Giving back to the community that has supported Vesnivka Choir during its 45-year history has been as important to its members as the music they’ve shared with audiences in Canada and throughout the world.

Many have had the good fortune of attending a Vesnivka concert and appreciate the choir’s outstanding repertoire of Ukrainian classical, liturgical, traditional, contemporary and folk music. The performances are spiritually uplifting thanks to the choir members’ and founding conductor/director Halyna Kvitka Kondracki who share a love of music and passion for singing. Vesnivka’s musical excellence, combined with its powerful performances, appeals to a diverse audience. These musical ambassadors are among the community’s treasures.

But choir members share another common bond – a conviction that charitable work enriches the well-being of the community. The choir has been involved in community service ever since Kondracki established the ensemble in 1965.

"Giving back to those who have given so much to our community has always been a priority for Vesnivka,” said Kondracki. "So when the call came to help the Ukrainian Canadian Care Centre and support those most vulnerable in the community we responded without hesitation."

The seed for a fundraising gala to benefit the Care Centre was planted early in 2007 when members of Vesnivka’s executive committee, including Myroslawa Fedak-Diakun, presented the proposal to their conductor. It was a project near and dear to Fedak-Diakun who was well aware of the need for a behavourial care unit. Years earlier, she and her family had been seeking specialized care for her father. At the time, such a facility at the UCCC was still just a dream.

"The Ukrainian Canadian Care Centre is truly a home with a heart where seniors, requiring specialized care, can continue to live with dignity in their own culture and within a vibrant community," she said. "It is a welcoming place filled with light and hope, serving the needs of our most vulnerable community members and their families and thus deserving of our community support."

With the support of the choir, the executive approached Ian Ihnatowycz, co-chair of the UCCC Home with the Heart Capital Campaign about organizing "the event of the year" to bolster the fundraising initiative. He welcomed the idea and the planning began in earnest. Kondracki, along with Louise Temerty and Marta Witer were named honourary gala chairs. Fedak-Diakun joined forces with Danusia Ihnatowycz and as gala co-chairs brought together an enthusiastic group of volunteers to organize An Affair of the Heart at the Copacabana. More than 540 guests attended the sold-out event which raised $155,000 for the Care Centre.

The co-chairs credited the community and gala committee, among them current Vesnivka members and alumni, for the evening’s outstanding success.

As a community organization, Vesnivka members recognize the importance of community support. Without it, grassroots organizations cannot exist, let alone flourish. This is why Vesnivka and its members have always done their part – whether it was performing at key cultural events such as eparchial celebrations at the Canadian National Exhibition Bandshell or Ukrainian Day at Ontario Place in years gone by; bringing joy to residents by caroling at nursing homes or singing for world leaders placing Canadian and Ukrainian culture in the international spotlight.

Since its inception, Vesnivka has earned much critical acclaim internationally and in Canada including several First Place prizes in the cultural category of the CBC Radio National Choral Competition. In 1993, the choir won First Place in the Folk Competition at the prestigious International Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales, and was awarded the W.S. Gwynn Williams International trophy for outstanding performance and the Eisteddfod Medal. At the Choral Olympics 2000, in Linz, Austria, Vesnivka was awarded a silver medal in the ‘Folklore a capella' category.

Vesnivka has worked with such recognized conductors and singers as the late Dr. Elmer Iseler, Bramwell Tovey, Lydia Adams, Wayne Riddell, Britain's unsurpassed King Singers, and international opera singer, Pavlo Hunka. Vesnivka has also performed with such renowned ensembles as Toronto's Elmer Iseler Singers, Amadeus Choir, Toronto Children's Chorus, Orpheus Choir, Victoria Scholars, the Gryphon Trio, Vancouver's Chor Leoni, Kitchener's Menno Singers, the world-renowned Kyiv Chamber Choir, and on concert stages around the world, including: Carnegie Hall in New York City, Royal Albert Hall in London, and St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.

Click here to read the original article the Ukrainian Canadian Care Centre website