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NUMBER 71 OCTOBER 2011 626 BATHURST ST. TORONTO, ON
ISSN-0703-9999
Toronto Mandolin Orchestra returns to Glenn Gould Studio After a
two year absence, the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra of the Shevchenko
Musical Ensemble, returns to Glenn Gould Studio (CBC) on November
27 with a new program.
An exciting addition to the
concert will be the appearance of guest artist, violinist Moshe
Ham-mer. Mr. Hammer is well known not only for his acclaimed
performanc-es, but for his dedication to introduc-ing young people,
especially ‘at risk’ youth, to the violin and great music.
(See page 3 for more details).Hungarian born, Mr.
Hammer, was raised in Israel where he studied with Ilona Feher.
As a student of Jascha Heifetz he was a medal winner at the
Concours Jacques Thibaud in Paris.
Hammer’s tours have taken him across North America, Europe,
Israel
and the Far-East. Admired for his artistic style, unique
interpretations and vibrant tone, his performances have
consistently energized critics, thrilled audiences and earned
respect among his colleagues.
Mr. Hammer has traveled world concert venues and performed with
many symphony orchestras.
He was the founder and leader of the Toronto based chamber
group, The Amadeus Ensemble, and performd as a membr of Da Camera,
thrilling audiences in Canada, US and Europe, including the world
renowned Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
Mr. Hammer brings to his performances a charismatic stage
presence, a tone of unmatched subtlety, vitality and artistry of
the highest order.
Also featured on the program with the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra
will be resident soloist Ira Erokhina, virtuoso on the
Russian-style 3-string domra.
A member of the TMO since 2002, Ira continues to amaze and
delight audiences. Her rendition of the fast-paced Hora Martisor by
Dinicu will not disappoint.
Moshe Hammer, guest violinist
Ira Erokhina, resident domra soloist
Artistic Director Alexander Veprinsky and his family of
mandolins
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Desna Ukrainian Dance Company opens new schoolThe Desna
Ukrainian Dance Company, which has appeared on a number of
occasions as guest artists with the Shevchenko Ensem-ble, has
opened a school of dance for children and adults. Its goal is to
provide a safe, positive and fun environment where young dancers
can get in touch with their heritage
by learning the art of folk dance.Classes of the school will
be
conducted by the highly qualified team of Luba and Yuri Grekov,
graduates of the Virsky National Academy of Dance in Kyiv. They
teach the Virsky style of dance which encompasses an in-depth
ethnological knowledge and con-veys the spirit and richness of
Ukrainian dance. This wealth of knowledge and talent will be passed
on to the students of the school.
To register your child (or your-self) with the Desna School of
Ukrainian Dance, call Larisa or Taras at 416-819-5468 or e-mail
[email protected] for details and registration forms.
Shevchenko Museum ExhibitThe Taras Shevchenko Museum in Toronto,
always looking for ways to better meet the needs of the Ukrainian
heritage and cultural community, will present another exhibit by an
outstanding artist.
Larissa Soushko, originally from Ukraine, is an architect,
artist and poet. She has participated in many exhibits in Ukraine,
Russia, the USA and Canada where she now makes her home.
Ms. Soushko’s current series presents landscapes with a warm,
delicate atmosphere, where human presence is felt but not seen. Her
exhibit in the Museum will run from October 29 (artist’s reception)
until December 30, 2011.
In addition to the permanent exhibit of paintings and
drawings
by and about Taras Shevchenko, previous exhibits presented by
the Museum were by Roger Golden, sculptor; Oryst Sawchuk, architect
and artist; and avant garde artist Jerry Prociw who is also
remem-bered for his fine tenor voice and his solo performances as a
member of the Shevchenko Male Chorus.
A new addition to the Museum’s permanent display is a beautiful
stained glass portrait of Shevchenko done by Damon Dowbak of
Thun-der Bay. We are sorry we can’t show you this piece of art in
colour for it is splendid in tones of bright red and yellow.
