"COLLAGE" IN THE MEDIA

BRAMA, Jan. 12, 2000, 12:00pm EST

Collage - a musical kaleidoscope

NEW YORK - In a little heralded concert that took place recently in Newark, NJ, the musical ensemble "Collage" from Lviv, Ukraine, brought the house down with applause and praise. St. John the Baptist Church with it's bright, cheerful and inspiring interior, was the perfect venue for this ensemble's music. The acoustics enjoined with the beautiful sounds from the instruments of the talented players and the phenomenal singing voice of soprano Sophia Solovyi turned the afternoon event into a memorable experience for all who attended.

The excellent acoustics and cheerful atmosphere of St. John the Baptist Church lent exactly the right ambience for a joyful experience.

The location for the concert was highly unusual in that it took place in the church itself -- uncommon to say the least, possibly even never before heard of in a Ukrainian Catholic church. In the words of Father Bohdan Lukie, pastor of St. John the Baptist Church, "What better way to celebrate the birth of Christ than with beautiful music?" And, indeed, the combination of the musicianship and spiritual atmosphere created a almost magical aura that reached to the very depths of one's soul.

Surrounded by the Christmas decor of the church, Collage performed "koliadky" (carols) and classical compositions that evoked powerful emotional responses from the audience.

The group is currently on tour in the US, and was brought here from Lviv by Kateryna Nemyra of "Svitlysia," a Cleveland based arts center. Ms. Nemyra herself fairly recently immigrated to the United States and has taken a keen interest in helping to promote young talent from Ukraine in this country. She feels that the exposure to Western music, and lifestyle as well, is critical for creative development.

Collage

Read more about Collage in the press releases in the side panel on this page. The Collage "Tour 2000" dates and locations are listed below. Keep up with any changes to the tour schedule on their website at http://collage.brama.com/. Listen to exerpts from their Cassette and CD on the "Music" page.

Back row, l-r: Pavlo Zavialov (Collage), Serhiy Lutsenko (Collage), Halyna Zhuk (Collage), Kateryna Nemyra (Svitlytsia) Front row, l-r: Yuri Voitynskyi (Collage), Lesia Hrabova (soprano and close friend of Collage), Fr. Bohdan Lukie, Sofia Soloviy (Collage soprano), Mykhailo Stashchyshyn (cantor/diak).