NUMBER 77 OCTOBER 2014 626 BATHURST ST. TORONTO, ON ISSN-0703-9999

Community support is the life blood of EnsembleIn this issue …

• Toronto Mandolin Orchestra at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre • Shevchenko Musical Ensemble’s Tribute to Taras Shevchenko

• Annual Banquet to honour Ruth Budd

• John Boyd on the eccentricities of the English language

• Choral Concert with tribute to the late Pete Seeger

Each fall the National Shevchenko Musical Ensemble Guild of Cana-da appeals to the community for financial support for the programs and further artistic development of the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble. Funds raised in this campaign will guarantee that this unique performing arts group will contin-ue to perpetuate the culture of its founders, blending this with the musical traditions of many other Canadians. The performers in the Ensemble, as well as volunteers on the Board and other committees, freely give of their time and talents to sustain this group. However, the life blood of a group such as ours is the support it receives from the community, from readers of the Bulletin who love and appreciate the cultural traditions preserved in the multi-cultural mosaic of Canada. Without this support the En-semble could not achieve its high level of performance, nor continue to provide musical instruction and activity for youth and adults. Without this support the Ensem-ble could not develop new and creative artistic programs.

Without this support the Ensem-ble could not continue to bring the finest of Ukrainian and other traditions to thousands of music lovers. Please give generously to this Annual Sustaining Fund Drive. Help maintain and further develop one of Canada’s finest exponents of Ukrainian choral and orchestral music. And by giving your support to the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble you also become part of this One-of-a-Kind cultural experience.

Thank you sincerely.

Two outings by Club 626 Seniors rounded off a very successful fun-filled season. In June a busload of seniors made the trek to Brantford for a cruise on the Grand River. This historic river flows from its source near Wareham south of Georgian Bay to Port Maitland where it empties into the north shore of Lake Erie. Prior to embarking, members viewed a video highlighting the river’s importance, not only to the aboriginal population, but also to early settle-ment and the transportation of goods throughout the area. This was followed by an outstanding performance by The Blazing Fiddles, a roots/country group who treated the audience to a rousing program of showtunes and jazz as well as Celtic and classical music. Once on the boat and cruising down the gently flowing river, a delicious hot lunch was served. The combined atmo-sphere of fresh air and good food was very relaxing and enjoyable. In August a large crowd gatherd at the home of Stan and Evelyn Nazarec for the Annual “Garlic Fest” Bar-B-Q which once again featured Stan’s home-grown garlic as door prizes. The Club’s new season opened with a a visit by registered massage therapist, Irene Hill who demonstrated how relax-ing, yet invigorating, a body massage can be. Members were so enthusiastic about this experience and the health benefits of a therapeutic massage that they plan to have the masseuse offer

Studying to become a pharmacist in Vancouver, she also joined the Junior Symphony where she took lessons from the principal bass player of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. She soon got a position in the symphony which convinced her that her future lie in music. While playing in both symphonies,

Ruth got a day job in the BC shipyards and here she organized performing groups from among the dock workers. These dock-side performances raised thousands of dollars for the war effort during World War II. Ruth was soon offered a scholarship

to study at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music, and to raise the necessary funds she joined an all-girls’ band. Once in Toronto, in the early 1950s, she toured with a song group – forerunner to the Travellers – led by Fagel Gartner.

At the early age of 23 Ruth was accepted into the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the first female bass player in the TSO and possibly the first profes-sional woman bass player in Canada.

Ruth was also the sole woman in the notorious “Symphony Six” along with Steven Staryk, Abe Manheim, Bill Kuinka, John Moskalyk and Dirk Keet-baas, who, while on concert tour in 1951

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Banquet to honour an “old pro”Club 626 Seniors News

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The Guild’s Annual Banquet, to be held on October 19, will honour a very active, and youthful, 90 year old musician. Ruth Budd, a long-time admirer,

supporter and member of the Shev-chenko Musical Ensemble, will be the centre of attention that afternoon.

