Canada is home to the second-largest Ukrainian diaspora population outside of Russia, and, with over 180,000 residents who identify as Ukrainian, Manitoba is the largest Ukrainian centre in Canada.
Ukrainian heritage is woven into every aspect of Winnipeg’s culture. Restaurants and delis serving pierogi, holubtsi, potato pancakes and borscht, bakeries selling paska, Ukrainian churches, the Oseredok Ukrainian Cultural and Education Centre, the Ukrainian Pavilion at Folklorama, and even doctor’s offices offering services primarily in Ukrainian, Ukrainian culture is everywhere you look. And this weekend, four Desautels alumni and students will be bringing the art songs of Ukraine to Winnipeg.
Liubov
Kasia Swintak (soprano), Katherine Mayba (soprano), Héctor Pinzón (piano), and Megan Dufrat (piano) will perform Liubov (“love” in Ukrainian), a collection of Ukrainian art songs, adding to the already rich arts and culture of Ukraine in Winnipeg. The free concert will take place at St. Andrew’s River Heights United Church, 255 Oak St., on Saturday, May 13, 2023 at 2:00pm.
Katherine and Kasia’s interest in this concert is rooted in their shared Ukrainian heritage. Both attended the Ukrainian Art Song Project Summer Institute (UASPSI) in Toronto, where they learned Ukrainian repertoire and further explored their heritage.
“I had the opportunity to work alongside Pavlo Hunka and emerging artists to uncover a trove of exceptional music,” says Katherine of the experience.
“As a classical musician of Ukrainian heritage, the experience was invaluable and instilled a desire to showcase these underrepresented works on the concert stage,” she says….
