The sixth annual Ukrainian Art Song Project Summer Institute takes place August 12 to 18, 2024 in Toronto, spotlighting the talents of nine artists. For the full week, nine participants from across North America will attend master classes.
The singers participating this summer are: Mayanna Carter, soprano; Dariyan Dubik, baritone; Nicholas Kluftinger, tenor; Polina Kornyushenko, soprano; Baille Melnyk, soprano; Olesia Shewchuk, soprano; Anna Tanczak soprano, Jordan Welbourne, baritone, and collaborative pianist Isabel Stanyer.
The week long educational and professional training program culminates in a recital performance.
Along with the recital, there are other ways that the public can participate in the Summer Institute.
The Participants
- Soprano Mayanna Carter is a 24-year-old student in vocal performance at The King’s University in Edmonton Alberta. She has performed in theatrical productions as a vocalist and flutist in Alberta and British Columbia.
- Pianist Isabel Stanyer earned her BMus at the University of Victoria, where she received the Musical Arts Scholarship in April 2022. She has been studying in the MMus program at the University of Ottawa with David Jalbert since 2023.
- Canadian-Ukrainian soprano Baille Melnyk is a native of Alberta, currently completing her BMus degree at the University of Manitoba. She has performed several roles with the University of Manitoba Opera Theatre ensemble, and was a 2018 participant in Opera NUOVA’s Ten Day Program.
- Soprano Polina Kornyushenko is a native of Ukraine, currently studying in the BMus program at the Cleveland Institute of Music. She has performed with the Cleveland Opera Theater, CIM Opera Theater, and competed in Europe and the US. others.
- Ukrainian-Canadian soprano Anna Tanczak is a native of Toronto, where she has been singing in the Ukrainian community since the age of five. Anna completed her Bachelor of Music in Classical Voice Performance at the University of Toronto.
- Multi-instrumentalist performer, songwriter, and composer Jordan Welbourne is a native of Saskatoon. He’s toured professionally as a singer and guitarist across North America, and co-written as well as performed on seven Canadian Top 40 hits. He’s also a classical baritone, and a chorister in Saskatoon Opera productions, as well as a soloist in the Lastiwka Ukrainian Choir and Orchestra. Jordan will graduate with a Bachelor of Music (Honours) this fall.
- Baritone Dariyan Dubik earned his BMus at the University of Manitoba, and recently performed as a chorister in Manitoba Opera’s production of Carmen. In 2022, he won the Zita Bernstein Lieder Competition held by the UM Desautels Faculty of Music.
- Tenor Nicholas Kluftinger is based in Delta, BC, and currently studies in the Glenn Gould School’s Bachelor of Music (Honours) Program. He recently performed in the GGS production of Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites.
- Multi-disciplinary artist, actor, singer, filmmaker, dancer, and conductor Olesia Shewchuk is based in Vancouver. She has performed as a soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the New Westminster Symphony Orchestra, the National Ballet of Ukraine, and City Opera Vancouver, along with performing in 24 stage shows.
The composers whose works will be interpreted this year include: Vasyl Barvinsky, Dmytro Klebanov, Mykola Lysenko, Ostap Nyzhankivsky, Yakiv Stepovy, Stefania Turkewich, and Myroslav Volynsky.
Faculty members are industry professionals who oversee the program as it progresses during the week: Dr. Melanie Turgeon, co-director; Benjamin Butterfield, co-director & vocal coach; Andrea Ludwig, vocal coach, and collaborative pianists Steven Philcox, and Dr. Leanne Regehr.
How You Can Get Involved
Lecture Series
There will be two special lectures, both of which are open to the public and free to attend.
Wednesday, August 14 at 12:45 p.m.
Dr. Maxim Tarnawsky, a Professor in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Toronto, will give a lecture entitled The Poems and Poets, Examining Their Context, Poetic Style, and Significance.
Thursday, August 15 at 1:00 p.m.
Andriy Semotiuk, author of the biography Solomea: Star of Opera’s Golden Age, will be talking about Ukrainian opera singer Solomea Krushelnytska.
Free Auditing of Selected Master Classes and Lectures
You can attend a series of open master classes, where emerging artists will get help from established performers in various aspects of Ukrainian art son performance.
- The selected master classes are free to attend, but registration is mandatory.
- Find a list of available classes, and RSVP, [HERE].
Artists in Performance
The Summer Institute ends with a recital where the nine participating artists will perform the repertoire they’ve been working on all week.
- It takes place Sunday, August 18, at 3:00 p.m. Find tickets [HERE].
Ukrainian Art Song Project
The Ukrainian Art Song Project is the main focus for the Canadian Ukrainian Opera Association, and is celebrating a 20th anniversary since its founding. Along with the Project, they offer free online resources for education and more to help introduce and support the growth of Ukrainian art songs in performance by international artists.
- Find information about the events and recital that will take place at the Temerty Theatre of The Royal Conservatory’s TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, [HERE].
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