Melodies of Life: Immigration Journey, Stories of Music, and New Beginnings

Join Emily as she chats with Michael Ovsichtcher and Tatiana Dreizis about their journeys from Russia to Canada. They share how they’ve found new passions in science, music, and culture in retirement, proving that embracing diverse interests leads to a fulfilling second act in life.

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
01:31 Misha’s Journey to Canada
06:42 Balancing Passions and Professional Life
13:00 The KSP Movement and Its Cultural Impact
21:20 Music and Poetry: A Lifelong Passion
26:51 Retirement: A New Beginning
38:40 Embrace Lifelong Learning
39:26 Introducing Tanya Dreizis
40:39 Tanya’s Immigration Journey
42:42 Finding Community Through Music
47:23 Culinary Adventures
51:26 Collecting Vintage China
56:16 The Toronto Amateur Thinking Club
01:02:35 Final Thoughts and Advice

Emily: Hello. Hello. It’s me, Emily Braun, host of the podcast. Age of reinvention, how to find freedom and new life purpose at midlife. And today I have pleasure to introduce to you my dear guest, my dear friends Michael Misha abscissure and Tatiana Tanya Dreizis. Welcome. To our conversation. Welcome to my show.

Misha: Thank you. 

Emily: We’ll start from Misha. Misha. Is it okay? I will use this name. Yeah, go ahead. I know that by this name, you very well known in our Russian speaking immigrant community in Toronto and not only Toronto. I need to introduce you, Michael Avsishar, University graduate in theoretical physics, PhD in applied computer science.

Michael immigrated to Canada from Russia in 1998. IT professional who work here in Toronto in that capacity for 25 years and recently retired. Men of many interests and skills. Science, astronomy, music, poetry, some writing and singing, guitar and piano playing, just to name a few. I would like a little bit, you know, rewinds, a story starting from moment you moved from Russia to Canada back in 1998. It’s a big change, a big transition for everyone, for families. How has this transition influenced your personal and professional life? Could you share some memorable experiences? or insights from your initial years in Canada?

Misha: Sure. It’s it’s very memorable, of course. With no doubt, it was the most important journey for me in, in my lifetime. Like, if you put into the historic perspective one ancient journey from Egypt to Canada led to the birth of one of the greatest nations in the history of civilization.

And if you project that to the family scale you can realize that moving my family from toxic environment of the aging Soviet empire to the new world gives gives a chance to all the family generation, next generations to realize their potential. And that’s what gives you the joy and pride and to make it possible the very first generation which moved has to work really, really hard to establish roots on the new soil.

And that’s why I have not pursued my scientific career in Canada. There were very little opportunities for a scientific career here, but rather I used my coding skills, which I obtained while working scientifically I, I use them to quickly find a job and support the family because since the initial years of the internet revolution, that was exactly when I came to Canada getting the job in IT was pretty simple. I got it in two months and On top of that, I was able to quickly establish good social ties with Russian speaking community and join the Amateur Singing Club, which we lead now for over 24 years now. And yeah, I even started the singing duo, which still exists, and it’s just right next to me.

That was that was one of the most memorable experience. How, how we met, how we met in the club on the very first concert I happened to attend here by, by pure chance. Another memorable experience is that On my first trip to Ottawa along 401, I saw the sign somewhere next to Belwell saying this is a site of the future ITER.

ITER is International Tokamak Creator the thermonuclear device which was supposed to be built in Canada and that was something which I was dealing with in, in the course of my scientific career very short lived scientific career back, back in Russia. And I thought that’s, that’s where I belong.

That’s where I, I’m going to work. But unfortunately later on France won the competition for, for the site. And now it is being built in In southern France, near Côte d’Azur and that is that is something which changed my plans for, for Canada, and I was working as a programmer and coder all, all this 25 years.

So, again the most memorable experience was, of course, meeting Tani here. And we created the, the, the singing duo and, and the family.

Emily: Oh, thank you for sharing these details. It’s even I receive kind of better understanding of your personal circumstances. But what I also understood is that actually your love and passion for science which was kind of not implemented at the early years of your immigration life in Canada, you, you were able to convert to something else, which you enjoy now in retirement, but we will speak about it later.

