John Demjanjuk (born Ivan Mykolaiovych Demianiuk), April 3, 1920 (Dubovi Makharenci, Vinnytska oblast, Ukraine) – March 17, 2012 (Bad Feilnbach, Bavaria, Germany) was a Ukrainian-American auto worker, a former soldier in the Soviet Red Army, and a prisoner of war during the Second World War.
During World War II he was conscripted into the Soviet Red Army, where he was captured as a German prisoner of war.
In 1952 he emigrated from West Germany to the United States and was granted citizenship in 1958. In 1977 an American newspaper “News from Ukraine” published an article and a picture of a forged ID card with Demianiuk photo on it. The article stated that Demianiuk was a trainee in the Trawniki training camp for guards.
In 1986 he was deported to Israel to stand trial for war crimes, after being identified by eleven Holocaust survivors as "Ivan the Terrible," a notorious guard at the Treblinka extermination camp in Nazi occupied Poland. Demianiuk was accused of committing murder and acts of extraordinarily savage violence against camp prisoners during 1942–43. He was convicted of having committed crimes against humanity and sentenced to death there in 1988. The verdict was overturned by the Israeli Supreme Court in 1993, based on new evidence that "Ivan the Terrible" was probably another man.
In 2001 Demianiuk was charged again, this time on the grounds that he had, instead, served as a guard named Ivan Demianiuk at the Sobibór and Majdanek camps in Nazi occupied Poland and at the Flossenbürg camp in Germany.
He was convicted in 2011 in Germany for alleged war crimes as an accessory to the murder of 27,900 Jews. Since his conviction was pending appeal at the time of his death, Demianiuk remains innocent under German law, and his earlier conviction is invalidated. According to the Munich state court, Demianiuk does not have a criminal record.
Nadia Cyncar was born in Ukraine. She came to Edmonton in 1948. Nadia studied Ukrainian language and literature, History of Textiles and Ukrainian Folklore at the University of Alberta. She graduated with B.A. (Honours) in Slavic Linguistics in 1978.
Nadia Cyncar is an honourary Life Member of the Ukrainian Catholic Women’s League of Canada. Since 1963, member of the Eparchial UCWLC Museum Committee, served as secretary, a chairperson and a curator since 2009. Designed and conducted the embroidery of the “Unity Rushnyk” for the 65 Jubilee of UCWLC. She organized exhibits of Ukrainian Folk Art, contest and fashion shows, held workshops on Ukrainian Arts & crafts, costumes for dancing groups, led seminars on Ukrainian tradition and customs; was involved to judge various contests. Nadia designed costumes for opera “KUPALO”, historical costumes for the float and Ukrainian theme designs for Papal Visit Banners. In 1977-1982 she served on the Advisory Board of the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village.
Nadia Cyncar is a co-founder of Edmonton Plast (Ukrainian Scouts Organization) in 1948, held various executive positions at the organization, and for the last several decades served as an Archivist/Librarian.
Brian Cherwick (B. Mus. – Brandon; M.A. – Alberta; PhD. - Alberta) is a specialist in east European traditional music, diaspora cultures, ethnic identity, music industry, material culture and oral history. He was born in Winnipeg into a family that had settled in Canada a couple of generations earlier. Three of his four grandparents were born in the western Ukrainian province of Galicia, from two villages, Chornokonetska Volya and Burdiakivtsi, near the city of Ternopil. Brian’s father’s family were early settlers from the first wave, immigrating to Saskatchewan in 1903, while his mother’s family came to Manitoba during the interwar immigration in the 1920s.
Brian had music on both sides of his family. His father’s father, John Cherewyk, left the farm to become a harness maker and later a meat cutter in the town of Yorkton, Saskatchewan. But on the side, John played fiddle in a trio with his two brothers — one playing tsymbaly and the other adding a second violin. John was additionally trained as a cantor in the Ukrainian Catholic church. Brian learned the cantorial art from his grandfather (as well as other cantors) during church services each Sunday and would come back with him and hear him fiddling at home. Brian holds a position today as a cantor in his church and is active in teaching liturgical singing to fellow congregants. On his mother's side, Brian's great-grandfather was a fiddler and his grandmother even played the small bubon in the band until she was old enough to marry (it was not respectable then for mature women to play music). Brian's uncle Mike Klym played drum kit with the D-Drifters, one of the most famous Western Canadian Ukrainian bands. The D-Drifters were especially known for providing backup to Mickey and Bunny, a famous singing married couple, and for recording country western music with English and Ukrainian lyrics. Their biggest hit was a Ukrainian translation of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land," and the disc sold hundreds of thousands of copies. Uncle Mike was only fifteen years older than Brian, and so Brian grew up going to practices of the D-Drifters.
Brian formed his first band with friends at age 14, and began playing violin at weddings at age 15. Instrumentation has changed with the tastes of the community, and modern bands often feature accordions, keyboards, saxes, electric guitars, basses and drum kits (such adaptation is not a new phenomena — grandfather John Cherewyk also performed on the Hawaiian-style lap steel guitar which was a rage in the 20s and 30s). At age 16, Brian acquired a tsymbaly from his brother who had gotten it from a church group. As a young musician with an entrepreneurial flair, Brian saw tsymbaly as a way to differentiate his band and their advertisements would promote the fact that they played the old tunes on traditional instruments as well as in more modern arrangements. Brian learned tsymbaly from watching the old-timers play at weddings (with over 100 first-cousins, there were plenty of family celebrations throughout the year). He also listened to regional Canadian-Ukrainian commercial recordings featuring tsymbaly-- bands such as those of the Alberta fiddlers Metro Radomsky, Bill Boychuk, and Manitoba fiddlers Jim Gregorash, Tommy Buick and Peter Lamb, as well as the Interlake Polka Kings.
Brian entered Brandon University (about 100 km west of Winnipeg) to study in its well regarded music program. Though tsymbaly was not offered, he enrolled as a pianist and percussionist. After graduating, Brian spent four years teaching music and conducting choirs at a seminary in Roblin, Manitoba, a tenure that was interrupted mid-way by an opportunity to study music for a year in Ukraine. Brian had received an invitation from the Society for Relations with Ukrainians Abroad. Based at the Kyiv Conservatory, Brian took classes in cimbalom, the piano-sized concert version of the tsymbaly that had developed in Hungary at the end of the 19th century and was taught in conservatories in Hungary, Ukraine, Czechoslovakia, Romania and Moldova. Adapting from tsymbaly to cimbalom requires learning a completely different tuning system, sticking technique and use of the cimbalom’s damper pedal, which is similar to that of a piano. Though his assigned teacher was Gyorgi Ahratina, who played cimbalom with the national folk orchestra, Brian learned more from Vasyl Palaniuk, an ethnic Hutsul from the Carpathians who was the senior cimbalom student at the conservatory and is today recognized as one of Ukraine's leading players. While Palaniuk played cimbalom in the conservatory ensemble, Brian would play percussion alongside of him as they accompanied highly choreographed folkloric dance presentations.
From Roblin, Brian moved to Edmonton to enroll in the University of Alberta's graduate programs in Ukrainian folklore and ethnomusicology. His doctoral dissertation focused on the influences of social conditions and popular music on the development of Ukrainian traditional music in western Canada. He is currently researching the ethnic commercial recording industry in Canada. Dr. Cherwick is Adjunct Professor of Folklore at Memorial University of Newfoundland, has taught at the University of Alberta and Athabasca University. He has worked as a researcher for the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village in Alberta and for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. He is also active as a performer, composer and music educator and has appeared in performances and conducted seminars and workshops throughout North America and Europe.
Leanne Buzak is a singer in Viter Ukrainian Folk Choir, and an active member in the Edmonton Ukrainian Community.
Roman Andrew Brytan was born in Edmonton, AB, on December 4, 1959 to Michael and Annie Brytan. Roman was married to Suzanna Brytan (nee Sidlar). They had five children. Roman was the voice of the Ukrainian community across Alberta, as he worked with CKER Radio 1480-turned 101.7 World FM, from March 1982 until November 2017. Over these 35 years, Roman's practice of his calling brought together all parts of the Ukrainian Canadian community, as he was regularly called upon to host and MC many events - local, provincial, national and international. Roman devoted his life to his community and to his family. He always said that his children kept him young, and instilled in them a pride in their heritage, culture and traditions. A broadcaster, song-writer, playwright, poet, lyricist, deejay, movie actor and event producer, Roman was the consummate showman, making sure that any event associated with his name was carried out with the utmost of professionalism and flare. His work was a credit to the Ukrainian community, elevating the efforts of its arts sector beyond its own expectations. His devotion to the Ukrainian Youth Association (CYM) was evidenced by the many years he spent as local, and later national, president. Roman was a keynote speaker on many subjects connected to media and community, and in his later years, he earned the respect of his peers, playing the role of mentor and "elder statesman" to younger generations who sought his counsel. Roman passed away on November 26, 2018, at the age of 58 years.
Mykhailo Bilas was a prominent Ukrainian artist, weaver, and an important person in the history of Ukrainian art overall. He had three art degrees: in theatre and choreography, vocal, and fine art. He was born in Ukraine then under Poland. When he was 15, the territory where he lived was occupied by Germans, and later by Soviets. Bilas lived most of his life in the Soviet Union.
In 1992, the Mykhailo Bilas museum was opened in Truskavets'. In 1995, he became recognized as the People's Artist of Ukraine. Bilas died in Truskavets' in 2016.
He had deep interest in the world cultures - music, cinema, fashion. Aside from his achievements as an artist, he was also a talented designer. According to Dmytro Pavlychko, Bilas was great in transforming the folk art energy into new forms, new artistic artifacts, those that every person would like to have at home.
Михайло Білас (1924 - 2016), видатний український художник, майстр ткацтва, дуже важлива фігура для історії українського мистецтва, нетипова і парадоксальна - народний художник з трьома мистецькими освітами - театрально-хореографічною, вокальною і художньою. В житті і творчості Біласа, як в гобелені, переплелися головні сюжети культурного і політичного життя України ХХ століття.
Білас народився в Україні, окупованій Польщею, а коли йому виповнилося 15 років він пережив страшну німецьку окупацію і потім ще страшнішу радянську. Більшу частину життя Біласу довелося прожити у Радянському Союзі. Білас так написав про своє життя в радянській Україні в листі Любі і Мирославу Куцам 26.11.1989 року:
“…що ми можемо бачити тут, будучи стільки років відірваними від цивілізації і культурного світу за сталевою стіною застою, яка знищувала все добре, гарне і розумне. Яка навчала нас до замкнення всіх почуттів, навчила мовчати і боятися власного погляду. Це не жарт і Вам цього не зрозуміти ніколи!”
В 1991 році Україна здобула незалежність. В 1992 році відкрився музей Михайла Біласа в Трускавці, в 1995 році йому було присвоєне почесне звання Народного художника України.
Помер і похований Білас у Трускавці в 2016 році.
Художник з великим світоглядом, який завжди цікавився сучасною світовою культурою – музикою, кіно, модою. Його внесок в українську культуру не обмежується ткацтвом, масштаб його творчості ширший, бо він ще талановитий експозиціонер, який не боявся простору, модельєр.
Як сказав видатний український поет Дмитро Павличко, М. Білас є, власне, великим трансформатором народної мистецької енергії в нові форми, нові художні предмети, причому в такі саме, які хочеться мати кожній людині дома.
Автор тексту: Ірина Воробйова
З листа Біласа Куцям від 8 березня 1994 року:
“Чомусь не вміють показати цей чарівний світ Михайла Біласа, так само як не вміють написати моєї біографії, не можуть збагнути мойого “я”, того загадкового світу меланхолії, яку я проніс через все життя від малої дитини, того чогось незбагненного і загадкового, якого я сам не розумію, хіба зараз, коли задумуюся над собою і пройденим шляхом життя, я бачу, як нелегко мені було естетично, інтелектуально, якого другі не розуміли. Розуміла одинова моя Мама - інтуїтивно, підсвідомо - пестила, носила на руках вже досить великого, колисала і співала колискову, яку я запамʼятав донині і яку співають сестри Байки. Мій загадковий, ніжний, меланхолійний мікро світ важко комусь збагнути, бо це все в мені, це є я - неподібний ні до чого. Мені з тим і легко, і важко. Легко, коли я сам з собою, і важко, коли я в оточенні прозаїчних людей, обставин, коли мушу грати ролю власне тих людей і скривати моє “я”. І в мене все подвійне - то я веселий, то сумний. Немає “золотої середини”, бо дав мені Бог те, чого інші не мають і не додумуються.”
Колискова "Поперушко" в виконанні сестер Байко: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1HbKrxMh8M
“Мої твори оперті на українських народних традиціях, піснях, танцях, музиці, фольклорі. Все це я вивчив, запамʼятав, полюбив, зарисував і не знаю, чи за своє скромне життя зможу це все показати у своїх творах (а шкода!)”
Composer Wasyl Bezkorowajnyj (b. 1880, Ternopil, Ukraine, d. 1966, Buffalo, USA) was born into a middle-class family and was exposed to music in childhood through singing in a church choir and playing the organ. He studied at the Ternopil Gymnasium, Ternopil Teacher’s Seminary and the Lviv Conservatory. He worked with the Boyan Choral Society in Ternopil, Lviv and Stanislav, organized branches of the Lysenko Music Institute in Ternopil and Zolochiv, and worked as music director of the Ukrainian Discourse Theatre. In 1944 he migrated to Austria, then Bohemia, and in 1949 he emigrated to the United States, settling in Buffalo, where he taught at the local branch of the Ukrainian Music Institute. His collaboration with poet Leonid Poltava was especially productive, resulting in song cycles and a children’s operetta. In all, Bezkorowajnyj composed some 350 pieces, primarily art songs, choral works and incidental music, much of which was intended for amateur performers.