Visit the Museum’s website for more information on the
activities of this one-of-a-kind institution in North America.
Luba and Yuri Grekov, Directors, Desna School of Ukrainian
Dance
Finns celebrate 100 yearsThe Finnish Organization of Can-ada,
established in 1911, is the oldest Canadian nationwide cultural
organization for Finns. It has a long and proud history of
participating in the struggle for social justice, equal-ity and
workers’ rights.
The organization also celebrates a century of cultural and
sports activity, particularly gymnastics and track and field from
which many prodigés went on to compete in broad Canadian
competitions. These activities were made available and shared with
many in other ethnic communities, particularly the Ukrai-nian
community in such localities as Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Kirkland
Lake, Vancouver and Toronto.
To mark the historic 100 years, the Finnish Organization of
Canada will hold an Anniversary Concert, Dinner and Dance on
Saturday, October 15 in the Latvian Canadian Cultural Centre in
Toronto.
To join them in their celebration you can call Elsie Jokinen for
infor-mation and tickets at 416-593-8556 or
[email protected].
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Helping kids change their tuneMoshe Hammer is not only a great
talent on the violin, but also has great compassion for young
people, particularly those “at risk”.During the ‘Summer of Guns’ in
Toronto in 2006, he was preoccu-pied with the sad fact that young
people –even pre-teens –carry arms regularly and sometimes use
them.
He thought “when imagining myself in those kids’ shoes, or
bet-ter said – minds, it became obvious that they were desperately
looking to belong, longing to feel good about themselves.”
By the end of that summer, The Hammer Band - From Violence to
Violins was born.
This was created to help at risk children, who might find guns
and gangs appealing, learn about the power of music instead.
There are many stories to be told, but here is one:
A young boy in Toronto, with gang scars inside and out, said
he
felt discarded, alone and afraid until he learned to play the
violin with Moshe Hammer. Now he plays Beethoven!
Introducing young people to violins and music develops
listen-ing skills and self-respect, pride in their accomplishments
and sensi-tivity to others, it brings troubled young people into a
positive group of peers and teachers. More time with the violin
means less time on the street.
Plans are to expand this program to numerous Toronto schools,
and even beyond, to introduce hundreds of kids to violins, music
and the power of teamwork. Within a few short years hundreds of
teenagers will be making music and regularly performing in
public.
Music education not only en-hances a child’s academic
perfor-mance in math and science, it also engenders teamwork,
communica-tion and other social skills that are
Music from Japan for TMOTamara Volskaya, well known to our
audiences and readership, performed three times in Japan with
mandolin orchestras in Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto and Tokyo.
During these tours she learned that there are approximately 700
mandolin orchestras in Japan, in-cluding high schools, colleges and
amateur groups.
The number of orchestras in Tokyo and suburbs alone is 230!
Estimating that each orchestra has 30 members, a total mandolin
pop-ulation of Japan is around 20,000. Brought to Japan in 1901,
only the Italian style mandolin is used in
these orchestras and the popularity of the mandolin has
continued to grow ever since.
On Sunday, November 27 the To-ronto Mandolin Orhestra will bring
something special to Glenn Gould Studio.
Following her visits to Japan, Tamara gave Alexander Veprinsky a
selection “Song of a Japanese Autumn” specially written for
mandolins by Japanese composer Yasuo Kuwahara (1946–2003). One of
Japan’s most famous play-ers, Kuwahara was also a prolific composer
for plucked strings. His works include numerous pieces
critical to success as an adult.By providing a high quality,
integrated, flexible and free music education program for
students, The Hammer Band is exercising that power and their
mission to
Help Kids Change Their Tune.
for solo mandolin, mandolin duo, guitar and mandolin, and
various mandolin ensembles. “Song of a Japanese Autumn” is
Kuwahara’s best-known composition. Frequently performed and
recorded, it is a large scale romantic work for mandolin orchestra,
with soaring melodies, lush harmony, shifting tempos and rhythms,
and a substantial cadenza at the conclusion.
