A song performance by the Vyshyvanka family ensemble from the village of Bogorodchany, Ivano-Frankivsk region, took place in Chicago. The group, consisting of Volodymyr and Halyna Kanyuk and their daughters – Tetyana Barylyak and Svitlana Vesna – has been popularizing Ukrainian folk songs for over twenty years. During a private visit to the USA, the ensemble visited the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky School of Ukrainian Studies, where it held a lesson-meeting for its students. The children got acquainted with Ukrainian folk songs and heard stories about Boyko traditions.
This was reported by Radio UA Chicago / Surma Newspaper.
The event took place in the format of an interactive lesson for students in grades 6-8. The school principal Nina Danylyuk supported the initiative of the teacher and singer Tetyana Barylyak to invite the singing group to the educational institution.
During the meeting, folk songs and works from the ensemble's family repertoire were performed. The compositions "Green Rye, Green", "Song about Dad", "Mom's Shirt", rifle and rebel songs, as well as "Two Colors" were performed. The event was concluded with a joint performance with the students of the song "Let's Unite, Dear Family".
The members of the ensemble also told the students about Boykiv traditions and clothing, because the Kanyuk family represents the Boykivshchyna of the Ivano-Frankivsk region. When they asked the children about their origin, more than half of the students raised their hands, which indicated a significant number of people from the Carpathian region in the community.
In addition to the performance, the Kanyuk family visited Ukrainian churches, art events, and met with representatives of the local Ukrainian community during their stay in Chicago. Halyna Kanyuk shared her impressions of the trip and the support that the Ukrainian community provides to the Motherland:
“Here, in Chicago, there really is so much Ukraine… And the Ukrainian diaspora helps them with this. Thank you… The guys do not let our land be conquered, but we do not let our song die… Therefore, let us unite, dear family, on all continents, so that together we can bring that day closer and glorify our Ukraine.”
The Vyshyvanka ensemble continues its activities in the United States during its private stay, presenting the Ukrainian song tradition to the diaspora and supporting the cultural unity of the community.
Photo: Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky School of Ukrainian Studies.
Author: Danylo Pievchev