Canadian Bandurist Capella
Encyclopedia
The Canadian Bandurist Capella A vocal-instrumental choral group which combines the sound of a male chorus with the orchestral accompaniment of the multi-stringed Ukrainian Bandura
.
The Canadian Bandurist Capella was established in 1991 as a male vocal ensemble that accompanied itself on the bandura by Victor Mishalow
. It had its first performance on January 8, 1992. In 1993 it changed its name to the Toronto Bandurist Capella and became changed over to a mixed gender ensemble. In 2001 it once again became an exclusively male ensemble and in 2002 it became incorporated and officially changed its name back to the Canadian Bandurist Capella.
The ensemble has grown to become a significant force within the Ukrainian Community in Canada
. It unites the talents of some 50 singers and up to 21 instrumentalists-bandurists.
The repertoire of the ensemble has grown and become more sophisticated to encompass not only arrangements of epic historic songs and traditional folk songs, but also sacred music and modern compositions.
The Capella has performed throughout Upper Canada
in Toronto, Hamilton, St Catherines, Montreal, Ottawa, Oshawa and is now continuing to expand its activities to other regions of Canada and the United States. It has performed in Manitoba (Winnipeg, Dauphin), Chicago, Soyuzivka, Cleveland, and Yonkers. The ensemble has completed 2 CD recordings.
Canadian Bandurist Capella Recordings:
1. Debut CD "Canadian Bandurist Capella" (2005) 14 tracks
2. CD "Hraj Kobzarju!" (Гpaй Кoбзapю!) (2008) 12 tracks
Many of the Canadian Capellas concert performances are available on You Tube.
. Yurij Petlura is the (Concert Master). In previous years the positions of (Choir Master) and assistant conductor have been filled by Natalia Babycka and Andrii Dmytrovych
The ensemble is striving toward reviving the traditions set by the Poltava Bandurist Capella
that developed under the direction of Hnat Khotkevych
in the late 1920s and early 1930s. To meet this goal it has ordered specially made Kharkiv style
banduras from bandura maker William Vetzal
and is training its bandurists to meet the challenges of this style of bandura music.
Video - Canadian Bandurist Capella: Live in Chicago (2009)
Bandura
Bandura refers to a Ukrainian plucked string folk instrument. It combines elements of a box zither and lute, as well as its lute-like predecessor, the kobza...
.
The Canadian Bandurist Capella was established in 1991 as a male vocal ensemble that accompanied itself on the bandura by Victor Mishalow
Victor Mishalow
Victor Mishalow is an Australian born Canadian bandurist, and educator. He is also known as a composer, conductor, and musicologist.-Biography:Born April 4, 1960, in Sydney, Australia, he graduated from the Sydney University B.A...
. It had its first performance on January 8, 1992. In 1993 it changed its name to the Toronto Bandurist Capella and became changed over to a mixed gender ensemble. In 2001 it once again became an exclusively male ensemble and in 2002 it became incorporated and officially changed its name back to the Canadian Bandurist Capella.
The ensemble has grown to become a significant force within the Ukrainian Community in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It unites the talents of some 50 singers and up to 21 instrumentalists-bandurists.
The repertoire of the ensemble has grown and become more sophisticated to encompass not only arrangements of epic historic songs and traditional folk songs, but also sacred music and modern compositions.
The Capella has performed throughout Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
in Toronto, Hamilton, St Catherines, Montreal, Ottawa, Oshawa and is now continuing to expand its activities to other regions of Canada and the United States. It has performed in Manitoba (Winnipeg, Dauphin), Chicago, Soyuzivka, Cleveland, and Yonkers. The ensemble has completed 2 CD recordings.
Recordings
Recently it recorded its second CD with renown Bass-baritone Pavlo Hunka.Canadian Bandurist Capella Recordings:
1. Debut CD "Canadian Bandurist Capella" (2005) 14 tracks
2. CD "Hraj Kobzarju!" (Гpaй Кoбзapю!) (2008) 12 tracks
Many of the Canadian Capellas concert performances are available on You Tube.
Current direction
The artistic director of the Canadian Bandurist Capella is Merited Artist of Ukraine - Victor MishalowVictor Mishalow
Victor Mishalow is an Australian born Canadian bandurist, and educator. He is also known as a composer, conductor, and musicologist.-Biography:Born April 4, 1960, in Sydney, Australia, he graduated from the Sydney University B.A...
. Yurij Petlura is the (Concert Master). In previous years the positions of (Choir Master) and assistant conductor have been filled by Natalia Babycka and Andrii Dmytrovych
The ensemble is striving toward reviving the traditions set by the Poltava Bandurist Capella
Poltava Bandurist Capella
The Poltava Bandurist Capella was vocal-instrumental ensemble who accompanied themselves on the multi-stringed Ukrainian bandura. It was initially established in February 1925, based on a male church choir who sang in the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Cathedral in Poltava under the direction of...
that developed under the direction of Hnat Khotkevych
Hnat Khotkevych
Hnat Martynovych Khotkevych December 31, 1877 in Kharkiv, Russian Empire – October 8, 1938 in Kharkiv, in the Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union) was a Ukrainian writer, ethnographer, playwright, composer, musicologist, and bandurist....
in the late 1920s and early 1930s. To meet this goal it has ordered specially made Kharkiv style
Kharkiv style
The Kharkiv Academic Style of Bandura Playing is a specific way of playing the Ukrainian folk instrument bandura.The instrument is held in a way that allows both hands equal access to all the strings...
banduras from bandura maker William Vetzal
William Vetzal
William "Bill" Vetzal Born in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, Vetzal is a full-time bandura designer and manufacturer.Vetzal studied the art of bandura making from the Honcharenko brothers in Detroit in the 1970s...
and is training its bandurists to meet the challenges of this style of bandura music.
Chronology
- 1991 - established as a male vocal instrumental ensemble.
- 1992 - changed to a mixed vocal instrumental ensemble
- 2001 - re-establisгed ас a male vocal instrumental ensemble.
- 2005 - CD1 "Canadian Bandurist Capella"
- 2008 - CD2 "Hraj Kobzarju!" (Гpaй Кoбзapю!) - (Ottawa, Montreal, London, Winnipeg).
- 2010 - Kozak Glory concert to mark the anniversary of Pylyp Orlyk's constitution. (Toronto, Chicago, Yonkers, Stanford, Soyuzivka)
- 2011 - Slovo Tarasa concert tour to mark the 150th anniversary of Taras ShevchenkoTaras ShevchenkoTaras Hryhorovych Shevchenko -Life:Born into a serf family of Hryhoriy Ivanovych Shevchenko and Kateryna Yakymivna Shevchenko in the village of Moryntsi, of Kiev Governorate of the Russian Empire Shevchenko was orphaned at the age of eleven...
- (Chicago, Cleveland, Rochester.)
Sources
- Mishalow, V. A Short History of the Bandura // East European Meetings in Ethnomusicology 1999, Romanian Society for Ethnomusicology, Volume 6, - С.69-86
- Мішалов, В. “Кобзарська спадщина Гната Хоткевича у діаспорі” // Традиції і сучасне в українській культурі /Тези доповідей Міжнародної науково-практичної конференції, присвяченої 125-річчю Гната Хоткевича/ X.: 2002. - С.97-98
- Мішалов, В. – Бандура в еміграційних центрах у міжвоєнний період (с.95-103) – Karpacki Collage Artystyczny – Biuletyn – Przemysl, 2005
External links
Video - Canadian Bandurist Capella: Live in Chicago (2009)
- http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=853AFDBBA78307E8