The Toronto Mandolin Orchestra will perform Veprinsky’s
orches-tration of this lovely piece at their concert on November 27
in Glenn Gould Studio.
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Production of SME promo videoIt’s been a long time in coming,
but the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble will soon have a professionally
produced video to promote the En-semble, mainly to Ontario Concert
Societies.
Norm Sawchyn, filmmaker and member of the Shevchenko Board of
Directors from Saskatchewan has generously agreed to put his
talents to work on this project.
Norm is a graduate of the Uni-versity of Regina where he
com-pleted the Feature Story Writing and Motion Picture Studies
pro-grams.
His experience as a film editor and director dates back to the
early 1970s, includes 17 years at CBC Television in Regina, three
years at Partners in Motion Pictures and another 15 years of
freelance work for various production companies in
Saskatchewan.
Norm has edited, directed and produced numerous documentaries
for the History and Discovery tele-vision channels. With the
Regina
CBC he was video editor of innu-merable news items,
documentaries and dramas for local, regional and network programs
and produced and edited a number of special documentaries for
‘Newshour’.
Among his many credits is his most recent film “Poltava:
Celebra-tion”, a one hour documentary which brilliantly tells the
story of Saskatchewan’s oldest and most
successful ethnic performing group, the Poltava Ensemble of the
Regina AUUC.
Some of Norm’s most memora-ble works include “Time & Place”
a 30 min. documentary in 13 episodes of the wildlife series for
Discovery Television; “End of Empire”, a one hour documentary for
History Television on the fall of Singapore to the Japanese during
WWII; and “Work and Wages: A Cry for Dig-nity” about the On to
Ottawa trek.
As a talented Ukrainian dancer in his younger years, Norm has a
deep understanding and apprecia-tion for his heritage, making him
the perfect person to promote the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble.
Collaborating with Norm on this project, Byron Kautto will
produce a full colour brochure, written and designed by him, to
accompany the video. Byron, too, has worked professionally in his
field for some 20 years, so the end result can only be as
professional as these two talented people.
Norman Sawchyn, filmmaker
Second photography show “Memorable Moments”
Harry Joy, Fine Art photographer
“From a time gone by never to be seen again”… archival photos
taken by Harry Joy in the 50s and 60s were once again on display
and sale
for the public this summer at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community
Centre in Toronto.
In 2005 his works were dis-played at the Etobicoke City Hall,
Toronto City Hall (as part of the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibit) and
in the Czechowski Bistro Gallery.
Inspired by the style of Henri Cartier-Bresson, Harry developed
his own sense of artistic compo-sition, light, line and form. His
perception and ability to anticipate peak action and emotional
mo-ments resulted in an amazing body of work which now serves as a
pictorial history of life in Toronto,
especially of neighbourhoods such as Kensington Market.
Through his photography Harry also contributed a wealth of
history to the archives of the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble. Many of
the hand painted and silk-screened posters of the Ensemble were
done by Harry Joy. He was also the Ensemble’s official photographer
on both its Ukraine concert tours in 1970 and 1989.
Harry’s current show is a re-markable feat for a man now in his
94th year. We congratulate him on his accomplishments and his great
contribution to the life of Toronto.
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Annual Banquet to honour volunteersOrganizations like the
National Shevchenko Musical Ensemble Guild are built and
maintained, in the main, by volunteer time, exper-tise, energy and…
yes, even money.
While the largest and most important source of revenue for
charities like ours is, of course, donations from individuals, many
different sources of revenue have helped to maintain and develop
the Ensemble, among them the charity Bingo events.
It all started in 1992 when Joe Cook, then Treasurer of the
Board, went in search of new funds and was successful in finding us
a spot in these community bingos.
