Marco Levytsky, NP-UN Western Bureau.
Greeted with accolades wherever they performed, Edmonton’s Dnipro Choir completed a successful two-week tour of Ukraine, August 23.
Quite surprisingly, for a choir that bears the name of the mighty river that crosses central Ukraine, and is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year, this was its first tour of that country.
But it was a memorable one.
“It was a dream come true for me to lead this organization on a tour to western and central Ukraine,” stated Dnipro President Susan Romaniuk.
“Our experience was inspiring, motivational and at times emotionally overwhelming by the heartwarming welcome we received from audiences in Ukraine. The talent shared by the directors and Ukrainian choirs instilled confidence, giving us a strong desire to carry on the tradition of choral singing that our Ukrainian ancestors brought with them to Canada,” she added.
“My strongest memory of the Dnipro Choir tour to Ukraine will be the feeling of re-connecting with my roots,” offered Bass Ray Lucyshyn.
“This was my first visit to the land which my family left over 120 years ago to begin a new life in Canada. From our first moments in the Lviv airport where we were greeted by a sign over the main doors saying ‘Welcome Home’, to the countless sights, events and people we experienced during our time in Ukraine, I was constantly struck by how even though this was a foreign country, so much was familiar. Coming from Canada where our Ukrainian community is numbered by the thousands to a beautiful, vibrant, old yet modern nation where millions of people shared the same roots as myself, it was an emotional experience to realize that even though I lived ‘apart’ from these roots, I still felt “a part” of this greater community,” he added.
“As dedicated Dnipro Choir members, we were fiercely proud, as Ukrainian Canadians, to perform in Ukraine,” noted Alto Hanya Bahniuk.
“This tour, this experience, has brought us closer together as a group and given us even more confidence because of the accolades we received. We will take all that we have learned during our unforgettable trip to Ukraine and continue to grow as a choir,” she added.
Bahniuk made a special mention about the warm-up exercises and vocal techniques learned through Dnipro’s workshops with several renowned Ukrainian professional choirs.
“We saw how these choirs blended their sound, sang as one and told stories through song. We were spellbound by their incredibly talented maestros, by the love that they have for Ukraine and the passion that they infuse into their music and their teaching. As we continued our tour, we were inspired and began to utilize the techniques that we saw first-hand. It became more natural to immerse ourselves in our music and demonstrate more passion in our performances. We realized how important it was to our Ukrainian audiences that we had not forgotten our roots, the realization that Ukrainian music, culture and language continues to thrive beyond the borders of Ukraine, far across the ocean. We demonstrated through our music and our conversations with the people in Ukraine that we value our heritage,” she said.
In all, Dnipro held four such workshops – with the Bukovyna State Choir from Chernivtsi, with Lviv’s Trembita Ensemble, with Zhytomyr’s Oreya and – to cap it off – with Kyiv’s renowned Veryovka.
“It was enthralling to be captured by the sincerity and humbleness of highly-skilled singers, the musicality that brought every note and nuance to life and the mastery and sleek precision of their perspective conductors. It was even more enthralling to be witness to the number of music professionals who, upon completion of a music conservatory, have been recognized and welcomed into the realm of professional choirs,” said Dnipro’s Artistic Director Irena Szmihelsky.
In addition to the workshops, Dnipro had four concert performances. Three of these were part of the International Ukrainian Dance & Culture Festival, organized by Cobblestone Freeway Tours, which also organized Dnipro’s tour through Ukraine.
The International Ukrainian Dance & Culture Festival (IUDCF) is an opportunity for Ukrainian dancers & choirs from around the world to share their passion for Ukrainian dance, music and culture with each other and others from all corners of the Earth.
Aside from Dnipro, this year’s festival also featured the Bukovyna State Choir & Dancers; Uzhorod Ensemble; nine dance groups from Canada: Rushnychok, Saskatoon; Sopilka, Winnipeg; Verba, Winnipeg; Yalenka, Calgary; Selo, Anola, MB; Bratstva, Dauphin; Tavria, Regina; Boyan, Saskatoon; Kvitka, Vancouver as well as the Zirka Band from Toronto.
Dnipro appeared first at an outdoor event at Lviv’s Rynok Square, another outdoor event at the Shevchenkivskyi Hai open air museum and finally at the Gala which closed off the festival.
Commenting on the Shevchenko Hai concert, one audience member, Tetiana Dorosh, wrote the following in an email (translated from Ukrainian):
“The beauty of Ukrainian song, as performed by the Dnipro Choir from Edmonton left no viewer untouched. Of particular note is Ivan Shamo’s “Try poradyy” (Three pieces of Advice), as arranged by Vasyl (Willie) Zwozdesky. As well works relating to the might Dnipro River, whose name the collective proudly carries, united in one medley (arranged by Zenovyi Lavryshyn) prompted the listener to applaud heartily.”
