TORONTO – The third Ukrainian Art Song Summer Institute being held August 12-18 at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.
Eight very talented artists, on the cusp of breaking into the world of professional vocal music, will attend with the intent of honing their already significant skills. Their talent is impressive; so is their appreciation of Ukrainian art songs, which provide new repertoire and are gaining the recognition they deserve in the world of classical vocal music.
The 2019 Summer Institute is a significant milestone for the Ukrainian Art Song Project. In the words of Artistic Director Pavlo Hunka: “Reaching out to the youth of the world to introduce new music is a paramount aim of the Ukrainian Art Song Project.”
Since the first Ukrainian Art Song Summer Institute, many of the emerging artists have already included Ukrainian art songs in their repertoire. They are also helping to broadcast knowledge and awareness of Ukrainian composers and Ukrainian classical vocal music.
The lead sponsors of the Ukrainian Art Song Summer Institute 2019 are: SUS Foundation of Canada, the Shevchenko Foundation and the Ukrainian Canadian War Veterans Fund.
Emerging artists of 2019
Ukrainian Canadian Alexandra Beley is quickly establishing herself as an up and coming young mezzo-soprano. She recently completed two years at L’Atelier Lyrique with Opéra de Montréal, where she made her debut with the company singing Berta in “Il Barbiere di Siviglia.” The following year, she sang Second Maid in Strauss’s “Elektra” under the baton of esteemed conductor and current Music Director of the Metropolitan Opera Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Prior to her time in Montreal, Ms. Beley completed a year in Calgary Opera’s Emerging Artist Program, where she made her debut singing the title role in ”The Rape of Lucretia.” Other roles include Gertrude (“Roméo et Juliette”), Suzuki (“Madama Butterfly”), Dorothée (“Cendrillion”), Dorabella (“Così Fan Tutte”), Cherubino (“Le Nozze di Figaro”), Hänsel (“Hänsel und Gretel”), Dinah (“Trouble in Tahiti”) and Stéphano (“Roméo et Juliette”).
Julie Anna Gulenko is praised for her graceful soprano voice and sensitive musical interpretations. The northeast Ohio native is an alumna of Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Marlene Rosen and performed in several Oberlin Opera Theater productions. ClevelandClassical.com noted the singer’s delightful approach to the role of Serpetta in Oberlin’s modern staging of ”La Finta Giardiniera” by Mozart. Ms. Gulenko has made multiple appearances with both Canton Comic Opera and the Summit Choral Society and recently collaborated on performance projects with the Cleveland Ballet, the Western Reserve Historical Society and the Tuesday Musical Association. She has participated in master classes with Serbian mezzo-soprano Milena Kitic and Venezuelan soprano Inés Salazar.
Yurii Hryhorash is a master’s graduate from the Lviv National Music Academy. He was also a member of its Opera Studio. He has had considerable success in singing competitions achieving: first place at the Teren-Yushkiv competition in Lviv; second place at the Malaniuk competition in Ivano-Frankivsk; and second place at the 21st Century Art competition in Kyiv. Mr. Hryhorash has performed as a soloist at the Lviv National Opera and the Lviv National Philharmonic. He made his debut in 2016 in the title role in ”Le Nozze di Figaro,” a joint project with the Lviv Opera and Lviv National Music Academy. In 2018, he appeared as a guest artist in the Jan Kiepura International Festival in Poland. His repertoire includes roles in operas by Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Donizetti and Hulak-Artemovsky.
Kateryna Khartova moved to Canada from Ukraine in 2007 at the age of 18. During her first year in Saskatoon she started taking voice lessons and immediately fell in love with opera. In 2011 she was accepted into the Music Department at the University of Saskatchewan, where she has been studying under the tutelage of Dr. Garry Gable and Kathleen Lohrenz Gable. In 2016 Ms. Khartova graduated with an honors bachelor’s degree in voice performance. During her school years she has been a chorus member of numerous opera productions with the Saskatoon Opera Association. She has won the Wallis Silver Memorial (2014) and Bronze Grand Awards (2015) at the Saskatchewan Music Festival. She had her orchestral debut in March 2017 with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra as a soprano soloist for the Ukrainian oratorio “Golden Harvest” by Larysa Kuzmenko. She is now continuing her education at the Glenn Gould School of Music in Toronto in the class of Monica Whicher.
