Dima Kovalenko

Dima Kovalenko, jazz-guitarist, composer and arranger. Was born in Kyiv in 1989 to a musical family whose traditions span for many generations. In 2005 he studied at the Gliere Music College, then in 2007 at the National Conservatoire Kyiv. The studies continued at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz in 2009. Returning to Kyiv in 2011 Dima Kovalenko played on the local scene, as a lead guitarist and soloist with the Kyiv Big Bang and Big Jump Big Band. He developed his interests in gypsy, Balkan and Klezmer music to become a core member of the Pushkin Klezmer Band, Babuchi, and Brothers Gypsy band. These sensibilities helped him to study the jazz-manouche music language and to play with Urban Gypsy for a couple of years. Since 2022 he has been an active member of the Austrian klezmer band “the Hawaras”.