Ruth’s association with the En-semble goes back to the 1970s when, under the direction of Eugene Dolny, this unique group developed into a major musical force on the Toronto arts scene. This was due in good part to

Ruth Budd’s encouragement and the suggestion that the Ensemble begin to commission new Canadian works. These ambitious creations, in the words of John Fraser of the Globe and Mail, put the Ensemble “…in the forefront of all ethnic organizations in this country.” Ruth’s association with Ukrainian

culture extends to her childhood when she first studied mandolin under Nick Hoculak at the Winnipeg Ukrainian Labour Temple. She later went on to study violin and piano. While in the high school orchestra preparing for a festival, the bass player broke his arm and when the teacher asked if someone could replace him, Ruth enthusiastically volunteered. But the teacher skoffed “…a girl can’t play a bass.” That’s all Ruth needed to make her all the more determined to prove that girls can indeed play a bass. And so began her long love affair with the contrabass.

during the McCarthy Era, were barred from entering the United States. Their presence on American soil was “…detri-mental to the best interests of the US…” supposedly due to their association with left-wing organizations.

At the end of the 1951-52 TSO sea-son, the contracts of these six outstand-ing musicians were not renewed. Being black-listed not only seriously affected their professional work, but also their re-lationships with friends and colleagues, who, in fear of losing their jobs, turned their backs on the six.

In 1964 Ruth was invited back into the TSO and played with them until her retirement in 1989.

Soon after, Ruth re-established her contact with the Shevchenko Ensemble by serving on the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee and the Artistic Committee. When back problems made it too difficult to play bass in the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra, she simply trans-ferred her talent to the mandola section where she still performs today.

There is a great deal more to say about Ruth Budd and her active, very interesting and exceptional life.

But you will have to come out to the banquet on October 19 to hear the full story. The evening promises a delicious meal, outstanding entertainment and a warm and friendly atmosphere.

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: info-sme@bellnet.ca www.shevchenkomusic.comEditorial: Ginger Kautto, Larissa Stavroff, and Anna VeprinskaContributors: Kelly PaulPhotographs by Wayne Gilbert of GPS Digital Photo Images unless otherwise noted.

In Fond Memory

The National Shevchenko Musical Ensemble Guild

of Canada gratefully acknowledges contributions in memory

of the following:

George Keniak2014

Lillian Saiger2014

Melody Sas2014

Luba Kovach2014

Walter Kowman2014

Anne Moroz2014

sessions on a monthly or weekly basis right here at Guild headquarters. Unfortunately, the scheduled trip to Shaw Festival was cancelled, but Club members are now looking forward to the annual Christmas Party which will be held on December 7 at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre at 1604 Bloor St. W.

Everyone is welcome to join the Club (annual membership fee is only $20) and members and non-members alike are welcome to attend the events and participate in the outings.

Call Lydia Kit (416-534-5272) to join the Club and June Morris (416-447-5962) or Lili Pelowich (416-225-0285) to register for Club outings.

Monthly meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month at the Shevchenko Centre, 626 Bathurst St.

Sons and grandsons cooked and served the food. Guild President André Denton flips a burger while Kelson Morris waits to serve the order. Kaleff and Max Morris are elsewhere delivering sausages.

Stan’s grandsons, Brock and Spencer, warmly greeted each Senior upon arrival.

Taking in the beauty of the Grand River and surrounding area.

Phot

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Enjoying delicious burgers and sausage.

Ruth congratulates composer Morris Surdin and conductor Eugene Dolny on the premiere performance of “Suite Canadiene” by the Shevchenko Ensemble. Massey Hall, 1970.

competitions, Ms. Erokhina has recorded for television and radio both in Russia and abroad. This unique concert program will in-clude two pipa selections performed by Wen Zhao accompanied by the mandolin orchestra. One number is by a Chinese composer; the other is Japanese in char-acter. Wen will also partner with Roman on classical guitar. Spanish music on guitar will include Rodrigo’s well-known Concierto de Aranjuez. Roman will also perform an Italian concerto, both with orchestra. Ira will bring Russian music to the program with a new Concerto for Dom-ra by Loskutov and a Waltz from the Russian film Waterloo Bridge. The program of the Toronto Man-dolin Orchestra will also include the Overture to the Ukrainian opera Taras Bulba, Albert Ketelby’s In a Persian Market, and music to the film Children of Captain Grant based on a story by Jules Verne.