After Joe’s retirement, Bill Mor-ris took the leadership of the
proj-ect, organizing volunteers to work at the events.
At the Annual Banquet of the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble, to be
held on Sunday, October 16, we will recognize and honour the
contribution made by the current volunteers who work at the
bingos.
To be honoured are André Denton, who is responsible for
organizing the schedule, Roman Paraschuk, Stan Nazarec, Joe Dzatko,
Barry Kanasewich and Bill Kumhyr.
Besides a delicious Ukrainian style meal and the tributes, a
high-light of the banquet will be the entertainment.
The Ensemble is fortunate to have met a very talented couple. A
new member of the Shevchenko Choir, tenor Hassan Anami was born in
Tabriz, Iran. From child-hood, he felt drawn to music but had no
opportunity to get a profes-sional musical education. At age 14 he
learned Azeri (traditional songs of Azerbaijan) music by means of
cassettes, and soon felt he was able to sing.
In 1988-1989, when the gov-ernment of Iran gave permission to
open private musical schools, Hassan studied theory of music and
solfeggio. In 1990, after hearing a concert by the three tenors,
classical music
so amazed him that he decided to sing opera arias as well. He
went to Baku, capital of Azerbaijan, and joined a vocal class at
the Baku Musical Academy. He became a soloist of the Opera and
Ballet Theatre in Baku and in 2002, Hassan was awarded the title
“Merited Artist of the Azerbaijan Republic” with a President’s
scholarship. Hassan is also a winner of many vocal competitions
including the Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow.
Narmina Afandiyeva was born in Baku (Azerbaijan). A musician of the
fourth generation, she never thought twice about her future as a
professional pianist.
Narmina gave her maiden solo concert at the age of 6 and was
playing serious Bach by age 8.
During her studies at the Bülbül Specialized Musical School,
Narmina frequently gave highly acclaimed solo concerts.
In 1994, Narmina entered the U. Hadjibeyov Azerbaijan State
Conservatory, and graduated with a Master’s degree. Narmina also
was a winner of many piano competitions in Azerbaijan.
Husband and wife, Narmina and Hassan perform as a
well-polished
duo. In June they gave their first concert in Toronto at
Trinity-St.Paul’s United Church and in August they had the
opportunity of appearing at the Niagara International Music
Festival.
Come out on October 16 and enjoy great entertainment while
participating in the tribute to the volunteers.
Hassan Anami, tenor
Narmina Afandeyeva, award winning pianistHassan Anami in the
role of Duca in the opera Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi.
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Shevchenko Musical Ensemble meets a new audienceIn the last
issue of the Bulletin (Nº 70, March 2011) we announced that the
Shevchenko Musical Ensemble would present its An-nual Concert in
the Richmond Hill Centre for the Arts in June.
The intension was to present the Ensemble, not only to our loyal
fol-lowers, but to a new audience from among residents of Richmond
Hill, Thornhill and area.
Last year our annual concert was shunted because of the G20
Summit, and once again we faced a dilema this year. Through an
error of management at the Richmond Hill Theatre we lost the June
date for the Annual Concert.
After a frantic search we found an availability at the City
Play-house Theatre in Thornhill for May 29, an even better date for
the Ensemble’s regular season.
In cases like this, there is often a silver lining, and we were
fortunate to experience just that.
With approximately six weeks to prepare advertising materials
and to disseminate these in a new area, our efforts at getting a
new audience were helped immensely through the generosity of Mr.
Mebs
Dhalla, Financial Planner; and a sponsorship from Dundeewealth
Securities Inc.
In addition to the sponsorship, Mr. Dhalla purchased 50 tickets
which he distributed to his clients.
This automatically brought new faces to the audience. And in
order to gauge the response of this new audience (besides the
applause) we circulated a survey.
Mot of the comments were “excellent show”, “fantastic”,
“thoroughly enjoyable”, “loved the variety of the program”.
