Veryovka Ukrainian Folk Choir

Ukrainian folk choir

Hryhoriy Veryovka, the founder of the ensemble, depicted in a stamp, 2015

The Veryovka Ukrainian Folk Choir (Національний заслужений академічний український народний хор України імені Григорія Верьовки) is a professional Ukrainian ensemble founded in 1943.

The choir was founded in 1943 in Kharkiv to promote and spread Ukrainian folk music and dance traditions.^[1] The initiator and the first leader of the choir was Hryhoriy Veryovka, researcher and choir conductor.^[2] The choir represented Ukrainian art in the cities of the USSR, Romania (1952, 1956), Poland (1953), Finland (1954), Belgium and Luxembourg (1958), Germany (1959), Yugoslavia (1962) and other countries.^[3] In honor of its founder, the choir was named after him in 1965. In the same year, the team was headed by Anatoly Avdievsky. In 1965 the choir was awarded the title "deserved", in 1974 the title "academic" was granted and in 1997 granted the status of "national".

The repertoire of the ensemble is based on Ukrainian folklore, songs and dances of other nations. In Soviet period songs devoted to Communist party also were present in their repertoire.^[4] In 2011, remarkable was a premiere performance of the folk-opera "When the fern blooms" by Yevhen Stankovych, forbidden in Soviet time.^[5] The ensemble consists of 158 people including not only singers but also orchestral and choreographic groups.

Since Avdievsky's death in 2016, the leader of the ensemble has been Zenoviy Korinets.^[6]

The Veryovka Choir has toured in Mexico, Canada, France, Switzerland, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, The United States and a number of other countries, and has traditionally participated in major Ukrainian state events. The choir has received many national and international awards, in particular for the contribution to peace and friendship between peoples; it was awarded a silver medal World Peace Council. In 2019, a full-length film about the choir was shot.

In 2019 The Veryovka Choir among with Kvartal 95 Studio released a video clip featuring Horila sosna palala (ukr. “The pine burned, blazed.”) which mocked Valeria Hontareva, former Chairwoman of the National Bank of Ukraine, whose house was just burned in London. The incident sparked public anger.^[7]^[8]^[9] Later, Volodymyr Borodyanski, minister of culture of Ukraine apologized to Hontareva and stated that “the law does not prohibit moral perversions”.^[10]

The 2022 Pink Floyd single "Hey, Hey, Rise Up!" opens with a sample from a recording by the choir of the 1914 anthem "Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow" (Ukrainian: Ой у лузі червона калина) by the choir.^[11]^[12]

Members

Singer Alla Kudlai joined the choir in 1978.^[13] In March 2022, member Hennadiy Pavlyk died.^[14]

References

^ "The Veryovka Ukrainian Folk Choir". 14 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
^ Курилів, І. В. (1 February 2020). Національний заслужений академічний український народний хор України ім. Г. Верьовки (in Ukrainian). Vol. 22. Інститут енциклопедичних досліджень НАН України. ISBN 978-966-02-2074-4.
^ "9 фактів про хор Верьовки, які вас здивують". kasa.in.ua (in Russian). Retrieved 24 October 2021.
^ "Я славлю Партию / I praise the Party (1960)". YouTube. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
^ ""Коли цвіте папороть"". mus.art.co.ua. 22 October 2019. Archived from the original on 22 October 2019.
^ Корінець Зеновій Михайлович // Encyclopedy of the modern Ukraine
^ "Song Mocking Ex-Central Bank Chief Sparks Outrage In Ukraine". rferl.org. 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
^ "Zelensky's former comedy group mocks arson of Gontareva's house". kyivpost.com. 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
^ ""Вечірній квартал" із хором Верьовки висміяли підпал будинку Гонтаревої". pravda.com.ua. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
^ ""Закон не забороняє бути моральними уродами": Бородянський вибачився перед Гонтаревою за хор Верьовки". depo.ua. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
^ Grow, Kory. "David Gilmour: Why I'm Bringing Back Pink Floyd After 28 Years". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
^ Хор імені Г. Верьовки - Ой, у лузі червона калина (G. Veryovka Choir - Oh, red viburnum in the meadow) on YouTube.
^ "Біографія". www.alla-kudlay.kiev.ua (in Ukrainian). Алла Кудлай. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
^ "Помер наш побратим, талановитий музикант — Генадій Павлик". veryovka.com (in Ukrainian).