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Kaleidoscope of Strings by Toronto Mandolin OrchestraThe Toronto Mandolin Orchestra, under the artistic direction of Alexander Ve-prinskiy, will bring an unusual blend of stringed instruments to Trinity-St.Paul’s Centre in Toronto’s Annex neighbour-hood. A ‘Kaleidoscope of Strings’ will feature a Chinese pipa, a classical guitar, the Russian-style 3-string domra and, of course, the family of mandolins. Wen Zhao combines East Asian musical traditions with western classical repertoire to create new styles. An inter-nationally acclaimed pipa virtuosa, she has collaborated with some of the world’s top Western orchestras including the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony and others. Born in Beijing, Wen began her study of pipa at age seven. After graduating university she continued her musical career in England, performing and teaching Chinese music throughout the UK. Ms. Zhao currently lives in Toronto where she continues to pursue her performing and teaching career. Classical guitarist Roman Smirnov began studying guitar as a boy in Tallinn, Estonia where he later graduated from the Georg Ots Conservatory. He continued his studies at the Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem and the Kassel Music Academy in Germany. Roman has recorded performances for television and radio and in 1991 was accepted into the Union of Composers of Estonia. Mr. Smirbov has transcribed a number of works by Scarlatti, Bach, Soler, and Duphly for classical guitar and has created his own jazz compositions and arrangements. No stranger to our audiences, Ira Erokhina, virtuosa on the 3-string domra, will amaze a new audience with her speed and dexterity on this small instrument. After completing postgraduate studies at the Russian State Academy of Music in Moscow, Ira was appointed senior lec-turer at that institute. And for many years she was also a soloist with the world renowned Osipov Folk Orchestra in Moscow. An award-winning performer at

Wen Zhao on Chinese pipa

Roman Smirnov, classical guitarIra Erokhina, domra

This year the concert will be held at Trinity St. Paul’s Centre, the original home of Tafelmusik. It is at 427 Bloor St. W., just west of Spadina Avenue. And since the time of the concert is 4:00 PM, concertgoers may take the opportunity to make an evening of it by dining at one of the fine restaurants in the Annex area following the concert. Theatre seats are reserved, so call the Ensemble office at 4167-533-2725 for tickets.

New venue and new time

Trinity-St.Paul’s CentreThe new venue for this year’s concert of the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra is the Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre for Faith, Jus-tice and the Arts. Guided by the belief that the health of a city depends upon places that nurture the arts, diverse spir-ituality, social engagement and social as-sistance to those in need, the Centre is a vibrant community hub in mid-town To-ronto that has been serving the local and extended neighbourhood for more than 125 years. Today the Centre is home to 60 organizations – cultural, educational, religious, recreational, community and social service groups. Best known among these resident groups are Tafelmusik and The Toron-to Consort. Other groups include such community action organizations as cycling advocate Hamish Wilson, International Socialists, Toronto Health Coalition and many more. It is home to dance groups, both folk and classical, as well as singing groups, children’s theatre, local composers, yoga classes and others.

The Trinity-St. Paul’s Sanctuary/Jeanne Lamon Hall is great for con-certs, especially following its recent renovation. Musical Toronto raved, “...the audible reality is spectacular. New hardwood floors, textured hardwood side panels and a new, permanent stafe on the ground floor have allowed the orchestra’s sound to bloom right across the spectrum, from the highest violin notes, to heel-ticking low notes from the double-bass …” And in the words of David Fallis, Artistic Director of The Toronto Con-sort: “Because of its layout in the round, audience members enjoy a great feeling of intimacy with the performers. The ground floor is slightly raked allowing for excellent sightlines. The acoustics are very good. The spirit of the Centre is very welcoming.” Members of the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra are looking forward to bring-ing yet another beautiful, and unique, sound to the Centre with their concert on Sunday, November 30 at 4:00 PM.

