Roman Hurko
Encyclopedia
Roman Hurko is a New York
based composer specializing in Byzantine Rite
Music
(Master of Arts and Religion) and The University of Toronto
(B.A. Music History and Theory), he has also studied composition privately with composer Father Ivan Moody
in Portugal.
He has been a member of the Composers' Union of Ukraine since 2004.
Hurko began composing music while still in high school. His first composition "Ave Maria" for SATB choir was premiered by the Toronto Mendelssohn Youth Choir, at the Guelph Spring Festival in 1983, with the composer conducting.
In the summers of 1983 and 1985 he attended choral conducting seminars led by Wolodymyr Kolesnyk, former director of the National Opera of Ukraine. In the fall of 1985, he co-founded the St. Evtymyj Youth Choir at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in Toronto
. Hurko soon began setting sections of the liturgy for the choir, and in 1999 completed and recorded the entire Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
in commemoration of the second millennium of Christianity
(Liturgy 2000).
Along with composition, Hurko has a career in Opera Stage Direction. A former member of the Canadian Opera Company
(COC) ensemble, he worked as staff assistant director at the COC from 1988-93. After freelancing as an assistant director in Europe and the US (Royal Opera House
in Covent Garden
, Salzburg Festival
, De Nederlandse Opera
, Opéra de Monte-Carlo
, Teatro de la Zarzuela
, The Washington Opera) he made his stage directing debut in 1996 at the Spoleto Festival (Italy) with Handel
's Semele. In Spoleto
, he co-directed Prokofiev
's War and Peace
together with festival founder and composer, Gian Carlo Menotti
. Most recently, he directed Mozart
's Don Giovanni
and Wagner
's The Flying Dutchman
at the Vancouver Opera
.
During this period he composed incidental music for two plays with the Yara Arts Group
at La Mama Experimental Theater Club in New York
City: A Light From the East (1991) and Explosions (1993).
Hurko has composed and recorded 5 major pieces of sacred music: Liturgy 2000, http://www.romanhurko.com/productDetails.cfm?CDID=3Panachyda/Requiem for the Victims of Chernobyl
] (2001), Liturgy No.2 (2003), and Vespers (2005). His latest recording, Liturgy No.3, an Engish language setting of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, was recorded in Chicago with the Schola Cantorum of St. Peter the Apostle (J. Michael Thompson, conductor), and will be released in the fall of 2011. Liturgy 2000 was premiered in Chicago by the Schola Cantorum
of St. Peter the Apostle, conducted by J. Michael Thompson, at Sts. Volodymyr and Olha's Ukrainian Catholic Church on July 14, 2000. Requiem/Panachyda, "Chornobyl Requiem" dedicated to the memory of the victims of the nuclear disaster
, received its premiere at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery
in Kiev
, on April 26, 2001 (the 15th anniversary of the disaster), with the composer conducting the Frescoes of Kiev Chamber Choir
. A subsequent recording of the Requiem
received its broadcast debut in April 2003 on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
(CBC) Radio 2 programme "Choral Concert".
Selections from Liturgy No. 2 were given their North American premiere by the Elmer Iseler Singers
at concerts in Ottawa and Toronto, conducted by Lydia Adams. In September 2005, Vespers was premiered in Kiev's Pecherska Lavra (Monastery of the Caves) by the Vydubychi Church Choir (Volodymyr Viniar, conductor), as the opening concert to the 16th KyivFest International Music Festival.
On April 9, 2006, the Requiem was performed in concert at Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall
by the combined: Elmer Iseler Singers, Orpheus Choir, Amadeus Choir, the Vesnivka Women's Choir, and the Ukrainian Male Chamber Choir in a concert to solemnly mark the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl
nuclear disaster. This concert was subsequently broadcast on April 26 (the 20th anniversary of the disaster) on the CBC Radio 2 programme: "In Performance", and again on Sunday, May 14 on "Choral Concert".
Many of Hurko's recordings have received their US broadcast premiere on Princeton Radio's "Classical Discoveries" program (103.3 FM), hosted by Marvin Rosen
. Most recently, Roman has become involved in a series of recordings entitled "The Ukrainian Art Song Project" as producer. The goal of the project is to record the complete art songs of Ukraine's major composers. Volume 1 of the series, The Complete Art Songs of Kyrylo Stetsenko
(1882 - 1922) was recorded during the summer of 2006 by Pavlo Hunka, Bass and Albert Krywolt, piano. Also featured on the recording are Russell Braun
, Baritone and Benjamin Butterfield, tenor. The recording was launched on September 14, 2006 at the new Four Season's Opera House in Toronto. Volume 2, The Complete Art Songs of Mykola Lysenko
(1842 - 1912) was launched on December 5, 2010 at Toronto's Koerner Hall. Volume 3, The Complete Art Songs of Yakiv Stepovyi (1883 - 1921) was released on February 6, 2011 at Edmonton's Winspear Center.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
based composer specializing in Byzantine Rite
Byzantine Rite
The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite is the liturgical rite used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches, by the Greek Catholic Churches , and by the Protestant Ukrainian Lutheran Church...
