Glad Tidings – Ukrainian Carols
President (1997/97) – Andrei Fedunyk
Musical Director – Maria Dytyniak
Assistant Conductor/Concert Master – Irena Tarnawsky
Recording Engineer – Garth Hobden Arktos Records
Graphic Design – Michael Burrows
Recorded at St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Edmonton, Canada
Recorded on June 7-8, 1997
Playlist
1. Greeting
2. God Eternal – S. Liudkevych. One of the best known Ukrainian carols in praise of Christ’s birth. Born to be our Saviour.
3. Good Evening to You – K. Stetsenko. Greetings and good wishes to the master of the house. Rejoice! Christ, the sone of God is born.
4. Greeting
5. On the River Jordan – K. Stetsenko. Mary bathed her son, Jesus, in the blessed waters of the River Jordan.
6. What is this Wonder? – V. Barvinsky. This lullaby describes Mary cradling her infant Son while Joseph protectively sand by. Soloist: Lubomyr Pastuszeno
7. Let us Sing out Today – K. stetsenko. Together, let us praise God with songs. Dnipro Male Chorus; Soloist: Taras Zakordonsky
8. Greeting
9. On this Holy Night – M. Haivoronsky. Mary lays her Child in the manager and calls upon all angels to sing. Soloists: Greg Maluzynsky, Alice Chumer, Olesia Talpash.
10 Bells – M. Telezhynsky. Voices recreate the sound of bells that ring in Christmas. Soloists: Alice Chumer, Taras Zakordonsky.
11. Amidst the Courtyard – M. Leontovych. An ancient New Year’s carol calls upon the host to sweep up and set the table for arriving guests. Soloists: Lubomyr Pastuszenko, John Zinchuk, Alice Chumer, Olesia Talpash, Gloria Zaharia.
12. Greeting
13. On the River: River Jordan – S. Eremenko. This carol tells how the name Jesus was chosen by the Saints and Mary, from the books of prophecy.
14. Yesterday, on the Eve – S. Eremenko. While pasturing her ducks, the young girl Malanka loses her way and comes to a field where young William is ploughing. Dnipro Women Chorus.
15. Greeting
16. A Greeting Carol – P. Kozytsky. Good wishes to the hosts. We sing for some honeycake treats.
17. A New Year’s Carol – M. Leontovych. Soloist: Myroslava Zaharia
18. Ulianka – V. Stupnytsky. While reaping silken grass, Ulianka loses her golden ring. She asks three reapers to mow the field and find it.
19. Beyond the Mountain – M. Leontovych. The nobleman Volodymyr ignores gifts of silver and gold, but when presented with a young noblewoman, he doffs his hat and bows deeply. Soloist: John Zinchuk
20. Joyous News – L. Dychko. A modern arrangement of a traditional carol tells of the wondrous news to our Saviour’s birth. Let us rejoice. Sing Alleluia!
21. Greetings
Choir Members
Sopranos: Lesia Chumer, Oksana Ensslen, Gloria Franchuk, Leona Laddish, Theresa Lamb, Lesia Moroz, Nadia Opyr, Vivian Samoil, Patty Tachnynski, Irena Tarnawsky, Oksana Tarnawsky, Stepha Tychowecky and Gloria Zaharia.
Altos: Luba Feduschak, Natalia Grytsiv, Nadia Kreptul, Orysia Olijnyk, Florence Savitsky, Kathy Tachynski, Olesia Talpash, Maria Todoruk, Luba Tsisar, Nadia Warchola, and Ludmila Zelinska.
Tenors: Bohdan Olijnyk, George Orescan, Lumomyr Pastuszenko, Taras Zakordonsky, and John Zinchuk
Basses: Andrei Fedunyk, Andrew Hladyshevsky, Gregory Maluzynsky, Andrew Tarnawsky, Dr. Andy Tarnawsky and Orest Yusypchuk (past president)
About Dnipro
The Dnipro Choir of Edmonton is dedicated to the promotion of Ukrainian Choral music. It was organized in 1953 by a group of choral enthusiasts as a male choir under the direction of the late Roman Soltykevych. In 1973, it was expanded into a mixed voice choir. Our present conductor and artistic director, Maria Dytyniak, took up the baton in 1976. The Assistant choirmaster, Orysia Olijnyk, and the pianist/accompanist, Irena Tarnawsky, have provided Ms. Dytyniak with able and valued assistance for more than a decade.
Dripro has played a dynamic role in bringing Ukrainian music to varied audiences, both at home and abroad. It has toured the Philippines (1979), Australia (1979), Hawaii (1979), Alberta (1971/79/80), Spokane, WA (1974/75), and Ottawa (1976/88). Dnipro has also visited Vernon, Kamloops, Calgary, North Battleford, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and performed in Toronto’s Roy Thompson Hall.
In 1978, the choir established a relationship with Maestro Wolodymyr Kolesnyk, past director, of the Ukrainian State Opera in Kyiv. This partnership with our director Maria Dytyniak, led Dnipro to undertake symphonic, operatic and oratorio performances. The first of these was a concert of symphonic music, with the Symphony Orchestra in 1978. This was followed by the staging of operas: “Kupalo” (1981) and “Zaporozhets Beyond the Danube” (1983); Cantata: “Conquerors of the Prairies” (1982) by Edmonton’s own composer S. Eremenko to the poem by Prof. Yar Slavutych. During 1988, as part of the Millennium of Christianity in Ukraine commemoration, Dnipro the oratoria “The Neophytes” by M. Kouzan to the poem by T. Shevchenko.
In 1993, as part of the celebrating our 40th Anniversary, Dnipro commissioned the oratorio “Sviatyj Dnipro” (Sacred Dnipro) by the Ukrainian composer V. Kikta that was presented in Edmonton with the Symphony Orchestra that same year. A repeat performance of this oratorio, in collaboration with the Ukrainian Operatic Choir of Toronto, was staged with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at Massey Hall in April of 1996 as part of the 10th Anniversary Memorial of the Chernobyl disaster, under the baton of Maestro W. Kolesnyk.
External Links
Source: CD Cover