WASHINGTON – The large gathering of parishioners and others who came to the Sunday, May 31, liturgy at Washington’s Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family were overwhelmed by what they witnessed that morning. Their church choir sang a new composition of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom No. 3 in English, under the direction of its composer Roman Hurko.
And they cheered and expressed their appreciation to the composer-conductor during the church hall reception that followed.
The choir, a number of whose members also sing with the Washington Spiv-Zhyttya chorus, had rehearsed the new liturgical composition for close to half a year, under the direction of its conductors, and in two rehearsals just before the Washington debut with the composer himself.
“What [conductors] Stefan Szyszka and Oksana Lassovska have done here is incredible – to bring this group together, to give this burst of enthusiasm to this church,” is how Roman Hurko described that occasion in an interview following the reception.
“I’ve heard many compliments today about how prayerful the service was, how engaged the people were, and I just hope that they keep doing it and pass this along,” he added.
Mr. Hurko, who now resides in New York, refers to himself as a “Canadian American of Ukrainian descent.” He was born and grew up in Canada, where his parents emigrated to via Australia after World War II. And he thanks his mother, who always sang around the house, for launching him into his professional career in music and composition, especially in religious music.
“At one point I got very frustrated with the music in church, and she said to me: ‘Stop complaining and do something about it.’ And that’s when I started the student choir, and we started singing, first very simply… and then gradually putting in four-part pieces. And that’s how I guess I got started.”
That was 30 years ago, and that choir still exists today, he said, adding, “It’s something that I hope all church choirs will think of, not just to be happy with what you have now. Know that we’re not eternal, and that we have to bring people in and we have to pass this on.”
Mr. Hurko earned a B.A. degree in music history and theory at the University of Toronto, and a master of arts and religion degree at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. He is a member of the Composers Union of Ukraine.
He completed the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in 1999 in commemoration of the Millennium of Christianity in Rus’-Ukraine. It was performed for the first time in 2011 in Chicago by the Schola Cantorum of St. Peter the Apostle, and a CD recording of it was made that same year. It was also performed in New York – as an evening liturgy in a Roman Catholic church and followed the next morning at St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church.
His major liturgical compositions also include the Panakhyda/Requiem for the victims of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster.
Mr. Hurko’s musical career also includes opera, theater and films productions, and – as he was quick to add – he has translated and set a few of his mother’s poems to music.
Asked if this creative work was enough to earn a living, he replied, “It’s a labor of love.”