NUMBER 60 APRIL 2006 626 BATHURST ST. TORONTO, ON ISSN-0703-9999

Toronto Mandolin Orchestra 50th celebrations underway

One of TMO’s predecessors: Ukrainian Labour & Farmer Temple Association orchestra. West Toronto. 1937. Conductor, Chris Dafeff.

Toronto Mandolin Orchestra, Association of United Ukrainian Canadians, 1965. Conductor, Eugene Dolny

Toronto Mandolin Orchestra, Shevchenko Musical Ensemble, 2005. Conductor, Alexander Veprinsky.

The next major event to mark the 50th Anniversary of the TMO is the Annual Concert of the Shevchenko Ensem-ble on May 28 at Leah Posluns Theatre (see back page).

In addition to this concert, the 50th Anniversary Com-mittee, chaired by Florenz Seychuk, has initiated a number of projects to help celebrate the anniversary which is signifi-cant in that it reflects on mandolin traditions, not only in the Ukrainian community, but in many other ethnic communi-ties in Canada. It brings to light the significant role mandolin schools played in many immigrant communities as working people, particularly during the 20s and 30s, sought out af-fordable music lessons for their children.

The 50th Committee’s first step was to draw up a list of all past and current members of the TMO which totaled some 202 musicians. It is interesting to note that of those 202 musicians, approximately half received their music education in the Ukrainian community and a full third in the Jewish community. Other members learned the mandolin in the Macedonian, Hungarian, Russian, Finnish and Italian communities.

All past members, some as far away as Vancouver, PEI and Nova Scotia, have been invitied to participate in the 50th anniversary events. In addition to the concerts (two of which have already been successfully held), work is progressing on the Gala Banquet, final concert in the Glenn Gould Studio, the two CD releases, a photo exhibit and historical coffee table book.

The Committee is also producing a number of souvenirs for the occasion. Members on the committee with Florenz are Walter Kowman, long-time TMO accordionist, Arthur Zimmerman, past flutist, and Rudy Wasylenky, Board mem-ber from Burlington who played mando-bass in the TMO. Current orchestra members Linda Daviss, Virginia Stoyme-noff, Natalia Denton, Natasha Sawchuk, Vera Borusiewich and Ginger Kautto round out the committee.

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Guild Annual Banquet a fun evening For more than a decade, the Na-

tional Shevchenko Musical Ensemble Guild has been honouring outstand-ing volunteers at its Annual Banquet. On November 6, 2005 this event was somewhat different in that it recog-nized and honoured a person who has not only been a volunteer for all of her adult life, but a full-time administrator for the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble and Guild for over 30 years.

We refer, of course, to Ginger Kautto who, along with Eugene Dolny, set up office for the newly incorpo-rated Guild in 1972 and has continued in that capacity ever since.

As in the years prior to Guild incorporation, Ginger also continued as a volunteer in many aspects of the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble and Guild, including working with youth and teaching children.

John Boyd, who at the age of 93 is the most elegant of speakers, gave the main address which focused on Ginger’s contribution as a staff mem-ber, a volunteer and as a leader in the organization.

Congratulatory greetings were received from Board members across the country – from Jerry Szach and Mary Fedosenko in Vancouver, Myron Shatulsky and Eugene Szach in Winni-peg, and Rudy Wasylenky representing Ontario. Sid Dolgay, who could not be present, also sent a greeting.

The most moving messages were those from Ginger’s former students (now in the leadership) of the Re-gina Poltava Ensemble, AUUC, and from Saskatchewan Board member and brother Norman Sawchyn who paid tribute to the contribution they felt Ginger made to their lives as she “…instilled in us a deep love of music and dance, of the Ukrainian culture in particular and of all culture in gen-eral.”

Another highlight of the evening was the presence of Tamara Volskaya, who Ginger met over 40 years ago while they were both students in Kiev

and whose friendship has lasted since that time.

Tamara, together with Alexander Veprinsky, created a skit with a song to the tune of the Ukrainian folk song, “Handzya” with lyrics about Ginger. The chorus, translated into English by daughter Anna Veprinsky, invited the audience to join in. This added a great deal of levity to the evening.

Tamara also performed for the au-dience and made her personal tribute to her friend.

Svetlana Pendik, Dance Instructor, delivered a poetic tribute in Russian which was translated line by line by Liza Karpova of the Kaniv Dancers.