So kind of. All is taking place, maybe not in the time we are planning, but actually retirement for some people. And you are example, it’s time for realization of plans, maybe in different format or passions that we were not able to implement early in life. And yes. So, Your academic journey, which took you from exploring the mysteries of the universe, and I understand that you were working in atomic physics.

Yes. And some in astronomy was not exactly, but it gave you, it navigated you to the world of applied computer science and many of immigrants, professional immigrants from Soviet Union actually including me and including Tanya we’re switching the Tanya actually to less degree.

But other as a professionals found the profession or made this leap actually based on the market requirements because we all had families. We understand that we need to build a new life in the country. But what is interesting in your case and not only in your is it. With all this, there was always time to develop and to keep the interest, lifelong interest that you have.

And in your case, it’s science, astronomy, music songwriting and poetry. Actually, I don’t know at what moment in life you started with songwriting and poetry. I believe even when you were young. So it’s a really wide range of the interest. So how do you balance how did you balance these passions before when you were a full time worker and how they intersect in your day to day life?

Misha: Yeah, they you know, when you are talking about the balance in the day to day life with many interests I have it’s not necessarily, The balance I care about because equilibrium is not the most desirable state of mind for me. The thing is that you cannot create anything, anything really exciting in the state of equilibrium.

Equilibrium is a state of rest, right? So all the nature tends to go to equilibrium. Everything’s falling down under the gravity and stuff like that. I am not going to go deep into science of that. But to create something really Exciting, really creative. You need to have the sense of excitement, whatever it is.

Is it a lecture on astronomy, or is it a song, or is it a poetry, or a piece of music, something else. So I prefer to to be driven by the inspiration rather than work of the state of equilibrium. So that’s that’s my way of balancing things. But time wise, yes, I’m trying to share those interests amongst my my time slots and during the day.

And now when I, When I am retired my interests, like, feel like the air or, or the liquid, feel all my time with with joy and I can do whatever I want anytime.

Emily: I really like your answer. And it’s really refreshing for me personally and I know how it might be different comparing, you know, for with people living in Canada and United States, but actually it’s one of the reason I, I have this interviews to have a different point of view.

And Coming back to your love to music, songwriting and performing, can you tell us about when you started? How it started? 

Misha: You know, it was it was so long ago that I don’t really remember how I gathered all the courage inside me. To write and perform my first song or my first poetry, I, I remember that I was writing poetry even early in school, like in grade five or something like that.

And sometimes I even did some, some of the homework in poetic kind of form, like essays, writing essays this way somehow. Maybe it was inspired by my mom, who was a teacher of Russian language and literature that I got the feeling that the form in which the poetic creation or literature, any literature creation for that matter, is presented is as important as the content.

So form and content the appearance and content, the shell and the content, has to go shoulder to shoulder hand to hand. In order to create something really exciting and attractive. So I, I was trying to to go that way. Songs of course came much later when I, when I kind of mastered the instruments.

I started to play piano first at the very early age. And then later to the end of the school, I took on on the guitar and that all that performing with the guitar and voice initially happened when I became a member of the local amateur singing club in my city of Samara. In Russia those type of clubs are well known as KSP.

That comes from abbreviation of that word, like club of amateur singing. And that’s where I started to learn how to play guitar. And later on, when I came here to Toronto in 98, I found. Similar club working here for some time already. And then I knew that I came to the right place.

Emily: You know, I remember even how I was happy when coming in 1997 in the newspaper, I found that there is a club. Of amateur thinking club in Toronto. And I felt that there are people here who I can relate, who I can be close with. And yes. And I immediately called the person who was answering young as a time as a call.

And even I’m not so active like you and Tanya. for many years already, coordinators of this club and actually leaders of the movement. But I fully understand your joy about this club. And since it’s not. Well known on North American English speaking world. I would like you a little bit to explain what this amateur singing club is about and how it’s different from probably me.

Other clubs which existed in different culture, because what I would like to. or outline. And I know it’s a special musical movement, I would say. And the question for you, please describe what roles, what role did this poetry and songwriting movement initially played back in Soviet Union? times and little history, how it developed and still taking place in many countries after USSR collapsed.

And at the end, we’re in the world as these days People can find or join such a clubs or festivals.

Misha: Yes this movement is really important layer of the Russian culture and traditions. It is called as the movement of KSP and It was named that way in 1967 when people got together one of the first times and started to sing together and realize that they have something in common in that, in that realm.

It actually started as something which is totally opposite to the official Soviet culture, which was focusing on the, Collective values matching ideological foundation of the state versus the personal values, the official optimistic songs they were totally neglecting the personal values as well as the most natural human feelings, and Especially they avoided the critical view of the Soviet reality.

After the Second World War, the patriotic songs, which were created in numbers in the 40s and 50s, were still popular. But after the war generation, And didn’t see them as up to date kind of cultural content. And especially after the 1956, when well educated people of Russia started to feel some liberation those old songs were not expressing the meaning of life and didn’t match the feelings of many, many, many people.

And because of that reason, some very good poets who felt the same way they started to write texts that were very different from what was officially publishable in those years. And even performs, though, and they even performed those creations in small concerts with, with simple melodies.

People may remember Those names like Mikhail Ancharov, Bulat Okudzhava, Alexander Galich Alexander Gorodnitsky, and later on Vladimir Vysotsky, and many other popular singers and songwriters. Some of those songs, some of their songs quickly became very, very popular in wide circles because they were talking to people’s souls and students and people of academic circles and young professionals started to get together and sing them.

And that sparkled the creation of clubs and festivals across the whole country. The largest one largest festival was so called Grushin festival in my. city of Samara where I was born. In mid seventies, the KSP clubs actually existed in almost every large city where there was at least one or two higher education institution or universities, including of course, my city and Antanas city of Novosibirsk in Siberia.

Some of those songs they were kind of very ironic. and sarcastic towards the Soviet, Soviet regime and the Communist Party authorities started to fight the movement, even close festivals, prohibit concerts and stuff like that. But you cannot prohibit something which is sung by millions. And with disintegration of the Soviet Union When many well educated people left the country for various reasons, those clubs were actually established everywhere in the world where Russian people cherished their cultural tradition.

And they spread around the whole world from Israel to Germany, from US and Canada to Australia, and everywhere. Everywhere we traveled, we found people singing those songs and attending those clubs. Now we see dozens of KSP festivals in all corners of the globe, and the largest one being just outside of Russia, of course being the Blue Trolley Festival near New York.

It is actually named after a very famous song by Bulat Akujava. And that happens twice a year and attracts a few thousand people and we often attend it and perform there regularly. It’s important to say that the famous Groschen Festival in Samara was sadly taken over by force, and now its former popularity is being used by by the propaganda and for the propaganda, rather, by those who share Putin’s militaristic worldview.

And to have a feeling how it sounds like you can imagine something like from a history of other from other cultures. Sometimes it sounds like a little bit like a French and so something like George Bants or, or, or Jacque bra. Sometimes it sounds. Scottish ballads or American anti war songs like John Baez or, or Pete Seeger.

So, yeah, we have our own line in this, in this movement and we quite often perform our songs, which were written by me or us together or translated into English. From from other languages or even you know, like fantasized based on the melodies from from the jazz standards.

Emily: It’s just amazing story, even for me, like, and I know about it, but when I’m thinking about how this movement spread all over the world, where Russian speaking are living and my question to you, because. I believe that this movement belongs to our generation and the generation of our parents. What about new generation?

How, you know, the next our children, maybe grandchildren, how they picking up or if they picking up obviously different realities maybe different issues, but What do you would say if it will be continuation of this movement? 

Misha: That’s a big question. Everyone in this movement. He has of course our children, he has different eyes and different view of the world, but my children were grown with the sounds of with the sounds of those songs.

