The Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus under the direction of Wolodymyr Kolesnyk added a new dimension to choral art.

While continuing the tradition of the all-male bandurist chorus, the Maestro's musical skill and expertise integrated a new dynamic measure of expressiveness and musical nuance to the ensemble's colorful repertoire.

Wolodymyr Kolesnyk was formerly a director of one of the world's great opera theaters, the State Opera and Ballet Theater in Kyiv, where he was responsible for 450 performing artists and a company of 900. In the course of his distinguished career he has worked with such leading singers as Jan Peerce, Jerome Hines, and Teresa Stratas, as well as composer Dmitri Shostakovich and cellist Mstislav Rostropovich.

Born in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine, Kolesnyk's successful career began at an early age. In 1949, at the age of 21, he was appointed Head Choirmaster of Kyiv's Shevchenko State Opera and Ballet Theater. In 1952 he graduated with distinction from the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Kyiv, where he then worked as a research fellow, and completed his graduate studies in Conducting and Music Theory in 1954.

In addition to his professorship at the Conservatory and directorship at the Theater, Kolesnyk published numerous articles and reviews as music critic, compiled a three-volume Anthology of Operatic Choral Compositions (Kyiv, Muzychna Ukraina, 1969-72), and worked with numerous film productions.

Kolesnyk's repertoire consists of about 80 operas, including Carmen, Aida, Faust, Prince Igor, Tosca, Manon Lescaut, Boris Godunov, Lohengrin, and Tannhauser. His Ukrainian operas include Taras Bulba by Lysenko, Taras Shevchenko and Arsenal by Maiboroda, Bohdan Khmelnytsky by Dankevych and Mazepa by Tchaikovsky; four of which were produced as albums on the Melodiya label.

Maestro Kolesnyk has been the recipient of many honors and awards, including the highly regarded Distinguished Artist of the State in 1960. By 1969 he had risen to the highest post of General Director, Artistic Director, Conductor and Head Choirmaster of the Kyiv Opera, a position he held until he left the Soviet Union in 1972.

After immigrating to the North America, Kolesnyk settled in Toronto with his wife, mezzo-soprano Hanna Kolesnyk, and their son, Maxim. Here he devoted himself primarily to teaching, and to staging Ukrainian operas and symphonic concerts. Maestro Kolesnyk's growing list of accomplishments includes a season with the Australian Opera Company and directorship of the Canadian Opera in Toronto.

Between 1985-88 Kolesnyk saw the fulfillment of a long standing ambition; the performances of the 35 sacred choral a capella concertos by the Ukrainian composer Dmytro Bortniansky (1751-1825). Under the tutelage and baton of Maestro Kolesnyk, two remarkable concerts and complete recordings of the Bortniansky concertos were made by the Millennium Choir. This ensemble of 50 select singers from the United States and Canada, was specially assembled by Maestro Kolesnyk to mark the millennium celebration of Ukraine's Christianity.

In 1985 he became the musical director and conductor of the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus. His demanding professionalism and musical elegance had an immediate and notable impact on the ensemble.

Following two major concert tours throughout the United States and Canada, and completion of a new recording of Christmas carols, Maestro Kolesnyk began the intense preparations of the Ukraine tour. The new repertoire included such brilliant and complex compositions as Khotkevych's epic Bajda and Storm on the Black Sea, as well as works by the late Hryhory Kytasty.

Maestro Wolodymyr passed away Saturday, 8 November 1997 in Toronto, Canada.

September 28, 2003