We wanted to create a name for our Violin Duo that had both symbolic and personal meaning. Through great thought and reflection, we determined that we should use Italian terms since Italy is the birthplace of the violin, viola and cello beginning in the 16th Century. Two of the notes in a musical scale are “la” and “do” with “do” being the musical foundation of any piece of music.
Secondly, In Ukrainian, the word “Lad” means “the order and condition when everything is done properly, coherently with consistency of actions, and organization”. These attributes are very important to us in our daily lives.
Thirdly, Lado is the name of the ancient Slavic God of merriment, marriage and the well-being of the family. We both have deep ancestral roots in present day city of Kiev Ukraine, (former Kievan Rus area from the 9th to the mid-13th century) whose founding date is 482AD. Dating back to ancient times (our Capital celebrated its’ 1,500th anniversary in 1982), the word LADO was a term of endearment for a loved one, beloved husband, wife or sweetheart.
The name LADO personifies three of the most important pillars in our lives. Music is our passion, we are fiercely proud of our Ukrainian roots and we are a married couple totally devoted to each other now forging a new life together in our adopted country of Canada.
We are proud and happy to be known as the “LADO STRINGS”.
LADO became our name in 2010 for our first string quartet. We then musically expanded our horizons into the Cruise Ship environment with the world famous companies Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line and Princess Cruises as live entertainment for the passengers. When the ship was docked, we went home and enjoyed working in different well-known orchestras and ensembles in the Ukraine. Despite the orchestral work, our hearts belonged to LADO, as we could relate and had a wonderful rapport with the audiences. We performed special requests from our listeners that often expanded our musical repertoire as well as improve our professional versatility.
2022 – LIFE’S NEW CHAPTER
After working extensively on Cruise Ships, in 2022, we were planning to begin a new phase of our lives in Irpin, a city near Kiev, Ukraine. We have deep family and musical roots there, as we were professionally trained at the Kyiv National Music Academy, afterwards working in many Ukrainian orchestras.
Our peaceful and picturesque little town of Irpin was recently invaded and 80% of the infrastructure has now been irreparably destroyed by Russian aggression. We were familiar with Victoria BC and all its beauty and welcoming ambience, so we decided to come to the Garden City instead to carve out a new life for ourselves.
Upon our arrival in Victoria, we were overwhelmed by the great support that has been given to all Ukrainians who have recently arrived here. From the very first moment, we were made to feel welcome, safe, grateful and blessed to be on the west coast. We are forever indebted to Help Ukraine Vancouver Island, Ukrainian Culture Centre and the Salvation Army. We have met many new friends and all are amazing people with huge hearts. Their genuine willingness to help us with all our difficulties that we face is very touching and someday it is our dream to pay this hospitality forward.
We now are easing into the music scene in Victoria and are actively pursuing musical opportunities. We are extremely versatile in various musical events and concerts and have extensive experience in providing music support to private events, weddings, birthday parties, cocktail shows and in restaurant settings. We have also privately taught aspiring violinists at all levels including musical theory and the creation of backing tracks of to augment soloistic performances.
Our CD “Musical Memories From Your Cruise” is available on Amazon.com
As well as MP3 version of our CD
Borys Koniukhov & Julia Frait
Victoria BC | CANADA
PHONE | 778.678.8012
E-MAIL: ladostrings@gmail.com