Teryn Kuzma is a Ukrainian American soprano, hailing from Hartford, Conn., where she studies voice with Dr. Constance Rock. Ms. Kuzma is a member of the Women’s Bandura Ensemble of North America, where she also serves on the artistic committee. She is a recent graduate of the University of Connecticut with a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance. While at school, she performed with the Opera Theater and Opera Outreach programs in several roles, including Belinda in ”Dido and Aeneas,” Amalia Balash in ”She Loves Me,” Una Novizia in ”Suor Angelica” and a Fairy Sprite in Massenet’s ”Cendrillon.” Most recently, she appeared with The Ohio Light Opera in Wooster as an ensemble member and featured soloist. Last year, she attended the SongFest Program in Los Angeles as a Young Artist and won the University of Connecticut Concerto & Aria Competition.
Praised as a “sophisticated artist” with a “gorgeous voice” and “stratospheric vocals” (Winnipeg Free Press), soprano Katherine Mayba, native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, has performed with Manitoba Underground Opera as Ilia (“Idomeneo”) and Amore (“L’incoronazione di Poppea”) and with Manitoba Opera (“Don Giovanni,” “Falstaff,” “Madama Butterfly”), and has made regular appearances with Flipside Opera. She has also performed as a soloist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and through the Orville J. Derraugh Scholarship Competition, and has competed in the Winnipeg Music Festival, winning several awards including the Rose Bowl. Ms. Mayba studies at the University of Manitoba and is a student of Tracy Dahl. A multidisciplinary musician, she holds her ARCT Performance Diploma in voice, piano and violin from The Royal Conservatory of Music.
Andrew Skitko earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music at Westminster Choir College. Through Westminster, he has performed with the world’s leading conductors and orchestras at venues such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Mr. Skitko sings regularly with the Opera Philadelphia Chorus, The Philadelphia Symphonic Choir and The Same Stream Choir. He has participated in The Oxford University Choral Institute as a member of the Grammy-nominated ensemble Williamson Voices. He is a professional cantor for the Byzantine-Ruthenian Church and is also the artistic director of Theoria Chamber Choir, which performs Slavic choral repertoire. Additionally, Mr. Skitko is an assistant producer, singer and member of the Ukrainian Art Song Project.
A native of Toronto, Olenka Slywynska has been praised for having “a lush, honey-colored sound filling the hall, singing everyone else under the table” (Opera Canada). She performs in opera, oratorio and does recital work, and has enjoyed interesting recital opportunities at the Tanglewood Music Festival, Hamilton Philharmonic’s What’s Next festival, and ARC festivals. Ms. Slywynska has performed oratorio with the Hamilton Philharmonic Symphony, Toronto Classical Singers, Vesnivka and many others. She has enjoyed singing in operas with the Highlands Opera Studio, Opera Chai and operas at the Glenn Gould School of Music. She has also sung in the Canadian Opera Company Chorus. She recently earned a master’s in pedagogy from the University of Toronto and is presently teaching voice.
Masterclasses may be audited
The public may attend a masterclass and experience the process as the emerging artists learn to bring gems of art songs to life; they may watch the coaching process as the singers learn to understand and express the spirit and soul of Ukrainian art songs as well as the intention of the composers.
Public auditing opportunities are available during the week at the Conservatory in the Temerty Theater on Wednesday, August 14, at 2:30 to 6:30 p.m.; Thursday, August 15, at 2:30 to 6:30 p.m.; and Friday, August 16, at 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. There is no cost for attending, but interested persons are asked to register in order to audit the classes on the Ukrainian Art Song Project website, https://uaspsponsor.squarespace.com/auditing/.
Artists’ performance
All eight emerging artists will showcase their talent as well as the skills they have mastered during the week at a final recital on Sunday, August 18, at the Temerty Theater at the Royal Conservatory’s TELUS Center For Performance and Learning, 273 Bloor Street West in Toronto. Tickets are $40 for adults and $20 for students with ID and are available on the Royal Conservatory website, https://www.rcmusic.com/event-calendar/artists-in-performance-ukrainian-art-song-summer-institute.
For further information, readers may e-mail [email protected].