Milana Zilnik

I was born in Ukraine and graduated musical school with honors. When I was 4, my father showed me the concept of playing by ear and I never stopped since then. When I was 12, my family moved to Israel, where I played and sang in school rock bands and performed jazz in some restaurants. Graduated as a teacher in a college and initiated musical project about improvisation with children. In 2008 me, my husband and two our kids moved to Ottawa, Ontario. Here in Ottawa I met many musicians who app...

I was born in Ukraine and graduated musical school with honors. When I was 4, my father showed me the concept of playing by ear and I never stopped since then. When I was 12, my family moved to Israel, where I played and sang in school rock bands and performed jazz in some restaurants. Graduated as a teacher in a college and initiated musical project about improvisation with children. In 2008 me, my husband and two our kids moved to Ottawa, Ontario. Here in Ottawa I met many musicians who appreciated my playing & singing and encouraged me to think about performing career. So, I started with little steps like taking vocal lessons, recording demo-CD and performing at some parties. I've always had a soft spot for rock & jazz because of their musical complexity and ability of improvise: the chance to create my own music inside the written music. Several years ago I fell in love with "Phantom of the Opera" and discovered that I could sing those songs myself. So, my vocal range expanded over the years of practice (I always have to sing to make my life complete). I wrote my first songs when I was a teenager but I wasn't able to put the words and the music together. Only after decades of personal struggles, I found my "formula": I love the music so much that the lyrics just follow. Usually, my song-writing starts with insight of a good melody. My husband and children are the biggest inspiration of all. Sometimes my husband plays a dozen of notes and I just fill in the rest. Many of my songs are devoted to my kids.