Concert benefits U. of Pittsburgh Ukrainian Scholarship Fund (04/23/00)

Concert benefits U. of Pittsburgh Ukrainian Scholarship Fund

by Tatiana Zadony

PITTSBURGH - The University of Pittsburgh held a concert benefiting the Ukrainian Scholarship Fund on Sunday, April 2, featuring Jaropolk Lassowsky, and pianist Oksana Lassowsky. The father-daughter team performed songs by Ukrainian composers, as well as pieces by other famous classical composers.

The pair performed Ukrainian dance pieces such as Kozachok, Black Sea Dance, Zaporozhian Kozak and Hopak, composed by Semen Hulak-Artemovsky. They performed two pieces composed by Myroslav Skoryk: "Hurdy-Gurdy Man" and "Melody." Ms. Lassowsky performed a piano solo, "Sketch in the Dorian Mode," composed by Mykola Lysenko.

The Lassowskys wanted to perform a mix of classical standards, as well as songs by Ukrainian composers. They performed "Playera" and "Romanza Andaluza," composed by Pablo de Sarasate, and "Variations on La Folia" by Arcangelo Corelli. Also, each musician played a classical solo piece: Ms. Lassowsky "Fantasia" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Prof. Lassowsky a viola solo "Arpeggione," composed by Franz Schubert.

Prof. Lassowsky, who has played the violin for over 44 years, holds a Ph.D. in music theory from Ohio State University and is an associate professor of music at Clarion University. He has played in various cities across the United States, including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Toronto, New York and Buffalo, and has also been a member of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. He said this musical path helped shape his daughter's interest in music, even though she liked the piano very much from the beginning. "She made time for it by graduating high school at 15 and college at 18," said Mr. Lassowsky.

Ms. Lassowsky holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from Penn State University and is a researcher in mathematics for the U.S. government. She is an active member of Plast and has three children. Ms. Lassowsky has been playing the piano for over 20 years.

She and her father played together at home, and she accompanied him at numerous faculty recitals and student recitals. "Basically, it started at home and spilled over into a public venue," said Mr. Lassowsky.

The father-daughter pair communicate in a common musical language: they know each other's playing styles. But distance keeps the pair from practicing together as much as they would like. Since they live 300 miles apart, scheduling time to practice has become harder to do.

Project coordinator Kateryna Dowbenko asked the pair to perform at the University of Pittsburgh. She was inspired by Ms. Lassowsky's response that we have to help our community preserve our culture here in the United States, and we want our children to know our Ukrainian culture.

Word about the performance was spread through weekly announcements on the Ukrainian Weekly Program on PIT, and through pamphlets circulated on campus.

"The music was excellent and the artists were very pleasant," said Ms. Dowbenko.

Dorothy Waslo, a teacher at North Allegheny, came to the recital because of the diversity of the music played and because of the astonishing low ticket price for the type of music at the recital.

"It was excellent. The choices of music were not just Ukrainian, but for the general public," said Ms. Waslo.

Debra Walenchok, an operations manager in the Pittsburgh area, came to the concert with Ms. Waslo to appreciate an afternoon of fine music. "The melody by Skoryk, to me that piece was stunning," said Ms. Walenchok.

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