POLINA FAUSTOVA

Polina was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, in the mid-nineties; although it was a cold day in February, she would soon find warmth and comfort in the love she developed for music. By the age of six, after seeing other young women making beautiful music, she knew this too was destined to be her path and soon took up the cello.

Although the opportunity arose to continue her artistic education with talent in dance, her affinity and talent for the cello led her to stay on a musical path, even despite the challenges and stigma often associated with any attempt to make a living as a musician.

While completing her Master’s of Music Sciences, she began playing in various bands, performing in cafes, and videos of these performances quickly led to invitations from various orchestras and quartets. Since then she has gone on to win several fiddle competitions in Ukraine and has gained experience in classical, folk, Irish, contemporary, middle eastern, jazz, oldies, pop, rock, and hip-hop — with her favorite genre to perform in being chill pop.

Polina not only performs solo, in duets, quartets, and orchestras, but she is also the cellist and vocalist for the MORE Music Project; they create live lounge, house, and progressive classical music where Polina’s vocals are accompanied by cello, sax, drums, keyboards, and EWI.  

Recently, the atrocities committed against the Ukrainian people have caused her to flee her home, throughout different countries, fed and housed by the kindness of strangers. Although she has had to leave the expertly crafted studio in her apartment, that hasn’t stopped her from making music on the road. After many arduous days of travel, she has been able to set up a mobile studio of sorts and has resumed composing and performing.

“I try to popularize the cello and show that not only classical music can be played on this instrument, but also modern music,” says Polina. And you can find her actively doing this on Instagram and on YouTube, or if you’d like to work with her, reach out to her on Fiverr.