NOMAD (Michael Ripoll), The Career Musician , is someone we at Oksana Management Group genuinely love recommending to our artist community. With over 30 years as a veteran composer, music producer, music director, and session/touring guitarist—who’s shared stages with stars like Stevie Wonder, Natalie Cole, and Justin Bieber—he brings that rare mix of real-world experience and down-to-earth guidance that working musicians actually need.

What we appreciate most is how practical and honest he is about building a sustainable career, going beyond just talent to cover mindset, branding, networking, and the full business side of music. Through his personalized coaching sessions artists get concrete tools to turn passion into profit—from landing gigs to running a full-time business. He also hosts The Career Musician Podcast with over 160 episodes featuring pros like Harvey Mason Jr. and Nathan East, plus an upcoming online masterclass, The Career Musician: Pro Series.

We’re thrilled that NOMAD will be the EMCEE at our Oksana Foundation red carpet fundraising event on April 11, bringing his energy, professionalism, and charm to this special night—VIP ticket holders will have the exclusive opportunity to meet him alongside the featured musicians and other VIPs. It’s a natural fit for us: NOMAD’s focus on empowering musicians through education and mentorship perfectly mirrors our mission to promote music education, community outreach, and client growth in Santa Clarita and beyond.

Go to NOMAD’s place:

.

OR find out more in one of our previous posts …

Warm regards,

Oksana Kolesnikova
Pianist, Composer, and CEO of Oksana Management Group, Inc.

Behind every piece of furniture and every portrait lies a story worth preserving. I’ve always believed that true craftsmanship is about transformation—turning what’s broken, faded, or forgotten into something enduring and beautiful again.

With a background in fine art and architecture, I bring both precision and imagination to every project. When repairing furniture, I don’t just fix what’s visible—I rebuild its structure, restore its balance, and renew its strength.

Whether it’s a cherished heirloom, a modern recliner, or a classic frame with loose joints, I approach each piece with patience, care, and a commitment to lasting quality. From structural repairs and leg restorations to detailed color matching and finish touch-ups, every job receives the attention it deserves.

Art, too, plays a vital role in my process. My commissioned portraits capture the essence of people, places, and objects that mean the most to you—expressive works that highlight the beauty in form, texture, and light. Each portrait tells a story, much like the pieces I restore: personal, timeless, and deeply crafted.

I take pride in my reputation for honesty, detail, and reliability.

Clients trust me not only because their furniture comes back better than ever, but because they know I’ll treat it as if it were my own. Whether I’m bringing life back to a beloved chair or capturing a moment on canvas, my goal remains the same—to make “the enemy of the best” The Better.

Furniture repair and commissioned art—crafted by hand, guided by heart, built to last.

Mike Dual

Click on images to enlarge and see full size:

Exciting Collaboration Alert:
Discover NOMAD’s Musical Mastery!

I’m thrilled to introduce you to an extraordinary talent who has graced the global music stage with unparalleled skill and creativity—NOMAD.

As you may know, I, Oksana Kolesnikova, along with my husband/promoter Alex, am deeply passionate about the arts, and I’m personally endorsing NOMAD because of his exceptional contributions to the music industry. NOMAD is not just a musician; he’s a music producer, director, and session guitarist who has left an indelible mark on numerous GRAMMY-winning records.

His versatility spans across genres, and he has shared the stage with iconic artists like David Foster, Stevie Wonder, Celine Dion, and many more. NOMAD’s influence extends beyond live performances; he has also lent his talents to blockbuster movie soundtracks and television series.

But why am I writing to you today about NOMAD?

I’m mostly excited by NOMAD‘s commitment to empowering fellow musicians through his The Career Musician podcast and educational resources like his book, Ethos: The Career Musician’s Code. This aligns perfectly with our shared values of enabling growth and excellence in the world of music.

More specifically, NOMAD is giving golden advice like nobody else for musicians…

If you’re a musician who wishes to live from doing what you love—making music—instead of having to resort to the myriad unrelated side jobs musicians find themselves increasingly resorting to in our times, then I highly recommend NOMAD’s “ETHOS Career Guide Bundle.”

