Last week everyone wanted to know: who was the most beautiful woman in Kyiv? After 24 finalists wore chosen from more than 300 contestants, they strolled out onto the stage of the Freedom concert hall on 10 December to compete for the illustrious title of Miss Kyiv 2008.

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Igor Zavadsky in concert, Actor’s House (7 Yaroslaviv Val), 29 November at 19.00
Igor Zavadsky is a unique accordion player: he’s the only one in Ukraine to ever have won the Golden Lyre, an award given out in Italy to honor excellence in musicianship. He’s also the only Ukrainian accordion player (as far as we know) in the Guinness Book of World Records. At his concerts, Zavadsky not only demonstrates his virtuoso playing, but also his deep knowledge and love of music. Watch him squeeze out some memorable tunes at the Actor’s House.

Kiss FM party, International Exhibition Centre (15 Brovarsky Pr.), 4 December at 20.00
For its sixth birthday, Radio station Kiss FM is throwing a big party, and they’ve invited Dominican-American DJ Roger Sanchez, aka Roger S aka The S, to preside. Roger has had hits on European and world charts, and in 2001 his single Another Chance took the top slot on the UK singles charts. All told, the man’s released more than 10 albums and DJ compilations, so there’ll be plenty to choose from at Kiss FM’s party. Admission will cost you 100-200 hrv.

Emma Shapplin in concert, Palace Ukraine (103 Chervonoarmiyska), 22 December at 19.00
French soprano coloratura Emma Shapplin, the internationally huge classical/rock/pop crossover star, brings her stupendous voice and Gallic charm to the nation’s premier stage to perform songs from all three of her best-selling albums. Singing in French and old Italian (and maybe also in Ukrainian – who knew?), the singer will get the audience excited with her heady mix of rock, trance and classic melodies.

Exhibition of paintings by Oleksandr Babak, Ya Gallery (55/57 Volosska), from 17 December
For the last 10 years, artist Oleksandr Babak has been living in the village of Leykovo, in Poltava region, painting the area. (Babak is one of the leaders of the illustrious Zhivipysny Zapovednyk group of artists.) The result is a series of dynamic, colourful works concerning life in the village in this part of the world. They’ll be on display for the second time in Kyiv late next month at Ya Gallery (the first was at the Tryptych gallery earlier this month).

Simon Posford in concert, Alto-Expo Centre (11a Moskovkiy), 5 December at 21.00
Get ready for an all-night party featuring club-music legend Simon Posford, famous for his projects Shpongle and Hallucinogen. Ukrainian DJ Zymosis Magmadivers, SynSUN and DJ Binghi will also be lighting up the night, as well as Astropilot, from Russia. Posford specialises in Goa trance music  and other interesting genres, and his first album, Twisted, was one of the most widely influential electronic music recordings of its time, helping to define the psychedelic trance genre.

Alexander Rosenbaum in concert, Palace Ukraine (103 Chervonoarmiyska), 13 December at 19.00
Known for singing so-called ‘blatnye pesny’ (criminal songs), virile Russian singer Alexander Rosenbaum, he of the gruffly expressive voice, has been a star since 1968. Since then, many others have covered his work, and his bald head and mustache have become instantly recognisable. He’s famously sung about the Soviet-Afghan War and Cossacks, and nearly everyone knows his songs Gop-Stop (a comedic song about two gangsters executing an unfaithful lover) and the Boston Waltz.

Piano Kolo concert, Ukraine House (2 Khreschatyk), 9 December at 19.00
Jazz Kolo is a new series of concerts that aims to showcase the most notable Ukrainian and foreign jazz musicians. After the successful Sax Kolo last month (‘kolo’ is the Ukrainian word for ‘circle), the festival is now moving on to another instrument: in December, they’re holding a concert featuring the most talented Ukrainian jazz pianists. The organisers deliberately didn’t invite foreign musicians to this particular show, as the goal is to showcase strictly ‘made in Ukraine’ jazz.

Cream Kiev festival, International Exhibition Centre (15 Brovarsky Pr.), 6 December at 20.00
This should prove to be one of the biggest dance events of the year, and the most shocking thing about it is the list of musicians who have agreed to play. They include what might be the best DJ team on the planet, Above & Beyond, in addition to the well-known Dutch DJ Marco V. Duderstadt, Sean Tyas and Simon Patterson, M.I.K.E. and John 00 Fleming are also scheduled to do their thing.

Concert of music by Puccini, Opera House (50 Volodymyrska), 21 December at 19.00
Puccini is one of the greatest of Italian opera composers, the author of Tosca, La Boheme, Madame Butterfly, Turandot and other works that anchor the international operatic repertoire. In fact, you could just argue that when you think of opera, it’s Puccini – with his lush romanticism and flair for the tragic – who first comes to mind. Just before the New Year, the National Opera will present an evening of famous melodies from the man’s work to celebrate his 150th birthday.

Concert of local soloists, House of Organ and Chamber Music (77 Chervonoarmiyska), 6 December at 19.30
Next month, the House of Organ and Chamber music will present an outstanding evening of eminent local soloists: Natalia Lavrenova (mezzo-soprano), Kostyantyn Trypolsky (baritone), Tetyana Trypolska (piano) and Iryna Kharechko (organ). These Ukrainian talents will perform popular pieces from some of Europe’s best composers, including German Carl Weber, Hungarian Franz Liszt, Frenchman Camille Saint-Saens, and that great Czech Romantic, Antonin Dvorak.

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SE:SA in concert, Barsky club (5 Chervonoarmiyska), 31 December at 23.00
SE:SA, with their unusual name, is a side-project out of the Syke’n’Sugarstarr camp, headed by the producer-honcho Serhat Sakin. But – SE:SA is not only a studio-project. They’re also touring the club scene worldwide as a DJ duo. And their most appealing aspect is just how fresh they sound while DJ’ing, which, as anyone who has seen them on the decks will know, is as diverse and experimental as their studio work. The best way to describe them would probably be as musical pioneers, which, in this age of copyists and covers merchants, is exactly what the world needs right now. Admission fee for ladies – 100 hrv, for gentlemen – 300 hrv. For more information call 496-0606.

Got big plans for the New Year holidays? Ukraine’s society figures, celebs and pop stars definitely do, and What’s On asked them what their ideal holiday looks like, where it might take place and where they’ve had the most fun watching the old year fade and the new year rise. Read on, and you might get a few ideas yourself.