We had the good fortune of connecting with Phoenix Roar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Phoenix Roar, how do you think about risk?
Ganna: Risk is an adrenalin-inducing experience and it is exciting. I would do it again to risk proving to myself that I can be a better person than I was yesterday, to learn new skills and apply them in my profession with the daily risks of failure and rejection that come with the territory. I will keep doing it and will encourage others to do the same.

My method is simple: if you try to do something and push it over and over but it is not working. For example, you are getting rejections when offering your products or services to companies. I would advise changing the approach, or your strategy. In my case, l hired an assistant/consultant in the past to help achieve the best outcome.

To become someone great and for the sake of art, you have to risk and put yourself and your trust in hands of those people around you in a work environment. There were so many betrayals that I experienced that I lost trust in people, but I’m standing my ground and I’m not going anywhere.
In my own life experience: trust, work relationships, respect, humanity, and the most relevant, communication, are essential ingredients for successful teamwork in a project or business.

Reuven: Risk? Do you mean being an artist is risky? [laughs] While I wouldn’t mind finding fame and fortune through my work, anyone doing what we do and expecting the red carpet to roll out in front of them is being naive.

I’d like to believe that talent and hard work are guarantees of success, but the truth is perseverance and sometimes sheer dumb luck play at least as big a role as well. As Ganna mentioned, there are plenty of people out there looking to take advantage of those eager to make it, and it’s easy to lose faith in humanity (and yourself) if you fall for it.

But I think an even bigger risk is just putting your music out there! I put my life and soul into my music, and when I present it to the world, or to a client, I feel utterly vulnerable…if they don’t like something about the music, it’s hard not to take that personally. Even though that’s a part of commercial music and art, and the best results (almost) always come from those kinds of collaborations, it never gets easy!

I was at an event a few years ago where several veterans of the music and entertainment industries were speaking, and one of them made a point that I think was brilliant. Everyone is going to have failures and setbacks, and most of us will learn from those experiences. So the key is: Fail faster! The faster you go through those failures, the faster you learn from your mistakes, and figure out how to succeed! Putting that kind of positive spin on what you would otherwise view as negative experiences can be the difference between giving up on your dreams or continuing to pursue them.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Ganna: Let me introduce our project “The Renaissance” (contemporary, epic, cinematic songs series) and its debut single The Renaissance by Phoenix Roar. We dedicated The Renaissance song to the people of Ukraine and to my family. The release was on March 8th, 2022, and is available on all digital platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Pandora, Amazon Music, YouTube, etc.

The ideas behind our project “The Renaissance” include the revival of culture, human values, rethinking the meaning of life and human potential, self-education, and spiritual development through music. There is also the meaningful content of the lyrics. We want to see the world without war and with vibrant colors.

Our songs cover genres such as modern, cinematic, epic, orchestral, soundtrack, and alternative. The first single (The Renaissance) we dedicate to the people of Ukraine fighting for the freedom of Ukraine, my homeland. We want to encourage people to continue their individual struggle for family, values, humanity, kindness, friendliness, helping those in need, and striving to develop themselves as individuals.

Reuven: Phoenix Roar looks to examine the complexities of the modern world through the prism of history, science, and intellectual thought. While the challenges of the Covid pandemic were a backdrop to its beginning, the current horrific war in Ukraine (with heavy fighting currently underway in Ganna’s hometown of Kharkiv), could not be more relevant to the lyrics of The Renaissance:
“Would you help me continue my fight?
Would you help me if there’s no more hope inside?
With love in your heart, you can turn the world upside down,
then all the stars will smile at you.”

We sincerely believe in the power of music to inspire peace and harmony. We dedicate The Renaissance to a quick and just end to the fighting in Ukraine, and the world beyond.

At the moment I am writing music for two film projects, performing charity concerts in Los Angeles in support of Ukraine, and also going to Utah to perform a solo concert with my original program and covers. With my stage presence and performer appearance as well as my original music and songs, many call me a “James Bond girl”.

My favorite quote is “With great power comes great responsibility” (it is an ancient adage, at least as old as the first century BC in the allusion of the Sword of Damocles per Wikipedia). I believe one day I will be ready for greater things and on a much larger scale in order to help others achieve their goals. Until then – lots of work needs to be done and I am not going anywhere.