Indeed, the program presented a variety of cultures in songs and
music performed by both the choir and orchestra. There were, of
course, Ukrainan folk songs and dances, Russian Gypsy music, a
Polish song, Sephardic folk song, Macedonian orchestral music,
Italian and French songs and much more.
Ira Erokhina amazed this new audience with the speed at which
her fingers flew on the fretboard of her domra in “Russian Gypsy
Variations”.
The vocal soloists were all in fine voice: Artour Razgoev in
the
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Shevchenko Musical Ensemble meets a new audienceItalian song
“Non ti Scordar di Me”; bass Herman Rombouts with a new Ukrainian
song “Chornobryvtsi”; “Natalka’s Song” from the opera “Natalka
Poltavka” sung by Tetyana Shkymba; and “Giuditta’s Song” from
Lehar’s operetta “Giuditta” sung by Helen Spiers.
Music of South America was re-presented on the program by
Piazol-la’s haunting “Oblivion” performed on domra by Ira
Erokhina.
The Desna Ukrainian Dancers were once again splendid with their
leaps and turns in the Ukrainian folk dances. They were outstanding
in their ‘maiden’ performance of the “African Miners’ Dance”. Clad
in overalls, rubber boots and hard hats, the dancers performed
entirely with-out music, only to the rhythm of the stamping of
their feet and the slap-ping of their rubber “mud” boots, all
perfectly synchronized.
It was only fitting that the concert program, in reflecting the
diversity of the multicultural fabric of Cana-dian society, end
with a tribute to Canada, a country built on tolerance and
acceptance.
Master of Ceremonies Richard Szymczyk introduced the
Canadian
and final segment of the pro-gram which began with choir and
orchestra performing “Peg-Leg’s Fiddle” by Morris Surdin, fol-lowed
by the lively “Canadian Country Dance” by Desna.
Representing French-Canada, Tanya Podolskaya performed the
popular Quebec song “Mon Pays” by songwriter Gilles Vigneault.
For the finale, the Ensemble of choir and orchestra with
soloists John Nieboer and Helen Spiers, performed the final segment
of “A Feast of Thunder”, entitled “A World is Born”, by
poet-play-wright George Ryga and com-poser Morris Surdin.
The City Playhouse Theatre is a fine facility, very comfortable
and inviting both in the lobby and the back stage area. The
technical staff was diligent and coopera-tive, meeting all our
production needs which helped make this concert a great
success.
The Shevchnko Musical En-semble hopes to return to the City
Playhouse Theatre to continue to build a new audience with whom it
can share its rich musical heritage.
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The Ger Mandolin Orchestra: A Living Memorial to Poland’s JewsBy
Eric SteinOver the last year I have had the great privilege of
participating in a unique new musical project. The Ger Mandolin
Orchestra is an 11-piece ensemble comprised of some of the world’s
leading mandolin players. The project is the brainchild of a San
Francisco-based Israeli named Avner Yonai. While searching for his
family’s roots in Poland, Yonai discovered a 1930s-era photograph
of his grandfather and two other relatives playing in a Jewish
mandolin orchestra
in the Polish town of Gora-Kalwaria, known in Yiddish as Ger.
Intrigued and inspired by the photo, Yonai set out on a quest to
revive a modern version of the Ger mandolin group, to serve as a
living memorial to his Polish-Jewish forebears, and more broadly,
to the rich cultural life of Jews in pre-WWII Poland.
In partnership with the Jewish Music Festival in Berkeley,
California, Yonai began his quest by enlisting as musical director
Mike Marshall, a Bay area resident and one of the world’s
greatest mandolinists. Imagine my excitement to have received a
phone call from Marshall last January inviting me to participate in
the group. After hearing the list of other participants my
excitement only grew. Each of the players in the group is a
virtuoso in his own right, and the stylistic expertise amongst the
members ranges widely from Jewish and East European folk music to
bluegrass, jazz, Irish, Brazilian, classical, and much more.
