TORONTO – Canada’s pre-eminent performers of the centuries-old Ukrainian Kobzar musical tradition, the Canadian Bandurist Capella, will present two concerts in the Greater Toronto area in January. The concerts, which kick off the ensemble’s 15th anniversary year, will feature seasonal “koliady” and “shchedrivky” – Ukrainian Christmas carols, New Year and winter songs.
The first concert, on January 17 in Georgetown, Ontario, showcases the ensemble, with its all-male vocalists and bandurists, along with guest soloist mezzo-soprano Viera Zmiyiwsky, under the artistic direction of Andriy Dmytrovych, and the St. Elias Church Singers of Brampton. The concert will take place at Knox Presbyterian Church, 116 Main St. S., at 3 p.m.; admission is by donation. Proceeds will benefit St. Elias, the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Brampton, which burned down in 2014.
At the second concert, on January 24 in Toronto, at St. Pius X Church on 2305 Bloor St. W., the capella will be joined by two Toronto-based women’s choirs, Dibrova (artistic director Olesya Konyk) of the Ukrainian Youth Association and Levada (conductor Zhanna Zinchenko), which is part of the Ukrainian Youth Ensembles. The concert begins at 3 p.m.; tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and students, free for children under age 14.
“We’re really excited about our upcoming season,” commented Mr. Dmytrovych, the capella’s artistic director, “and thrilled that Dibrova and Levada will both be joining us to launch our milestone anniversary year.” Under Mr. Dmytrovych, who first served as the capella’s choirmaster, the ensemble has been reaching increasingly greater musical heights, with technically outstanding performances and exceptional repertoire, focusing on traditional historic Kobzar songs, many dating back to the Kozak period in Ukraine.
In addition, the ensemble’s musical excellence can be credited to its talented members, such as concertmaster Borys Ostapienko. The young composer and bandurist won first prize at the 2013 International Bandura Competition in Kyiv and at the 2010 Hnat Khotkevych International Competition in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Capella members hail from across Ontario, including Toronto, Kingston, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo and St. Catharines.
Many of the numbers in the upcoming concert programs have been arranged by Mr. Dmytrovych; there will also be arrangements of composers Kyrylo Stetsenko and Hryhoriy Kytasty.
The Toronto-based capella has been expanding its reach by performing outside the Toronto area, with recent concerts in Kingston at the Isabel Bader Center for Performing Arts, in Ottawa at the National Art Gallery and in the Chicago area.
“We are a Canadian ensemble and, as such, we want to bring our music to larger Canadian audiences,” noted Walter Chewchuk, chorister and president of the capella’s board of directors. To this end, there are plans for a gala celebratory concert in the fall of 2016 and discussions about touring to the rest of Canada and internationally in coming years.
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