Remembering dear friends Lillian Saiger, a product of the Jewish mandolin community, joined the Toron-to Mandolin Orchestra in the mid-60s. She and her husband Pinnie, a clari-netist, were active participants in the orchestra and the Shevchenko Guild for many decades until advancing age and poor health slowed them down. In the 70s and 80s they both toured Ontario with the Ensemble, appeared in the Ontario Place Forum and other theatres, and toured Ukraine with the orchestra both in 1970 and 1989. Even after they were no longer able to participate they remained devoted supporters of the Ensemble. Lil, who passed away in May, will be fondly remembered by members of the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble and by all who knew her as a kind, generous and compassionate woman.

Walter “Wally” Kowman was one of the finest ‘amateur’ accordionists to ever perform with the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble. His association began as accompa-nist to the Shevchenko Male Chorus when he was just a young teen. He later joined the Toronto Mandolin Orches-tra as lead accordionist, performing in many prestigious theatres in Ontario and beyond. Wally was not only a technically tal-ented musician, but played with ‘soul’, especially when performing Ukrainian or Russian traditional music. Wally, who passed away in October, was a very friendly and kind person who always thought of his family and fellowman first. He will be remembered, not only as a great musician, but as the wonderful person he was.

On the occasion of the 200th Anniver-sary of Shevchenko’s birth, the Quebec Shevchenko Monument Committee, in partnership with the Commission de la Capitale Nationale and the Ville de Québec, endowed this sculptured bust of Shevchenko by Toronto artist Oleh Lesiuk. The Commission and City of Quebec allocated and prepared the land on Allée des Poètes for the monument, installed the granite pedestal, and will maintain the monument in perpetuity. Congratulating the Committee, Ms. Mycak noted the “…unveiling of this bust to Shevchenko has been a rallying point of Quebec’s Ukrainian community and provides a strong Ukrainian pres-ence in the heart of French Quebec.” The Allée des Poètes already ac-commodates the bronze busts of such world-renowned poets as Dante Alighieri (Italy), Alexander Pushkin (Russia), and Nguyen Trai (Vietnam).

Irka Mycak, Director of the Shevchenko Foundation and artist Oleh Lesiuk at the official unveiling of the new monument to Taras Shevchenko in Quebec City

Shevchenko monument unveiled in Quebec

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200th Anniversary Tribute to Taras ShevchenkoAfter more than a year of planning and preparation, the combined efforts of the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble and the Taras Shevchenko Museum Founda-tion came to fruition on the stage of St. Michael’s College School Centre for the Arts on May 18, 2014. As people arrived, they were greeted by “stories of old” performed by ban-durist Victor Mishalow, the “wander-ing minstrel” or “kobzar” seated in the lobby. They also witnessed a display of colourful panels tracing the life and works of Taras Shevchenko. These were created by Lyudmyla Pogorelova, direc-tor of the Taras Shevchenko Museum Foundation. The choir, orchestra and soloists of the Shevchenko Ensemble, under the talented direction of Alexander Veprins-kiy, were in fine form for this special commemorative event, an event which called for innovative programming and presentation. The concert began as guest artist Vic-

tor Mishalow, strumming his bandura and singing the opening verses of the soulful Dumy moyi (My Thoughts),

took centre stage where he was then joined in chorus by choir and orchestra. As the entire first half of the con-cert was devoted to works by Taras Shevchenko, a brief narration about his life, interspersed with music, was presented by Master of Ceremonies Larissa Stavroff. English translations of the works performed were recited with great dramatic flare by Canadian actor Vladimir Bondarenko. To complement the music and poetry, images of Shevchenko’s paintings or works by others depicting aspects of his life, were projected on an overhead screen, each image relating to the song being performed. The printed Souvenir Program also contained reproductions of Shevchen-ko’s paintings and, due to the special occasion, a number of pages were in colour to better represent his art. The Souvenir Program also carried a brief synopsis of Shevchenko’s life together with translations of his works. The selection of images, and co-ordina-tion of these with the musical program and slide presentation, was done by Larissa Stavroff, Lyudmyla Pogorelova and Ginger Kautto. The slide show was put together by Byron Kautto. The program continued with Ohni horyat (The Lights are Blazing) with so-loists Hassan Anami and John Nieboer. The beautiful tenor voice of Hassan Anami was heard once again in Lichu v nevoli (I Count the Days in Captivity). A traditional kobzar “duma” about Ukrainian cossacks crossing the Black Sea to free their brethren from Turkish captivity was sung by Victor Mishalow accompanying himself on the bandura.