Music
Biography
Roman Hurko is a Canadian of Ukrainian descent, born in Toronto, Canada (1962). A graduate of The Yale Institute of Sacred MusicYale Institute of Sacred Music
The Yale Institute of Sacred Music traces its roots to the School of Sacred Music founded at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. The seminary's department of church music was brought to Yale in 1972, entering into partnership with the Yale School of Music and the Yale Divinity School...
(Master of Arts and Religion) and The University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
(B.A. Music History and Theory), he has also studied composition privately with composer Father Ivan Moody
Ivan Moody
Ivan Moody, British composer, was born in London in 1964, and studied composition with Brian Dennis at London University, William Brooks at York University and privately with John Tavener. He also studied Orthodox theology at the University of Joensuu, Finland...
in Portugal.
He has been a member of the Composers' Union of Ukraine since 2004.
Hurko began composing music while still in high school. His first composition "Ave Maria" for SATB choir was premiered by the Toronto Mendelssohn Youth Choir, at the Guelph Spring Festival in 1983, with the composer conducting.
In the summers of 1983 and 1985 he attended choral conducting seminars led by Wolodymyr Kolesnyk, former director of the National Opera of Ukraine. In the fall of 1985, he co-founded the St. Evtymyj Youth Choir at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. Hurko soon began setting sections of the liturgy for the choir, and in 1999 completed and recorded the entire Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom , Archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and his ascetic...
in commemoration of the second millennium of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
(Liturgy 2000).
Along with composition, Hurko has a career in Opera Stage Direction. A former member of the Canadian Opera Company
Canadian Opera Company
The Canadian Opera Company is an opera company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest opera company in Canada and the third largest producer of opera in North America. The COC performs in its own opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.-History:For 40 years until...
(COC) ensemble, he worked as staff assistant director at the COC from 1988-93. After freelancing as an assistant director in Europe and the US (Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
in Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
, Salzburg Festival
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
, De Nederlandse Opera
De Nederlandse Opera
De Nederlandse Opera , in Amsterdam, is a Dutch opera company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its present home base is the Het Muziektheater, a modern building designed by Cees Dam which opened in 1986....
, Opéra de Monte-Carlo
Opéra de Monte-Carlo
The Opéra de Monte-Carlo is an opera house located in the principality of Monaco.With the lack of cultural diversions available in Monaco in the 1870s, Prince Charles III, along with the Société des Bains de Mer, decided on the construction of an opera house. Initially, it was Charles III's...
, Teatro de la Zarzuela
Teatro de la Zarzuela
The Teatro de la Zarzuela is a theatre in Madrid, Spain. The theatre is today mainly devoted to zarzuela , as well as operetta and recitals. In the past, in the city's long absence of an opera theatre , this was Madrid's theatre where most major opera performances were shown...
, The Washington Opera) he made his stage directing debut in 1996 at the Spoleto Festival (Italy) with Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
's Semele. In Spoleto
Spoleto
Spoleto is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome.-History:...
, he co-directed Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
's War and Peace
War and Peace (Prokofiev)
War and Peace is an opera in two parts , sometimes arranged as five acts, by Sergei Prokofiev to a Russian libretto by the composer and Mira Mendelson, based on the novel War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy...
together with festival founder and composer, Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti was an Italian-American composer and librettist. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept his Italian citizenship. He wrote the classic Christmas opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, among about two dozen other operas intended to appeal to popular...
. Most recently, he directed Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
and Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
's The Flying Dutchman
The Flying Dutchman (opera)
Der fliegende Holländer is an opera, with music and libretto by Richard Wagner.Wagner claimed in his 1870 autobiography Mein Leben that he had been inspired to write "The Flying Dutchman" following a stormy sea crossing he made from Riga to London in July and August 1839, but in his 1843...
at the Vancouver Opera
Vancouver Opera
Vancouver Opera is the second largest performing arts organization in British Columbia and the largest opera company in western Canada.It performs in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre accompanied currently by the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, one of two specialized opera orchestras in Canada...
.
During this period he composed incidental music for two plays with the Yara Arts Group
Yara Arts Group
Yara Arts Group is a resident company at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York. Established in 1990, Yara is a collective of artists of Asian, African, Latino, Eastern and Western European ancestry, who come together to create original work based on traditional material from...
at La Mama Experimental Theater Club in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
City: A Light From the East (1991) and Explosions (1993).
Hurko has composed and recorded 5 major pieces of sacred music: Liturgy 2000, http://www.romanhurko.com/productDetails.cfm?CDID=3Panachyda/Requiem for the Victims of Chernobyl
Chernobyl
Chernobyl or Chornobyl is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, in Kiev Oblast, near the border with Belarus. The city had been the administrative centre of the Chernobyl Raion since 1932....
