NATALIE MARCHENKO
Solo saxophone player

Piano and classical music - thus began Natalie Marchenko her musical career, and soon she was on her way to becoming a pianist. However, she decided to follow her calling instead of pursuing a career. Being stuck is as much not Natalie’s way as is taking the conventional road. Her dream instrument, the saxophone, with its various timbres and thousands of possibilities seemed to be almost waiting for her. In spite of all the objections she faced, Natalie chose the seemingly stonier route, which - to her - was by far the more attractive path to take her through the world of music.

Natalie Marchenko studied at various conservatories, first in Belarus and finishing at the Hochschule für Musik in Würzburg, where she received her diploma in music. A successful saxophone player, she produced and wrote the music for two promising CDs in Belarus (Ordinary Angel, and Mirror of Time, 2001) where she presents herself as the composer, songwriter, singer and saxophone player, all at the same time. She has played with many different musicians and performed both, as solo artist, and with her own band for famous Russian stars. Her song “Ordinary Angel” was frequently played on Minsk radio stations and the video was shown on TV.

Since March 2000 Natalie lives in Munich. Within no time, she has made a name for herself here. Not only has she given solo performances for gala events (car presentations of Porsche, Mercedes, Jaguar, etc.; Siemens, Microsoft, e-on, etc.) she has also played gigs with various DJs in the European club scene. Among Natalie’s regular customers are several large corporations, for some of which she writes and produces songs for individual occasions. Natalie Marchenko was the first (and up to now the only) saxophonist who has played with the Cyberspace Hippies as the opening act for AC/DC in Berlin and Munich. She is also a popular guest star in fashion shows, appearing on stage as a model playing the saxophone (Rene Lezard, Escada, Willy Bogner).

Today, she is booked all over Europe. Bands with all kinds of musical styles rely on Natalie for her professional skill on the saxophone and her charismatic performance, knowing that this always accounts for a great part of the success. Likewise, Natalie benefits from the great number and variety of her engagements, every experience adds to her rich repertoire and opens up new possibilities.

Natalie’s success is firmly based on two pillars: One - her sound education which gives her the confidence that allows her to concentrate all her energy on her stage presence and the show, and two - her constant urge that drives her to try out something new, to take on new challenges.

Therefore, she finds it extremely important not to consider any of her projects as final goals. Sure enough, many more musical highlights will appear on Natalie Marchenko’s horizon in the future.