Mark Andryczyk 

On Saturday, September 28, 2001, a crowd nearly one thousand strong representing several generations of Ukrainian-Canadians gathered in the auditorium of Etobicoke’s Silverthorne Collegiate for an evening of aural pleasure. That evening, Pikardijska Tertsia, a six-man a cappella ensemble hailing from Lviv, Ukraine, performed a two-hour concert–the culmination of the group’s ten day visit to Toronto. The group’s sponsor, the Lviv Restaurant-Club overcame organizational and rescheduling nightmares caused by the recent tragedies in the United States and managed to bring together Pikardijska Tertsia and its fans for an engagement that will long be remembered by both the performers and their audience.

Formed in 1992 (the group celebrated its 9^th anniversary in Toronto) Pikardijska Tertsia features Volodymyr Yakymets, Slavko Nudyk, Andrij Kapral, Bohdan Bohach, Roman Turianyn and Andrij Shavala. Through various concert tours in Ukraine, the United States and throughout Europe, the group has become a “postcard” of its native city. Its repertoire, much of which is captured on the group’s five albums, ranges from traditional religious and folk songs to pop/rock originals and covers. Pikardijska Tertsia’s performance in Toronto featured songs culled from all corners of its stylistically diverse catalogue of tunes.

The two-hour concert was divided into two parts with a short intermission in between halves. The first part offered a concentration of folk and spiritual songs. Favorites such as Tuman Iarom and Hutsulia charged the crowd with their innovative interpretations and experimental approaches to classic, Ukrainian, musical themes. Nudyk, the group’s lyric tenor, shined on songs from the traditional camp and his arrangements and performance of Ukrainian folk lyrics in the songs Oi Khodiat’ Pavy… and Ia v chuzhyni dyvliusia na nebo…struck a chord in many members of the audience.

The second half of the concert presented the group’s lighter side, providing a good dose of Pikardijska Tertsia’s pop hits. The group’s chief arranger and composer, Yakymets, has written many tunes to showcase the dazzling vocal talent of the group’s other tenor soloist – Kapral. Kapral displayed remarkable versatility, moving from a falsetto whisper to a powerful, ringing bellow within one breath. The crowd was blown away by performances of Pustel’nyk, Spytai and Bereh Riky. Pikardijska Tertsia also displayed their engaging, humorous side on songs such as Bohdan, Country and Shizgara.

Consummate professionals, the men in Pikardijska Tertsia offered an earnest performance that demonstrated the group’s considerable talent and commitment to their craft. They are unique among contemporary, Ukrainian musicians in that they are able to appeal to an audience that is very diverse in age and musical preference. Their Toronto concert must be considered a great success on all fronts. Pikardijska Tertsia left behind a bevy of memorable tunes to keep its fans humming until the group comes from Lviv to visit Toronto again.