Oleksander Koshetz Choir Celebrates 60th Anniversary

The Oleksander Koshetz Choir is holding a gala 60th anniversary concert on November 26 at the Jubilee Palace Auditorium in Winnipeg under the baton of Ottawa-based conductor Laurence Ewashko.

The concert will mark the world premiere of In Memoriam Walter Klymkiw, a requiem in five movements by Canadian composer John Hiscott. This new work in tribute to the choir’s long-time conductor who died in 2000 was commissioned by the choir.

  Born in the Ternopil region of Ukraine in 1926, Klymkiw came to Canada with his parents at the age of 2 and became a Canadian citizen in 1936.  He later studied at the University of British Columbia and the University of Manitoba. His interest in choral music was sparked after he studied with Olexander Koshetz, the renowned choral conductor for whom the Choir of the Winnipeg UNF was named.

In the early 1950s, Klymkiw became the conductor and artistic director of the Koshetz Choir. Under his direction, the choir, in 1978, made the first of four tours to Ukraine. The choir also performed in Western Europe and South America and across Canada and produced numerous recordings.

Klymkiw served as the dominion president of the Ukrainian National Youth Federation in the 1950s and as president of the local branch of the Ukrainian National Federation in St. Boniface, Winnipeg. He also served as president of the Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre (Oseredok) in Winnipeg established by the UNF.

It is fitting that Hiscott, who is a recipient of a Governor General’s Medal, was asked to write a work honouring Klymkiw as the composer produced a segment, broadcasted on CBC Radio, on Walter Klymkiw. The program on Klymkiw was part of a five-hour series of hour-long profiles of Canadian musicians whose roots are in various corners of the globe.

Featured soloists who will perform the requiem at the upcoming concert include soprano Irena Welhasch-Baerg, baritone Theodore Baerg, alto Kirsten Schellenberg, tenor John Martens and Winnipeg Symphony violinist Gwen Hoebig.

Also, as part of the 60th Anniversary  festivities, an exhibition documenting the history of the choir will be on display at the Oseredok Centre in Winnipeg until November 24.

Tickets for the gala concert are available at Kalyna Bookstore (952 Main St.) and at the Oseredok Boutique (184 Alexander Ave.) in Winnipeg.