Ohio Boychoir to perform concert at special White House reception (11/24/96)

Ohio Boychoir to perform concert at special White House reception

PARMA, Ohio - The Ohio Boychoir, as part of its 23rd holiday concert program, will perform at a special reception at the White House on Monday, December 9. This is the second time the choir will sing there, having appeared at the White House in 1993.

Under the direction of Alexander B. Musichuk, Ohio Boychoir will present holiday selections in six different languages, including "Shchedryk" by Mykola Leontovych in Ukrainian. Comprising the concert program are works by G.B. Pergolesi, Bach, Gounod, Stuart W. Raleigh, Cesar Franck, Adolphe Adam and Benjamin Britten.

The community choir, founded in 1974 by Mr. Musichuk, has developed into one of Ohio's prized cultural assets and has toured extensively throughout the world.

During the sumer of 1995, the choir participated in the first International Music Festival of Munich on the 100th anniversary of Carl Orff's birth in that German city, where they were awarded a coveted Gold Award.

Ohio Boychoir was one of the first groups to tour Ukraine in 1989 while Ukraine was still part of the former Soviet Union and once again in 1991 in independent Ukraine. The tours included performances in the historic opera houses of Lviv and Kyiv. Ukrainian audiences were quite surprised to hear an all-American boychoir sing works in their language.

Director Musichuk is Ukrainian and frequently directs the boys in Ukrainian selections.

The choir's holiday concert schedule in Ohio is the following: Sunday, December 1 - Hudson, First Congregational Church of Hudson, 47 Aurora St., 3 p.m.; two concerts on Sunday, December 8 - Youngstown, Butler Institute of American Art, 524 Wick Ave., 1 p.m.; and Boardman, St. Charles Church, 73245 Westview Dr., 6 p.m.; Sunday, December 15 - Cleveland, St. Ignatius Church, 10205 Lorain Ave., 3 p.m.; and Sunday, December 22 - Parma, St. Francis de Sales Church, corner of State and Snow, 3 p.m.