Concert organist from Ukraine begins annual tour of United States

by Yaro Bihun

WASHINGTON - Volodymyr Koshuba, a world-traveled leading concert organist from Ukraine, began what has become almost an annual event for him - a U.S. concert tour.

This year, however, the short, two-week tour has only five performances in two states: in Madison and Beloit, Wis., and in Rochester, Alexandria and Albert Lea, Minn.

It also differs from his previous tours in that, for the first time, Mr. Koshuba is sharing the spotlight, introducing to the American audience his daughter, Viktoriya, 12, the gold-medal winner in recent international piano competitions in Turin and Paris.

In recent years, Mr. Koshuba has spent three to four months out of the year touring abroad - primarily in Europe and North America. He has also performed in South America and Japan.

This is his eighth U.S. tour since 1994. In the past, in addition to the smaller venues in the Midwestern states, he has played recitals in some of the leading houses of worship in Washington (twice in the National Cathedral), New York and Chicago.

Mr. Koshuba's concert programs, which include the standard organ repertoire, also feature arrangement of works by Bortniansky and other Ukrainian composers.

In Ukraine Mr. Koshuba has been the concert organist of the Kyiv State Organ Concert Hall since 1981. In 1988 he was named Honored Artist of Ukraine.

Following his performances in Madison and Beloit, Wis. (October 28 and 30), the remaining concerts on his tour are in Minnesota: November 2, at the Zumbro Lutheran Congregation in Rochester; November 7, at the Calvary Lutheran Church in Alexandria; and November 9, at the First United Methodist Church in Albert Lea.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, November 2, 2003, No. 44, Vol. LXXI

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