Embassy of Ukraine, Washingtonians honor Shevchenko

WASHINGTON - This year's Taras Shevchenko anniversary celebrations here began March 7 with a cultural program and reception at the Embassy of Ukraine. The evening featured soprano Stefania Dovhan, who sang a classical program that included art songs composed to Shevchenko's poems, and a choral ensemble of children of Ukrainian diplomats, who also recited a selection of his poetry. During the reception that followed, the Embassy guests had an opportunity to view some rarely seen paintings by Ivan Yizhakevych (1864-1962), known for immortalizing Shevchenko's and other Ukrainian literary works on canvas, as well as an exhibit of Ukrainian "rushnyky" (embroidered ritual clothes) collected by Melissa Hess while her husband was deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. On March 9, the diplomatic children's ensemble joined with the children of the Washington and Baltimore Ukrainian schools to honor Shevchenko by his monument in the nation's capital.

- Yaro Bihun

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, March 31, 2002, No. 13, Vol. LXX

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