250 choir members participate in Great Lenten Concert (05/04/86)

250 choir members participate in Great Lenten Concert

SOUTH BOUND BROOK, N.J. - The sixth annual Great Lenten Concert, sponsored by the New York-New Jersey Region of the Ukrainian Orthodox League of the U.S.A. was held on Sunday, April 20, here at the Ukrainian Cultural Center of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A.

The concert from its inception six years ago, was organized in preparation for the Millennium celebrations in 1988 of the Baptism of Ukraine by the Great Prince Vladimir in 988. Each year's concert has been hosted by participating parishes up until this year, when the record attendance of the fifth annual concert proved the need for an immense facility to accommodate the increasing choir participants and audiences .

This year's concert saw the arrival of busloads of guests and participants from New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey on a beautiful spring Sunday. Guests entered the Ukrainian Cultural Center, itself dedicated to the Millennium of Christianity in Ukraine. The auditorium complex was erected by the Consistory of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. and is one of the many fine attractions located at the South Bound Brook Church headquarters.

Before the formal opening of the concert - which began with the singing of the Lord's Prayer by the hosting parish choir of St. George's Church of Yardville, N.J., under the direction of Mykola Haleta Jr. - Stefania S. Dutkevich, president of the New York-New Jersey Region of the Ukrainian Orthodox League of the U.S.A. announced the presence of Metropolitan Mstyslav and Bishop Antony, who were presented flowers by Mrs. Steven Sawchuk of Yardley, Pa., and Mrs. William Kuzbyt of Clifton, N.J. This was the first time that both women had jointly participated in the concert whose proceeds are shared by a scholarship fund in memory of their deceased teenage daughters, Lynn Sawchuk and Sharon Kuzbyt.

Greetings were extended by the Very Rev. Mykola Haleta, hosting pastor of St. George's Church of Yardville.

Metropolitan Mstyslav, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A. and Diaspora, not only extended his archpastoral blessings, but addressed the concert with spiritually uplifting remarks.

The concert's first choir, the Mykola Lysenko Choir of St. George's Church, Yardville, presented its three Great Lent selections under the direction of Mykola Haleta Jr. They were followed by the St. Andrew's Memorial Church Choir of South Bound Brook, under director Taras Pavlovsky, with soloists Z. Staroschak, L. Pavlovsky and M. Newmerzyckyj .

The Women's Ensemble of Holy Trinity Church, Trenton, N.J., in its first Great Lent concert appearance, performed under the direction of Sophia Beryk-Schultz. The Dmytro Bortniansky Choir of Holy Trinity Church, Irvington, N.J., sang under the direction of Dmytro Olijnyk, with soloists the Rev. Protodeacon V. Polischuk, M. Gavrushenko and N. Balaschenko.

The Philadelphia Deanery Choir, composed of singers from St. John's Church, Johnson City, N.Y.; Assumption of Holy Virgin Mary Northampton, Pa.; St. Michael's, Scranton, Pa.; St. George's, Minersville, Pa.; Protectress of Holy Virgin Mary, Philadelphia; and St. Vladimir Cathedral, Philadelphia; closed the first half of the concert with their first appearances at this annual event.

The Very Rev. Frank Lawryk directed "On the Path of the Cross" (music by A. Hnatyshyn and arranged by the Very Rev. Lawryk of Johnson City, N. Y.) "Blessed virgin Mother of Our Country" by Lysenko was directed by Bill Roditski of Scranton, and "Bless the Lord" was directed by Dr. Steven Sawchuk of Yardley.

During the intermission, the close to 1,000 persons in attendance discovered that many in the hall had been standing throughout the concert since it was a sold-out event. Children sat on the floor near the foot of the stage as the songs of their grandparents and great-grandparents were sung by choir after choir of women dressed in long black skirts and a profusion of Ukrainian embroidered blouses, and men in dark suits and ties.

The second half of the concert saw the appearance of the Holy Ascension choir of Maplewood, N.J. It was at the Holy Ascension parish that the first concert was held, thanks to its pastor, the Rev. John Nakonachny, co-originator of the concert series. The choir was under the direction of Leonid Charczenio and the Rev. Nakonachny, with soloist Raissa Didow.

The Dnipro Choir of Ss. Peter and Paul Church, Wilmington. Del., under director Serhiy Kowalchuk, presented a stirring single rendition, "Repentance" by A. Vedel, arranged by A. Koshetz.

St. Demetrius Cathedral choir of Carteret, N.J., a co-originator of the concert series under the Very Rev. Taras Chubenko, sang under George Terebusch.

The last individual choir, the Stetsenko Choir of Protectress of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Clifton, N.J., was also appearing for the first time at this annual event. Svitlana Tonkoschkur directed three pieces to close out the individual choir segment of the program.

When next the curtain opened on the stage, there, before the audience, stood over 250 choir members, massed for the five-piece Brand finale under director Mr. Pavlovsky. With the final two pieces, "Prayer for Ukraine" by M. Lysenko and "Mnohaya Lita" by D. Bortniansky, came the flood of emotions - pride, sadness and spiritual uplifting that reaches a crescendo at every Great Lenten Concert. Director Pavlovsky was presented with a bouquet by chairperson, Mrs. Dutkevich, for another outstanding performance.

With the conclusion of the combined choir renditions, Mrs. Dutkevitch, regional president, welcomed the assembled guests and thanked both choirs and audience for their support. Emil Skocypec, national president of the Ukrainian Orthodox League, was introduced and addressed the audience, having traveled from his home in South Holland, Ill., for this event.

A surprise conclusion was announced when Mrs. Dutkevitch extended birthday greetings to Metropolitan Mstyslav and, in the darkened concert hall a birthday cake ablaze with candles was rolled into the hall with the singing of "Mnohaya Lita" by both the combined choir and all in attendance.

Proceeds from this most successful annual event are to be shared by the All Saints Camp Fund, the Sawchuk-Kuzbyt Scholarship Fund and the Ukrainian Cultural Center of South Bound Brook.

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