They, they attended the Grusin Festival when it was, when it was a good festival. And they know most of those songs and they like some of them, not all of them. And they have their own their own music, their own sense of rhythm and sense of poetry. And I believe somewhere deep in their heart there they feel the connection with what they heard in the in the early childhood and and somehow coordinate what they say and what they sing with with that content because you, you cannot forget those things.

As for more and more. More modern generation, which is now like in, you know, teens in those early years. That is one of the goals of the festivals, especially Blue Trolley, which is considered to be a family festival, meaning that for every generation from very early years to, to the you know, retired people like us, there is a place and there is an enjoyment and there is a stage for them.

And of course, the children who attend those festivals, they hear this, those songs, they even participate in some sort of concerts that. Along with with adult people on that blue trolley festival, there is a, there is a concert, special concert, which is called Meters and Millimeters.

Meters meaning, it’s a play upon the world, meaning that those you know, those who Has grown in their musical craftsmanship quite high and those who are very little yet. And the idea is that an adult performer and the very young performer or performance prepare together some number and perform it together.

And in the process of preparing this. They rehearse, they meet, they speak, they share ideas, and that way the the feeling and the knowledge and the, you know, musicality and the poetry and whatever we are talking about is kind of transferred through generations. Many, many children attend that, that festival, and of course there is a special prize for them in the t shirt.

So they actually encourage Children coming because we all know that in some time that that world would be represented by them, not by us. 

Emily: I really like it. I’m joining you on the next festival. I really get even bigger desire than before. And now just kind of to illustrate what is about for, people who listening to us, Please share with us a snippet of one of your favorite original pieces, and maybe you will explain, like who is the author of the music, who it’s, you know.

Misha: Okay. All right. You know, usually we, of course, sing in Russian, because it’s the pleasure is to sing in your own language. The foreign language sometimes we also use, like if we, for example, saying the translation of the French song, like George Brassens, for example, famous chanson we, we use French and then the translation or, some English songs, too, but of course, most of our repertoire.

Yeah, yeah, there’s a Robert Burns famous song, too, in our repertoire. But most of that is, is, of course, Russian based language, as lyrics. And, you know, One of the features we kind of incorporated in our programs is that when you perform on that soil, you have to have somehow, you actually already have the feeling of the music which was created in that soil. In, in America and the music of America native music of America, native in the sense of, of, of 20th century, of course is jazz. Jazz was born in America and started to flourish in America and then spread spread across the whole world. And we got the idea that. We wanted to sing jazz melodies, which are usually called standards but the lyrics of jazz standards are not necessarily talking to us very often, because sometimes they are forgotten, sometimes they are pretty simple and not really translatable.

in the appropriate way. Sometimes we have different feelings about that, that melody. Basically, the idea of, of creating those songs was the melody or the title or something inspires us to write the new lyrics, Russian based lyrics for those songs.

And that creates like you know, fusion of two content the musical content born in America and the Russian content based on the Russian language born in some head you look at. 

Emily: Should be interesting. I’m ready. 

Misha: You’re ready? Good. 

So let’s, let’s sing one of them.

This is actually very well known jazz standards written in 1931 by two, by two musicians Fabian Andre and Will Bush one and the American listeners know that very well and will recognize it from the first, first notes. It is called dream, a little dream of me.

Yeah, but I forgot to say that this new lyrics doesn’t have anything to do with the original one. It wasn’t inspired by, you know, yeah, no, music is fine. But I mean, the lyrics was inspired by the Amazing view of you know, color changing in the fall for Canadian forest which we, you know, go to very often, like many people in Canada in the fall time and the autumn time it’s really amazing view.

And, that was my inspiration for this lyrics. And the new, new title for that is Summer Beats Farewell.

Tanya and Misha: The light of the sky is blue, The glare of the sun’s face is expensive, And the rustle of maple in red coats In the summer says goodbye. In vain are the agreements, It will go to distant mountains, In vain are the agreements. This day, how to drink about it, Oh, the region is blue. Let’s go to the forest to rustle The foliage of yesterday’s days.

