Dmitry Sitkovetsky: Keeping the Flame

What happens when an instrument built to create art becomes a financial asset?

In this chapter, Dmitry talks about the violin — starting with the craft and artistry that goes into making each instrument to the business of buying, selling, and owning one. He tells the story of his Amati, Guarnerii and Stradivari, and why the relationship between musicians and their instruments is actually much more than simply making music.

Keeping the Flame: Season 2 is Dmitry’s portrait of a musician’s life, drawn from more than six decades of experience. 

In the final chapter of the season, Dmitry’s life comes full circle: he revisits Russia and becomes a father. Plus, a look at mistakes made and lessons learned.

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This episode was produced by Libo/Libo: https://libolibo.me/

Dmitry explores the structure and content of this extraordinary work. Bonus story: how he spent the best two months of his musical life in the virtual company of Glenn Gould and J.S. Bach.

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This episode was produced by Libo/Libo: https://libolibo.me/

Once there were two cousins. They were like salt and pepper. One had dark hair; the other was blond. One practiced the violin, while the other preferred the guitar. One left the country and started from scratch in the West; the other stayed in the USSR and pioneered Soviet art rock. They hadn’t spoken to each other in years, until they finally reunited.

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Website: https://www.dmitrysitkovetsky.com

This episode was produced by Libo/Libo: https://libolibo.me/

Dmitry remembers his firsts — first car, first movie, first concert. This episode is a reflection on the events that reshaped one refugee’s Soviet mindset.

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Website: https://www.dmitrysitkovetsky.com

This episode was produced by Libo/Libo: https://libolibo.me/

Dmitry arrives at JFK International Airport and is immediately swept up in the whirlwind of artistic New York: Juilliard, auditions, and scraping together enough money to survive in the city.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dsitkovetsky/
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Website: https://www.dmitrysitkovetsky.com

This episode was produced by Libo/Libo: https://libolibo.me/

A first-hand account of escaping Soviet Russia — complete with diversion, persuasion, and a whole lot of chutzpah.

This episode was produced by Libo/Libo: https://libolibo.me/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dsitkovetsky/
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Website: https://www.dmitrysitkovetsky.com

This episode was produced by Libo/Libo: https://libolibo.me/

A determined search for alternative lifestyles and opinions in the Soviet Union led the almost-18-year-old Dima to meet a man who presented himself as a spiritual guru, and  became a kind of father figure to him. What followed was an 8-year-long, deeply twisted relationship.

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Website: https://www.dmitrysitkovetsky.com

This episode was produced by Libo/Libo: https://libolibo.me/

Dmitry paints a portrait of a Brezhnev-era child’s double life: acting the part of model pioneer in front of teachers and rebelling the moment authority’s back turned — seeking out forbidden writers, music, and ideas.  

This episode asks: How do you navigate a society where authority controls every facet of life?

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dsitkovetsky/
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Threads: https://www.threads.com/@dsitkovetsky
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Website: https://www.dmitrysitkovetsky.com

Episode cover: a fragment of a photograph from the Central Music School in Moscow, 1961–1972.

This episode was produced by Libo/Libo: https://libolibo.me/

In this episode, Dmitry revisits his childhood – the first sounds of music in his mother’s womb, the early loss of his father and an audition with a prominent violin teacher.  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dsitkovetsky/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dmitrysitkovetsky
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@dsitkovetsky
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dmitrysitkovetsky/
Website: https://www.dmitrysitkovetsky.com

This episode was produced by Libo/Libo: https://libolibo.me/