Ukrainians among "stars of tomorrow" (04/07/96)

Ukrainians among "stars of tomorrow"

by Mary E. Pressey

NEW YORK - It was a night of opera lovers' delight: a concert by the "Stars of Tomorrow" held at the Weill Recital Hall here on February 15.

Ten young outstanding sopranos, tenors and a baritone of varied ethnic backgrounds totally captivated the capacity audience with their brilliant performances. Sponsored by the New York Grand Opera Guild under the direction of Maestro Vincent La Selva, the group of 10 featured New York soprano Elena Heimur and Oleh Chmyr of Ukraine.

In the first part of the recital, Ms. Heimur superbly executed Guiseppe Verdi's "Aida," while Mr. Chmyr's baritone voice did justice to Verdi's "Otello." But what stirred the audience into tumultuous applause was the duo's superb duet performance of Verdi's "II Travatore."

In the second part of the recital, the two performers likewise illicited heightened applause: Ms. Heimur for her performance of Giacomo Puccini's "Tosca" and Mr. Chmyr for his solo performance of Gioacchino Rossini's "II Barbieri Di Siviglia" and Verdi's "Rigoletto" in a quartet with Gerald Stroup, Susan Groeschel and Jane Perry.

Ms. Heimur is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music. She has appeared with the New York Opera Company, Rome Festival Opera and Orchestra, Columbia Arts Festival, San Mateo Winter Music Festival and on the concert stages of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, the Garden State Arts Center in New Jersey and Carnegie Hall in New York. She has sung also for audiences throughout the United States, Canada, Italy, Russia and Ukraine.

Additionally, Ms. Heimur has performed as Mimi and Musetta in "La Boheme," Violetta in "La Traviata," Nedda in "Pagliacci," Marguerite in "Faust," Micaela in "Carmen," Tatiana in "Eugene Onegin" and Rosalinda in "Die Fledermaus."

She recently became an award winner in the Puccini Foundation/Licia Albanese competition and will perform concerts in Italy, Japan and China and at Alice Tully Hall in September.

Mr. Chmyr graduated from the Moscow Conservatory with a Ph.D. and has taught voice at two leading conservatories in Ukraine and Russia. Four of his students are first-prize winners of various international competitions.

Mr. Chmyr has sung over 20 leading roles such as Eugene Onegin, Figaro, Germont, Iago, Valentine, Silvio, Tonio, Count De Luna and others at the Lviv Opera House and the Kyiv Opera, the Bolshoi Opera, the Opera Theater in Ekaterinburg, Russia; the Miensk Opera House, Belarus; and the Wroclaw Opera House in Poland.

His credits include extensive concert tours in Denmark, France, Norway and Belgium, and he is now touring the United States with concerts in Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Florida, Washington and other locales.

The Washington Post critic Joseph McLaren recognized Mr. Chmyr as being "on the brink of an international career."

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