Commemorating the Life of a Music Icon

Maestro Wolodymyr Kolesnyk passed away ten years ago this November 7, but his contribution to the classical musical scene of Toronto, Canada and Ukrainian music over a twenty year span, places him within the sacred corridors of the history of Ukrainians in the Toronto area, and of music in particular.

Born in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine, on Sept. 7, 1928, he died after a bout with cancer in Toronto on Nov. 7, 1997, at the age of 69. As a young man in Ukraine, he was the  former Director of the Kyiv State Opera and Ballet Theatre, where he produced several musical films, recorded operatic works, taught conducting at the Kyiv Pedagogical Institute and the Kyiv Conservatory, before political repression forced him to leave Ukraine and immigrate with his family, first to Australia (1973) and later (1974) to Toronto. As an accomplished musician he became the Artistic Director of the then newly created Canadian Ukrainian Opera Association in Toronto, and became its very heart and soul. During twenty years of constant creative activity, under his baton, the CUOA staged operas such as “Kupalo”, “Zaporozhian Kozak Beyond the Danube” , “Natalka Poltavka”, Roxolana” and “Alchides”, many for the first time on Canadian stages.

As Artistic Director, Maestro Kolesnyk conducted many symphonic concerts with orchestra in Hamilton, Ottawa, Montreal, in New York at Carnegie Hall and in Chicago at the Chicago Lyric Theatre, as well as the top concert halls in Toronto. The highlight of these performances was always his beloved Opera Chorus, which he trained, nurtured and commanded to such a point that critic William Littler stated that “this was some of the finest choral singing he had heard and this from an amateur choir.”

Being prolific, with a passion for sharing his love of Ukrainian classical music, he worked as well with the Dnipro Choir of Edmonton (on special projects), the Bandurist Chorus of Detroit (10 years and 2 concert tours in Ukraine) and was the mastermind and Artistic Director of the Millennium of Bortniansky Project of 35 Sacred Choral Concertos, beautifully performed and recorded for posterity.

On many occasions, the works performed were new compositions commissioned under his tutelage, such as G. Fiala’s “Cantata for Piano and Choir”, V. Kikta’s “Sacred Dnipro” and two complete liturgies by the above mentioned composers, which have been added to the repertoire of sacred music in Canada and Ukraine.

Prior to his death, on a visit to Ukraine, Maestro Kolesnyk recovered original manuscripts and worked on the “Masterpieces of Classical Music: Artem Vedel 1767-1808”, which had been buried within the vaults of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. To his credit, this work was published and is now available to choirs and conductors around the world.

In the spring of 1998, Wolodymyr Kolesnyk was laid to rest in his beloved Ukraine at the Baykovyj Cemetery in Kyiv, his grave site visited by music lovers worldwide. He is remembered as a talented, dedicated musician, of quiet humility and infinite warmth, with a passion for his beloved Ukrainian music. He brought out the best in people and inspired by example those who worked with him - a legacy to aspire to greatness and achieve new goals. He left a deep void in the music world and is sorely missed by those whose lives he touched. A true Ukrainian patriot, he is survived by his beloved wife, Hanna Kolesnyk, son Maxym and granddaughter Tanya.

 Valentina Kuryliw President of the CUOA and a member of the Lysenko Chorus