When the summer returns again, We will be a little sadder. Doo doo doo and a doo doo doo doo doodle doodle doo One da one hop a da da Da da Wap pa da wa pa da da Light blue skycionicIn the sun China And the whisper of maple in red coats. Summer says goodbye. Summer says goodbye. Summer says goodbye.

Emily: Thank you very much. Thank you. And I would like to outline that now it was performance by duet White Grand Piano. We will speak about it a little bit later. And moving to the next maybe the most inspiring question. Misha congratulations. You recently arrived to retirement from the long professional career in a team.

But I know as it it’s not retirement in standard, actually outdated sense because for me, retirement as well should be the best, the period of life when you actually have time and to implement your plans, ideas, projects, actually to enjoy the life. And I know that your calendar is, again, busy and full of different activities.

And I probably know just some of them. And what I know is that you created an online astronomy course. For adults. Yes, it’s for adults. Yeah, 

Misha: that’s right. 

Emily: Yeah, actually, it’s your old love of love and knowledge and following up about astronomy and latest achievement. And I participated in one of them in the past.

I mean, in one of presentation you did in this regard. So I have my personal experience. You also provide the guitar lesson guitar teaching to everyone, I mean, regardless of age, including your wife. And I, I know it should be challenging.

Misha: Yes, it is. Yes, it is. 

Emily: And as far as I know, you’re always busy preparing to the next event a club event because club is working actually entity in Toronto and you invite guests and guests are coming and organization of concerts and you performing yourself like in Canada Abroad.

So a lot of work in this regards concerts and travel and what I would like to outline, what I’m personally enjoying almost every day new piece of poetry in the Facebook format, I mean in the Facebook world. But I know that they deserve more than only Facebook and, I can only say that I am happy that I get at least two volumes of printed poetry as a gift from you.

It’s not yet well spread and that’s why I’m especially proud. 

Misha: I’m trying to save some trees, you know, but you are an exclusion. 

Emily: Okay. Okay. But so please tell a little bit you know, about about each of these activities. So maybe somethings that I don’t know, even. 

Misha: We don’t have enough time to talk about each of the activities, but I will tell you about some.

Well It’s been almost a year since since the end of my last contract. And I remember I was told by my friends before when I was working, be prepared for that time. Think about what are you going to do when the time comes. And when it came, I still was not exactly sure of what I’m going to do.

Because it’s a very difficult question. It’s hard to realize the state of mind when you wake up in the morning in whatever time you want, and that’s where the morning starts that you don’t have to be a mandatory meetings and all kinds of obligations related to the permanent employment.

But in the same time, you very quickly realize that you don’t want to sit on the sofa and scratch your belly, and you need to do something to, create the meaning of your existence, right? So I soon realized that the best approach to this new situation in life would be to use existing knowledge and skills, which may be totally different from what I used in Canadian professional life.

And in my case, it was teaching, because in my diploma, in my university diploma, They said a physicist and a teacher of physics. So physics and theoretical physics was my major. And I was working in the university back in Russia teaching some stuff. But mostly it was it was still related to computers.

But that’s how the situation was there. There were some teacher, teachers of physics beside me. Yeah. And I, I took that, that pass because by that time I already worked. As a scientist, and my scientific work was closely related to heavy computations, which are very necessary in theoretical physics to prove the models you are working with.

So Yes. And I, I kind of recalled my physics background and started an online course astronomy for everybody. Why astronomy? Because I was thinking that we are looking under the feets too often. And there are some stars, there are, there are some, something which is bright above our heads.

And astronomy is something which attracts everyone. I remember one One word, one phrase from my early childhood book, that if the night sky would exist only in one place on the Earth, that would be the most popular place on the Earth for the people to come. So I thought that astronomy would attract would attract people as, as a content, but of course, that was supposed to be not a scientific course, but the course which was attractive for people with no mathematical or physical education just zero, yeah, educational course zero formula kind of basis but without losing the scientific context of it.

So that’s what that’s what I intended to do. I’m of course not a professional astronomer or astrophysicist, but I was always looking at this field interested in this field and knew that I can make a course which is both attractive and easy for understanding and without losing the scientific context of it.