In extending heartfelt thanks, Ginger quoted Maude Barlow of the Council of Canadians who said “car-ing for something larger than oneself is the best thing you can do in life”. Ginger said: “Working and caring for the AUUC, then the Ensemble and Guild, didn’t bring monetary riches, but riches of another kind. It gave me the opportunity and honour, in the AUUC and Ensemble, of working with wonderful, talented, creative, profes-sional people, both colleagues on staff and numerous volunteers. It has given me and my son the love and knowledge of music and dance, the opportunity to travel, to perform and to study. It has given us the wealth of many dear friends.”

The entire evening was very well organized and executed by Chair Flo-renz Seychuk and her committee: the pre-dinner classical music provided by Nancy Borusiewich’s duet, the contribution of Edna Rigby as Emcee, and the delicious and substantial meal served by the King’s Garden Banquet Hall.

The evening round up with the raffle for the John Joy acrylic “Eu-clid Avenue” from his series “Streets of Toronto”. The lucky winner was Sergei Sawchuk of Toronto. This was followed by the Grand Final Draw of the 1000 Club Lottery conducted by William Morris.

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Shevchenko School and Kaniv ConcertOn April 9, 2006 in the Betty Oli-

phant Theatre, the Shevchenko School of Dance and Music and the Kaniv Dancers of the Shevchenko Musi-cal Ensemble presented their annual concert.

Andrei Pendik, Director of the School, and Svetlana Pendik, Dance Instructor for the School, led their students, ages 4 to teens, through nine dances in the first half. For the smallest children, most were thematic dances utilizing some basic Ukrainian steps and movements. As the children get older, the dances become more challenging, more traditional and more seriously classical.

Children as young as seven years old have the opportunity of attend-ing dance classes twice a week which results in a higher level of perfor-mance. This was particularly evident in the performance of the Chopiniana Waltz by Group C of Columbus Centre taught by Andrei Pendik.

Svetlana’s group of older dancers, Group D of Columbus, performed a lively and colourful Gypsy Dance with Gleb Sivitsky as single male soloist.

The Kaniv Dancers, both female and male, again displayed great improvement in their level of perfor-mance of Waltz from Jazz Suite by D. Shostakovich, a Khorovod, the ever popuar Hopak, a lyrical Wreath Dance and the firey Gypsies of Moldova.

Mandolin students, Eliza Rennick and Gleb Sivitsky, each performed a challenging solo with piano accom-paniment by Kateryna Konopleva, a selection with teacher Ginger Kautto, and the duet Air from The Magic Flute by Mozart in which they showed a high level of musicality.

Polovetsian DancesThe second half of the program

was a repeat performance of the popu-lar Polovetsian Dances, an outstanding suite conceived and choreographed by Andrei Pendik and first performed in 2000.

Based on the opera Prince Igor by

A. Borodin, the suite consists of the following scenes: Invitation to the Khan (or Prince), Duet of the Eastern Maidens, Dance of the Village Maid-ens, Dance of the Young Horsemen, Taming of the Wild Horse, Dance of the Little Hunters-Horseman, Dance of the Accomplished Riders, and the grand Finale.

Andrei Pendik played the role of the Khan and from his vantage point on his throne could watch the entire performance.

Alex Poloupanov was outstanding in his role as Konchak (the Chieftan) and he as the horse trainer, and Svet-lana Pendik as the wild horse, gave an exceptional performance.

The female members of Kaniv danced and acted their roles excep-tionally well both as maidens and as young horsemen. The male Kaniv dancers, as Polovtsy (or warriors), added a great deal of fire and energy to this spectacular suite.

Special mention should be made of the youngest dancers in this suite, Groups B II and C of Columbus. In the role of village girls and little hunt-ers-horsemen it was required that they enter and exist the stage a number of times right on cue in order to perform their part. They did this sucessfully without error.

The spectacular costuming for this suite was designed and made for the first performance and so was avail-able for this year’s presentation. This included the special stage prop of a

yurt, an eastern hut made by the late Joe Cook and beautifully painted by Monica Harhay.

Thanks to Monica Harhay for her role as stage and lighting director, to Helen Spiers for her outstanding job as Emcee for the afternoon, to Lorna Clark and grandson Raven McBride for their work backstage. Thanks also to all those who worked the Front of House.

Thanks and congratulations to the teachers, Andrei and Svetlana Pendik and Ginger Kautto, for a wonderful performance and a successful season.

