Karabyts piano competition

Artemivsk Music College hosted the 7th Open Piano Competition named after Ivan Karabyts, a noted 20th-century Ukrainian composer, a graduate of this college. Among the contestants were students of nine Ukrainian music colleges.

This competition was founded in 2003, on the piano faculty teachers’ initiative. At the time most contestants were from Donetsk oblast. With time the number of participants from other oblasts of Ukraine has increased significantly. In the summer of 2006, Kyiv Music Fest’s organizing committee invited the winners to take part in this prestigious national competition. In 2007, the Ukrainian Culture Center in Moscow organized a gala concert entitled “Ukrainian Music in Moscow,” starring winners and promising music college/conservatory students, in collaboration with the National Academy of Music of Ukraine (NMAU), Russia’s Duma, and Moscow’s Donbas Ethnic Association.

Myroslav Skoryk, a noted Ukrainian composer, NMAU professor, has chaired the Karabyts jury for a number of years. Marianna Kopytsia-Karabyts, NMAU professor, has been a permanent honorary member of the jury. Ivan Karabyts and Marianna’s children attended the festivities commemorating the naming of the Artemivsk Music College after their father in 2004. All had followed in their father’s footsteps. At the time his son Kyrylo conducted the National Opera of Ukraine’s orchestra, also orchestras in Paris and Strasbourg. His daughter was then still enrolled in the National Academy of Music of Ukraine. This time the jury included Andrei Sikorsky, soloist with Minsk Philharmonic Society (during the closing concert his performance won him standing ovation).

Tetiana Verkina, the jury’s chairperson, professor, Kharkiv Art University, and Marianna Kopytsia-Karabyts addressed the winners during the award ceremony, saying the contestants’ professional level was on an upward curve, as evidenced by each annual competition; that this time the jury was hard put to name the winners because they were all so good, leaving the jury a very narrow margin to pass judgment.

First prize was conferred on V. Paliarush (Kyiv) and V. Ustiuhov (Kharkiv). The latter also received a certificate as the best performer of Ivan Karabyts’ music. N. Krot (Kyiv), H. Kubareva (Simferopol), and D. Chubak (Ternopil) shared the second prize. The third prize was conferred on V. Zhurba (Sievierodonetsk) and N. Lebedeva and V. Shelestova, both Artemivsk Music College students. The contestant from Ternopil also received the best-Karabyts-performance certificate. Two contestants, O. Alieinikov (Kharkiv) and Yu. Kosenkova (Kryvy Rih) received “Hope” certificates.

Tetiana Yalova is a member of the Journalists’ Union of Ukraine, professor with Ivan Karabyts Music College in Artemivsk