And that idea worked out and It attracted many, many people like more than a dozen people. Actually 30, over 30 people responded to my survey and over a dozen, a dozen people attended this course, some of them were attending that online over zoom and some were looking at the lectures in recordings.

I just finished that last Friday. I just finished that last Friday and I still feel kind of excitement about the last seminar, which we had. And many people were, I kind of insisted that by the. By the end of the course, the, my listeners were doing the the presentations themselves, the short presentations themselves on the last seminar, and they did, we had five presentations on different topics from IR photography or to the big bang to you know, chemistry of of the atmospheres on the outer planets and stuff like that.

So that those sessions were recorded and they are available for everybody who wants to, to see them even now. And I’m moving to the next project, to the next project. You know, you don’t want to, you don’t want to repeat yourself. It’s like, it’s not a joy. It’s not a creative thing.

The next one. I wanted to dedicate to music, and I, I found out that many friends of mine from the club they do play, they do sing but they kind of don’t remember or don’t even know the musical theory, elementary musical theory, which is behind all this music. The paradox is that we do learn the literacy to read and write in school, but we do not have the musical literacy in most cases because it requires special education.

But nevertheless, many people are playing or singing with with no idea about what kind of. Elementary theatres, like, stays behind, behind those notes and behind those melodies and harmonies and rhythms. So that’s what I want to talk to people a little bit and, and let them know that they may do better if, if they know the series.

And they know how the courts are created and stuff like that. They can do better. I’m going to dedicate next, next course to them. And it will start in the middle of April. Other plans are also in works. we have some public performances coming. By invitation, we are going to participate in the festival this year.

We have some concerts in plans. In fact, we, we are planning to celebrate 25 years of our duo with a two hour concert in May here in Toronto. So in other words as Freddie Mercury used to say, show must go on.

Emily: I, I really listening to you and, and thinking really how, to plan it and so to work on your next astronomy course development and I understand it should be now in English, yes? Yes. Go Trump. To attract to probably bigger public and guitar teaching classes.

It’s more, now I understand it’s kind of classical to add classical theoretical music theory to the practical skills. And yes, I think it’s what keeps people like you, young, active for, for many years to come. 

Misha: Except for the gray hair, you know, 

Emily: that 

Misha: is not affected by activity.

Emily: No, it’s, it’s you know, for some people it’s even fashionable, I would say. 

Misha: Yeah, but they notice that they don’t leave the hair. They don’t leave, they stay. So far. So far. 

Emily: So thinking about our generation of people who are really thinking what what I would do when I would retire and some of them, you know, dragging with trepidation, thinking about this time, what would be your advice For people who are looking for a new life purpose after retirement.

Misha: That’s actually a very good question. I’m not sure that I’m able to give the good advice because I’m very young retiree. I, I didn’t have enough experience yet in, in that realm, but I can say something like you know in some sense, the previous generations like, like like us are. Somewhat richer than richer than the new new ones.

They are richer by the dream. You know what we were dreaming of the modern generation takes for granted. We were dream dreaming of video phones and they everyone has it in his pocket, right? These days, we were dreaming about it. Yeah, I was we were dreaming about ability to easily publish or to at least once publish our poems or music somewhere for the wide audience.

And now everyone can do that in minutes. So the dreams is, is achieved. The dream is achieved. And but the idea is. So my advice is keep on dreaming, keep on dreaming, and even more importantly, try to fulfill that dream. Whatever it can be, it can be traveling to the exotic country like, I don’t know, New Zealand.

Or learn how to make musical instruments from a piece of wood. You know, the, the nature of the human being doesn’t tolerate the emptiness just like in nature itself, right? So, so if you don’t possess anything real in your life, whatever the dream you want to fulfill you’re, you will be filled by some strange and unreal things.

You don’t want that. Be real and keep moving and learn new stuff. All right. And you still can do that. It’s not, the deep night yet. And like one of our favorite songs put it, one should be not fear to lose his skills to amaze others, but stay on guard for the ability to be amazed.