Introducing the traditonal “hopak” per-formed by the Desna Ukrainian Dance Company, the MC remarked “… memories of happier times in his beloved Ukraine are what sustained Shevchenko’s unbreakable spirit while in captivity.” Included in the program was Morris Surdin’s Hommage a Chevtchenko which was commissioned by the Ensemble for its tour of Ukraine in 1970. Zapovit (My Testament), with soloist Valeriy Galatsan and arranged by Hnat Khotkevych, began the finale of the first half of the concert. The rousing final num-ber, bringing this outstanding tribute to Shevchenko to a close, was Mykola Lysen-ko’s music to Shevchenko’s words Reve ta stohne Dnipr shyrokiy (The Mighty Dnieper). In addition to the introductory remarks by the MC and the reciting of text by actor Bondarenko, the translations of all six selections in this first half appear in the

Souvenir Program. During intermission, with great interest the audience viewed the presentation of Shevchenko’s life, as well as the display of artifacts featuring the sale of the newly is-sued “Kobzar” published by the Shevchen-ko Museum. Available for sale as well were various items of Shevchenkiana. Part II of the concert contained selections reflecting the legacy of Taras Shevchenko who “…through his poetry and art, not only left a legacy for social justice, but an inspiration to all future generations …”. The curtain opened with the Toron-to Mandolin Orchestra performing the Overture to Mykola Lysenko’s opera Taras Bulba. The Shevchenko Choir and orchestra per-formed Bread and Roses, a song inspired by a strike of women garment workers in Chicago. This was followed by the contemporary

Photos compliments of Wayne Gilbert, GPS Digital Photo ImagesAll images copyright © 2013 by GPS. All rights reserved.

Song for the Mira by Allister MacGilli-vray which describes the beauty of the Mira River in Cape Breton. Ira Erokhina, domra virtuosa, once again stunned the audience with her dexterity in Sha!Shtil!, a piece based on Jewish folk melodies. As Shevchenko lamented the fate of his homeland, so did Gilles Vigneault in his Quebec ‘anthem’ Mon Pays per-formed by soloist Tanya Podolskaya. The Desna Ukrainian Dance Co. performed an audience-pleasing, fiery rendition of Gypsy Dance. Tenor soloist Hassan Anami won loud applause with O Sole Mio. The beautiful Meditation by Jules Massenet featured domra soloist Ira Erokhina. Climb Ev’ry Mountain from Sound of Music performed by Helen Spiers echoed Shevchenko’s spirit that “…through perseverance one can achieve one’s goal in life as Shevchenko himself rose from serfdom to a man of letters and culture.” Herman Rombouts won the audience over with his rendition of Ol’ Man River by Jerome Kern. The entire cast concluded the program with Ocasr Peterson’s Hymn to Freedom –“When ev’ry heart joins ev’ry heart and together yearns for liberty, that’s when we’ll be free…” . Returning to their Ukrainian roots the choir, orchestra and soloist Valeriy Ga-latsan brought the concert to a rousing close with Rozpryahaite, khloptsi, koni (Unharness the Horses, Lads). Over the decades, the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble has attracted, not

only Ukrainians, but a diverse audience to its concerts. This special event mark-ing the 200th Anniversary of the birth of Taras Shevchenko was no different. The selection of songs, music, art and poetry presented by the perform-ing groups and soloists – as well as the Shevchenkiana in the lobby – did much to acquaint hundreds with the life and work of Taras Shevchenko – “…world-renowned writer and artist, one of the founders of modern Ukrainian literature, the voice of his people and Ukraine’s greatest national poet. As a prophet and visionary, Shevchen-ko helped forge a Ukrainian national identity while championing the people’s yearning for liberation from tyranny and oppression.”

Victor Mishalow, bandurist Director of T. Shevchenko Museum Foundation Lyudmyla Pogorelova with display

Vladimir Bondarenko, actorLarissa Stavroff, Master of Ceremonies

6Desna Ukrainian Dance Co.