A great concert collaborationby Philip Joseph

The Winter Choral and Dance Concert held at Columbus Centre on January 15, 2006 was a wonderful show. The Shevchenko Choir and Ka-niv Dancers together with the Toronto Jewish Folk Choir presented a superb performance of song and dance.

Alexander Veprinsky conducted both choirs, separately and jointly, adding plenty of body English to emphasize the musicality of the pieces (I love watching this superb musician conduct as well as to listen to his inter-pretation). His masterly touch could be felt throughout the performance.

The Shevchenko Choir sang a num-ber of Ukrainian folk songs, sweetly, mournfully or robustly as required. The placing of the women in the front line of the Rotonda allowed them to give of their best and fill the Rotonda with full and fine voice. The men were placed at the rear and the acoustics of the hall did not benefit them (how about half-circles next time?). Nev-ertheless, the sweetness and purity of new soloist Mitch Smolkin came through as did Tania Podolska in an-other piece.

The Toronto Jewish Folk Choir seem to get better every year even though there are falling numbers. The piece Spoken Yiddish is So Beauti-ful! was great fun and soloist Herman Rombouts made an essential contri-bution with his powerful voice and acting skills. The Historical Medley, arranged by Veprinsky, with soloists Miriam Eskin and Mitch Smolkin, was a moving tribute to the work of the choir over eight decades.

What can I say about the Kaniv Dancers? They were faultless and showed vitality, grace and inevitable delight in their beauty and youth. I particularly liked the fresh, sprightly cheekiness of the Dance of the Po-lovetsian Maidens and the fluid white-ness of the Waltz by Shostakovich.

A thank you to the female dance group for an excellent performance

and to choreographer A. Pendik, who also danced and was in fine form.

Pianists Elena Zviagina and Lena Zemelman gave expert back-up to the choirs and, when required, a touch of passion.

The concert concluded with the beautiful O Lovely Land sung by combined choirs with soloist Herman Rombouts.

A great afternoon, winter or not.

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Photography by Wayne Gilbert of GPS Digital Photo Images

Toronto Mandolin Orchestra and soloistsAs part of its 50th Anniversary celebrations, on February 12, 2006 the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra pre-sented a concert with outstanding vocal and instrumental soloists. Reprinted below, with the permission of the author, is a review of that concert which appeared in Deutsche Presse, the largest German language weekly newspaper abroad.

by Rosemarie MeyerA wonderful concert under the heading

“Romancing the Classics” was performed on Sunday, February 12, 2006 by the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra of the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble under the guidance of Artistic Direc-tor and Conductor Alexander Veprinsky at the Leah Posluns Theatre in Toronto. This inaugu-ral event marked the 50th anniversary of the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra. Further concerts and events are planned throughout 2006.

For me it was the first time that I had the pleasure of listening to the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra which is composed of about 40 vol-unteers. The program included a broad selection of Slavic, Jewish, Italian, Russian and other tunes. The concert began with the Overture from the Russian film “Taming of the Fire”, then soprano Tetyana Shkymba sang “Natalka’s Song” followed by Mykola Stadnyk playing a Carpathian Rhapsody on clarinet accompanied by the orchestra. Kevin Budd performed haunt-ing Romanian melodies on the pan-flute.

Iraida Erokhina played three pieces as a soloist that afternoon on the 3-string domra, a mandolin-like Russian instrument. She truly is an outstanding musician. Her skillful virtuosity is magnificent. Especially the way she played the “Fandango” with her amazing dexterity just awesome.

Bass Herman Rombouts, soprano Helen Spiers and tenor Mitch Smolkin gave stellar performances. Even though I frequently attend classical concerts, I had not come across these singers so far and was very impressed. Helen Spiers sings with a laugh in her voice – very uplifting. Herman Rombouts impressed with his “Russian bear” like voice with the Russian folk song “Along Peterskaya Street” and “La Vendetta” from the opera “Le Nozze di Figaro”. The Trio Tetyana Shkymba as Adele, Helen Spiers as Rozalinde and Herman Rombouts as Gabriel sang from the operetta “Die Fleder-maus”.

Richard Szymczyk did an excellent job

as Emcee. The concertmistress Mary Kuzyk has been with the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra since its inception in 1956 and later as Assistant Conduc-tor of the Shevchenko Ensemble from 1984 to 1994. Quite a few musicians in the orchestra are not younger any more, but their love of music and infallible youthful enthusiasm is unbelievable. Some of the beautiful tunes brought forth on the mandolins sounded like a sprinkling of waterdrops or like a light waterfall evoking varied emotions. The flute, clarinet, accordion, bassoon and percussion instruments added additional colour. The last piece “Pedlars”, a Rus-sian folk song was also particularly well performed.

