Mark your Calendar for August 27th
The Maine Balkan Choir will reprise an all-Ukrainian-language musical program for a charity concert in Lewiston at the Saints Peter and Paul Basilica Sunday afternoon August 27th starting at 2 PM. The event coincides with Ukraine Independence Day August 24th. The theme of the event is “Flowers and Songs from a Ukraine Garden.” The program is designed to offer a vision of hope and family, suitable for all ages. Proceeds of the event will go toward Catholic Charities of Maine and the Jewish Community Alliance, each of which serves refugees in the Lewiston area. The suggested donation is ten dollars, but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. We expect a large turnout of local Ukrainians and supporters and for that reason the announcements will be simultaneously made in both English and Ukrainian. If you own a blue-and-yellow flag or banner, please bring it.
The Choir
“The Maine Balkan Choir was founded in 1998, and mostly focused on the music of Bulgaria, but when the war started last year we decided to learn Ukrainian folk songs in support of the defense of Ukraine. We chose songs that offer a sense of hopefulness and community with a strong sense of family,” said Joe Niemczura, the organizer of the event. “We first presented this repertoire in Portland May 21st. The standing-room-only crowd was very enthusiastic. Many Ukrainians expressed their delight with our ability to sing in their language and the choice of uplifting songs. There were immediate requests to repeat this in Lewiston, where refugees from many communities have been welcomed.”
Singing in Ukrainian language
The Maine Balkan Choir began rehearsing in January for this concert. “Many of us grew up around Slavic music. There is a wide variety of Slavic genres, and the women’s choral music is very popular. It is characterised by the use of minor keys and haunting melodies. We worked very hard to achieve authentic pronunciation, helped by a number of Ukrainians who joined the Choir. This added an element of authenticity that took it to a new level. We expect to welcome new Ukrainian members when regular rehearsals resume in fall, creating even more opportunities to create cross-cultural bonds with music as the vehicle.” The concert featured Lyudmila Iurchenko of Saco, who plays the Bayan, an authentic instrument of eastern Europe, and Dasha Artemchuk of Bar Harbor, who is from Kherson.
Three subgroups from around the state of Maine
The Maine Balkan Choir has been based in Ellsworth, but in December 2022 when we announced our plans, we got inquiries from other parts of Maine. We ultimately formed three subgroups, adding one in Belfast and one in the Portland region. The three groups never met each other until a month prior to the May concert. Fifty singers created a wonderful sound. Niemczura was joined by Tanya Cherednichenko of Auburn, who repeated each announcement in Ukrainian, since we knew there would be many recent arrivals in the audience.
The Basilica in Lewiston
Lewiston is a natural venue for this event. It is a city of immigrants. Lewiston is the home of the only Byzantine Catholic Church in Maine, as well as a thriving Eastern Orthodox Parish. The Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul dominates the skyline. It is the second-largest Roman Catholic church in New England, built by the French-speaking immigrants from Quebec who migrated there to work in the textile industry. The pipe organ, built by Casavant Freres, is renowned for its power, tone and flexibility. The Basilica presents a prestigious summer series of organ concerts every Sunday afternoon.
High Definition videos available for use in TV or radio promotion
There is a set of YouTube videos to show the Choir at the Portland event, and the media has permission to use these for promotional purposes. The link is: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSXynKNP9Lj_ANpKXqFTlK9YKa2_y8Wtt
We have contact information from various members of the Choir and local Ukrainian community who are involved with this event. For further information call (808) 352 1714 or email joeniemczura@gmail.com
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