Kyiv is about to experience a new level of fashion and music events. Oliver Kloes, a German event organizer, is throwing a concert and a fashion show featuring American iconic musician Narada Michael Walden.
Ukrainian stars will perform the greatest hits he wrote and produced for Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin and others.
The Fashion Rocks Kyiv has two parts — a concert and fashion show – which will kick off on Oct. 11 and 12, respectively, in Ukraine’s capital.
The selection process of Ukrainian stars for the concert was not easy. A multiple Grammy Award winner and producer of more than 10 international music hits, Walden spent time trying to find the right Ukrainian stars to perform his hits in English.
While Walden was impressed with numerous Ukrainian musical talents, he felt strongest about Jamala, Kamaliya (wife of Kyiv Post publisher Mohammad Zahoor), Hard Kiss, Allois (former vocalist of Gorchitza) and Viktor Romanchenko from X-factor.
They will have an opportunity to perform some of the greatest international hits together with Walden, who will play on drums, including “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and “All the Man That I Need” by Whitney Houston, “I Don’t Wanna Cry” by Mariah Carey, “Freeway of Love” and “Jimmy Lee” by Aretha Franklin and many others.
Valeriy Bebko, producer and guitar player of Ukrainian band Hard Kiss, says they did not hesitate when offered to participate in the concert, which meant a chance to work with Walden. “Yulia, our vocalist loves Narada’s songs, she grew up on Whitney Houston” said Bebko. “It wasn’t hard to prepare, because Yulia already knew the songs.”
But no matter how good the performers are, the concert doesn’t mean much without the crowd. “The quality of the concert comes from a very good crowd,” said Kloes. “If you have good energy in the crowd, then the musicians on the stage will feel the same energy that forms a perfect symbiosis that you will remember for the rest of your life.”
He says to ensure that kind of atmosphere the ticket price comes at a fairly low level of Hr 190 ($24).
Meanwhile, the next-day fashion show will be an upscale event at the Fairmont Grand Hotel on the Dnipro River. London designer Roubi L’ Roubi from New Bond Street will present his new hunting collection and evening dresses.
But this time, it won’t be “just another fashion show,” says Kloes. According to him, Ukrainian events have way to go to catch up with Paris and Milan fashion shows. “It’s not enough just to put two BMW’s and a red carpet [at such event]” he says. “But what matters is every single detail from champagne and hostess personnel to the quality of catwalk.”
Unlike Ukrainian Fashion Week, this will be a Western-type of fashion show which will include a staged performance and a mini-concert by Kamaliya, Walden and Hard Kiss.
“It will be one-hour theatrical show,” says Kloes. The fashion show performances will be accompanied by all the music styles, from classical to hard rock, pop and jazz. “It’s really like a theatrical complete, well choreographed and well-staged show with different artists, acts, ballet dancers, etc,” he adds.
U.S. musician and producer Walden will host the event together with Yulia Sanina, a singer from Hard Kiss. While an Italian star chef Massimo Riccioli, will come to Kyiv specifically to cook dinner for the event.
According to the organizers, such a combination of fine cuisine and glamorous fashion is already attracting upscale international crowd to town, as business people from London, Paris and Brussels, Roubi L’ Roubi’s main clientele, are already booking their fashion show tickets coming at a hefty price of 450 euro (Hr 4,740).
The Oct. 11 concert sponsors include Ukrainian International Airlines and Belgian Art Zone while the Oct. 12 fashion show includes: Fairmont Grand Hotel; Neocleous law firm in Kyiv; Dryer One engineering company in Belgium; and Belgian Art Zone. The Kyiv Post is a media sponsor.
Fashion Rocks Kyiv – The Concert
Date: Oct. 11.
Time: 8 p.m.
Venue: Crystal Hall, 1 Dniprovskiy Spusk.
Website: http://crystalhall.com.ua/events/fashion-rocks-kyiv-concert/
After-show party: Belgian Art Zone, 22 Rybalska Str., near Klovska metro.
Ticket price: Hr 190
Fashion Rocks Kyiv – The Fashion Show
Date: Oct. 12
Time: 7.30 p.m.
Venue: Fairmont Grand Hotel Kyiv, 1 Naberezhno-Khreshchatytska Street
After-show party: Belgian Art Zone, 22 Rybalska Str., near Klovska metro.
Ticket price: 450 euro (Hr 4,740)
Kyiv Post staff writer Maryna Irkliyenko can be reached at [email protected]