Iraida Erokhina, domra

Helen Spiers, soprano, Herman Rombouts, bass and Tetyana Shkymba, soprano

Mitch Smolkin, tenorMykola Stadnyk, clarinetKevin Budd, pan-flute

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Club 626 Seniors marks 20 yearsBy William Morris

Club 626 Seniors was officially formed on January 7, 1986 wth a membership of 29 seniors. The present membership has grown to approxi-mately 120.

The first Executive Committee consisted of President Michael Spor-tun, Vice-Presidents Ron Boychuk and Frank Mihay, Mary Markow, Secre-tary, Pinnie Saiger, Treasurer, John Sportun, Membership Secretary and John Boyd, member at large.

Supported by a New Horizons grant, the Club furnished a Club room at Guild headquarters, purchased equipment and supplies to equip a kitchen, and the ingredients for the making of pyrohy.

This was a fundraising project of the Shevchenko Guild which was taken under wing by Club 626 Seniors. For a number of years the men of the Club gathered to peel the potatoes and the following day a brigade of women came and made the pyrohy.

Mike Sportun served as Club Presi-dent for 11 years. Under his leader-ship the Club initiated and developed other programs to assist the Guild and Ensemble.

A new project completed in 1987 was to make and furnish new cos-tumes for the Kaniv Dancers of the Shevchenko Ensemble as the young people prepared for their trip to Ukraine to attend an international dance seminar.

In addition to its support of Guild activities, members have taken medi-cal supplies and sports equipment to Cuba for a number of years. Through their Craft Club they have donated clothing and other items to local chari-ties.

The Club meets the first Wednes-day of the month for a short business meeting, followed by a presentation by an invited speaker, a luncheon and social gathering.

Speakers have made presentations

on health issues, political subjects, world events, the Ukrainian language and musical presentations.

Trips for the members are orga-nized to places of interest in Toronto and vicinities in southern Ontario. This season two trips to Rama and one to Stratford Festival are scheduled.

On Wednesday, June 7 the Club will hold a 20th Anniversary Lun-cheon at the new, spacious Golden Lion Restaurant. Everyone is welcome to attend. See advertisement below.

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Club 626 Seniors “Pyrohy Brigade” of the 1980s and 90s.

Michael SportunInagural President 1986

Club 626 Seniors20th Anniversary Luncheon

Wednesday, June 7, 2006 • 1:00 p.m.Golden Lion Restaurant

15 Canmotor Ave(between Royal York & Islington, south off The Queensway)

$25.00 per person

For tickets call Olga Kowalchuk 416-267-3147

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I have enjoyed performances of the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble for over 30 years and even accompanied the Ensemble on its concert tour of Ukraine in 1989. Over the years, I have grown to appreciate the quality of performances by the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra.

On Saturday, November 26, 2005 Michael Lyons, on-air host on Classical 96.3 FM in Toronto, served as Master of Ceremonies for the concert and live recording by the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra conducted by Alexander Veprinsky.

Introducing the concert, he stated that the studio sound system had been set up only for recording the CD to be issued on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the orchestra, and that no microphones were being used for the audience in the concert hall. He also asked the audience not to burst into applause following a number, but to allow a few seconds for recording purposes.

The acoustics in the Glenn Gould Studios are reported to be excellent, and certainly from his vantage point on the stage, Mr. Lyons found the acoustics outstanding. He was totally enthralled with the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra, and the audience at-large certainly shared his enthusiasm and applauded exuberantly throughout the concert.

Unfortunately, from my seat in the audience, the various sections of the orchestra seemed to struggle to hear each other during the first few selections, and so I found the per-

TMO live recording in Glenn Gould Studioby Margaret Shinozaki formance rather uneven. It was quite

a different story once I listened to the concert recording in order to write this review.

The concert opened with a rousing rendition of “Scherzo” from Five Pictorial Sketches for Orchestra, a piece commissioned in 1975 from Canadian composer, Ben McPeek. This first selection was followed by the very familiar Ukrainian pieces, “Ukrainian Fantasy” and “Kolomeyka”, and the Russian “Waltz” to Pushkin’s short story The Blizzard.

