40 Festival Years of Children’s Appreciation of
Ukrainian Music
By John Pidkowich
The 40th
Annual Ukrainian Music Festival was held December 3rd, 4th,
and 5th, 2010 at the Ukrainian National Federation Community Centre
and Trident Hall in
The Festival is greatly indebted to the dedication and efforts of
the late Prof. Marta Krawciw-Barabash, musicologist and pedagogue, who founded
the UMF and served as its long-time President until her passing in 2002. Her
tireless “love for Ukrainian music and desire to educate young musicians to
master the works of Ukrainian composers, that in 1970, led Prof. Barabash to
establish the UMF,” said Irena Patten in her opening remarks at the Festival’s Concert
of Finalists. The legacy of Prof. Barabash’s work went well beyond the
festival itself to include the UMF promotion of many concerts, notably one for
ten pianos in 1980, and another in 1992 celebrating the jubilee of composer
Mykola Lysenko.
Through Prof. Barabash and UMF Executive, the Festival’s
activities expanded further to include publishing music (some her own
compositions), music handbooks, and the 11 volume Z. Lys’ko Ukrainian Folk
Melodies, an important compilation-catalogue of the published material.
Every five years, in place of the Festival, Prof. Barabash also organized the
L’udkevych Competitions, which gave more advanced music students the
opportunity for a higher level competitive performance experience. It gained
international popularity and started to attract contestants from
The Festival’s development remains a testament to the legacy of
Marta Barabash’s contribution, and support of husband Myron Barabash, who
served as Festival Honorary President until his passing in 2009. However, the
Festival’s continued growth, success and its activities have flourished in
great part due to the very hardworking executive (co-chaired by Marta Chomyn
and Irena Patten), artistic and advisory committee members. Of course, the
Festival’s vibrancy is upheld by the dedicated educators, hard-practising
students, committed parents and enthusiastic volunteers.
Still today, the purpose of the UMF remains to promote Ukrainian
culture by providing an opportunity for musicians up to 18 years of age to
perform music by Ukrainian and Ukrainian-Canadian composers. Over 20 UMF
publications for music students and the general public are now available from
the Marta Krawciw-Barabash and Myron Barabash Library, newly established within
the UNF Resource Centre – Library at
With each sequential year, the Festival has grown to promote the
music of Ukrainian composers. The 2010 Festival had over 200 children (aged
five into the teen years) performing primarily in solo instrumental, ensemble,
vocal, and choir competitions. Participants were both of Ukrainian heritage and
of non-Ukrainian background.
The distinguished jury of adjudicators was comprised of Profs.
Luba Zuk and Ireneus Zuk (both piano), Kvitka Zorych-Kondracki (voice,
choir and violin), and Andriy Dmytrovych (bandura).
The UMF Concert of Finalists was held on December 5 with
Master of Ceremonies Zorianna Kilyk, a former festival participant. There were
29 performance entries of winning festival pieces in the final concert,
according to competition category by: instrument for piano, bandura, violin and
clarinet; voice; choir; and instrumental ensemble. Unique to this year, a
violin ensemble award was given to each young violinist in a quartet – Tatiana
Buchynsky, Larysa Hemon, Sofiyka Hutsman and Larysa Stech – for having played
the traditional Ukrainian carol Vozveselimsya – “Let Us Rejoice”.
Scholarship awards totalling over $4,300 were presented to 38
individual performers. All festival entry winners received certificates.
Entrants with the highest marks were: Maria Platosh - piano and Anna
Tanchak - voice awarded from the Prof. Marta Barabash Scholarship Fund;
Marta Skira - violin – to, the Dr. Petro and Maria Pidkowich award; and
Boris Ostapienko - bandura received the Ron Cahute inaugural music
award. This new award, as reported earlier in The New Pathway, was
established with proceeds donated at the “Lifetime Achievement” Roast in
September 2010 honouring the well-known Ukrainian Canadian musician Ron Cahute
of Burya Band.
A special award from the Myron Barabash Scholarship Fund was given
to St. Sofia School Children’s Choir who sang “Snowflake” and “Christmas
in the Carpathians” by M. Shymonovych, conducted by O. Yakovleva,
accompanied on the violin by Oksana Konopada and piano by musical director
Tania Kraw.
Buduchnist Credit Union, Prometheus Foundation and Ukrainian
Credit Union, and other individual and family contributors have provided
generous financial support of the monetary awards. Overall, the Festival is an
enormous activity, carried out under very tight financial constraints. Most
welcomed are offerings of scholarships to encourage young performers to
participate in the Festival.
Work on the 41th Ukrainian Music Festival has already
begun, to be held December 2nd, 3rd, and 4th,
2011 at the UNF Community Centre in
For
more information about the music festival, and the library and publication
program, visit www.ukrainianmusicfestival.com, or email
info@ukrainianmusicfestival.com
1 – St.
2 – Festival adjudicators (L. to R.): Ireneus
Zuk, Kvitka Zorych Kondracki, Luba Zuk;
3 – Members of UMF Executive (L. to R.): Annychka
Wasylyk, Olia Bileychuk, Mika Shepherd, Irena Patten, Marta Chomyn