Showing 170 results

Born and raised in Edmonton, Orest Soltykevych started his musical career having completed Royal Conservatory Piano up to the Grade 9 level. He continued his musical studies at the University of Alberta, and completed his Bachelor of Education with a major in secondary music.

Orest has been active with Ukrainian choirs since the age of 15, when he first accompanied the Ukrainian Youth Association of Canada (CYMK) Choir. He then joined that choir as a singer, and also sang in and accompanied the Dnipro Choir.

In 1984, Orest became the founding conductor of the Ukrainian Male Chorus of Edmonton, and continues to be its artistic director to this day. In 1986, Orest became the conductor of the Ukrainian Youth Association of Canada (CYMK) Choir, and led that ensemble for seven years. Orest was also conductor of the St Andrew's Ukrainian Orthodox Parish Choir for three years. As well, for the past five years, Orest has been the conductor of the Verkhovyna Choir

In recent years, Orest has sung with the Richard Eaton Singers, the Da Camera Singers, and the Kappella Kyrie Slavic Chamber Choir.

Orest served as a member and later as president of the Ukrainian Music Society for ten years. In 1999, he founded the radio program "Sounds Ukrainian" on radio station CJSR at the University of Alberta, and hosted the program for seven years. Currently, Orest hosts the classical music programs Saturday Breakfast and Sunday Breakfast on the CKUA Radio Network, which broadcasts throughout Alberta.

Five years ago, Orest retired from Edmonton Public Schools after 32 years of teaching and administration.

Rev. Wolodymyr Sluzar was born in Chunkiv, Bukovyna in 1895 and immigrated to Canada in 1923. He was ordained shortly after his arrival and served in several parishes in Saskatchewan before moving to Montreal to establish the first Ukrainian Orthodox parish in Eastern Canada. He retired in 1972 and died in December of 1976. As well as being an ordained priest, Rev. Sluzar was a choral conductor, and so his personal collection of sheet music is extensive.

Rev. Wolodymyr Sluzar was born in 1895 in a small village called in Chunkiv, Bukovyna. His educated parents sent him to a boarding school in Chernivsti where his musical talents soon became evident because he learned to play the violin and loved to sing in the school choir. Soon enough, he became the school choir conductor, which became his life long hobby. By 1914, Wolodymyr was 19 years old and was recruited into the Austro-Hungarian Army. He was enrolled by his superiors in the officers training school.

After the World War I, he joined the army of Western Ukraine — the Halyts'ki Sichovi Striltsi. He became a high ranking officer and fought for the freedom of Ukraine, which ended tragically, in failure. Even under these difficult circumstances, Sluzar started collecting Ukrainian music, secular, sacred, printed or hand copied. Future wife of Wolodymyr worked at the same army headquarters where he was stationed. They met and were married in 1920 with an honour army group in attendance. The war for Ukraine was drawing to an end. The Sluzars decided to return to Chernivtsi. There, Wolodymyr enrolled at the University Faculties of Law and Theology. Bukovyna became part of Romania, and authorities were quite hostile to Ukrainian patriots. The SLuzars decided to emigrate to Canada.

Soon after arriving, Wolodymyr made contact with the newly established Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada. After some further coaching and training, he was ordained into the priesthood in 1924. In 1926, he was assigned to go to Montreal to establish a new parish. In addition to his many new and arduous pastoral duties, his love of choral music quickly led to the establishment of a church choir. There was no lack of singers. Their repertoire grew quickly since Rev. Sluzar already had a fairly large collection of Ukrainian secular and sacral music. Whenever he had to travel to other large cities, he would return with more music to add to his collection. Montreal in the forties and beyond was a hive of activity with frequent patriotic concerts organized by the local branch of the Congress of Ukrainian Canadians.

Rev. Sluzar retired in 1972 and died December 26, 1976.

Orest Semchishen is widely recognized as one of Canada’s finest documentary photographers. He is best known for his photographs of Byzantine churches in rural areas of Alberta of which this collection is comprised.

Orest Semchishen was born at Mundare, Alberta in 1932). A radiologist by profession, Semchishen took up photography initially as a hobby. In the early 1970s, after taking University of Alberta extension classes, he turned to documentary work and since that time has continued to work in the classic documentary tradition. Probably the most important influence on his work is the American photographer Walker Evans, although Semchishen's vision has its own distinct personality and the wide-ranging scope of his work and its comprehensiveness recalls the achievement of the great French photographer Eugène Atget.

Beginning with a survey of Alberta's Byzantine rite churches that were a part of his Ukrainian heritage, Semchishen's oeuvre has expanded to encompass rural communities, city business districts and markets, ethnic groups, fur trappers and prairie farms. In the process he has developed an increasingly sophisticated vision and technique: his prints are marvels of brilliance and tonal balance. He has compiled an extraordinary record of Canadian life, centered on the Prairies but extending across the country. Semchishen no longer produces his photographic work making this collection even more valuable.

A resident of Edmonton, Orest Semchishen's works are represented in public collections including those of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Art Gallery of Alberta, The Glenbow Alberta Institute and the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography. The Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, located in the nation's capital, is Canada's only federal institution devoted solely to the collection, exhibition and promotion of the photographic medium. As such, it is the country's foremost advocate of artistic and documentary photography.

Larisa Sembaliuk Cheladyn is an accomplished artist who has had the opportunity to create and exhibit her work around the world. She was born in Edmonton. At the age of 6 her parents enrolled her in art classes offered by the Edmonton Art Gallery, where her first instructor, “Man Woman”, encouraged her to continually explore the mediums at hand. Sembaliuk Cheladyn was also inspired by her father, Paul Sembaliuk - the designer of the large Vegreville Pysanka – who had a gift for interpreting cultural traditions within a contemporary environment. Sembaliuk Cheladyn graduated with her BFA in Art & Design (1981) and her MA in Ukrainian Folklore (2016) from the University of Alberta. She is best known for her watercolour paintings of flowers – poppies, sunflowers and endangered species are her specialty. As a 3rd generation Ukrainian Canadian she particularly enjoys painting images from her Ukrainian cultural heritage. Her unique depiction of Ukrainian dance, musical instruments, and typical Ukrainian imagery recreates fond memories of rich cultural traditions. Sembaliuk Cheladyn is also well known for illustrating a Canadian bestselling series of bilingual Ukrainian/English children’s books published by Kazka Productions.

Helen Savaryn was a student in the UKR 422 course in the fall term of 1979. At the time, she was in the fourth year of her Bachelor of Education in Music degree.

Larysa Saban is a folklorist and a researcher at the Mykola Lysenko Music Institute in L'viv, Ukraine. She studies folk music and dances. From 1980 and on, Larysa conducted a lot of fieldwork in western part of Ukraine.

Walter Rutka and his twin brother, Anthony, were born in Vimy Ridge near Pine River, Manitoba on June 12, 1929 to parents Joseph and Anastasia (nee Kozar) Rutka. Twin bother, Anthony, succumbed to pneumonia at the age of 3 months.

Walter attended school in Vimy Ridge. At 14 Walter was taken out of school to help on the farm after his father became ill. At age 20 Walter went to work in a gold mine in Ontario for one year, then took a job at a service station in Winnipeg for another year. He then returned to farming full time until 1958.

In August 1960, Walter met and married Dolores Weselowski from Sifton, Manitoba. They had 3 daughters Brenda in 1962, Sheila in 1964, and Charlotte in 1970.

In 1966, Walter joined Manitoba Hydro as a machine operator and retired in 1994 after a career that saw him win several awards, including numerous Hydro Safety awards and the prestigious D.J. Ross award – a Hydro award presented for Walter's tremendous contributions to his community.

Walter was also very active in politics. He was elected as a trustee to the Highway School District for one term, served as a municipal councillor for the RM of Mountain South for six years, was a delegate at the march in Ottawa for the Western Farm Organizations, and was campaign manager for NDP candidate Mike Kowalchuk who was elected that year.

One of Walter's greatest passions was music. In his early 20s, Walter spoke of how he bought a $7 guitar in Winnipeg and brought it home to try to teach himself to play. Walter's idol was Wilf Carter and he spoke of how he would go behind the barn to play his guitar and try to learn to yodel, much to the chagrin of his mother. In the 60s, Walter formed a band called the Sunset Rhythm Ramblers, with friends Joe Caruk on violin, Zenon Caruk on drums, and Walter Nakonechny on accordion. The group played at many weddings and functions for six years.

In 1975, encouraged by many friends and associates, Walter recorded his first record album of his own compositions, calling himself the Ukrainian Cowboy. He went on to record three more albums over the next few years and was invited to play at countless Ukrainian functions and festivals across Canada. Through his music and albums, Walter made endless new friends across Canada and the United States and frequently got letters, gifts, and invitations to visit from many of his fans.

Walter passed away in December 2005.

Gloria Rutherford was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. She went to Parkdale School and then the newly built Strathcona Composite High School. Then she entered nursing at the University Hospital, earning her BSc and then teaching O.R. nursing to subsequent students. Following her marriage and 'fledging' two daughters, she moved to California, where she continued her nursing career in the O.R. After retiring, she returned to Canada and now lives in Vancouver, BC.

Lubomyr T. Romankiw was born in Zhovkva, Ukraine on April 17, 1931. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, and his master's and doctoral degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Romankiw joined IBM in 1962, where he remains today as an IBM Fellow and Researcher at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center.

He is recognized for his research with magnetic materials, reflective displays and copper plating. Romankiw is listed as the inventor or co-inventor on over 65 US patents, including magnetic thin-film storage heads (co-invented with David Thompson in the 1970s). He has also authored over 150 articles and edited numerous volumes of technical symposia.

Several organizations have recognized and awarded Romankiw's work such as the Electrochemical Society, Society of Chemical Industry, and the IEEE. In 1994 he received the IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award, and in 2012, he was an inductee in the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Composer and violinist Roman Prydatkevytch (b. 1895, Żywiec, Poland, d. 1980, Owensboro, USA) was born into the family of a painter and sculptor and received his initial education at the Taras Shevchenko Ukrainian School in Yavoriv and at the Ukrainian Academic Gymnasium and the Lysenko Music Institute in Lviv. He continued his studies at the Vienna Music Academy and the faculty of law of the University of Vienna. During the First World War he was drafted into the Austrian army and fought on the Italian front. Following the war he joined the Ukrainian Galician Army and was later Kyrylo Stetsenko’s assistant as director of music for the Ukrainian armed forces. He worked at the Institute of Public Education in Odesa and the Odesa Theatrical Institute. He was forced to emigrate in 1922 and settled in New York in 1923. With Michael Hayvoronsky he founded the Ukrainian Conservatory of Music in 1924. Prydatkevytch continued his music studies at Columbia University, the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, the College of Music in New York, the Julliard School and the Eastman School of Music, and received a master’s degree in composition from the University of Minnesota and a doctorate from the Ukrainian Free University. In 1930 he organized the Ukrainian Trio in New York, and he was a conductor at the American Chamber Orchestra. From 1946 until 1965 he taught at the Murray State University of Kentucky, and from 1967 until 1971 at the Kentucky Wesleyan College.

Prydatkevytch’s compositions include three symphonies, the Ukrainian Suite for chamber orchestra and harp, Ukrainian Rhapsody for violin and orchestra, a string quartet, three violin sonatas, solo piano works and art songs. He wrote one of the first English-language histories of Ukrainian music. His grandson is conductor and violist Theodore Kuchar, who was previously chief conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine.

Born at Elphinstone on 1 March 1910, son of Anna Dziewer, he attended the Brandon Normal School and, over the next 40 years, taught at Rossburn School, Elphinstone School, and Minnedosa North School (1952-1953). He served as the Principal of Sandy Lake School (1946-1952) and McCreary School (1953-1956). In 1956, he moved to Fort Frances, Ontario where he taught for 16 years in the local high school, retiring in 1974. While teaching, he attended summer school and received BA and BEd degrees from the University of Manitoba, an MA from the University of Ottawa, and a PhD from the Ukrainian Free University of Munich, Germany. He translated first-person accounts by Ukrainian pioneers to Canada during the period from 1891 and 1914, and in 1978 published the book Land of Pain, Land of Promise based on them. He also co-edited a pocket book guide Ukraine and Ukrainians in 1984-1985. He died at Fort Frances on 27 July 1990.

This biography was composed by Fiona Pelech in January 1990

A. PERSONAL
Born in Duvernay, Alberta on 10 July, 1914 in a family of four girls and two boys. Had been married for 15 years. Husband passed away in 1955 during a heart attack. Fiona raised four children (Betty, Patricia, Johann, and Andrew).

B. EDUCATION

• After high school, took one year of business training at McDougall Commercial High School
• B.Ed. Degree from the University of Alberta plus an additional year towards a Master's as well as summer courses in Business Education and Languages
• Bilingual (English and Ukrainian) - speak, read and type in both
• Took several interest courses throughout the years in leadership, photography, crafts, pottery, weaving, gardening, etc.

C. TEACHING EXPERIENCE

• 15 years in rural Alberta - elementary 4 yrs., Junior High 11 yrs.
• 1 year in the North Edmonton Junior High School
• 5 years at McCauley Junior High, Edmonton
• 14 years at Victoria Composite High School
  Retired early after completing 35 years of teaching when the family was more or less through university. Throughout the years, taught Ukrainian classes in rural and urban communities as well as credited courses at the Victoria Composite High School.

D. MEMBERSHIPS

• Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA)
• Modern Language Council of the Alberta Teachers' Association
• Member of the Ukrainian Women's Association of Canada since 1941. Served on the local, provincial and national levels
• Honorary Life Member of St. John's Cathedral
• One of the Founding Members of the Canadian Association of Teachers of Ukrainian
• A Founding Member of the Ukrainian Kindergarten classes in Edmonton (First meeting in August, 1972)
• Ukrainian Language Association (ATA) in Edmonton – secretary till May 1975
• Council of Ukrainian Schools – secretary for twelve years
• Edmonton Multicultural Society (EMS)
• Canadian Ethnic Studies Association
• Saskatchewan Multicultural Council
• Saskatchewan Organization for Heritage Languages
• Pacific Northwest Council on Foreign Languages
• Central & East European Studies Society of Alberta (CEESSA) - on the Board for five years
• Alberta Ethnic Language Teachers' Association (now the Northern Alberta Heritage Language Association (NAHLA) - Charter member, President for the first two years, then secretary and now on Board of Directors.

E. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENTS

1. Since retirement, 1976, all work has been voluntary and dedicated to assisting various non-profit organizations. Secretary for the national executive of the Ukrainian Self-Reliance League of Canada since retiring.
2. Served in a number of positions on the local, provincial and national levels in the Ukrainian Women's Association of Canada mostly as an educational representative or secretary for the past 45 years.
3. Participated in various Multicultural Conferences in Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Toronto; language tour to New York; the International Symposium in Montreal in 1985; and many others connected with the language issue or cultural retention.
4. Prepared or assisted in preparing press reports, radio talks and television programs on topics of cultural importance.
5. Travelled to various parts of the province (Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Evansburg, Bonnyville, Smoky Lake, Calgary, and Barrhead to mention only a few) in answer to requests by directors from the Parks & Recreational Department arranging workshops, displays, demonstrations, etc. on cultural themes. Had displays and workshops at:
   • Strathcona Place for Senior Citizens
   • Multicultural Heritage Centre at Stony Plain
   • Provincial Museum in Edmonton Commonwealth Games presentations at Edson (Yellowhead School Division 26/1/77); Robertson-Wesley Church 16/3/77; and others.
6. Initiated an overseas project which gave the Edmonton Canadian Ukrainian Youth Choir a chance to participate in the International Music Festival in Vienna as Canadian representatives. The project was most successful and rewarding in providing excellent public relations. A similar tour is being planned for 1991.
7. Arranged for an exchange of a Hindi language class with a Ukrainian class. Report filed with Alberta Culture. The experiment was most interesting. Shortly after, a German language class was hosted by a Japanese class.
8. Served on Planning Committees of many conferences among them the CCMIE (Canadian Council for Multicultural & Intercultural Education) held in 1987 in Edmonton. Co-ordinated the conference "Heritage Languages in a Multicultural Society - Present and Future" held on October 3-4/86 at the Chateau Lacombe, Edmonton.
9. Representative from the Northern Alberta Heritage Language Association to the Alberta Cultural Heritage Council since 1985. Served as secretary to the 56 members of the Edmonton & District Regional Council and as a member of the Educational Committee helped to prepare recommendations to the Minister of Culture and Multiculturalism. The Institute was initiated with the help of the Northern Alberta Heritage Language Association and the Alberta Cultural Heritage Council.

F. PUBLICATIONS

1. While teaching, was staff adviser to school publications at both McCauley Junior High and Victoria Composite High School.
2. Prepared booklets and pamphlet materials on cultural topics for use in high schools and community organizations - most recent was a cultural project at the Victoria Composite High School in Jan./83.
3. Researched, translated and prepared lessons and numerous slides for the very first six years of Ukrainian weaving initiated at the Banff School of Fine Arts in 1976.
4. Prepared papers on languages and delivered them at conferences:
   (a) "Heritage Language Programs in Alberta" appears in the book ROOTS AND REALITIES AMONG EASTERN AND CENTRAL EUROPEANS edited by Dr. Martin L. Kovacs, 1983 (Pp. 267-286).
   (b) "Status of Heritage Languages in Canada” was prepared for a conference in Toronto.
   (c) "Heritage Languages" delivered at a panel in a conference in Edmonton sponsored by the Canadian Council for Multicultural and Intercultural Education (CCMIE).
5. Involved in editing and typing:
   (a) Commonwealth Games. Using a Typing 30 class, prepared
   (from rough materials) a Teachers' Reference Manual and a Student Workbook for use in Alberta schools. Also traveled to various schools and organizations showing slides.
   (b) the publications of "Pioneers in Alberta" as well as the reference book "Ukrainian Canadiana."
   (c) the 1981 Revised Edition of the Kindergarten Guide for the Ukrainian Bilingual Program, Edmonton Public Schools.
   (d) supplementary books by S. Wasylyshyn and A. Danelovich for beginners in learning Ukrainian.
6. Constantly translate, edit and type in English and Ukrainian at the local, provincial and national levels such publications as directories, programs, scripts for plays, annual reports, and newsletters connected with cultural activities.
7. Contribute articles on multiculturalism, especially languages, and on the different organizations to ethnic papers and magazines.

G. HONORS AND AWARDS
1964 Edmonton Women Teachers' Club scholarship.
1975 Honored member marking the International Women's Year.
1976 One of five finalists in 'Mother of the Year" award sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary of the Fraternal Order of Eagles.
1978 Certificate of appreciation for volunteer service in the Commonwealth Games.
1979 Trophy for "Motivation” in a Leadership Course at Banff, Alberta 1980 Alberta Achievement Award for community services from the province presented by Premier Lougheed.
1980 Honorary life-member of St. John's Cathedral.
1983 Honorary life-member of the Ukrainian Self-Reliance League of Canada.
1983 Certificate of Merit for services in the Universiade Games 1985 Certificate of Appreciation for outstanding contribution to the advancement of Ukrainian language and culture in Alberta schools presented by the Alberta Parents of Ukrainian Education.
1985 Life-member in the SUS Foundation for contributions.
1986 Recipient of the Shevchenko Medal given by the National organization of the Ukrainian Canadian Committee for community services rendered throughout the years.
1986 Multicultural Education Council Award presented in Lethbridge by the Alberta Teachers' Association.
1987 Heritage Language Development -- Outstanding Alberta Achievement Award presented October 17/87 in Calgary by Hon. Greg Stevens.
1987 Certificate of Appreciation presented by the Canadian Council for Multicultural and Intercultural Education (CCMIE) in recognition of valuable contributions to multicultural education in Canada.
1988 an award for outstanding services and contribution to the preservation of heritage languages presented by the Northern Alberta Heritage Language Association on June 4/88 on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of NAHLA.