Iraida Erokhina seemed a bit tentative in her first solo, the “Fandango”, and the orchestra appeared to struggle to keep up with her performance. Ms. Erokhina certainly displayed her virtuosity on the 3-string domra later in the concert as her fingers flew over the strings in her spectacular rendition of the “Flight of the Bumblebee” and, after the intermission, her sensitive interpretation of “Gypsy Aires”.

It is encouraging to see that the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra continues to add to its repertoire - “Taming of the Fire” from the Russian film, Taming the Fire and “Waltz” from the Russian film, Beware the Auto!

The first half of the concert ended with Moussorgsky’s well-known “The Great Gates of Kiev” from Pictures at an Exhibition.

After intermission we were treated to the “Overture” from the Barber of Seville, followed by a very melodic interpretation of “Going Home” from Dvorak’s New World Symphony. The

concert continued with “Overture” from the operetta, Countess Martisa, Dieter Kreydler’s “Rhumba”, and ended with a resounding performance of the familiar “Pedlars”.

Overall, the concert was a memorable one. The concert program stated that the evening’s performance is one of a double set CD planned for release later this year. I feel it is important to recognize the roots in the Ukrainian community of the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra. Only two selections on this CD, “Ukrainian Fantasy” and “Kolomeyka” have Ukrainian roots, and I would hope that the second CD will include selections that will round out the 2-CD set and illustrate the broad repertoire and the historical roots of the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra.

It is not a simple feat, even for a professional group, to make a live recording of a concert. The audience was informed in ad-vance that should a piece start off poorly, the conductor would stop and start again for purposes of the recording, and this was done on a few occasions.

Otherwise, the program flowed well and was bolstered by the warm applause and enthusi-astic remarks and compliments from Michael Lyons, the Emcee for the evening, who added a great deal of class to the event.

Working along side Alexander Veprinsky and Eric Stein, the final editing and mastering of this recording has been done by CBC technicians. The Artistic Commit-tee and Board of the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble are confident a very fine CD will be completed and on sale at the Ensemble’s An-nual Concert on May 28 at Leah Posluns Theatre.

Annual Guild Meeting focuses on 50th Anniversary The Annual General Membership

meeting of the National Shevchenko Musical Ensemble Guild of Canada,

held on January 22, 2006, while evalu-ating both our financial status and the moral support gained from the com-munity, focused on the priority task at hand – making the 50th Anniversary of the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra an unqualified success.

President Edna Rigby noted that the year 2005 was not as financially successful as we had hoped. Our appli-

cation to the Ontario Trillium Founda-tion for futher assistance, especially as we begin our program to mark the 50th Anniversary of the TMO, was declined.

This leaves the Guild with the task of finding other sources of revenue needed in order to accomplish the plans for the 50th Anniversary while at the same time maintaining the Ensem-ble and the School at the same artistic level.

She reported that the Grants and Sponsorship Committee is in the process of preparing a package which outlines the 50th Anniversary projects. This brochure will be sent to funders and sponsors requesting support.

Artistic Director Alexander Veprin-sky reported that the newly commis-sioned work by Alexander Levkovich was completed and would soon be copied and made readyfor rehearsal. He noted that there have been gains in the membership of the choir, particu-

larly women, and we should build on this positive development.

He suggested we reach out to other ethnic communities with the view of getting more new people at our concerts.

On a sad note, the meeting held a minute of silence in memory of Antho-ny Mokry from Edmonton who was a Director on the Board for many years and who passed away in September.

Following discussion and the elec-tion of the new Board of Directors, members adjourned to celebrate the 75th birthday of Past President Bill Morris.

Shevchenko Choir makes semi-finals in CBC Choral competitionThe Shevchenko Choir of the

Shevchenko Musical Ensemble, under the direction of Alexander Veprinsky, this year entered the CBC National Radio Choral Competitions in the category of Pan-Cultural Traditions, meaning for us Ukrainian music.

Each contesting choir had to submit a good quality recording of four a cap-pella selections in their category.

The Shevchenko Choir chose the Ukrainian folk songs Shchedyk, ar-ranged by Leontovich; Viydy, Hrytsyu, na vulytsyu, arranged by A. Veprinsky; Vesnyanka by I. Shamo; and Oi, dub, duba arranged by M. Rakov.

In order to get the best possible re-cording we called on a freelance CBC technician and rented faciltiies in the Rotonda of Columbus Centre for the recording.

