ukraine? - The Ukrainian Weekly

8 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1998No. 38Renowned Maestro Wolodymyr Kolesnyk is interred in Kyivby Halia Talpash WawryshynKYIV – Wolodymyr Kolesnyk hadbeen the former principal choirmaster,conductor, artistic director and generaldirector of one of the largest theaters inthe world – the Taras Shevchenko StateAcademic Theater of Opera and Ballet(the Kyiv Opera Theater).After his death in Toronto onNovember 7, 1997, two panakhydy(memorial services) were held inToronto, however, Mr. Kolesnyk’s wife,Hanna, decided that it would be most fittingfor the formal funeral of Mr.Kolesnyk to be held in Kyiv.Born in 1928 in Dnipropetrovsk, Mr.Kolesnyk graduated with distinctionfrom Kyiv’s Tchaikovsky StateConservatory in 1952, after having completeda conducting course under Prof.Hryhorii Veriovka. While still a youngman, in 1954 he was appointed chiefchoirmaster of the Kyiv Opera Theater’schorus, which consisted of nearly 100singers.Due to political pressure, he left hisillustrious musical career in Ukraine andin 1973 went with his family to Australiaand later to Canada, where he becameconductor of the Ukrainian OperaChorus in Toronto. In addition, he oftenconducted the Dnipro Choir ofEdmonton, and for 10 years conductedthe Ukrainian Bandura Ensemble ofDetroit. He held workshops every summerfor over 20 years in order to trainover 200 musical conductors in NorthAmerica.The day of the funeral in Kyiv was awarm spring day and the casket lay inthe upper gallery of the Kyiv OperaTheater surrounded by flowers andflanked by a large photograph of MaestroKolesnyk.Since Maestro Kolesnyk’s work of Mr.Kolesnyk in North America is not wellknown in Ukraine, on the initiative ofToronto Lysenko Opera Chorus PresidentValentyna Kuryliw it was decided to havea display on a standing board of all theposters from various concerts and operasthat were staged under Mr. Kolesnyk’sdirection in Canada and the U.S.Numerous pictures of the maestro atwork with the Toronto and Edmontonchoruses and with various symphonyorchestras were displayed in a case. Astanding board also displayed pictures ofthe maestro throughout different stages ofhis career, both in North America and inUkraine. As people came up the stairs ofthe exquisitely decorated opera building,they first encountered these displays, atestimony to the prodigious work andcontribution of Mr. Kolesnyk in Canada,the U.S. and Ukraine.In groups of four, people with armbandstook turns standing on either sideof the casket, a vigil of respect for thedeceased maestro. People began arrivingat 11 a.m. but it was not until 1 p.m. thatthe formalities of speeches and eulogiesbegan. During these two hours, numerousmusical pieces were beautifully renderedby a string quartet composed of operamusicians. A choir of singers from theKyiv Opera Theater chorus sang worksby Taras Shevchenko such as “DumyMoyi” and “Zapovit” in a manner soexcellent that it would have made themaestro proud.Speeches were made by dignitaries ofthe Kyiv Opera Theater and a poem,“Maestro,” in honor of Mr. Kolesnyk wasread by the Ukrainian poet MykhailoTkach. The event was attended by manyguests, such as the renowned writer IvanDzyuba, and other speakers includingAnatolii Mokrenko, current director of theopera theater, Lesia Dychko, a well-knowncomposer and secretary of the Union ofComposers of Ukraine, and Ms. Kuryliw.After the speeches at the Kyiv OperaTheater, the funeral party made its way bybuses to the Baykiv Cemetery on the outskirtsof Kyiv, where many luminariessuch as writer Lesia Ukainka, historianand political leader Mykhailo Hrushevsky,and composer Mykola Lysenko are buried.At the site where Mr. Kolesnyk would belaid to rest, a large memorial stone hadbeen erected. At the gravesite speecheswere delivered by Maria Dytyniak, conductorof the Dnipro Choir of Edmonton;Mykhailo Stepanenko, president of theunion of Composers of Ukraine; and IvanHamkalo, one of the conductors of theKyiv Opera Theater. As the coffin was laidHalia Talpash WawryshynMourners and Maestro Wolodymyr Kolesnyk’s widow, Hanna, at the gravesite at Baykiv Cemetery in Kyiv.to rest all present sang “Vichnaia Pamiat.”Following the funeral service at thecemetery, mourners returned to the operahouse where the “tryzna” was preparedfor the guests. An impassioned speech byMrs. Kolesnyk and remarks by CanadianAmbassador Christopher Westdal, translatedinto Ukrainian by Cultural AttachéRoman Waschuk, were offered.Maestro Kolesnyk, who in 1969 heldone of the most prestigious posts in theUkrainian musical world as the KyivOpera Theater’s general and artisticdirector, was laid to eternal rest in hisbeloved city. Under his direction nearly900 talented people worked and masteredover 80 operas of both classical and moderncomposers. The Soviet repressions inUkraine in the 1970s indirectly gaveUkrainians in North America a gift, andin having had Maestro Kolesnyk, theUkrainian cultural scene has been foreverenriched. The musical seeds that he soaptly planted are sure to grow for manygenerations.Above, writer Ivan Dzyuba greets Hanna Kolesnyk at thememorial reception. On the left, Valia Kuryliw of Toronto’sLysenko Opera Chorus speaks at the Kyiv Opera Theater,where mourners gathered to pay their respects to WolodymyrKolesnyk.