One of our great challenges was determining what repertoire the
original Ger orchestra had played. Despite prodigious efforts,
little information specific to the original group’s work was
discovered. So, like many great archaeological tasks, much was left
to inference and historically-educated guesses. There was little
doubt that such a group would have played its fair share of Jewish
music, and on that count I was thrilled to be able to contribute
five of my own original arrangements for mandolin orchestra of
Klezmer and Yiddish music. Ongoing research and general theorizing
about the historical and sociocultural context of the original Ger
ensemble led to the completion of our repertoire with the addition
of Polish, Slavic and Italian music.
The group came together for the first time in March in Berkeley.
Over two intensive days of rehearsal eleven musicians who had never
before worked together were transformed into a finely-oiled mando
machine. Our debut performance at the venerable Freight and Salvage
Coffeehouse was a smash success, and we all knew instantly that we
were part of something special. Within two weeks of the Berkeley
performance, Yonai received a letter of congratulations from the
current mayor of Gora-Kalwaria, which included an invitation for
the new Ger Mandolin Orchestra to return to Poland and perform in
the town of its origination.
Word came in the spring that plans had coalesced for the group
to make good on the Mayor’s invitation and travel to Poland in the
first week of September. My excitement for the tour was tempered by
a degree of anxiety about what instrument I would play. All the
members of the ensemble trade off on different instruments of
Ger Mandolin Orchestra, circa 1930s
Ger Mandolin Orchestra, Sept. 3, 2011Top row from L: Chris
Acquavella, Radim Zenkl, Eric Stein, Dana Rath, Adam Roszkiewicz,
Mike Marshall.Botton row from L: Brian Oberlin, Florian Salzman,
Jeff Warschauer, Avi Avital, Tim Connell.
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the mandolin family, but from the outset, I had volunteered to
play bass if no one else was willing (careful what you wish for!).
In California a beautiful customized, fretless 1920s Gibson
mandobass was borrowed for me to play. But being an American
instrument, mandobasses are hard to come by in Europe. I made the
suggestion that perhaps a bass balalaika or bass domra would be the
next best thing (despite never having played such an instrument).
After many emails and tireless work by Yonai’s team of tour
organizers in Poland, the rental of a contrabass balalaika from a
musical ensemble in Lodz was arranged, for the mere sum of 150
zlotys ($50)!
Notwithstanding my initial musical challenge of conquering this
imposing, 3-stringed beast, reuniting with the group in Poland was
a joyful and moving experience. We were greeted in Gora-Kalwaria as
guests of honour at a variety of civic
festivities. Though once home to over 3,000 Jews (approximately
half of the town’s population at the outbreak of WWII), only two
Jews remain today as residents in Gora-Kalwaria. Now in their 90s,
Henryk Prajs and Felix Karpman both provided crucial information in
efforts to research the original Ger mandolin group. Having them in
attendance at our concert, along with an over-capacity audience of
mostly non-Jewish current-day residents of Gora-Kalwaria, was
extraordinarily meaningful.
Our concert took place in the Tzadik Synagogue, an elegant but
neglected old building that had not had this many people in it for
70 years. The atmosphere at the concert was electric, and the
Orchestra rose to the occasion with a terrific performance. I was
thrilled to have a chance in the second half of the show to escape
the grasp of “Big Ethel” (our loving sobriquet for the bass
balalaika) and perform a Jacob do Bandolim tune on mandolin in a
trio with Mike Marshall and Portland’s Tim Connell. Our concert
concluded with a rousing version of the famous Polish folk song
Szla Dziweczka. The image of 400+ Poles swaying back and forth,
arms linked, while singing with us in the old Ger Synagogue will
remain etched in my memory.
