Pikardiiska Tertsiia, a cappella group from Lviv, to debut in U.S. (06/27/99)

Pikardiiska Tertsiia, a cappella group from Lviv, to debut in U.S.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - The popular a cappella group Pikardiiska Tertsiia of Lviv is in the U.S. June 27-July 8 during which time it will appear in concert for Ukrainian communities. The group makes its U.S. debut in Washington at the Joint Conferences of Ukrainian American Organizations as part of a cultural program to take place on Sunday, June 27.

Since its formation six years ago, the sextet has developed its own multi-facetted style, garnered awards, and performed in Ukraine and Poland to enthusiastic popular acclaim.

The group's wide-ranging repertoire includes Ukrainian choral works of the 17-18th centuries, adaptations of popular contemporary music and rock-and-roll hits, as well as its own compositions and works of contemporary Ukrainian composers such as Stankevych, Zubrytsky and Skoryk.

The group's rather unusual name derives from a musical term that denotes the interval of two notes separated from one another by three tones; it designates a change from a minor to major key, most often in the concluding cord of a composition.

According to Volodymyr Yakymets, the group's music director, in choosing the name the group wanted to convey the seriousness of its intent in terms of musical commitment and professionalism. In any case, the name is not mean to be pretentious; if anything, it is an indication of a satiric or humorous bent of mind. As an aside, Mr. Yakymets is wont to point out that many of group's songs and compositions have a tendency to end in a major key.

He explains that the designation of the group as a vocal "formation" refers to the fact that the core concept of a particular work is often formed during rehearsals, only to be reformulated subsequently during the actual performance.

Pikardiiska Tertsiia, which first made its name in concerts of pop music in 1994 with such hit songs as "Starenkyi Tramvai" and "Bohdan," switched the following year to classical music - in the process establishing itself as a multi-faceted group with cross-generational appeal.

Pikardiiska Tertsiia received the grand prize at the Dolya 94 international music festival held in Chernivtsi, where it won first place in three categories, placed in the Melodiya 94 Ukrainian music festival, and the following year received first prize at Melodiya 95.

The sextet has taken part in international music festivals held in Ukraine, among them "Romansy Slavutycha," "Tavriyski Ihry" and "Slovianskyi Bazar," as well as in the "Days of Ukrainian Culture" festival held in Przemysl (Peremyshl) and the "Musical Bazar" in Sopot, Poland.

The group has released four CDs, among them: "Sad Anhelskykh Pisen" (Garden of Angelic Songs), Dziga, Lviv, 1997; "Tykha Nich" (Silent Night), Luxen, 1995-1996; "Ad Libitum," Luxen, live recording, 1995; and "Pikardiiska Tertsiia," Lev Studio, Lviv, 1994.

Scheduled performances include appearances in Hartford, Conn. (July 1); Passaic, N.J. (July 2); Newark, N.J. (July 3); Philadelphia (July 6); Yonkers, N.Y. (July 7); and New York (July 8). For additional information, check concert advertisements. Tickets to the concerts are $17; youths, age 10-16, $12; children, up to age 9, free.

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