North America 2018 Tour Blog
Привіт and welcome to our 2018 tour blog!
Here we will be documenting our favourite moments from our tour this summer. Our Tour & Travel Directors have been working very hard over the past year to create a memorable tour for us, and we can't wait to experience it!
On this tour, we will be visiting New York City, Philadelphia, and Ottawa. Stay tuned to hear about what we will be doing in each city!
T-9 days until we leave - Only 3 rehearsals left!
On July 19, we will be performing in Philadelphia at the KleinLife Theatre! This concert is going to be very unique as we have not one, but TWO special guest choirs joining us on stage! As the show is in 10 days, we wanted to give you the opportunity to learn more about Dzvin and Prometheus. We can't wait to share the stage with these talented choirs! Find them on Facebook and give them a 'like,' you won't be disappointed!
Dzvin Ukrainian Male Folk Choir
DZVIN was born in March 2009, when several Ukrainian choral singing enthusiasts came together under the direction and leadership of Nestor Kyzymyshyn. That same year in December, DZVIN had the honor of performing for the Ukrainian Ambassador and embassy staff in Washington, D. C. and at the Mormon Tabernacle National Shrine in Washington DC at their annual International Christmas Carol Festival.
DZVIN has performed at numerous Ukrainian festivals in the Philadelphia as well as throughout the United States and Canada including: Lehighton PA,Baltimore MD, Rochester NY, Yonkers New York, twice at the Soyuzivka Ukrainian Heritage Festival in Kerhonkson, NY, and at the Ukrainian Orthodox National Shrine in Bound Brook, NJ.
In 2012, DZVIN participated in the first International Choral Group Festival in Philadelphia. They participated along with choirs representing various ethnic groups residing in the United States including: Poland, Japan, China, the United States, Slovakia, Germany and Ukraine. In 2014, DZVIN had the distinct honor of performing at the Toronto Bloor Street Ukrainian Festival. In 2016, DZVIN was honored to perform at the Pysanka Ukrainian Festival in Vegreville, Alberta Canada.
The choir sings traditional Ukrainian ballads, contemporary songs, humorous songs, Kozak Folk songs, UPA themed songs, religious hymns and the liturgy. DZVIN also sings at numerous weddings each year.
Currently DZVIN is incorporating new songs into our repertoire, and we plan to continue performing at various venues in the US and Canada. There is even a rumor of a possible tour of Ukraine.
Prometheus Ukrainian Male Folk Choir of Philadelphia
The “Prometheus” Ukrainian Male Chorus of Philadelphia recently celebrated its 55th Anniversary. Founded in 1962, the Chorus has a long and distinguished history, which includes tours of Europe in 1980 and 1984, and Ukraine in 1995. They have performed at the Montreux Choral Festival in Switzerland, Carnegie Hall and Town Hall in New York, Mont Royale in Montreal, Roy Thomson and Massey Halls in Toronto, John Kennedy Center for Performing Arts and DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, and the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, among many, many other prominent venues around the world.
Always striving for the highest degree of musicianship, “Prometheus” maintains a rich and colorful repertoire to enable audiences to experience the great beauty of Ukrainian choral tradition.
Under the direction of Artistic Director Roman Kucharsky, and accompanied by pianist Irene Zwarych, the Chorus brings together a diverse range of male singers committed to musical excellence. They love to perform – and love doing it well!
Минулого року, Український Чоловічий Хор “ПРОМЕТЕЙ” з Філядельфії відзначив своє 55-ліття. Заснований в 1962-му році, хор має довгу і визначну історію, що включає два широкі турне по Европі, в 1980 і 1984 роках, та по Україні в 1995 р. За свого існування, ПРОМЕТЕЙ виступав на Хоровому Фестивалі в Монтре, Швайцарія та в найкращих залях Північної Америки і Европи.
Завжди намагаючись на найвищий музичний рівень, ПРОМЕТЕЙ зберігає багатий і барвистий репертуар, щоб уможливити слухачам оцінити велику красу українського хорового мистецтва.
Під керівництвом диригента Романа Кучарського, та супроводом піяністки Ірини Зварич, хор об’єднує різноманітний склад чоловічих голосів відданих музичній майстерності.
Протягом 55 років, наш хор здійснує свою нелегку місію носія і пропагатора української національної культури. Будемо і надальше!
And we’re off! After an (extremely) early morning, the Viter ensemble headed from YEG to YYZ where we completed a quick connection to arrive on time in New York. Once we had a few hours to sleep, shower, and explore the rooftop patio of our hotel (Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott), we were off to our welcome dinner at Houndstooth Pub in Midtown Manhattan. Our choir member Melody Kostiuk received a special birthday celebration from the Viter Ensemble. There were gifts, cake, and of course, beautiful singing of Mnohaya Lita!
The evening was left to explore Times Square, experience a Broadway show or grab a slice of pizza and do some shopping on 5th Avenue!
A rainy start to the morning today, however the weather turned out to be perfect for the eagerly anticipated NYC tour! Places we visited included, Little Italy, Chinatown, the Ground Zero Memorial, Freedom Tower, Wagner Park (where we saw the Statue of Liberty), Wall Street, Central Park, Grand Central Station (where a few members quoted Gossip Girl), and many other sights along the way.
After the busy tour full of information and historic sights, Ellen's Stardust Diner was our lunchtime destination. The talented servers provided entertainment throughout our meal with songs ranging from Jingle Bell Rock to Broadway classics.
Another Viter member had a special happy birthday today too - Viter dancer, Lauren Dzenick, turned 16. The company sang Mnohaya Lita for her in Grand Central Station, where the acoustics provided an experience she will never forget!
A free evening allowed members to visit different museums, walk around their favourite sights, and see more Broadway shows. We are excited to see what the rest of our time in New York has in store!