Reuven: “I’m currently scoring the horror film “They Turned Us Into Killers”, as well as several other animated shows and documentaries. Also, I composed a bunch of music for the Owlchemy VR game Cosmonious High, which was just released at the end of March!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Ganna: The road along the ocean to Malibu is very inspiring. Marina Del Rey port and a boat trip, Hollywood alleys and theaters, bars, Santa Monica 3rd street promenade, and Santa Monica Pier are very tourist-friendly. I like to walk there, especially when I am sad or lonely. Restaurants and bars on Huntington Beach. I would especially recommend visiting Universal Studios and Disneyland for those who admire thrill and Hollywood movies. For art and exhibitions, I’ll strongly recommend visiting the Getty Museum. Roosevelt hotel, Magic Castle, the red-carpet events, Beverly Hills events – those are definitely on my list if I was giving a tour to a friend or family member.

Reuven: I’m a gearhead, and one of my favorite things about living in LA are the amazing driving roads in the area. I’m especially fond of the winding roads that carve through the canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains overlooking Malibu, although I’d rather not say exactly which ones…they’re more fun when there are fewer cars getting in the way! (I could – and do – spend hours sitting at a cafe on Sunset Strip drooling over the ultra-rare supercars that make every day in Los Angeles a car show.)

One of the biggest challenges of LA is the sheer amount of events going on! Concerts at Disney Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, industry movie screenings, shows at jazz clubs and arenas…it’s easy to feel FOMO every day! But awesome to be able to enjoy so many great live events and be inspired by seeing our idols and heroes live and in person.

And we are definitely spoiled in terms of food options! So many amazing restaurants with cuisines from around the world. Personally, I love the flavors of Thai food, and there are numerous delicious choices all over the city.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Phoenix Roar is the joint musical venture of Ganna Sorbat and Reuven Herman, two professional LA-based musicians with roots in Ukraine and Israel, respectively. They join forces to bring forth a contemporary epic cinematic sound, exploring topics of life, death, and rebirth through art, music, and science.

Ganna and Reuven first met in 2018, and quickly bonded over their shared love of film scores, classical music, and jazz. They began brainstorming the idea of a musical collaboration that would incorporate these musical and intellectual interests.

Reuven: I’ve got to start with my family. My mom is a piano teacher, and I started studying with her when I was 4 years old (although I quickly realized that I preferred making up songs to practicing!). And my dad, while not a musician himself, introduced me to jazz at a young age, setting me off down the path of studying jazz piano and loving complex harmonies.

While I was in high school, an amazing guy named Arnie Lawrence moved to Jerusalem and became an incredible mentor. He had played with everybody in the jazz world (and taught the next generations of top-notch players), and spent what would be the last few years of his life doing the same for the Israeli jazz scene. While my experience and education continued to expand later, in some ways I can trace much of how I think about music to what I absorbed from Arnie. I only wish I had fully appreciated at the time just how special those experiences were!

And I also have to include Eli Benacot and Alex Wasserman, who taught me film scoring, composition, and conducting at the Rimon School in Israel, as well as Sheldon Mirowitz, my film scoring teacher at Berklee, and George Monseur, who inspired me to continue conducting, and gave me the thrilling opportunity to conduct The Fellowship of The Rings suite in front of Howard Shore himself!”

Ganna: My family and friends have always been the core support in my life and career. During many years of studying in musical institutions in my hometown Kharkiv, Ukraine, my teachers, and mentors have played a significant role in the development of my work. During my years of study, I took part in many competitions, festivals, and concerts. They all contributed to my growth as a composer and pianist, as well as networking with creative people in my field.
Always grateful to my teachers: Professor and People’s Artist of Ukraine, Vladimir Zolotukhin, Professor and Deputy Rector, Marina Bevz, and composer Galina Sapozhnikova (Galya).

During my life abroad, I learned a lot of experience from vocal masters – Elena Troshina Basano, Krisztina Iorio Dörnyei. Thanks to Janet Hassouneh, Founder-Executive Director of NSO Symphony Orchestra of the UAE, my work with the UAE National Symphony Orchestra and with the group Singers Al Kubairat has led to performances with the legends like Rolling Stones, George Fenton, Tommy Tallarico, Russell Brower, Gerard Marino, James Griffiths. In addition, there have been concerts with the Morgan State University choir performing “Carmina Burana”, and many more.

I have built a significant friendship with George Fenton, a great composer, through the years, also with composer Taha Al Ajami. I had a great time working at his production and sound recording studio in Emirates. I was inspired and we wrote a new arrangement of the UAE National Anthem with Taha that was broadcasted for the UAE National Day in 2013. I gathered talented singers and we recorded a whole choir for the Anthem.