It holds an arsenal of tools to elevate you as an independent virtuoso in the music industry, with strategic insights into skill development, touring and audition mastery, guidance on how to build your professional network, and several invaluable templates to save you time and help you better organize. With ETHOS, you’ll feel like you’re never alone in your journey as a professional independent musician, that you have a wise guide constantly by your side.

Go HERE or click on the button below for NOMAD’s “ETHOS Career Guide Bundle.”

Warm regards,

Oksana Kolesnikova
Pianist, Composer, and CEO of Oksana Management Group, Inc.

ETHOS Career Guide Bundle
Product Type: E-book, Audiobook, Workbook
Regular Price: $199
Special Price: $99

Supercharge your music career by leaving behind the endless gig chase and embracing ETHOS! As the official “code of conduct” for modern career musicians, ETHOS is your ultimate roadmap to success. With its arsenal of powerful tools, ETHOS empowers you to thrive as an independent contractor musician. Crafted by industry experts, this game-changing bundle includes strategies for honing your craft, invaluable advice for auditions and touring, guidance for building a professional infrastructure, and even handy templates for organizing your data, tax forms, musician’s union forms, and much more! Get your hands on the complete ETHOS Bundle, featuring the full ebook, immersive audio book, and interactive workbook. Authored by the renowned Nomad, with a foreword by the legendary David Foster, ETHOS is your ticket to building and sustaining a rewarding music career.
Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity – unlock your potential with ETHOS today!

The Café from Heaven, Now In Los Angeles

Dear Friends, Hello!

This week I want to shout out an amazing L.A.-based business that I had the absolute pleasure of visiting on several occasions.

Urth Caffé is positively the best European-style café any city could ever wish for, so sit down, grab a cup of their amazing coffee and let’s get into the facts.

I’ll start by telling you all about their coffee, tea, and baked goods. They have fully organic and heirloom coffees with gorgeous flavor and a bevy of complex notes. It’s good enough that you don’t really need creamer or sugar because you may miss out on some of the more subtle nutty notes.

As for the teas, they are all hand-picked and carefully crafted, and you can tell. Every drink you find here goes well and above what many other big box cafes have available and I really felt like I was getting a genuine product from a true artisan café. The baked goods are heavenly! Created by none other than an Italian-born and raised Master Baker, Davide Giova! Fluffy, soft and perfectly sweet all come to mind.

Urth Caffé really serves up on the tea and cakes commonly served across the pond and brings that whole vibe right to America.

I cannot talk about this restaurant without mentioning the owners. I talked to Shallom and Jilla Berkman on several occasions. They are lovely to talk to, super courteous and incredibly inviting, all things that pushed the cozy feeling even further. I assume that the wonders this Café serves up has no small part related to their wonderful attitudes.

If you find yourself in Southern California, Las Vegas, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Dubai and want the finest cup of coffee, tea or sweet treat, by all means, then go to Urth Caffé. You will not be happier.

Well, that’s all for this shout out. I don’t want to spoil it too much, so I’ll leave it here for now. You may learn more about them at www.UrthCaffe.com

Once again, I’ll probably be back soon with even more fun business finds, so keep an eye out for more from me! For now, have a great week and I’ll see you next time.

Alex, OMG, Inc.

Urth Caffe owner Shallom Berkman talks about his Mountain Gorilla Coffee project. Click to watch this inspiring video.

Shallom and Jilla Berkman. Click photo for more info.

Brought to you by the OMG Mixer. Click for more info.

Our Way of Saying Thanks!

We decided to start a new section of our newsletter made entirely with the purpose of highlighting some of our favorite businesses we have crossed paths with. There are so many wonderful business owners that we have the pleasure of interacting with, and we felt that it was time to start shouting them out!

