Select Page

Job Seekers - Achev - Connecting Skilled Newcomers with Employers 2
Job Seekers - Achev - Connecting Skilled Newcomers with Employers 2
Freedom Heart Ukraine
Job Seekers - Achev - Connecting Skilled Newcomers with Employers

Canadian Bandurist Capella Marks its 15th Anniversary Season

Nov 29, 2016 | Featured, Arts & Culture, Newpathway, Community

Olena Wawryshyn for New Pathway, Toronto.

On Saturday, October 22, at a concert in Toronto, the Canadian Bandurist Capella lived up to the high performance standards that their audiences have come to expect. The concert, held at one of the city’s premier music venues, Jeanne Lamon Hall in the Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, paid tribute to the 125th anniversary of Ukrainian immigration to Canada and marked the Capella’s 15th anniversary season.

For this special occasion, the all-male ensemble, consisting of singers and bandura players under the artistic direction of conductor Andriy Dmytrovych, was joined by two Toronto-based women’s choirs, Dibrova (conductor Olesya Konyk) and Levada (Zhanna Zinchenko). Pianist Vira Ocheret was the accompanist. Many of the pieces in the program were arranged by Dmytrovych.

The evening began with introductory remarks from Capella member Dmytro Rewilak, who presented an overview of the history of Ukrainians in Canada, focusing on highlights, key events and notable individuals who have made an impact. Then, the participating ensembles jointly took to the stage for two rousing Ukrainian patriotic pieces, one by composer A. Nyzhankivskyi, and the other featuring the music of S. Lyudkevych. Each of the guest choirs also sang individual numbers at the start of the concert’s latter half. The three groups once again joined forces, along with the guest soloists for the finale.

Guest artists included two Ukrainian-born and two Canadian-born singers. Baritone Serhiy Danko, a native of Western Ukraine, was paired with “merited artist of Ukraine” soprano Myroslava Solovianenko, in a sweet rendition of the Ukrainian folk song “Where Are You Going Kozak.” Mezzo-soprano Viera Zmiyiwsky and her uncle, bass Oleh Zmiyiwsky, who regularly perform with the Capella sang “Water Flows into the Blue Sea”, set to the words of the famous Ukrainian bard Taras Shevchenko. Their polished duet noticeably moved the audience, as did Viera’s heart-wrenching solo in the Capella’s piece honouring the heroes who died in Ukraine's Maidan Revolution of Dignity in 2014.

Though the guest artists were notable, the main attraction was the Capella. The ensemble has always delivered powerful performances, but since Dmytrovych took the reins as Artistic Director in 2013, they have become an increasingly tighter and more controlled collective.

Much of their repertoire is steeped in the traditional kobzar art form, dating back to historical Kozak times. It is in these numbers that the ensemble shone especially brightly. From the opening note of the classic “Play Bandura, Sing!” they consistently demonstrated a disciplined precision that was maintained throughout. Some of the other high points were two other traditional favourites: “Bandurist, Grey Eagle,” featuring Oleh Zmiyiwsky in the solo part, and “Near the Meadow,” featuring Dmytrovych’s brilliant orchestration gives the popular folk song an added intensity through the use of percussion and a stepped up rhythm.

The bandura instrumental pieces added contemporary fare. Among them were those arranged by the late Yurij Petlura, who was the Assistant Conductor. The current Concertmaster leading the bandura players is the young and multi-talented Borys Ostapienko, an award-winning composer, musician and teacher who is currently also pursuing studies in Biomedical Engineering. He has an excellent crew to collaborate with as a number of the bandurists regularly lead North American bandura camps and classes.

Jeanne Lamon Hall was the perfect venue for showcasing the ensemble at this stage in their development. The sanctuary of Trinity –St. Paul's Church was modified in 2013 to double up as an acoustically superior concert hall, in which some of the city’s finest musicians regularly perform.

With this milestone over, the Canadian Bandurist Capella is now practicing for their annual Christmas concert, which will be a joint performance with their American counterparts, the Detroit-based Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus. It promises to be an extraordinary concert with up to 30 bandura players and 60 singers on the stage performing Christmas koliady. The concert will take place on Sunday, January 22, 2017 at St. Paul’s Bloor Street Anglican Church, 227 Bloor Street East in Toronto.

Share on Social Media

Announcement
Pace Law Firm
2/10 Years of War
Borsch

Events will be approved within 2 business days after submission. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Manage Subsctiption

Check your subscription status, expiry dates, billing and shipping address, and more in your subscription account.