Chornobyl 20

Concert to Commemorate Nuclear Disaster

TORONTO­–More than 250 Canadian singers and musicians will take to the stage for Chornobyl 20, a memorial fundraising concert on April 9 at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto.

Presented by the Children of Chornobyl Canadian Fund (CCCF), the concert will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster, which occurred on April 26, 1986.  The concert will feature performances by acclaimed bass-baritone Pavlo Hunka, the Juno award-winning Gryphon Trio, the Amadeus Choir, the Orpheus Choir, the Elmer Iseler Singers, Vesnivka Choir and the Toronto Ukrainian Male Chamber Choir.

“Through Chornobyl 20, we hope to impress upon Canadians the need for continuing vigilance by governments of the world to ensure that such catastrophic events never happen again, said Roman Stepczuk, President and Chairman of the Children of Chornobyl Canadian Fund.

One of the highlights of the concert program is the world premiere of Wormwood, a cantata by Canadian composer Christos Hatzis, commissioned by the Gryphon Trio. It will be performed by Pavlo Hunka and all five choirs.

Before starting work on the composition, Hatzis learned that Chornobyl meant “wormwood,” the English world for Apsinthos. In the Book of Revelation, Apsinthos is the name of the “death star” that was hurled to earth and poisoned the planet’s waters, causing many people to die.  Fascinated by this fact, Hatzis used passages from the Book of Revelation as the main text for his new work.

The program also includes Blessed is the Man by Oleksandr Kozarenko and Requiem for the Victims of Chornobyl by Roman Hurko. Pavlo Hunka will be joined by the combined choirs in the performance of these pieces. All the five choirs will also sing Srul Irving Glick’s The Hour Has Come: A Choral Symphony.

The event also features two multi-media presentations designed by Jacques Collin with archival CCCF footage and images by Montreal-born photographer Robert Polidori, which depict the aftermath of the Chornobyl disaster.

Proceeds from Chornobyl 20 will fund the purchase of diagnostic medical equipment for hospitals in the Chornobyl zones.

CCCF is a registered charitable organization established in 1989 that provides humanitarian aid to the victims of the Chornobyl disaster.

Tickets for Chornobyl 20 and a post-performance reception are available from the CCCF office (416) 604-4611. Tickets for the concert can also be purchased at the Roy Thomson Hall box office (416) 872-4255 or Ticketmaster at (416) 870-8000 or online at www.roythomson.com or www.ticketmaster.ca.