In March the choir was informed that it had been selected in the semi-

finals and if they were successful there, they would be required to perform a new a cap-pella program before a live audience which would also be broad-cast on CBC Radio Two.

Although the choir, after competing with 78 other choirs from across Canada, was not chosen for the finals, it is neverthe-less a great accom-plishment for a choir which has recently been changed from a male chorus to a mixed choir and which has been wel-coming new voices

each season.The success of the

choir in this competition is without doubt due to the hard work and seri-ousness of the choir and they are all to be con-gratulated. The success also has much to do with the dedication and talent of the artistic leadership. Alexander Veprinsky is to be congratulated for his professionalism and his perseverance in bringing the Shevchenko Choir to this level of performance.

On Sunday, April 23 the Shevchenko Choir’s a cappella recording of Oi, dub, duba was heard on CBC Radio Two. Bravo!

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50YEARSTORONTOMANDOLINORCHESTRA

Welland Ukrainian Mandolin Orchestra to appear at Shevchenko picnic

For a number of years there has been a warm, friendly relationship between the Welland Ukrainian Man-dolin Orchestra of the AUUC and the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble. In-deed, some members of the TMO have participated in Welland’s orchestra on a number of occasions. Musicians of the TMO who participated in the Na-tional Ukrainian Festival last year in Regina, rehearsed the repertoire with the Welland orchestra.

Rudy Wasylenky, conductor of the Welland Orchestra, was a member of the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble for many years, serves as a member of the Board from Ontario, and recently has also shared his talents as MC at Shevchenko concerts.

The Guild’s Annual Picnic this year will be organized and run by members of the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra as part of their 50th Anniversary celebra-tions.

In honour of this anniversary, the Welland Ukrainian Mandolin Orches-tra has agreed to provide the entertain-ment for the picnic.

The TMO 50th Committee is very enthusiastic about this development.

The Welland Mandolin Orchestra is a fine group of dedicated musicians who present a very interesting and enjoy-able program of Ukrainian and other music.

Their performance this June 11 at the Slovak Camp will also bring an old friend back to the stage.

John Bokla, who was a tenor cho-rister and soloist wth the Shevchenko Male Chorus for most of its life, will appear with the Welland Orchestra.

Children of the Shevchenko School of Dance will also appear on the pro-gram with a number of selections.

Mark your calendar now for the Shevchenko Picnic on Sunday, June 11 beginning at noon.

Sunday, June 11 – 12 noonSlovak Camp, Credit Valley Park Mississauga

SHEVCHENKO MUSICAL ENSEMBLE

ANNUAL PICNIC

John Bokla, soloist Rudy Wasylenky, Conductor

A wonderfulCONCERT PROGRAM by the Welland Ukrainian Mandolin Orchestra AUUC and the children of the Shevchenko School of Dance • DELICIOUS FOOD & BEVERAGES • GREAT BARGAINS • GIFTS & SOUVENIRS • SPORTS • BINGO

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50th Anniversary greetings from Ukraine

Members of the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble, throughout its entire history, have had the honour and privilege of touring the land of their forefathers, meeting and working with many great Ukrainian artists, the privilege of offering scholarships to dance and music students to study in Ukraine, and of bringing artists to Canada to perform and work with the Ensemble.

These cultural exchanges not only helped the Ensemble benefit by “drinking from the well”, as it were, of its native culture, but also resulted in life-long friendships.

One of the most recent Ukrainian guests, who in 1990 conducted a month-long series of workshops with the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra, was Viktor Hutsal, Artistic Director and Conductor of the National Folk Instrument Orchestra of Ukraine.

Following the workshop, Viktor left a number of his orchestrations with the TMO which have become part of its repertoire. He also was com-missioned to orchestrate the Festive Hopak for the 1991 National Ukrainian Festival marking the 100th Anniversary of Ukrainians in Canada which was organized by the Associa-tion of United Ukrainian Canadians.

We are honoured to have received this congratulatory message from Viktor Hutsal on the occasion of the 50th Anni-versary of the Toronto Mando-lin Orchestra.

Honoured friends and colleagues!

Accept my most sincere greetings on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of your orchestra. For any collective that is a very notable event. It means that for many years you have given countless concerts, educated a number of generations of musicians, and became an inseparable part of the cultural life of Canada. And in the lead of this great accomplishment, are veterans of your orchestra such as Mary Kuzyk and others.

I remember with pleasure the creative work we shared, and am happy if a few of the selections I orchestrated for you have become part of your repertoire.