Images of art projected above Shevchenko Musical Ensemble

Shevchenko Musical Ensemble in finale Hassan Anami, tenor Helen Spiers, soprano

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John Boyd on ‘The Beauty, Wonder & Power of the English Language’Last April 13 at the AUUC Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Toronto a curious audience gathered to hear John Boyd speak on the eccentricities of the English language. As a fundraiser for the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble, the event included a lunch of sand-wiches and salads (donated by two members), bright spring decor and a warm atmosphere. In introducing John Boyd, Ginger Kautto related a small part of his long life in the pro-gressive movement and the Ukrainian and other ethnic community organizations. As John began, it became evident he had put a great deal of research into his very interesting and absorbing talk. He cited historical facts such as the existence of some 3,000 to 4,000 languages in the world and mentioned that “…some 12 languages are spoken by 50 million or more people…how-ever, the English language is spoken as a first and second language by more people than any other.” He spoke of how, through the conquest of the Saxon and Celtic people by Romans and later Normans, the English language acquired many words from those roots. Examples of this Latin influence on English are found in words we use today such as communicate, cooperate, elimi-nate, and nominate. To add humour to his presentation John added the pun: “He fascinated me, so I kissed him; then he started to unfascinate me, so I slapped him.” While the French tried to keep their language pure, the English readily added words of other nations, becoming the richest of all languages. John provided interesting examples of incorporation of foreign words into English: words with German roots are blitz, hamburger, lager, kindergarten, strudel, knapsack and more. Musical terms, like contralto, diva, cadenza, opera and others are from the Italian language. English has borrowed troika and borsch from the Russians; from the Czechs, pistol and robot; and batik and coleslaw from the Dutch. Words such as jazz, jumbo and tango are taken from the Africans, and from Yiddish, chutzpah and many others. The speaker pointed out that English is perhaps the most flexible language, the easiest to learn, but the most difficult to master. He said that most people use a basic English vocabulary of 300 to 400 words.

The use of synonyms, homonyms and ant-onyms adds to the richness of the English language. And the fact that English, unlike many other languages, does not decline its nouns, makes it simpler to learn and use. Did you know that Latin has six declension cases, the Slavic languages have seven and the Finns and Hungarians have 13 and 18 respectively! One big disadvantage of English is that it is not phonetic. For example, words like “though,” “tough,” “through,” “bough” and “cough.” have the same spelling of “ough” but are pronounced differently, John quoted poet and humourist Ogden Nash in this ditty:“It’s not the cough that carries you offIt’s the coffin they carry you off in.” John demonstrated how English has become even more flexible in today’s commercial and technological world where the use of words such as “… drip-dry, hangover, new package deal, hit of the week, user-friendly, star-studded (mov-ie), back-to-back, water-proof, fold-out sofa, and more recently nouns like app and verbs like “google or twitter or “to text someone…” are now common place. John indicated how words not only express beauty, but also help to shape events and history and gave examples such as the French Revo-lution’s cry for “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”, President Kennedy’s “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”; and Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. John’s fascinating presentation had everyone in awe, not only for the amount of information and the humourous delivery, but that this was the work of a man well into his 102nd year! And that’s not all. John has given the above ‘talk’ on a number of occasions prior to this event. He has four more ‘papers’ which he will be delivering at Woodsworth Coop Housing (where he lived for over 30 years) and at Christie Gardens, his current residence. These include The Fascinating World of Names and Pseud-onyms, Looking at the Lighter Side of Aging, Wit and Wisdom Around the World, and Wit and Wisdom by Women. He is also working on a new paper, The Sad Fate of Ukrainian Nationhood.

Choral Concert to include a tribute to Pete SeegerThe Annual Choral Concert, presented by the Shevchenko Choir and a guest group, will include a tribute to Pete Seeger, a legendary figure in folk music of North American. Pete Seeger, who died in January this year, devoted his life to the struggle for social justice, workers’ rights, peace and equality through song and music.