The following day was jam-packed, beginning with a morning
workshop in Warsaw attended by 150 young Polish children who are
part of mandolin orchestras in and around the area. Later that
afternoon we performed a full concert in Warsaw’s ornate Nozyk
Synagogue, one of the only original Jewish buildings in Warsaw to
escape
the near-complete destruction of the city during WWII. Once
again our concert took on a momentous gravity, re-animating a
Jewish building with music and heartfelt emotion. Later that same
evening the group performed a song as part of the Singera Festival
Finale, before an audience of many thousands at an outdoor stage
constructed in the shadow of some of the few remaining original
buildings from the WWII-era Warsaw Ghetto. This performance was
broadcast live on Polish Television to an audience of millions,
serving as a fitting climax to our whirlwind week of cultural and
musical reclamation.
It has been a month now since my return from Poland, and like
many of the other members of the ensemble, I am suffering Ger
withdrawal. All of us are eagerly anticipating our next opportunity
to come together. There are plans afoot for a CD recording this
winter, a return to Poland next July, and participation next
September in the 2012 Ashkenaz Festival here in Toronto. We are all
incredibly grateful for, and awed by, the supreme efforts of Avner
Yonai in spearheading this extraordinary project.
To learn more and hear clips of the group, search “Ger Mandolin
Orchestra” on YouTube or Google, or contact Eric Stein through the
SME office.
Mike Marshall with his 1922 “Lloyd Loar” Gibson F-5
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Choral concert to host “Darbazi” Georgian Singers The Choral and
Dance Concert, pre-sented every year by the Shevchen-ko Choir will
be held on Sunday, January 29, 2012 in the Rotunda of Columbus
Centre.
The popular “Darbazi” Georgian Singers, who shared our stage in
2009, will return for this year’s event.
In a review of their last perfor-mance with Shevchenko, Philip
Joseph wrote…“ the Darbazi Geor-gian Singers…articulated complex
melodies and sounds that seemed to spring from the mountains and
across the valleys in historic Geor-gia. With each number the group
subtly varied their position and voices to bring out a unique,
haunt-ing sound that trilled through the Rotunda…”.
Darbazi has performed in and around Ontario, at Toronto’s Fete
de la Musique and First Night events, at Montreal’s World Mu-sic
Festival, at Festival 500 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and in New
York City.
Their mosrt recent performance in Toronto was a concert in York
Woods Library Theatre celebrating the vine harvest with Georgian
songs and dances and wonderful Georgian wine.
In the past eight years this an-nual choral event, in addition
to the “Darbazi” Georgian Singers has welcomed the Hahilka
Ukrainian Choir, Bereyozka Russian Choir, Toronto Jewish Folk
Choir, Coro San Marco Italian Choir, Les Voix du Coeur French Choir
and Vox Finlandia. The Desna Ukrainian Dance Company is also a very
welcome guest on this concert program.
This year’s presentation will feature new Ukrainian, Russian and
other folk songs as well as classical choral works by the
Shevchenko Choir.
Shevchenko Choir of the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble
“Darbazi” Georgian Singers and Musicians
Desna Ukrainian Dance Company10
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In Fond MemoryThe National Shevchenko Musical Ensemble Guild
of Canada gratefully acknowledges contributions in memory
of the following:
Michael Curry2011
Nancy Iskiw2011
Larry Kulczyski2011
Nancy Borusiewich2011
Jean Dugale2011
While at a concert being
performed by a very bad
orchestra (not the Toronto
Mandolin Orchestra. Ed.)
George Bernard Shaw was
asked what he’d like them
to play next.
“Dominoes,” he replied.
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Don’t miss the next “Romanza”
The next Romanza, the popular cabaret-style concert by the
Toron-to Mandolin Orchestra – an eve-ning of romance and music –
will be held once again in the beautiful King’s Garden Banquet Hall
in To-ronto on Saturday, March 17, 2012.
“Poster Couple” for “Romanza’, the evening of music and romance
by the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra
What a great evening!