This first highlight will be all about The Grill Guy from Santa Clarita, California. They offer amazing services to grill owners who need help cleaning their grills. As they point out, uncleaned grills can not only lead to a huge fire hazard but also pass bacteria and other nasty components onto your meat.

The owner is Canyon Lycklama, a young entrepreneur who really showed his expertise when we had him work on our own grill. It shined like new, was totally safe again and took well to a new layer of seasoning. We couldn’t have asked for more.   See below for ‘Before and After photos, and for a personal message from Canyon himself!

We want to say a huge thank you to Canyon ‘The Grill Guy’ and all of his business! You can find all of their info HERE!

This concludes the first of many highlights and shoutouts we want to share with you from time to time. There will be many more to come interspersed throughout or other bits of news. We really want to share the love we get from so many of you, so get ready!

We’ll see you next time!

OMG, Inc.

Hey everyone!

My name is Canyon Lycklama, and I started The Grill Guy to provide a much-needed service for grill owners everywhere! The number of homeowners in the United States, that have a barbecue, has jumped from 64% to 80% in the last 4 years! However, even though the barbecue industry is on the rise, the amount of grill cleaning businesses remains scarce.

The Grill Guy aims to bridge that gap and provide a quality cleaning service to all barbecue users!

Cleaning a grill without the proper tools can be extremely frustrating. With no one to call, the barbecue could be left to rot without being used. Call The Grill Guy soon to protect you and your family from potential grease fires and unsafe contaminants!

Give us a call, shoot us a text, or fill out our online form to receive a free quote!

If you found out about our business through this newsletter, then please enjoy a 10% discount for any service!

Make sure to check out our website at www.THEGRILLGUYLA.com for more information!

Canyon Lycklama | The Grill Guy, Owner

Mobile: 661-435-7777

Email: Canyon@thegrillguyla.com

Website: www.thegrillguyla.com

Natalie Blancardi of COMPASS Applauded for Generous Donation to the Oksana® Foundation

Natalie Blancardi of ReSelling LA

Latest sponsor of well-respected after-school enrichment organization to help financially challenged children benefit from premium educational programs.

Los Angeles, CA – Thursday, March 30, 2023– The Oksana® Foundation, a Los Angeles-based organization providing access to educational opportunities for children so that their talents can be nurtured, cultivated and utilized to create positive and lasting changes in the world around them, recently applauded the efforts of Natalie Blancardi, a highly-respected California realtor with Compass, when she generously donated to the education and arts-focused 501(c) (3).

As the latest sponsor of the Foundation, Blancardi’s heartfelt donation will help enable financially challenged children benefit from premium educational programs free of charge, with courses to include music, foreign language studies and K through 12 academic tutoring, as well as other enrichment programs.

The Oksana® Foundation is the brainchild of professional pianist and seasoned businesswoman Oksana® Kolesnikova, who has devoted the last 20 years to teaching students and developing caring, personal and effective education programs. In launching the Foundation with the intention of “changing the world one underprivileged student at a time,” Kolesnikova assembled a team of passionate and overtly professional instructors – in dozens of schools, school districts, and municipalities – to offer children engaging music, art, scholastic and prep education. Through the generous donations of individuals like Ms. Blancardi, according to Kolesnikova, the lives of countless kids have been forever changed.

“Within every child is the promise of a better world, and at the Oksana® Foundation, we believe that limited means should not limit a child’s talent,” explains Kolesnikova. “By providing opportunities to financially challenged youth in their own neighborhoods, our staff fulfills the mission to nurture and cultivate their gifts in order to build excitement, elevate hope and support these kids in creating positive and lasting changes in the world around them.

“Keeping this steadfast and worthwhile endeavor going are the generous contributions from donors like Natalie Blancardi of Compass, whom we regularly and wholeheartedly thank. In continually partnering with a diverse group of like-minded, community-oriented sponsors, everything becomes mutually beneficial – especially in the way this opens up increased and exclusive exposure to the Oksana® Management Group’s sophisticated and affluent client base.”

