Vitalii Bilonozhko (born 11 June 1953, Sloboda village, Buryn district, Sumy region, Ukrainian SSR, USSR) is a Ukrainian singer, pop performer; People's Artist of Ukraine (1995); founder and organiser of the periodic International Family Creativity Festival "Melody of Two Hearts".
Vitaliy Bilonozhko was born on 11 June 1953 in the village of Sloboda, Buryn district, Sumy region.
Alongside his secondary school education, he graduated from a seven-year music school with a degree in accordion. He took an active part in the amateur artistic activity of the district and the region.
He studied at the Sumy Music College at the conducting and choral faculty and at the Kyiv State Conservatory, where he studied vocals with People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR Kostiantyn Ognevyi.
After graduating from the music school, Vitaliy worked at the Chernihiv Philharmonic, served in the army in the Kyiv Military District in the airborne troops, and during his service in the army Vitaliy Bilonozhko was a member of the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Kyiv Military District.
He graduated from the Tchaikovsky National Conservatory in Kyiv. At the same time, he worked as a soloist at the Kyiv Variety Theatre in Podil.
Since 1981, he has been working as a soloist at the State Television and Radio Company of Ukraine. He took part in the Days of Culture of Ukraine in 25 countries, including the USA, Canada, China, Great Britain, France, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Japan, Somalia and all the republics of the former USSR.
The first songs recorded by Bilonozhko on the radio were Maksym Dunayevsky's "Everything Will Pass" and "City Flowers". Subsequently, Bilonozhko found regular authors - Oleksandr Zlotnyk (songs "Come Back Here", "Where Two Meet", "I'll Dance You", "Who Are You?", "Typhoon Called Katya", "Old Dacha", "The Magician", "Let's Honor Love") and Yevhen Osadchyi ("You Are My Land", "Your Name", "There Was Love", "I Wasn't Deceitful", "God, Give Ukraine Freedom"). In 1994, NAK released 2 CDs under the joint title "Fair", and a year later - "Apple Fog", which collected the last recordings of Vitaliy Bilonozhko at that time. Since then, Vitaliy has been performing with his wife Svitlana, a former operetta singer and former UT-1 announcer.
In total, Bilonozhko has released 6 CDs in Ukraine, the USA and Canada, an anthology of his own works and 12 audio cassettes.
In 1999, together with his wife, People's Artist of Ukraine Svitlana Bilonozhko, he became the founder of the regular International Festival of Family Creativity "Melody of Two Hearts", one of the most popular in the country.
At present (2000s), she performs in concert programmes, is a regular participant in charity events and gala concerts, including on TV, and is in charge of the Melody of Two Hearts Festival, while teaching at the Department of Pop Singing at the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts.
He is a candidate for parliamentary elections from the "Strength and Honour" party in the 2019 parliamentary elections, No. 22 on the list. He is non-partisan.
Awards.
In December 1995, Vitaliy Bilonozhko was awarded the title of People's Artist of Ukraine.
For his high professional skills and significant contribution to the development and popularisation of Ukrainian song, the artist was awarded the International Order of St Nicholas the Wonderworker (1998) and the Presidential Nika (1997), and is a holder of the Order of Yaroslav the Wise, V degree (2003), and the Order of Merit, III degree (2008).
Vitaliy Bilonozhko is a laureate of many national and international song festivals and competitions, a multiple winner of the Shlyager of the Year music award.
Interesting facts
Vitaliy Bilonozhko performed the role of Lycomede in Handel's opera Deidamia at the Conservatory Opera Studio and at the Leipzig Opera House.
The singer has performed 49 concerts in the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant area
