Volodymyr Ivanovych Boyko (10 April 1928, Pryluky - 11 May 2006, Kyiv) was a Ukrainian singer, soloist of the Veriovka Choir, Honoured Artist of Ukraine (1976), People's Artist of Ukraine (1987), winner of many World Arts Festivals, Honorary Citizen of Pryluky (September 2001).
Biography
Born into a working-class family, he graduated from Pryluky Secondary School No. 13, worked at the Plastics Plant, and in autumn 1943, he worked at a tobacco factory.
He took part in amateur artistic activities, sang in school circles; in 1949 he went to Donbas to work as a sinker of the lower drift at the Nikitovka mine.
In 1950, he took part in a competition to fill the vacant position of a singer in the State Ukrainian Folk Choir and was enrolled in the choir on 18 December.
On the job, he graduated from the Glier Kyiv Music College and the Kyiv Institute of Culture.
He performed in the H. Veriovka National Honoured Academic Ukrainian Folk Choir and was the choir's leading soloist.
In 1967, he took part in the Days of Ukraine in Canada - Montreal, for which he was awarded a diploma of the Presidium of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
In 1976, he was awarded the title of Honoured Artist of Ukraine for his tour of Latin America.
1987 - People's Artist of Ukraine.
Laureate of the World Arts Festivals in Brussels, Montreal, and Moscow.
In 1997, he won the Golden Cup at the Festival of Folklore Groups in Korea with his band.
He has given concerts in more than 50 countries.
In September 2001, he was awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Pryluky.
The Pryluky Museum of Local Lore has more than 100 items associated with his name.