] (2001), Liturgy No.2 (2003), and Vespers (2005). His latest recording, Liturgy No.3, an Engish language setting of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, was recorded in Chicago with the Schola Cantorum of St. Peter the Apostle (J. Michael Thompson, conductor), and will be released in the fall of 2011. Liturgy 2000 was premiered in Chicago by the Schola Cantorum
Schola Cantorum
The Schola Cantorum de Paris is a private music school in Paris. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Bordes, Alexandre Guilmant and Vincent d'Indy as a counterbalance to the Paris Conservatoire's emphasis on opera...
of St. Peter the Apostle, conducted by J. Michael Thompson, at Sts. Volodymyr and Olha's Ukrainian Catholic Church on July 14, 2000. Requiem/Panachyda, "Chornobyl Requiem" dedicated to the memory of the victims of the nuclear disaster
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
, received its premiere at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery
St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery
St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery is a functioning monastery in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. The monastery is located on the right bank of the Dnieper River on the edge of a bluff northeast of the Saint Sophia Cathedral...
in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, on April 26, 2001 (the 15th anniversary of the disaster), with the composer conducting the Frescoes of Kiev Chamber Choir
Chamber choir
A chamber choir or group of chamber singers is the choral equivalent of a chamber ensemble, using voices instead of instruments. This prestigious choir will usually consist of 20-40 elite and dedicated singers. Several chamber choir formats exist, ranging from barbershop groups to exclusively...
. A subsequent recording of the Requiem
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
received its broadcast debut in April 2003 on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
(CBC) Radio 2 programme "Choral Concert".
Selections from Liturgy No. 2 were given their North American premiere by the Elmer Iseler Singers
Elmer Iseler Singers
The Elmer Iseler Singers is a professional chamber choir based in Toronto, Canada.The twenty-voice choir, conducted by Artistic Director Lydia Adams], founded by Dr. Elmer Iseler in 1979, is one of Canada’s leading choral ensembles. The choir has built an international reputation through its...
at concerts in Ottawa and Toronto, conducted by Lydia Adams. In September 2005, Vespers was premiered in Kiev's Pecherska Lavra (Monastery of the Caves) by the Vydubychi Church Choir (Volodymyr Viniar, conductor), as the opening concert to the 16th KyivFest International Music Festival.
On April 9, 2006, the Requiem was performed in concert at Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall
Roy Thomson Hall
Roy Thomson Hall is a concert hall located at 60 Simcoe Street in Toronto, Ontario. It is the home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Opened in 1982, its circular architectural design exhibits a sloping and curvilinear glass exterior. It was designed by Canadian...
by the combined: Elmer Iseler Singers, Orpheus Choir, Amadeus Choir, the Vesnivka Women's Choir, and the Ukrainian Male Chamber Choir in a concert to solemnly mark the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl
Chernobyl
Chernobyl or Chornobyl is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, in Kiev Oblast, near the border with Belarus. The city had been the administrative centre of the Chernobyl Raion since 1932....
nuclear disaster. This concert was subsequently broadcast on April 26 (the 20th anniversary of the disaster) on the CBC Radio 2 programme: "In Performance", and again on Sunday, May 14 on "Choral Concert".
Many of Hurko's recordings have received their US broadcast premiere on Princeton Radio's "Classical Discoveries" program (103.3 FM), hosted by Marvin Rosen
Marvin Rosen
Marvin Rosen is an American pianist, music educator, musicologist and host of the weekly radio program Classical Discoveries, which airs on WPRB 103.3 FM - Princeton, NJ...
. Most recently, Roman has become involved in a series of recordings entitled "The Ukrainian Art Song Project" as producer. The goal of the project is to record the complete art songs of Ukraine's major composers. Volume 1 of the series, The Complete Art Songs of Kyrylo Stetsenko
Kyrylo Stetsenko
Kyrylo Hryhorovych Stetsenko was a prolific Ukrainian composer, conductor, critic, and teacher. Late in his life he became an Ukrainian Orthodox Priest and head of the Music section of the Ministry of Education of the short-lived Ukrainian People's Republic.- Early life and Education :Kyrylo...
(1882 - 1922) was recorded during the summer of 2006 by Pavlo Hunka, Bass and Albert Krywolt, piano. Also featured on the recording are Russell Braun
Russell Braun
Russell Braun is a Canadian operatic lyric baritone.Much sought-after as a soloist and for opera roles, Russell Braun performs regularly at the Metropolitan Opera, the Salzburg Festival, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, l'Opéra de Paris, the San Diego Opera, the San Francisco Opera and the Canadian...
, Baritone and Benjamin Butterfield, tenor. The recording was launched on September 14, 2006 at the new Four Season's Opera House in Toronto. Volume 2, The Complete Art Songs of Mykola Lysenko
Mykola Lysenko
Mykola Vitaliiovych Lysenko was a Ukrainian composer, pianist, conductor and ethnomusicologist.- Biography :Lysenko was born in Hrynky, Kremenchuk Povit, Poltava Governorate, the son of Vitaliy Romanovich Lysenko . From childhood he became very interested in the folksongs of Ukrainian peasants and...
(1842 - 1912) was launched on December 5, 2010 at Toronto's Koerner Hall. Volume 3, The Complete Art Songs of Yakiv Stepovyi (1883 - 1921) was released on February 6, 2011 at Edmonton's Winspear Center.