Community
The St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church Parish Choir has participated in a multitude of community events both in Toronto and outside of the GTA. Some of the most memorable are captured below.
The Ukrainian Choral Community
“Vesnivka,” Canada’s pre-eminent Ukrainian women’s choir, was established in 1965 and has been headquartered at the St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church Parish throughout its existence. Thus, it comes as no surprise that the Parish Choir has frequently and gladly accepted invitations from Vesnivka conductor Halyna “Kvitka” Kondracka to collaborate on a number of occasions.
Among them have been: A Tribute to Ivan Kowaliw (in 2016), a commemoration of the life and work of the Parish Choir conductor in from the late 1950s through the 1970s; and A Tribute to Oleksander Koshyts (in October 2019), a commemoration of the musician, composer, and conductor whose works are a central element of the Divine Liturgies sung in the parish. A handful of Choir members also participated in Vesnivska’s gala concert commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Ukraine’s Bard, Taras Shevchenko, held at Koerner Hall in Toronto in 2014, with guest artists Pavlo Hunka, the Gryphon Trio, and soloists from the Greater Toronto Area. The Choir’s conductor, Zhanna Zinchenko, conducted some elements of the programme.
The year 2015 marked the 150th anniversary of the birth of Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytsky, the highly influential hierarach of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (as it was then known) from 1901 until his death in 1944. To commemorate this date and his role in Church life and Ukrainian culture, the Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies, under the patronage of the Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada, organized a Concert of Sacred Music held at St. Joseph’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Oakville, Ontario. The Choir, along with Vesnivka and the Sheptytsky Institute Choir of Ottawa, were invited to participate. In the spirit of Metropolitan Sheptytsky, renowned and venerated for his patronage of and charity towards cultural and educational causes, proceeds from this concert were donated to the Ukrainian Student Scholarship Fund, whose aim is, in part, to support students from Ukraine pursuing their education there or in the diaspora. The Choir’s programme included the North American premiere of contemporary Ukrainian composer Tetiana Yashvili’s setting of “Отче Наш” (Our Father).
Also in 2015, Maestro Myron Maksymiw, conductor of the Musicus Botnianskii ensemble and of the parish choir of the St. Demetrius the Great Martyr Ukrainian Catholic Church, organized a Festival of Local Parish Choirs, to which he invited the Choir, and in which it happily participated.
Having last visited Ukraine almost 30 years prior, in January 2020 the Choir embarked on a one-week tour in western Ukraine that included participation in three festivals of choral carol singing in Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv – the first Ukrainian Canadian choir to do so! The main concerts were live-streamed and received extensive coverage by the local media, thus reaching an international audience.
The Ukrainian Diasporan Community
The Choir has participated in community events in North America and beyond since its inception in 1985. As far back as 1988, the then-newly formed St. Evtymij Youth Choir (as it was briefly known, forerunner of today’s St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church Parish Choir), participated in celebrations of the Millennium of Christianity in Ukraine, organized by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, which took place in Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens.
As part of its celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the Birth of His Beatitude, Patriarch Josyf Slipyj, the Toronto Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Toronto invited the St. Nicholas Youth Choir (as the Choir was then known) to celebrate a Divine Liturgy with His Excellency Bishop Isidore Borecky and an array of hierarchs and clergy at the Exhibition Place Bandshell, along with other local parish choirs. Conducted by Adrian Ivakhiv, the Choir also participated in the concert portion of the programme, which included a performance of the setting of “Отче Наш” (Our Father), composed by founding conductor Roman Hurko.
Coinciding with the 120th anniversary of Ukrainian Immigration to Canada, 20 years of Ukraine’s independence, and the 150th anniversary of the death of Ukraine’s Bard, the Unveiling and Blessing of the Taras Shevchenko Monument on the grounds of the St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Shrine in the Canadian capital, Ottawa, took place in June 2011. The Choir was invited to participate by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress in the blessing, gala ceremony, and concert. The Choir’s concert programme consisted of works specially selected by Maestro Zinchenko, including Mykola Lysenko’s setting of excerpts from Shevchenko’s poem “Сон (Комедія)” (The Dream, A Comedy), and contemporary Ukrainian composer Taras Kravtsov’s setting of “І небо невмите” (And the Unwashed Sky), another North American premiere.
The Choir has twice returned to Ottawa and the St. John the Baptist Shrine, in the summers of 2017 and 2018, at the invitation of the Capital Ukrainian Festival, to participate in its Liturgical Concert Series.
Since the unveiling of the Holodomor Memorial Parkette, adjacent to the Princess Gates of the Canadian National Exhibition grounds, in 2018, the Choir has a standing invitation from the Toronto Branch of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress to participate in ecumenical Holodomor Commemorations with hierarchs, clergy, and distinguished guests. For three years, the Choir has led the faithful in the singing of the Панахида (Mnemosynon), the solemn liturgical service for the repose of the departed, in memory of the victims of the genocidal famine perpetrated by the Stalinist regime.
Statement of Goals and Welcoming
Maestro Zinchenko’s goals include the celebration of the Divine Liturgy in a range of parishes across the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada, particularly in Ontario and Québec. The Choir also intends to broaden its audience by recasting (in part) liturgical services at the St. Nicholas Parish as concerts of sacred music with featured works, soloists, etc.
Whether it’s at the parish level, or in a range of the greater communities, the Parish Choir of the St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church welcomes ideas for new projects and collaborations – in concert, and in recordings. Please contact us at st.nicholas.ukrainianchoir@gmail.com