So let your tireless curiosity lead you. 

Emily: Thank you very much. I personally Take this advice and I believe it will be helpful and to, to, to many people to, to consider. You heard for the last 50 minutes Michael Misha obsession. Thank you very much for your time and advice.

Tanya and Misha Ovsichtcher

IT Consultant | Singer | Coordinator

Epitomize the fusion of passion and curiosity across music, science, and culinary arts. Misha’s journey from theoretical physics to Canada unveiled a life rich in exploration, spanning astronomy, music, and poetry. Complementing his path, Tanya brings her own melodic notes, blending IT expertise with culinary artistry and choral singing. Together, they lead the Toronto Amateur Singing Club, fostering community and cultural connection through music as they approach retirement, their zest for lifelong learning fuels new endeavors, from online astronomy courses to managing their singing club. Their story inspires us to embrace diverse passions and find harmony in life’s symphony of experiences.

Harmonies of Life: Tales of Music, Immigration, and Finding New Meaning

In a world constantly seeking authenticity and connections, the lives of Michael “Misha” Ovsichtcher and Tanya Dreizis stand as a testament to the power of passionate pursuits across music, science, and culinary arts. Hosted by Emily Braun on the podcast “Age of Reinvention,” the couple shared their extraordinary journey, providing a fascinating look into how they’ve managed to weave together their varied interests to create a rich and fulfilling life.

From Russia to the New World: Misha’s Story

Misha’s transition from Russia to Canada in 1998 marked a significant turn in his life. With a background in theoretical physics and applied computer science, he found himself stepping into the unknown. Despite the challenges, his move paved the way for many opportunities, allowing him to explore his multifaceted passions. Misha recounted how the initial struggle to establish roots in a new country led to a revelation: sometimes, letting go of specific dreams makes room for even more fulfilling experiences.

His various interests—from science and astronomy to music, poetry, and culinary arts—offer insight into a life led by curiosity and a refusal to be defined by a single narrative. Misha shared, “Equilibrium is not the most desirable state of mind for me…to create something really exciting, really creative, you need to have the sense of excitement, whatever it is.”

The Symphony of Passions: Tanya’s Melodic Culinary Expedition

Tanya’s journey beautifully complements Misha’s with her rich tapestry of experiences in IT, choral singing, experimental cooking, and vintage China collecting. Her transition from Russia to Israel and, finally, Canada highlights the adaptability and resilience that define both her and Misha. Through her story, she shared how music and a community of like-minded individuals helped ease her transitions, making new environments feel like home.

Tanya’s passion for culinary arts, like an artist’s approach to creation, outlines her adventurous spirit in the kitchen. From the intricate beef bourguignon prepared for their wedding dinner to the simple joy of inventing new salad recipes, she draws parallels between the algorithmic nature of IT and cooking, emphasizing the creativity involved in both.

A Community of Song: The Toronto Amateur Singing Club

One of the most compelling aspects of Misha and Tanya’s story is their involvement in leading the Toronto Amateur Singing Club. The club is a beacon for the Russian immigrant community, providing a space for connection, nostalgia, and the continued tradition of Russian song and poetry. Particularly significant during the pandemic, it has reached a global audience, illustrating the universal language of music and fellowship.

Looking Ahead: Life in Retirement

Misha and Tanya’s approach to retirement is anything but traditional. With many projects and interests, from hosting online astronomy courses and guitar lessons to preparing for musical performances and managing their singing club, they embody the spirit of continuous learning and passion-driven living. Their story inspires anyone on the brink of retirement or any major life transition: dreaming big and finding new avenues for expression can make this period one of the most enriching phases of life.

Conclusion

The lives of Misha and Tanya Ovsichtcher offer a powerful reminder of the beauty of pursuing diverse passions. Through science, music, culinary arts, and beyond, they showcase how a life guided by curiosity and enthusiasm can weave a rich tapestry of experiences. Their journey invites us to look beyond the conventional, urging us to embrace the multifaceted nature of our interests and passions and to find joy in the harmony of life’s diverse melodies.