Fiona Pelech passed away on March 13, 2002

Patricia Pelech Carrow lived her childhood years in Bellis, Alberta. Pat was 11 when her father died, and her mother, Fiona Pelech, moved the family to Edmonton where Pat attended high school and university. During those years, Pat was very involved in the Ukrainian community. She was a founding member and President of the Shumka Ukrainian Dance Group which over the years has gone on to achieve national and international recognition.

She graduated from the University of Alberta in 1965 with a B.Sc. degree and went on to work as a Research Technician in microbiology with the Canadian Forest Service in Victoria. During these years Pat developed her creative skills in pysanky (Ukrainian Easter eggs), painting and Ukrainian weaving, which she taught at the Banff Centre for several summers. In 1978, Pat changed careers in 1978 and attended the Ontario College of Art, graduating in 1981 with a Diploma in Textile Design. She focused for several years on the use of colour and experimental design in ethnic weaving; many of her pieces are in the Ukrainian Museum in Saskatoon. Eventually Pat found the medium too restrictive, and while she was teaching at the New Brunswick Craft School from 1982 to 1985, she moved into a new medium – collage. For the next 20 years, Pat developed her creative abilities in collage, using a surprising range of materials and becoming renowned for her use of colour. Her choice of collage materials astounded many of her friends – porcupine quills, tree bark, fungus, rust and anything else that one might find in a recycling container. Pat's works were exhibited in galleries across Canada, from Fredericton to Victoria.

Pat's other creative outlet was the kitchen. She was famous for being able to come up with a tasty meal when there didn't appear to be anything in the fridge, and her 'diagonally through the fridge' soups, though delicious, were never reproducible. For almost 30 years Pat and Rod lived in Dufferin County, looking west over the beautiful Hockley Valley. She enjoyed the drama provided by the seasons and the landscape as they provided inspiration for her art. When not in the studio, Pat was an avid gardener, and a ruthless weeder and pruner, as some of her friends discovered when they let her free on their properties. Rod and Pat enjoyed travelling. In 1995 they bought an RV and did an 18,000 km trip through less travelled parts of Canada to Alaska, followed by a trip to the US Southwest. In 2001, Pat and Rod purchased a cabin on Hornby Island in B.C.'s Strait of Georgia, where they spent many relaxing summer vacations with their children and grandchildren. In 2007, they took a cruise through the Baltic Sea – the best and the last they would do together. In 2008, they moved to the Victoria area to retire in a beautiful part of the world and be close to their family.

Roman Onufrijchuk was born June 6, 1950 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he lived until he was 6 years old. The family then moved to Yorkton, Saskatchewan, where he spent his early youth. Over the course of his life, Roman lived and worked variously in Saskatoon, SK and Edmonton, AB, where he worked at the University of Alberta radio station, and was the first radio host of the Ukrainian program on WorldFM. Following over 10 years in print, TV and radio, he arrived in Vancouver in 1982 to attend graduate school at SFU’s School of Communication, where he taught from 1985 to 2011. He then taught at the university in Izmir, Turkey. Roman passed away June 23, 2015.

Composer and pianist Yuriy Oliynyk (b. 1931, Ternopil, Ukraine) was born into the family of an attorney and began music lessons at an early age. During the Second World War his family fled to Austria and later Germany, before settling in Cleveland in 1950. He graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music as a pianist in 1956 and completed a master’s degree in musicology and composition from Case Western Reserve University in 1959. Oliynyk became an active performer of piano works by Ukrainian composers and a pioneer of compositions for bandura and symphony orchestra. His output includes five bandura concertos, a piano concerto, piano sonata and other piano works.