I recently took part in Ukrainian festivals in Los Angeles as well as charity events in support of Ukraine and thanked all organizers. I am very grateful to the Holy Virgin Mary Orthodox church for their support in organizing my solo concert in 2017 in Los Angeles. The same goes for the organizers of my solo concerts in Utah and Texas.

I’m always in touch with creative people and we do exciting projects together. There are also events like Emmy Awards and Pre-Oscar nomination parties that I attended in the past. This led to the chance to meet amazing people in the industry.

My acquaintance with outstanding directors at networking events through the Alliance of Women Film Composers as well as Society of Composers and Lyricists. My recent performance at Sony Pictures Studios through one of the agencies who hired me was a great experience for me as well. I work with local photographers and filmmakers that made a significant impact on my creative path.

My former job at the h Club Los Angeles as well as significant meetings with its members (film directors, filmmakers, singers, and actors) also inspired me to move forward.
Local news channel ABC 7 helped a lot with bringing out to light the war and the tragedy of Ukraine and the scary situation my family is facing as they are surviving in the current warzone.

In the USA –
My friendship with Russell Brower is a three-time Emmy Award-winning Composer, Musical Director, and Conductor. I am grateful for his guidance in the composers’ world in Los Angeles. I also had the privilege of performing with the Salt Lake Pops Orchestra, and the Unity Gospel Choir in Utah.
My friendship with my mentor Jeff Archuleta, with professor and legendary pianist maestro Sergey Chipenko, singers Karina CooperPhillip and Polina Zizak being very supportive. My membership at Alliance of Women Film Composers of USA allows me to participate in many workshops, festivals, contests, as well as community support. Also collaborations with creative and truly helpful film producer and writer Bruce Jurgens.

I recently took part in Ukrainian festivals in Los Angeles as well as charity events in support of Ukraine and thanked all organizers. I am very grateful to the Holy Virgin Mary Orthodox church for their support in organizing my solo concert in 2017 in Los Angeles. The same goes for the organizers of my solo concerts in Utah and Texas.

I’m always in touch with creative people and we do exciting projects together. There are also events like Emmy Awards and Pre-Oscar nomination parties that I attended in the past. This led to the chance to meet amazing people in the industry.

My acquaintance with outstanding directors at networking events through the Alliance of Women Film Composers as well as Society of Composers and Lyricists. My recent performance at Sony Pictures Studios through one of the agencies who hired me was a great experience for me as well. I work with local photographers and filmmakers that made a significant impact on my creative path.

My former job at the h Club Los Angeles as well as significant meetings with its members (film directors, filmmakers, singers, and actors) also inspired me to move forward.
Local news channel ABC 7 helped a lot with bringing out to light the war and the tragedy of Ukraine and the scary situation my family is facing as they are surviving in the current warzone.

And on our current project, “The Renaissance”, a lot of work of people were involved. It’s like an iceberg – our listeners see only the tip of the iceberg, which is the successfully completed project. Meanwhile, under the water line, there is an invisible massive layer, which involves a lot of other people contributing. We need to give a shoutout to Kyle Biane, who did the mixing and mastering, Greg Thomas at Exposition Studios who recorded my vocals, Sergey Evsiykov who took the amazing photos, Taras Kulik from IDEAS STUDIO for the fantastic video editing, my brother Ivan Sorbat who has done our website and social media management (all while being in the middle of a war zone and just becoming a father!), and Iliya Sharabarin for creating the website design, social media banners and the cover artwork for “The Renaissance”.

Ganna: I’d like to mention our team efforts:

Written & Performed by Ganna Sorbat
Produced by Ganna Sorbat & Reuven Herman
Orchestration & Arrangement by Reuven Herman
Mixing & Mastering by Kyle Biane
Photo by Sergey Evsiykov
Recorded with Greg Thomas at Exposition Studios, Los Angeles, California 2021-2022
Video by Taras Kulik from IDEAS STUDIO
Website & Social Media Management by Ivan Sorbat
Cover Art and the website design by Iliya Sharabarin

Website: https://phoenixroar.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phoenixroar8/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhoenixRoar8/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJMEetH3VI1ikyu6KgGelng/featured

Other: Here’s the link to support People of Ukraine with our fundraiser: https://gofund.me/a9c93dc4

You can listen/download “The Renaissance” here:
http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1609072257?ls=1&app=itunes
https://open.spotify.com/track/6IhCgaHBqduWoCRa8eqUpo?si=Qe84GIgTSyOJsSkb8OTO0g
https://youtu.be/VcHnqJQf5oA

Image Credits
Picture of Ganna Sorbat in a white dress by Jei Romanes, in a black dress by Sergey Evsiykov

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