A full roster of outstanding vo-cal soloists (including some new
voices) will appear again accom-panied by the Toronto Mandolin
Orchestra in a new program of waltzes, tangos, polkas and other
dance music as well as songs from operettas and musicals, providing
the perfect incentive for young and older to get up on the dance
floor and get their feet in motion.
This event is gaining wide-spread poularity, so when the
de-tails are sent out in the New Year, don’t hesitate. Make a
reservation for your friends before the tickets are sold out.
Remember when? Do you know who these children are?Find the
answer in the next issue of the Bulletin.
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Please support the Shevchenko Musical EnsembleThe Shevchenko
Ensemble has well earned its reputation as one of the most
innovative musical organizations in Canada.
Its dedication and outstanding quality of performance is made
possible by the generous moral and financial support fromCanadians
all across this country.
The Annual Sustaining Fund Drive in support of the Shevchenko
Ensemble is now underway.
Community support, from people like you, is the life blood of
the organization. Without it the Shevchenko Ensemble could not
achieve the high level of perfor-mance it presents at concerts, nor
continue to perpetuate and popu-larize Ukrainain and other cultural
traditions which make up the multi-cultural mosaic of our
country.
If you are a regular donor, please continue your generous
support to help us develop new and creative artistic programs.
If you have not joined us as yet, please do so today and become
a part of this exciting cultural experience.
All donations are tax deductible (Reg. Nº 11905 1910 RR0001) and
entitle the donor to member-ship in this one-of-a-kind musical
organization.
Thank you.
12
Sunday, October 16Shevchenko EnsembleAnnual BanquetKing’s Garden
Banquet Hall 15 Canmotor AveHonouring Bingo VolunteersNew time!1:00
p. doors open2:00 Dinner & TributesEntertainment by tenor
Hassan Anami & pianist Narmina Afandeyva$50.00 •
[email protected]
Saturday, October 22AUUC Oktoberfest12 noon • $10.00Child uner
12 $5.001604 Bloor St. W.416-588-1639
Sunday, November 13AUUC Remembrance Day Tribute •1:30 p.m.1604
Bloor St. W Sunday, Nov. 27 • 2:00Toronto Mandolin Orchestra in
ConcertGuest Artist Moshe Hammer, violinistGlenn Gould Studio,
CBC250 Front St. West$35.00 • [email protected]
Sunday, Nov. 27 • 5:30 (after the TMO Concert)Grey Cup Party
(AUUC)1604 Bloor St. W
what’s happening?
Ukrainian Cooking Classes(AUUC) Saturdays • Nov. 5, 12, 19 and
26. $100 fee. To register & for more info call Lorna Clark
416-767-3382
Sunday, Dec. 4Club 626 SeniorsChristmas Party12 noon •1604 Bloor
St.WStan Nazarec 416-622-1870
Sunday, Dec. 11Annual Membership Meeting Shevchenko GuildMembers
welcome and urged to attend • 2:00 .626 Bathurst St
Sunday, Jan. 29/12 • 2:00 Choral & Dance ConcertColumbus
Centre 901 Lawrence Ave. WGuest artists “Darbazi” Geor-gian Singers
and Desna Ukrainain Dance Company$25 • $15
student/[email protected]
Saturday, March 17/12 “Romanza”• 7:00 by the Toronto Mandolin
Or-chestra & SoloistsKings Garden Banquet
[email protected]
Sunday, May 27/12Shevchenko Ensemble in Concert • 2:00 Isabel
Bader Theatre
The BULLETIN Published semi-annually with the support of the
City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council • Issued by the
National Shevchenko Musical Ensemble Guild of Canada, a federally
incorporated charitable cultural institution, Reg. Nº 11905 1910
RR0001626 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M5S 2R1 Phone 416-533-2725 • Fax
416-533-6348 E-mail: [email protected] •
www.shevchenkomusic.comEditorial: Ginger Kautto • Photography by
Wayne Gilbert of GPS Digital Photo Images unless otherwise
noted
