Artist of the Issue: Dasha Lukyanenko

From piano keys to her original vocal composition “Drop by Drop”, Dasha Lukyanenko ’25 began her musical journey at age five. While Lukyanenko’s primary focus was playing the piano, her formal training also included an afternoon music program where she studied music theory, history, and choir, laying a foundation for her future musical endeavors.

Lukyanenko’s first musical influence was her piano teacher Fizuza Timofeeva, who founded a music school called “Uventa” at home in Ukraine. To Lukanenko, “she’s not only a teacher for me, but also a role model and wonderful friend.” After 8 years of studying in music school, Lukyanenko graduated with honors and focused on piano and singing. She also studied music theory, music history, and sang in choir.

After arriving at Deerfield, Lukyanenko took Choral Director Michael Pfitzer’s Vocal Ensemble course her sophomore year and Director of Music Tom Bergeron’s Music Composition course the following year. “I’ve always admired Dasha’s willingness to try anything as a singer,” Dr. Pfitzer acknowledged. “As a young singer, your instrument [your voice] is changing all the time, it can often feel very different from one month to the next to sing.” Dr. Pfitzer stated that Lukyanenko has a really strong musicality.

The hard work Lukyanenko has put into technique training allowed her to “grow and blossom into a beautiful sound.” During her junior year composition class, Lukyanenko expressed her interest in writing original chamber music pieces, which prompted her to compose a string quartet that was performed at the 2024 Women in Music concert. She also composed an original vocal piece “Drop by Drop”, which premiered at the Carnegie Hall Recital on February 6th, 2025.

This year, Lukyanenko is continuing Music Composition and Analysis, and she has had the opportunity to experiment more with vocal compositions. “I am currently working on a Piano Quartet, which will hopefully get performed at Baccalaureate at the end of spring,” she noted. Describing the ongoing process of composing a string quartet, Lukyanenko expressed her difficulty composing for string instruments for the first time. However, she enjoyed working with different tonalities and collaborating with peers in her class. She stated, “I think the most interesting part is actually being at the rehearsal with the players and being able to ask them if something is working or not working, which allows room for interpretation.” Andy Chen ’25 mentioned that Dasha attended every single rehearsal during the three-week process of music production. No matter how long their rehearsal went for, Lukyanenko was always there with a score, listening to her peers and giving constructive feedback; Chen stated, “almost as if she was a teacher herself.”

Under the mentorship of Vocal Music Lesson Instructor Caitlin Felsman Pfitzer, Lukyanenko has found several musical opportunities. Ms. Felsman encouraged her to apply for the Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI), where she spent six weeks working on her voice, collaborating with musicians, and meeting composers. “I could go to orchestra readings and meet all those musicians from different backgrounds, so [BUTI] was really a push for me,” Lukyanenko said. At Deerfield, Lukyanenko was able to showcase original compositions, collaborate with her peers, and her coaches.

Highlighting her influence on Deerfield’s music program, Dr. Pfitzer stated, “I think Dasha has shaped the music program here, just thinking the kind of person she is, the way she’s multi-talented, pretty selfless, and showing others the goals they can aspire to, and it’s sort of a two way street.” Chen echoed Pfitzer’s sentiments, he said, “Dasha is the most communicative, kindest and most sympathetic composer that you will find on this campus.” Whenever Chen and Lukyanenko collaborate during composition class, Chen noted that “she is always presenting her best work, writing in the parts as completely as she can, then fleshing out in her work to such a degree that you never feel like she’s not putting in her best effort.” Looking to the future, Lukyanenko hopes to join either a women’s or co-ed choir at Harvard University. “I’m hoping to still compose, since there’s an interesting opportunity for choral composers at Harvard that I’m hoping to pursue.”