Tues, April 1 Fima Chupakhin

Fima Chupakhin is a New York City-based Ukrainian jazz pianist, multimedia composer, and music producer. In 2019, he was nominated for “Best Composer of the Year” at the Ukrainian Film Awards for his score for The Wild Fields, a feature film based on the novel Voroshylovgrad by acclaimed Ukrainian writer Serhyi Zhadan. In collaboration with Zhadan, Fima has also created a duo project blending spoken word with piano and electronics, resulting in two critically acclaimed albums. Most recently, he scored Rock Paper Grenade, the debut feature film by 2020 Sundance-winning Ukrainian director Iryna Tsilyk. For a complete list of his works for film, TV, and commercials, please visit fimamusic.com/works. Widely respected in the New York music scene, Fima is known as a sophisticated jazz pianist, versatile keyboardist, composer, arranger, and sound producer. His debut U.S. album, Water, self-released in October 2019, received international acclaim. Jazz journalist Ted Panken noted that on Water, Fima “engages with the last forty years of swing-oriented Black American Music on its own terms of engagement, guiding the flow with a strong compositional hand.” On February 29, 2024, Fima premiered The Song of Tomorrow, a solo piano piece commissioned by the University of Pennsylvania, dedicated to the resilience and bravery of the Ukrainian people during the Russian invasion. Fima is currently completing two major recording projects: a new trio album entitled Hymn For The Fallen and a solo piano record featuring The Song of Tomorrow, alongside his three-piece suite One Day They Will Be Dancing and other original compositions. Beyond acoustic piano, Fima plays keyboards and synthesizers and serves as a producer for the Brooklyn-based soul/R&B band fake tapes, the hip-hop trio Lateef Beats, and various independent artists. His collaborations span genres and borders, including work with jazz and R&B vocalist Andromeda Turre, 2016 Eurovision winner Jamala, Ukrainian singer Serhiy Babkin, and pop-rock icon Svyatoslav Vakarchuk. Fima first came to the United States in 2012 as a Fulbright Scholar, studying under jazz legend Mulgrew Miller, who led the jazz program at William Paterson University. There, Fima earned his Master’s degree in Jazz Performance. Since settling in New York in 2015, he has performed as both bandleader and sideman at major U.S. jazz festivals, including the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, New York Winter Jazz Fest, and White Plains Jazz Fest. A frequent performer at iconic NYC venues such as Smalls Jazz Club, Mezzrow, Ornithology, Minton’s, Rockwood Music Hall, and The Bitter End, Fima has also contributed as a sideman to over 30 recordings.

*Please note: There is a 2-hour limit at each table. Additional time at the table is contingent upon availability.