New York City during the holidays: events galore (12/29/85)

New York City during the holidays: events galore

by Helen Perozak Smindak

At this time of the year, the Ukrainian cup runneth over. Added to the round of special Christmas events - visits by St. Nicholas, three-lighting ceremonies, carol singing and church services - are exhibits of work by Ukrainian artists, performances by Ukrainian dancers and signers and annual social gatherings.

Activities earlier this month included a symposium on Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, coordinated by Marta Kolomayets at the Ukrainian Institute of America; the season's first concert of the UIA chamber music trio, directed by Thomas Hrynkiw; and a festive conclave of Ukrainians whose first name is Roman or Roma at the new Ukrainian Restaurant on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place. Planned by Roman Wasylyk, manger of John's Restaurant and free-lance emcee for Ukrainian events, the reunion brought out 26 Romans, Romas and guests.

This weekend, the Young Professionals at the Ukrainian Institute hold their semi-formal New Year's Gala, with the Iskra band playing for dancing. Institute members and guests will usher in the New Year, in semi-formal dress, on December 31 at 9 p.m.

Religious woodcuts by Philadelphia artist Andriy Maday, recalling old icons and frescoes, have been mounted at the Ukrainian Institute and can be viewed through January 7. The exhibit is open to the public from 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

A one-day retrospective exhibit of the unique woodcuts and paintings of the renowned artist Jacques Hnizdovsky was held December 15 at the Ukrainian Artists' Association gallery. Ukrainian Canadian Marina Antonovych-Rudnytska spoke movingly about her long-time colleague and dear friend before a packed house. Greeting visitors to the exhibit, sponsored by Suchasnist Publishers, the Artists' Association and The Ukrainian Museum, were the artist's widow, Stephanie, and his daughter Mary Martha.

Canadian silkscreen artist Peter Shostak of Victoria, B.C., was in town on December 6 to introduce Volume I of the new English-language Ukrainian Encyclopedia prepared at a cost of $4 million under the auspices of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in France, the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies and the Canadian Foundation for Ukrainian Studies. Mr. Shostak, who is vice-president of the Canadian Foundation for Ukrainian Studies, spoke at a meeting sponsored by the Young Professionals of the Ukrainian Institute.

Mr. Shostak gave a color slide preview of his silkscreen "serigraphs" depicting life in the predominately Ukrainian environment of northeastern Alberta's prairie farmland. Some of the screens appear in his book "When Nights Were Long," while others were among the 31 images included in his second Yalenka publication, "Saturday Came But Once a Week."

On the musical scene, talented actress-singer Olga (Bodnar) Talyn is appearing in a cast of seven in a musical now previewing at the Off-Broadway Jewish Repertory Theatre, 344 East 14th St. The new musical, "The Shop on Main Street," starring Lilia Skala, is based on the novel of the same name by Ladislav Grosman. Set in Slovakia in 1942, the musical is the story of an elderly Jewish widow and a sympathetic Slovak carpenter who is assigned to "Aryanize" her button shop. "The shop on Main Street" will be the first new musical of 1986; opening on January 2 at 8 p.m. Miss Talyn, who plays the role of Mrs. Britko, an anti-Semitic Slovak woman, points out that the musical is not a light piece of entertainment, but the role is "a personal challenge - I'm playing a role I detest, a small-minded woman." The actress, who played Robin William's Russian girlfriend in the movie "Moscow on the Hudson," currently on cable TV, can be seen in the musical through January 12.

At the Metropolitan Opera, bass-baritone Andrij Dobriansky is appearing as the Bearded Man in Poulenc's "Mamelles de Tiresias," presented in a triple bill with Satie's "Parade" and Ravel's "Enfant et les Sortileges." The production was heard this weekend on the Texaco Metropolitan radio broadcast on WQXR (Saturday, December 21, at 2 p.m.). Along with his Met performances and teaching duties, Mr. Dobriansky is preparing the noon-hour choir he directs at St. George's Ukrainian Catholic Church for the January 7 Christmas service, which he says will include several beautiful compositions, Christmas carols and singing by a group of young children.

In January, Mr. Dobriansky will appear in the Met's two final offerings of "Khovanshchina," the Mussorgsky opera which starred Ukrainian bass Sergei Kopchak of the Slovak national Theater as Dosifei, one of the most majestic roles conceived for an operatic bass. According to Leighton Kerner of the Village Voice, who heard the singer in November, Mr. Kopchaks previous Met work as Tchaikovsky's Gremin "never hinted at the dramatic power and vocal presence of his Dosifei."

Paul Plishka, recently honored as the Ukrainian Institute's Man of the Year, comes to the Met stage for the first time this season in "Romeo et Juliette," beginning January 9. He will also sing an important role in "Samson," which premieres on February 3.

In the rock field, the all-Ukrainian band Surgery drew a full house at The Bitter End on Bleecker Street on December 11, with long lines of rock fans waiting outside to get in. Performing on synthesizers with the year-old Surgery team, which includes Roman Iwasiwka, Serge Zholobetsky, Andriy Sonevytsky and Peter Strutynsky, was guest musician Vladimir Horunzhy.

The Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble of Philadelphia whirled on stage with exciting Ukrainian folk dances during the Balalaika and Domra Society's 25th anniversary concert at Alice Tully Hall.

Topping off December events, so to speak, stilt dancer Coralee Romanyshyn, a member of the stilt dancers team "Friends in High Places," appeared on December 22 at Calvary Episocopal Church, 21st Street and Park Avenue South in Manhattan. Miss Romanyshyn and her partner, Clinton Smith, repeated the performance they gave at the church on December 20 - "The Waltz of the Flowers," "The Sugar Plum Fairy," "Trepak" and the "Pas de Deux" from Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite."