Lifestyle

Faith Saved My Life

NY Weekly Staff

March 28, 2024
7:11 pm

By: Maria Williams

Why do you sing Christ?

From my earliest years, I loved going to Mass and catechism. In my violent family, faith saved my life. When I went to Lisieux, the city of Saint Therese, at the age of 6, I felt a gentle light enveloping me, and I didn’t even know about Therese. It was like a calling to religious life, which came several times in my life, and then faded away. I was perhaps too distracted, too drawn to ordinary life. But this quest for God, for the absolute, was always within me. In New York ten years ago, just after the world tour of the play St. Therese, I felt again this very clear calling to religious life. I met Father Enrique Salvo, director of vocations in New York, who invited me to pray, even more, to discern. During a stay in a convent, two words came to me in prayer: artist Missionary. To give my life to faith through my life as an artist. This prayer from Christ came to me during a visit to Carmel Mission in California, the first convent dedicated to St. Therese in 1925 in the US.

How did this project come about?

a few months ago during a concert I gave in Malibu at Olandar. At the end of the performance, Leigh J. McCloskey and Carla suggested I meet one of the audience members, renowned as a virtuoso pianist. She offered to play a piece by Chopin on the piano. The moment she started the Prelude in E Minor, I was moved to tears. The sheer beauty of each note of Chopin resonated throughout my entire being.

Immediately, the idea came to sing his melodies and the most beautiful prayers, including my dear Sainte Thérèse de Lisieux, and many others like St. Paul, Mother Teresa, St. John of the Cross, etc. A friend, Rosa, living in Paris, just reminded me that the last house I occupied in Paris (in the 20th arrondissement) before permanently moving to the United States, was very close to Père Lachaise Cemetery, where the body of Frederic Chopin rests. Yes, I lived right near Chopin… and more than ever, I feel his soul in my heart.

What are you aiming for with this project?

In our world, so violent, so stressed, more than ever we must pray. Nothing is more powerful than the energy of a prayer filled with love. We all know that praying, nourishing our soul, calming our mind is essential, even vital, to survive today. But the whole question is that we forget this evidence, that we understand. How not to forget that there is within us, greater than us, that there is a quality of love greater than our human love, a quality of peace, of forgiveness, which surpasses us. This is the symbol of Christ. Not to forget the presence of God, not to forget the love of God. With Maryna Kysla, we will give this concert Praying with Chopin for the Christmas season at Carnegie Hall in New York, on December 10, and by following us on social media, you will discover the entire world tour that we are preparing for 2024, 2025

I would add that given the situation in Ukraine, it is essential to support Maryna, her family, and all the people in Ukraine who are living every second in the trauma of a war as terrifying as it is incomprehensible. Sharing our single, our album, coming to the concert is a very concrete way to support Maryna and Ukraine.

Questions To Maryna Kysla

Could you share about your life?

I was born and raised in Kharkiv, Ukraine, my musical journey began at age 5 when I first touched the piano keys. My mother, a singer in a local choir, unknowingly ignited my lifelong passion. Recognizing my talent, she ensured I received a global education, studying under remarkable teachers like Peter Serkin, Melvin Chen, and Ning An. Music became my passport I performed across continents, discovering its universal language. The piano, my refuge, resonates with my soul. Today, it remains my faithful companion, healing and connecting beyond mere notes.

What do you feel when you play Chopin?

As we know, Frederick Chopin, fleeing Poland during the Polish Russian War, sought refuge in Paris. His music became a fragile boat carrying hopes and memories of his homeland. As a Ukrainian, I feel strongly connected to his story. When I play Chopin, I imagine bridging the earthly and the divine. I picture Frederic Chopin praying as he composed, seeking inspiration from the heavens. I feel his presence a dialogue of sounds and spirit. Every note becomes a vessel for emotions. In those moments, I am both pianist and storyteller, weaving connections that transcend time and place.

Do you believe this project can support your family and friends in Ukraine?

My relatives remained in Ukraine, they are now not far from the city of Kharkiv, they suffer and live in constant fear of war constant destruction and daily explosions overhead. My mother managed to escape, she is now with me, and my brother with his wife and two small daughters remained in the war, I am very worried about them.

Let our prayer support Ukraine, my native country, my friends and all people who need help in the whole world.

I really believe and hope that our project our heartfelt prayer to God will bring peace and prosperity to Ukraine and the entire planet called Earth.

Link YouTube video : https://youtu.be/_wk_RpIlch4?si=YE0-TgofgSU-uW0V