I wish you great artistic achievements, inspiration, good health and success in propogating our culture. May God help you in all this!

With respect,

Viktor Husal

Laureate of the National Shevchenko PrizePeoples’ Artist of Ukraine, Professor

Artistic Director/Conductor,National Folk Instrument Orchestra of Ukraine

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Half Centruy Club of TMO

Fifty years is a long time in the life of a cultural organization such as the Toronto Mandolin Orches-tra. But how about individuals who have been in that same organization for all of the 50 years?

The TMO has two members who have been there since the formation – Mary Kuzyk and Natalia Denton.

Mary has not only been in the orchestra for 50 years, but has been the Concertmistress for all those years, giving leadership, continuity and strength to the group. Today, at the age of 86, Mary continues to give that same leadership and spark to the orchestra.

In 1993 The Shevchenko Guild honoured Mary for her more than 50 years dedication to music as teacher, performer and conductor. That year she was also awarded the Canada 125 Medal by the Ontario Govenment for her role in music in the community.

Natalia Denton, who graduated from the mandola to the tenor section, has been an active volunteer for the orchestra for many years. She is one of the best sellers of concert tickets; she volunteers as librarian, and has been costume designer, maker and wardrobe mistress.

By the way, both of these active and dedicated women were born and raised in Saskatoon.

Natalia Denton, tenor section and Mary Kuzyk, Concertmistress.

TMO 50th Anniversary eventsWORLD PREMIEREThe premiere performance of Alexander Levkovich‘s new work, Symphonietta for Mandolins, will take place at the Annual Concert of the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble as it features the Toronto Mandolin Orchestra on the occasion of its 50th Anniversary. The concert will also present the Shevchenko Choir and Kaniv Dancers. Sunday, May 28, 2006. Leah Posluns Theatre (please see back page for details).

CD RELEASEThe release of the live recording done in the Glenn Gould Studio last November will be available by May 28. The second CD, a retrospective of past TMO concerts, will be released by the time of the Gala Banquet in October.

GALA BANQUETA Gala Banquet to wind up the 50th Anniversary celebrations will be held on Sunday, October 29 at the King’s Garden Banquet Hall in Toronto. Tickets will be sold separately, as well as at a discount package price with tickets to the final concert..FINAL CONCERTA final concert marking the anniversary will be held Sunday, November 26 in Glenn Gould Studio. The concert will feature guest artist Tamara Volskaya and resident soloist Iraida Erokhina with the orchestra. HISTORICAL PHOTO EXHIBITAn exhibit of photos of mandolin orchestras, schools and famous mandolinists, from different communities in Canada and reflecting various genres of mandolin music will be displayed in October. It is hoped the exhibit may be shown in a number of public venues prior to October 2006.COFFEE TABLE BOOKIt is hoped that a coffee table book, the first of its kind in Canada, of historical photos of mandolin schools and orchestras will be published and available by November 2006.

The TMO 50th logoThe 50th logo seen on these pages was created by

Byron Kautto. It is an elegant, simple design of the nu-meral “50” reminiscent of the shape of a mandolin. The placement of the years in the body gives it a whimsical, celebratory appearance.

This is not the first logo or design Byron has done for the Guild. In 1989 he produced the successful logo, or emblem, for the Ensemble’s tour of Ukraine, and in 2001 he designed the 50th Anniversary logo for the Shevchenko Male Chorus.

The TMO logo is being printed on letterheads, enve-lopes and programs, and will appear on souvenirs items.

The National Shevchenko Guild wishes to thank Byron for yet another significant contribution to the history of the Shevchenko Musical Ensemble.

50YEARSTORONTOMANDOLINORCHESTRA

Shevchenko Musical Ensemble

SUNDAY,MAY28~2p.m.LEAHPOSLUNSTHEATRE

4588BATHURSTST

Canada’suniqueensembleofchoir,mandolinorchestraanddancers

AlexanderVeprinsky,ArtisticDirectorAndreiPendik,DanceDirector

FeaturingtheTorontoMandolinOrchestraontheoccasionofits50thAnniversaryandtheworldpremiereofSymphoniettaforMandolinsbyAlexanderLevkovich

LeahPoslunsTheatre4588BathurstSt

northofSheppardFreeparking

Wheelchairaccessible

$25adult•$23seniors&students$12childrenunder13

Call416-533-2725E-mail:info-sme@bellnet.caVISAaccepted