Working with such prominent figures in peoples’ music as Woody Guthrie, Seeger co-founded a number of singing/performing groups in the late 1940s. Among these perhaps the most influen-tial and memorable was the Weavers. Although the Weavers experienced a number of fruitful years with hits such as Goodnight Irene on the charts, by the early 1950s they were being blacklisted by the scourge of McCarthyism. Seeger, unlike many other artists, survived this persecution and was able, with the Weavers, to return to Carnegie Hall, inspiring the revival of folk music in the 60s. Peter Seeger and his wife Toshi Ohta also became leading figures in the envi-ronmental movement in New York state. Seeger had a strong link to Camp Naivelt, the recreational summer camp of the United Jewish People’s Order, where he had performed with Sid

Dolgay and others in the forerunner to the popular Canadian song group, the Travellers. This August a Pete Seeger Tribute was held at Camp Naivelt attended by hundreds. The Tribute Concert featured such artists as Sharon & Bram, Faith Nolan, Danny Bakan, the Naivelt Musi-cians and more. The tribute to Pete Seeger on January 25 by the Shevchenko Choir and the Common Thread Community Choir will include the performance of a number of selections such as the moving Where Have All the Flowers Gone? and other songs of social content. The Shevchenko Choir, under the di-rection of Alexander Veprinskiy, will also present their usual program of Ukrainian and other folk and classi-cal selections. Common Thread, a secular choir that sings folk music reflecting the languages and cultures of Toronto, promotes the belief that social justice and community can be built through music, changing the world one song at a time. By raising their voices in solidarity with a diverse range of community groups and grassroots initiatives, they can help in their struggles and triumphs as they work to make the world a better place. Both choirs are a perfect fit for this tribute to a great humanitarian who also believed the world, and people, can be changed for the better through song and music.

Choral Concert

with a Tribute to the legendary Pete Seeger

Sunday, January 25, 20152:00 PM

Columbus Centre Rotunda901 Lawrence Ave. W(just west of Dufferin)

Watch for further details

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Sunday, October 19/14 •1 PMAnnual BanquetHonouring Ruth Budd, long time activist in the ShevchenkoMusical Ensemble.King’s Garden Banquet Hall15 Canmotor Ave, Toronto(south off the Queensway between Royal York and Islington)$50 personTables for 8 may be reserved.Call 416-533-2725 for reservations and tickets.

Sunday, November 30/14 4:00 PM (note new time)Kaleidoscope of StringsToronto Mandolin OrchestraWen Zhao, PipaRoman Smirnov, GuitarIra Erokhina, DomraTrinity-St. Paul’s Centre(original home of Tafelmusik) 427 Bloor Street West(west of Spadina Ave)$30 • Student $15Call 416-533-2725info-sme@bellnet.ca

Sunday, December 7, 2014Club 626 Seniors Christmas Party • 12 noon1604 Bloor St. W, TorontoCall 905-625-3708 for details

Sunday, January 11, 2015AGM Shevchenko Guild2:30 • 626 Bathurst St

Sunday, January 25/15 Choral Concert • 2:00 PMShevchenko Choir & GuestsWith a choral dedication to the late Pete SeegerColumbus Centre Rotunda,901 Lawrence Ave. WCall 416-533-2725

what’s happening?

Sunday, May 17/15 • 2:00 PM

Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the end of WW IIShevchenko Musical EnsembleSt. Michael’s College SchoolCentre for the Arts1515 Bathurst St (at St. Clair)Tickets: $35 adult/ $15 studentCall 416-533-2725info-sme@bellnet.ca

The Toronto Mandolin Orchestra, of which I am a proud member, performed a Spring Concert with vocal soloists at the Church of St. Andrew in Scarbor-ough on Sunday, April 27. This was our second performance at this church. When we performed there two years ago, it was the first time many of the audience members had heard a mando-lin orchestra. As the orchestra played the first note of the concert, the impact on the audience was instant. They were in disbelief, amazed at the full symphonic sound that the orchestra produced from instruments which the audience had previously only heard playing solo folk melodies. The audience enjoyed the rare, mag-ical experience of listening to the full family of mandolin instruments in our orchestra and they were spellbound by our performance. This experience was why we were specially requested for a repeat perfor-mance this year and this time for a full concert program. In this year’s spring concert, because most of the audience had heard us play last year, they were already familiar with the sound of a mandolin orchestra. Despite the absence of surprise, the au-dience both appreciated and enjoyed the concert. Some of their comments were: • a spectacular performance • good choice of music in a diverse

