A beach volleyball tournament hits Opium Beach Club; Maria Burmaka, a different kind of female Ukrainian pop star, hits Store 205; Bach and Schumann are on the program at a summer music fest; Maximum's European food festival goes Italian
ll, tell us about it. There’s no lovelier stretch of sand in Kyiv than the one at Opium Beach Club, which will host this tourney of 32 top teams. Qualification matches started on July 28, and action will be taking place everyday starting at 10 a.m. Finals take place on Saturday, Aug. 1: the semifinals at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., the third-place match at noon, the final at 1 p.m. Awards will be handed out at 2 p.m. The relatively early hours are the only thing that will make this idyllic event less than perfect: Who wants to start drinking that early?
Opium Beach Club, (Hydropark, Youth Beach, 205-2945). Free admission.
SATURDAY 31
POP CONCERT: Maria Burmaka.
Just when we thought we could laze away summer without having to go out, into town rolls Maria Burmaka, who’s different from your typical Ukrainian female pop star. No bubblegum ditties, no porn, no dumb Mad Max-goes-Hutsul costumes, no free housing from the government. Instead she just writes and performs good songs. Supporting her new album “Maria Burmaka No. 9,” the acclaimed singer-songwriter (who sings a little bit like English superstar Dido) brings her new band to Store 205. Go see her.
Store 205 (8 Kovpaka, Ukraina warehouse district, 269-3249). 8 p.m. Tickets Hr 20.
SPECIAL EVENT: European Cuisine Festival.
Maximum’s celebration of European cuisine has been going on since June, and is now entering its final week. Italian Week begins this Saturday, and will involve some fish and a bunch of (surprise) pasta. Go beyond the okroshka and the sour-cream salad.
Maximum (12/37 Dekyabristiv, 563-6533). Open daily from 12 a.m. till 6 a.m.
SUNDAY 1
CLASSICAL MUSIC: Kyiv Summer Evenings Music Festival.
Students from the International Summer Musical Academy play for you, and for free, in this series that starts on Sunday. On the program: piano concertos by Tchaikovsky and Schumann, and some Bach. A good look at tomorrow’s stars now that the National Philharmonic is out of commission until fall – and why not? It’s free.
Glier Kyiv State Musical School (31 Lva Tolstoho, 244-3238). Performances at 10 a.m., 11.30 a.m. and 12 p.m. Free admission.
