He's back: organist Koshuba begins U.S. tour (11/03/02)

He's back: organist Koshuba begins U.S. tour

by Yaro Bihun

WASHINGTON - Ukrainian concert organist Volodymyr Koshuba, whose almost annual appearances in the United States have coincided with the first frost in the Midwest, is once again performing on some of the better church organs of the region.

This year's four-week tour, which takes him through Wisconsin, Minnesota and South Dakota, and across the border to London, Ontario, began October 27 in the warmer climate of the nation's capital, where he gave a recital at the Cherrydale United Methodist Church in Arlington, Va. In addition to the works of Bach, Vivaldi, Guilmant, Vierne and Mushell, Mr. Koshuba's program also included organ arrangements of the Concerto in D Major by Bortniansky and "The Great Gate of Kyiv" from Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition."

The well-traveled soloist from Kyiv arrived here directly from a concert tour of Italy, the last of four Western European countries where he performed so far this year, the others being France, Spain and Yugoslavia. Two days after his recital here, Mr. Koshuba performed in Beloit and LaCrosse, Wis., on October 29 and November 2.

His remaining concerts will be on:

November 10, at the Church of St. John the Evangalist in Rochester, Minn.;
November 17, at the First Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, S.D.; and
November 22, at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, Ontario.

This was Mr. Koshuba's fourth recital in Washington since 1994, when he first played at the National Cathedral. He performed there again last year. Mr. Koshuba is the chief organist at the National House of Organ and Chamber Music in Kyiv and teaches young organists at the conservatory there. In addition to his numerous tours abroad, he helps organize performances in Ukraine by his foreign organist colleagues. Last year, with the financial assistance of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine and several private companies, he organized a festival featuring four leading American organists, which included performances in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Bila Tserkva.

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