BY KELLY PAUL program showcasing different styles • good selection of pieces, and the vocalists, in particular, were outstanding.• great passion and energy displayed by conductor Alexander Veprinskiy bringing the music to life and smiles to the faces in the orchestra • very impressed by the skills and dexterity of Ira on the domra• enjoyed the excellent acoustics in the church A member of the audience, who had previously attended the Ger Mandolin Concert in November 2013, commented that our church Spring Concert was the best experience for him so far. It may be a hard act for us to beat in future concerts!

TMO featured at Spring Concert

Soloist Ira Erokhina plays La Paloma

Toronto Mandolin Orchestra at The Church of St. Andrew in Scarborough

TMO in the community

what’s happening?

Once again, on the invitation of Ruth Budd, the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra and vocal soloists presented a concert at Christie Gardens Seniors’ Residence on May 29. The concert was part of the program Let’s Discuss It, one of the clubs at the residence in which Ruth is an active member. Like the orchestra’s first visit to that residence, the auditorium was again packed with people eagerly waiting for the music to begin. As Master of Ceremonies, Ruth spoke of her long relationship with the orches-tra, particularly in the mandola section. The orchestra performed a Ukrainian Folk Suite, the Tritsch-Tratsch Polka by Strauss, Shostakovich’s Waltz from his Jazz Suite, the old Gypsy tune Two Gui-tars and the Russian folk tune Pedlars. Helen Spiers was warmly applauded for her performance of I Could Have Danced all Night as was Tanya Podol-skaya who sang Le Vie en Rose. Part way through the program, con-ductor Alexander Veprinskiy announced that Ruth would be celebrating her 90th birthday in a number of days and said “…we want to take this opportunity to wish her many more healthy and active years.” He then introduced Ruth’s son, Kevin who played a Romanian Medley on pan flute with orchestra as a tribute to his mother on her birthday. The powerful voice of tenor Hassan Anami rang out in O Sole Mio and Her-man Rombouts was outstanding with his rendition of Ol’ Man River.

As a surprise, all vocal soloists and orchestra joined together to perform the well known Russian folk song Kalinka as an encore. Following the concert, performers and audience members were invited to share a piece of birthday cake provided by the orchestra to mark Ruth’s special day.

The quartet singing Kalinka, a wonderful climax to a great evening

MC Ruth Budd introducing the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra and vocal soloists

Birthday greetings from son Kevin BuddRuth Budd, Master of Ceremonies

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Make an evening of it by dinng at one of the fine restaurants in the Annex

$30•Students $15 • Call 416-533-2725

VISA orders add $2 per ticketinfo-sme@bellnet.ca • www.shevchenkomusic.com

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featuring

Wen ZhaoPipa virtuosa

Ira ErokhinaVirtuosa on 3-string domra

Roman SmirnovClassical guitarist

Toronto Mandolin Orchestra

Alexander Veprinskiy

Artistic Director/Conductor

An exciting fusion of

Chinese, Spanish, Russian

and other music in a unique

multi-string program

Mandolins • Chinese Pipa

Russian Domra • Classical Guitar

Sunday, November 30

(note new time & new venue!)

4:00 PMTrinity-St. Paul’s Centre

(original home of Tafelmusik)

427 Bloor St. W (west of Spadina)

WEN ZHAO, internationally acclaimed pipa virtuosa, combines East Asian musical traditions with Western classical repertoire creating new and different styles.

“Wen Zhao…displayed dexterity and percussive skills on the pipa” – Toronto Star

“Wen Zhao must be Jimi Henrix of the Chinese Pipa” – Wholenote Magazine

ROMAN SMIRNOV performs modern, classical and baroque music as well as his own jazz compositions and arrangements.

IRA EROKHINAa highly skilled performer on the 3-string domra, a mando-lin-like Russian instrument, was a soloist with the world renowned Osipov Folk Orchestra of Moscow.