Ukrainian Students Find ‘Creative Consonance’ at Berklee Valencia

On the morning of January 14, 2025, six students from the R. Glier Kyiv Municipal Academy of Music arrived at Berklee’s campus in Valencia, Spain. Their trip had been long and difficult: a train to the Polish border, hours of waiting for approval to leave Ukraine, another train to Krakow, and finally a flight to Valencia. For some, it was their first time on a plane.

Waiting for them in Valencia were the two Berklee faculty members who had mentored them online all semester: bassist Matt Baker and guitarist Iván Cebrián. That connection was part of the UAx Platform, which links 15 Ukrainian art universities with 18 partner schools across Europe, the UK, and the US. The initiative is supported through Berklee’s membership in ELIA, the Europe League of Institutes of Art, a network of nearly 300 arts institutions worldwide.

Now, for the first time, mentors and students could meet face-to-face. Over the next week, the visitors from Kyiv joined Berklee’s Global Career Summit, a four-day event of keynotes, panels, and workshops, while also performing alongside Berklee faculty at local venues including Club Matisse and Jimmy Glass.

A Week of Growth and Connection

For guitar student Oleksandr Mashovets, it was an experience that “broadened my horizons and creative potential,” saying that he left Valencia with a new understanding of how to promote himself and build an artistic identity. Hlib Akimchenkov, a third-year saxophone student, called the week “life-changing.”

Other students pointed to the sense of community. Oleksandra Dyo, a third-year voice student, described the trip as “very productive and bright,” highlighting the chance to meet peers from around the world. Trumpeter Bohdan Kobko said, “Every workshop, meeting, and conversation left a meaningful mark on me. I will always cherish this journey, which has become an important step in my artistic and personal development.”

Their mentors recognized that eagerness to learn. “Always punctual, paying attention at all times with a great desire to learn,” Cebrián said. “They proved to be very talented, hard-working, and with everything necessary to become excellent artists and professionals.” Baker described their sessions as a balance of career advice and musical deep dives, with students coming prepared with questions, compositions, and arrangements to workshop.

Learning from Mentors

Students were quick to credit their teachers for shaping the experience. Anna Dyoshyna, a fourth-year piano student, recalled how Cebrián’s lessons left her brain “exploding from the amount of information and tasks,” but said the intensity was ultimately enjoyable.

Vocalist Varvara Zaitseva praised Cebrián’s depth of knowledge: “We covered a lot of interesting and useful topics in jazz.” Kobko credited Baker with giving him the confidence to “grow, take on challenges, and believe more in myself as a musician.”

For the faculty, those words reflect the spirit of the UAx Platform itself. What began as a remote mentorship across borders had become a week of in-person discovery, where lessons about improvisation and composition shared equal space with guidance on building sustainable careers.

Building Trust Across Boarders

This experience was never guaranteed. Because of travel restrictions for men under 27, there was real uncertainty about whether three of the students would be allowed to leave Ukraine. Berklee worked closely with its partners in Kyiv to assemble the necessary documentation, and in the end all six students arrived safely.

That made the week’s impact feel even more profound. “It meant a lot to me and was a gesture of support when I really needed it,” Mashovets said of the performance opportunities.

Iryna Polstiankina, head of creative and international cooperation at the R. Glier Kyiv Municipal Academy of Music, said the project succeeded because the mentors and students quickly built trust. “As the curator of this project, it was very important that the students of the jazz department of the R.Glier Academy found a common language and creative consonance with the mentors of Berklee Valencia,” she said.

Looking Ahead

For young musicians living with the uncertainty of war—never knowing if they’ll be able to attend class safely or what the future of their country holds—the chance to study, perform, and connect with peers from around the world underscored the role music can play in sustaining community and purpose.

When the war is over, these students, grounded in their training at the R. Glier Academy and enriched by their time in Valencia, will be at the forefront of rebuilding and reimagining music, art, and culture in post-war Ukraine. Through ELIA and the UAx Platform, Berklee is honored to be part of that future.

To learn more about ELIA and the UAx Platform, visit: elia-artschools.org.

Simone Pilon is executive director of Berklee Valencia, where she leads academic strategy, partnerships, and student success initiatives. She holds a PhD in Québécois literature from Université Laval and has published and presented on pedagogy, literature, and internationalization.