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

Emma Shaplin, Palace Ukraine (103 Chervonoarmiyska), 22 December at 19.00 French soprano coloratura Emma Shaplin, 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

Natalia Mohylevska in concert, Palace Ukraine (103 Chervonoarmiyska), 14 December at 19.00 When you think about Ukrainian pop, one of the first names that comes to mind is that of the ubiquitous Natalia Mohylevska, who burst onto the local scene

The C-Men in concert, River Palace (Naberezhne Shosse, M. Dnipro), 11 December at 22:00 Ex-pat punk band the C-Men will take the stage at River Palace to play classic punk by the likes of the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, the

Luxury Temptation Fairy Fair, ACCO International (40b Peremohy Pr.), 5 and 6 December at 11.00 Since April, lovers of luxury have had the chance to look at the wondrously expensive things only millionaires can afford at the Luxury Temptation fair,

Exhibition by Ukrainian artists, Modern Fine Art Museum of Ukraine (14 Bratska), from 27 November till 25 December Ukraine's museum of modern art presents a joint exhibition of seven Ukrainian emigre artists, all now living in various corners of the

Haydn retrospective, National Philharmonic (2 Volodymyrsky Uzviz), 25 December at 19.00 As part of its Grand Names concert cycle, the National Philharmonic presents a bunch of works by Joseph Haydn. Come hear music by Papa Haydn, one of the giants

Gala Show: Remember the 80s, Palace Sport (1 Sportyvna Pl.), 5 December at 19.00 Remember the 80s? Some might prefer not to, but that's not the operating principle at this concert at Palace Sport. Instead, the organisers ask you to

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

Exhibition by Beata Korn, Viktor Melnychuk and Ruslan Tremba, Zeh gallery (16 Illynska), from 11 December Zeh gallery is one of the top art hotspots in Kyiv, showing what's latest and greatest in Ukrainian contemporary art. This is true of

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

Whitesnake in concert, Palace Sport (1 Sportyvna), 7 December at 19.00 Whitesnake, that band founded by British metal belter David Coverdale, the former front man for Deep Purple, was a staple of North American parking-lot gatherings until grunge put them

DJ Shved vs DJ Dlee, Patipa club (10 Muzeyny Prov.), 7 December at 23.00 Scratchmasters DJ Shved and DJ Dlee will face off this week at Patipa, each wielding four turntables at once. It'll be a close one. In 2003,

Last weekend saw Lviv, Ukraine's gorgeous Galician capital, host the Student Queen 2008 beauty contest, which had the comely contestants hitting the stage in blinding white wedding attire. The young women also modeled Ukrainian native costumes and business wear and

Exhibition of paintings by Lesya Kara-Kotsya, St. Sofia Cathedral, (24 Volodymyrska), till 11 December Want to get a leg up on what could be next year's big fashion trend? You could do worse than check out artist Lesya Kara-Kotsya's Pret

De Phazz in concert, International Cultural Centre (1 Instytutska), 8 December at 19.00 German jazz band De Phazz is a downtempo jazz ensemble integrating modern turntablism with elements of soul, Latin, trip-hop and drum 'n' bass, creating a unique lounge

I Love Qiev, International Exhibition Centre (15 Brovarsky Pr.), 20 December at 21.00 This one's for all the die-hard dancers out there: another Qiev Dance rave that lasts till good and early the next morning. Manning the turntables will be

Agata Kristi in concert, Alto-Expo Centre (11a Moskovskiy Pr.), 8 December at 19.00 Agata Kristi, the Russian rock band led by brothers Vadim and Gleb Samoylov, and the musical pride of Sverdlovsk, has been going at it since 1988, managing

Saint Catherine's Protestant Church (22 Lyuteranska), 7 December at 18.00 Got a hankering for Baroque? This week you're in luck, thanks to a concert devoted to the works of Monteverdi and Bach. The former you don't hear much in Ukraine,

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