Shpak

Marta Shpak (Марта Шпак) is a Ukrainian folk-pop singer, songwriter, actress and choreographer. Manager of Performing Arts. She writes her own songs, creates choreography for her performances and traveling around the world to represent Ukrainian culture. She has been named The Honoured Artist of Ukraine in 2009 by President of Ukraine, in recognition of her dedication as the main soloist of the State Ensemble of songs and dance of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

Marta Shpak was born in Pereginske of the InIvano-Francivsk region in Boykivshchyna, Ukraine. Music was her main interest and hobby during her childhood. She attended the children's school of arts, tours with the folk ensemble "The Little Boyky". Her mother Nataliya Shpak, played an important part in giving her music lessons and provided inspiration.At the age of 5, Marta and her sister Ann, first started performing and winning competitions at All-Ukrainian and International folk festivals.

In 1999 she entered to the State College of Arts in Chernivtsi, where she studied Choreography and began her career as a solo singer, collaborating with composer and teacher of vocals Oksana Kyrylyuk. Her first studio tracks "Rainbow paradise" and Bukovyna were written by Valeriy Syrotiuk (Ukrainian prist) and became very popular at that region of Ukraine.From 2003 to 2008 Marta Shpak attended theNational Academy of Government Managerial Staff of Culture and Arts in Kyiv where she obtained her Master's degree in Modern choreography and Management of organizations and Performing Arts; become a Soloist/Singer of the State Ensemble of songs and dance of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and an Actress of the poetic theatre "Mushlya" ("The Shell", director – Sergiy Arkhypchuk). In 2019 Shpak became an MA candidate at York University, Toronto, Canada, working within Theatre and Performance Program at the Faculty of Fine Arts, TV and Media.

2009 "The Honoured National Artist of Ukraine"

In 2009 Marta Shpak was awarded the title The Honoured National Artist of Ukraine by the President of Ukraine in recognition of her dedication as main soloist of the State Ensemble of songs and dancing of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, who's performances has inspired and rallied the support of thousands of listeners in Ukraine and around the world.

2009 also marked her first appearance in a music video "The Star in the Sky" which was directed by well known Ukrainian film director Taras Khymych.

2010

Marta Shpak recorded an album with Ukrainian rock-band "S.K.Y" and recorded a music video singing a duet with the band's front-man Oleg Sobchuk for the song "Story".

2011

Marta recorded an original musical project "Insurgent Tango" with singer and author of this project Orest Cymbala and academic instrumental ensemble "High Castle" (Lviv). All the song are written by a hero of Ukraine and poet – Olga Ilkiv.

2012

Marta Shpak, along with children's folklore ensemble "Little Boiky" represented Ukraine with their performances at the Vatican, in honor of the Ukrainian Christmas tree at St. Peter's Square for Pope Benedict XVI. Shpak also performed in Moscow celebrating Ukraine's Day in Russia and Anniversary of the birth of Ukrainian poet and Kobzar Taras Shevchenko.

2013

Shpak toured Canada (Winnipeg, Montreal and Toronto) in support of her new album "The Star in a Heaven".She also supported Ukrainians with her performances at the EuroMaidan in Kyiv in the first days of Euro Revolution.

2014

Marta was a passionate supporter of peace and freedom for Ukrainian Nation and its people in their struggle to obtain true freedom and democracy during the ongoing tragic events and war that is currently happening in Ukraine. She performed at many Ukrainian meetings and concerts in Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg. Her most recent supportive performances were at Toronto's Independence Day at Centennial Park and Multi-Cultural Pavilions during the Folkloramma Festival in Winnipeg, Monitoba. Shpak also performed for The League of Ukrainian Canadians in honor of their 65th Anniversary, in memory of the "Heavenly Hundred" and all the Heroes who died in war!

2015

Marta Shpak is a student in Canada. She is continuing her Master's degree in Management and studying Career exploration at Sheridan College and Business English for International professionals at University of Toronto. Shpak is also collaborating with Canadian multi-instrumental musician, songwriter and producer Denny DeMarchi, who is notable as a rock concert tour musician for the well-known Irish band The Cranberries and Dolores O'Riordan during her Solo world's tours. DeMarchi is also known for his role as the keyboardist who played the signature keyboard notes for the popular 1990 No. 1 Billboard hit song More Than Words Can Say by the band Alias, which features his brother, Steve DeMarchi on guitar.

Marta Shpak performing at the Ukrainian festivals and fundraising music events in Canada.

2016

Marta Shpak recorded and released her new song with Denny DeMarchi "Zolota", dedicated to 25th Anniversary of the Independence Day of Ukraine. Lyrics by Roman Virastyuk. [1]

2017

Marta Shpak taking [Acting for Film and Television] course at the [Toronto Academy of Acting] with movie director George D'Amato from USA, known for "The Final" (1998), "Blur" (2015) and "Palace Guard" (1991).[http://torontoacademyofacting.com. A Singer is working on English album and new music on Ukrainian and other languages as well.

2018

Recording artists Marta Shpak and Denny DeMarchi released their debut music video “Christmas Day”.Filmed in Canada and Ukraine by Francis Coral Mellon and Volodymyr Mussur, the song touches the heart for the Christmas and New Year Holiday Season. [2]

2019

Marta Shpak won a Gand from the York University and started her MA Theatre and Performance Program at the [Faculty of Arts, Media, Performance & Design] within the Centre of Film and Theatre. Her research work is based on the Culture of Politics and Environmental Activism; Performance Ethnography and Multiculturalism, supervised by Dr.Magdalena Kazubowski-Houston – Associate Professor of Theatre at York University.Singer also invited to perform at the Ethnographic Research-Creation Project "The Morning I Died" by Lynn Hutchinson Lee in collaboration with Rajat Nayyar, Becky Gold, Shawn Kazubowski-Houston, Amadeusz Kazubowski-Houston and Centre for Imaginative Ethnography and Sensorium – Centre for Digital Arts and Technology. [ http://imaginativeethnography.org/]

• "The Song Premiere" 2008, Grand-Prix
• "Golden barn", 2007, Grand-Prix
• "Autumn Randewua", 2006, Grand-Prix
• "The West of 21 century", Grand-Prix
• "Volodymyr", 2004, Grand-Prix
• "On Svityaz waves", 2004, 2nd prize
• "Wesprem 2002", Hungary, 3rd prize
• "Kyiv Student Spring", 2006, 1st prize
• "The Song of Heart", 2001, 3rd prize
• "The Vernisage of Songs", 2001, 1st prize
• "The Ukrainian Family", 2004, 1st prize
• "The Ancient custle", 2000, 1st prize
• "The Morning sunrise" , 1995, 3rd prize
• "The Fortune’s Nightingale",
• "Chernivtsi" 1995, 2nd prize in genres "author song" and "folk song"
• "The Singing Family", Kyiv 1995, 2nd prize

• 2006 – "Enlighted’, Molotov 20, Marta Shpak & Sergiy Gera & RC "Athlantic"
• 2008 – "A daybreak" , Marta Shpak
• 2009 – "Songs of Boykivschyna", Marta Shpak & "Little boyky"
• 2011 – "Insurgent Tango" – Marta Shpak, Orest Cymbala, Olga Ilkiv and "High Castle".
• 2013 – "The Star in a Heaven" – Marta Shpak and Igor Balan "Aqua Vita".
• 2017 – "Leleka" – Marta Shpak. Best Songs