As an esteemed Compass realtor based in Southern California, Natalie Blancardi exudes a work ethic that is 100-percent client-oriented, always focused on her customers’ needs and wants. What’s more, she offers a unique concierge service to all her valued clients and assists them in real estate transactions amidst a myriad of market conditions. In refusing to concede to obstacles and with an uncanny ability to think outside the box, she has helped clients achieve the seemingly impossible in what can only be described as impossible scenarios – tactics that have contributed to her garnering a number of impressive accolades, including the Circle of Distinction Award and Multimillion Dollar Award in 2020.

“I believe in completely and selflessly giving back to the community, and that is why I have become heavily involved with great organizations like the Oksana® Foundation, the Serata Italiana initiative and Like Italians Do program,” explains Blancardi. “Indeed, every child deserves the opportunity to discover their talent and share it with the world, and my hope is that through kind donations to the Oksana® Foundation, the lives of children who possess the talent to achieve but lack access to a better education are vastly improved.”

Whether it be property searches, listings, market analysis, negotiations, or closings, Natalie continues serving her clients beyond the threshold of escrow, taking her comprehensive understanding of the complex Los Angeles real estate market to dizzying new heights – regularly.

Trusted. Well-respected. Grounded. Persistent. Tenacious. Attentive to every detail: It’s all in a day’s work for Natalie Blancardi, realtor extraordinaire.

We are very proud to feature her in this Sponsor Spotlight!

Kind regards,
Your Team at OMG, Inc.

Natalie can be reached by phone or TEXT at (818) 445-9848
www.resellingla.com

CalDRE # 01348295

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT

Ciao! My name is Daniele and I’m an Italian Cinematographer/Editor based in Los Angeles and available worldwide. I have a true passion for film making and story telling, and I’m available for weddings, events, and full video production (drone and aerial shots, behind the scenes footage, short films, commercials, product shots, interviews, music video etc). I speak English and Italian, and my filming style is cinematic, elegant and modern, I’m very passionate about my work and I can’t wait to hear from you how I can help you in creating a beautiful video! Click my photo to see samples of my work.

We would like to recognize St. Patrick’s Day with acknowledging two of our newest Grand Recital sponsors, namely Mr. Daniele Buccheri of DBFILMS and Mr. Steven Katz of VINCENZO’S NEWHALL.

No, they are not quite Irish, but they are wearing green today.

Just as a reminder, our Grand Recital is scheduled for Saturday, June 1st, 2019.

You may get additional details here.

If you’re interested in sponsoring this year’s Grand Recital, please visit our Sponsorship Page to learn why this could be quite the beneficial, business-sparking decision.

Sponsor our Grand Recital Magazine and reach several thousand affluent L.A. area families…potential customers looking for what you have to offer.

SPECIAL 50% OFF regular rates for our Newsletter Subscribers!

See all our wonderful Sponsors HERE.

Simply email us. Offer expires March 31st, 2019.

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT

Daniele is also the owner/operator of MAMMAMIAPHOTOBOOTH.COM

Message from Daniele:

Anybody can take a selfie nowadays, but what you are getting with me is a truly fun experience and a state-of-the-art technology that will capture those emotions and priceless memories forever! I am Italian, I have an acting background, and with my fun and friendly personality I will engage your guests so they can get comfortable in front of the booth and have good time!

Visit my website for more and/or for booking information.

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT

Message from Steven Katz, Owner:

In 1979 Vincenzo’s opened in Newhall… We are one of the only true East Coast pizzas in the west! For 40 years people have come from near and far to eat our authentic Italian pizza recipe that traditionally has been found in Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, or Chicago. We are considered by many, (including OKSANA!) as the best pizza on the West Coast!

My staff and I look forward to treating you to an authentic PIZZA NAPOLETANA at the end of your upcoming June 1st Grand Recital!

Visit our Original Restaurant: 24504 1/2 Lyons Ave. Newhall, CA 91321 with family and friends. Mention Oksana ANYTIME and we will honor the Special below.