Karolina Protsenko is one of the biggest street performers on YouTube, but there was one time that 8-year-old violin talent Emily Minko became the main event in Karolina’s busking session! The young girl asked the Ukrainian musician to duet together on their violins on “A Thousand Years.” They then created a moment of such surpassing beauty that captivated nine million music lovers. The melodies of Christina Perri’s hit are so gorgeous, and hearing them performed in harmony on violin gives such an emotional feel.
The graceful way that Karolina, and later also Emily, dance to the music makes it such a joyful performance to watch. As a top commenter said: “I loved how the little girl Emily was inspired by Karolina to the point where she started feeling comfortable to move along to the music.” The Music Man viewers may also crack a smile seeing the two young lads adding their own little touch to the performance by miming along on their instruments.
Karolina and Emily’s take on “A Thousand Years” really hit the algorithm on YouTube. Fans found a lot to like here and added comments such as “This is one of the reasons we LOVE Karolina so much! Her sharing the spotlight with young Emily and allowing her to shine gives us all a moment of reflection on the power of music to uplift and inspire” and “That was wonderful. You were like a big sister to her, and you played superbly together. I am sure she will never forget this day playing alongside a superstar.”
Karolina has no shortage of epic viral performances. Another great moment where she shared the spotlight came when she performed with Anna Kovaleva for the first time. The pair performed Antonio Vivaldi’s “Winter (L’Inverno)” from The Four Seasons. Anna provided some stately piano playing while Karolina showed what she can do on the violin. This was a really eye-opening performance about just how extraordinary Karolina is as a violinist, as the demanding, technical song allowed her to really stretch her legs musically.
Christina Perri issued “A Thousand Years” on October 18, 2011. She co-wrote the ballad with David Hodges. The Music Man readers may recall that the song was released as the second single from the soundtrack to The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1.
“A Thousand Years” became not only Christina’s signature song but also a perennial favorite as a cover on talent shows. It has been covered by a number of artists over the years, including notably by The X Factor champ James Arthur.