Dnipro’s only English song, an arrangement by the choir’s own Denise Lucyshyn of Ian Tyson’s “Four Strong Winds” drew thunderous applause as well.
The fourth concert was an evening event shared with the Bukovyna State Choir & Dancers in Chernivtsi.
“The basic objective of the collective is the popularization and revival of Ukrainian spiritual and folk music, the better masterpieces of Dmyto Bortniansky and other priceless treasures of choral culture,” wrote Lyuba Khomych, who teaches piano at the Anatoliy Kos-Anatolsky School in Kolomyia and came down to Chernivtsi especially for the concert.
“The multi-voiced harmony of the choir touched the thinnest strings of a human heart. Choristers possess an academic manner of song and impressed the audience with their clarity of intonation and the harmonious sound of all choir parts. Thanks to the directorial mastery of the conductor, Irene Szmihelsky, the wonderful and sensuous singing of the choristers, the concert not only struck the listener, but also proceeded on a highly-spiritual and professional level,” she continued (translation from Ukrainian).
In between their stays in Lviv and Chernivtsi, Dnipro had a brief sojourn in the Carpathian Mountains. This included a Hutsul wedding in Kosiv, a visit to a wool weaving cottage, shopping at the Yaremche market plus other activities.
City tours were also organized in all the places Dnipro stopped off at, including Kolomyia which was one the way from Lviv to the Carpathians. Cobblestone Tours received high praise from choir members and their spouses for the program they organized.
“I found the Dnipro tour generally well organized with a very comfortable bus transport and highly competent tour guides,” said Baritone Andrij Tarnawsky.
“Overall, Cobblestone Tours organized an excellent tour of Ukraine. They exceeded my expectations,” he added.
“The tour company Cobblestone outdid all expectations,” said Bohdan Bahniuk, one of the spouses who accompanied choir members.
“Most of all our guides, Yaryna and Akhtem, were both so sincere and helpful. They became our family as we experienced our adventures,” he added.
Baritone Bohdan Harasymiw was particularly impressed with the dinner concert provided by the “Gerdan” Ensemble in Chernivtsi.
“For me, the absolute, unquestionable highlight was the spellbinding performance by the Gerdan’ ensemble at the Hopachok Restaurant in Chernivtsi. It was electrifyingly authentic, novel, and highly talented and original. Not our conventional notion of Ukrainian folk music at all. Worth the price of the entire tour!” he stated.
From Chernivtsi the group proceeded to Zhytomyr, where the held a workshop with the “Oreya” choir.
“This group is possibly Ukraine’s answer to Pro Coro of Edmonton. An amazing and young group, performing music from all over the world, from ‘Leonardo da Vinci Dreams of His Flying Machine’ by American composer Eric Whittaker, to ‘Flight of the Bumblebee.’ So inspiring,” commented Harasymiw.
The tour ended in Kyiv where along with the Veryovka workshop, city tour and Virsky concert, those who decided to stay an extra day, had the pleasure of witnessing the historic Independence Day Parade on August 24 at which the latest military technology was on display and President Petro Poroshenko declared Ukraine “has cut all ties with the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union”.
“The one that brought the most tears and choked me up the most was being in Kyiv on Independence Day. Sharing the national pride with the crowds of being in a free and democratic country with a real national identity — fought for and still being fought for by brave Ukrainians of every background,” commented Bohdan Bahniuk.
Summing up the tour, Artistic Director Szmihelsky provided the following observations:
“Regardless, if a chorister had set foot on the soil of Ukraine for the first time or tenth time, the impact of this tour touched every person. Dnipro Choir has been blessed to have experienced a tour that was inspirational spiritually, emotionally and, without question, musically. We have returned to Canada with a deeper connection to our roots and culture, greater appreciation for the stoic and steadfast will of the people, and stronger motivation to musically express what we learned and experienced. Likewise, we were very proud to be acknowledged by our Ukrainian audiences as a source of inspiration attesting that Ukraine was alive beyond its borders.
“Rooted in our experience, Dnipro Choir has a deeper understanding about the source of our music and a greater appreciation of its value and purpose. Spiritually, it has connected us to something bigger than us. Emotionally, it has stirred intense and powerful feelings of love, faith, patriotism and hope. Musically, it has aspired us to secure a bond with Ukraine’s history, culture and unsettling turmoil. It has inspired us to instill this spirituality and emotion into the hearts and souls of our audiences.”
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