Canadian-Ukrainian opera and chamber singer (bass-baritone). Honored Artist of Ukraine.
Biography
Born in the village Palashivka of Chortkiv district (Ternopil region) in a large family. He had a talent for singing from an early age. He studied at the Chortkiv Gymnasium, during the Second World War at the Stanislav Theological Seminary (now Ivano-Frankivsk). In 1944, he went to the West in search of his parents, who were deported to Germany for forced labor.
In Hirschberg, Germany, he continued his studies at the theological seminary and began to study vocals with opera singers, teachers Dometii Jokha-Berezenets (Germany), Anna El-Tur at the music conservatory (Holland, Amsterdam, 1948–49). He sang in the choirs of V. Bozhik and V. Blavatsky Drama Theater, was a soloist in the seminary choir of Myroslav Antonovych (Holland). He successfully graduated from the theological seminary, but did not become a priest.
In 1950, together with his family, he emigrated to Canada. He continued his vocal studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto) in the class of opera singer Gina Chinya, under her direction - in the opera studio of the Canadian Opera Company (with breaks - 1952-57).
Won first prize at the Ukrainian Music Festival (Canada-USA, July 3–5, 1954). His debut as an opera singer took place in the "Messey Hall" concert hall in the part of Batka in "Kupalo" by Anatol Vahnyanin (March 31, 1957, concert form). As part of a quartet, he participated in a concert of vocalists (04/08/1959). In both events - a symphony orchestra conducted by Lev Turkevich.
On the Canadian stage of the Garth Gaves Theater, he made his debut as Seneca in the opera The Coronation of Poppea by C. Monteverdi (April 25, 1957).
Canadian music critics immediately noticed the singer: "...powerful voice and dramatic talent" (Hugh Thompson); "Josyp Goshulyak is a truly exceptional bass with a low rare timbre" (Elmo Cipriotti, "Varsity"); "The best of the available performers (born in Ukraine), who magnificently performs his arias" ("Canadian and Broadcaster Telescreen"); "A pleasant and powerful co-recital of a rare voice of a Canadian of Ukrainian origin, who moves with his singing in the recognized tradition of Chaliapin and Christophe" (Clyde Gilmore, "Sound Magazine").
Ukrainian music critics determined the leading place of Yosyp Goshulyak in the hierarchy of Ukrainian singers:
In terms of vocal, technical and artistic perfection in the opera repertoire, the singer is not inferior to the outstanding Bulgarian bassist Boris Kristov, and in the chamber music - to the unsurpassed Ukrainian performer Boris Hmyra"
— singer Bohdan Hnyd,
I admire his powerful central bass with thick low register and light, almost baritone highs. His intonation, phrasing, diction, understanding of the details and the whole of the vocal work, nuanced diversity, and most of all, his intelligence and will in the search for and formation of the repertoire, without exaggeration, puts Yosyp Goshulyak in the ranks of the most outstanding Ukrainian basses of the 20th century, such as Mykhailo Donets, Platon Tsesevich, Ivan Steshenko, Ivan Patorzhynskyi, Borys Hmyrya"
— conductor Ivan Gamkalo,
For ten years he was the leading soloist of the Canadian Opera Company, until 1976 — in all-Canadian productions of operas in concert form. He sang alongside world-renowned opera singers such as Marilyn Horne, John Vickers, Louis Kilico, Teresa Stratas, Maria Chiara, Justino Diaz, Richard Cassili, and others.
He was the soloist of the multi-ethnic radio and television projects "Songs of my people" and "Rhapsody".
With his own funds, he published three music albums of Ukrainian songs, arias and monologues. Yosyp Goshulyak's solos were broadcast by the prestigious Canadian radio networks CJRT, CBC, and CHIN. The singer also prepared for all-Canadian radio programs thematic programs with works of Ukrainian musical classics, performing them live accompanied by virtuoso pianist Leo Barkin.
From time to time he was a soloist of the Bandurist Chapel named after T. Shevchenko (Detroit, USA).
In 1980, he gave concerts in Ternopil, Lviv and Kyiv, in the 1990s he presented his books in Ukraine and often gave concerts and creative meetings in Chortkov, Ternopil, Stryi, Drohobych, Lviv, and Chernivtsi.
Already at a mature age, he enrolled in library courses at the University of Ottawa, graduated with a bachelor's degree. Before his retirement, he worked as a librarian at the Metropolitan Library of Toronto, without interrupting concerts and recordings.
Yosyp Goshulyak died on May 26, 2015 in Toronto, Canada. On June 2, he was buried at St. Vladimir's Cemetery in Oakville. His wife transferred some of his belongings to the Solomiya Krushelnytska Museum in Lviv.
Art
Opera parts
He sang in five languages: Ukrainian, Russian, Italian, English, French; in chamber concerts also in German. His repertoire includes 25 opera parts: G. Verdi - King Philip in "Don Carlos", Ramfis in "Aida", G. Donizetti - Raimondo in "Lucia di Lammermoor", A. Ponchielli - Alvise in "Gioconde", G. Puccini - Collin in "Boheme", Angelotti in "Tosca"; J. Bizet - Zuniga in "Carmen"; Ukrainian composers: M. Arkas - Father in "Kateryna", M. Lysenko - Taras in "Taras Bulba", B. Lyatoshynskyi - Zakhar Berkut in "The Golden Hoop", H. Maiboroda - Sylvester in "Yaroslav Mudrum"; Russian: M. Mussorgsky — Pimen, Varlaam in "Boris Godunov"; P. Tchaikovsky - Kochubey in "Mazepa". On the opera stage: the King in "Aida", Banquo in "Macbeth", Ludovico in "Othello", Guardiano in "The Force of Fate" by G. Verdi; Seneca in "The Coronation of Poppaea" by K. Monteverdi; Timura in "Turandot" by G. Puccini; Lothario in "Minion" by A. Tom; Maksym in "Kupalo" by A. Vahnyanin, Karasya in "Zaporozhka by the Danube" by S. Gulak-Artemovsky; Gremin in "Eugene Onegin" by P. Tchaikovsky.
Chamber repertoire
In the chamber repertoire of Yosyp Goshulyak, mostly musical classics and romances (about 200 works): Ukrainian - by M. Lysenko, V. Barvinskyi, S. Lyudkevich, D. Bortnyanskyi, Ya. Stepovoy, K. Stetsenko, V. Kosenko, M. Verkivskyi, A. Hnatyshin, L. Revutskyi, A. Kos-Anatolskyi, O. Bobykevych and many others; Western European — L. Beethoven, J. Giordani, J. Carissimi, J. Masne, Al. Stradella, J. Torelli, P. Tosti, F. Schubert, R. Schuman; Russian — O. Borodin, M. Glinka, D. Kabalevsky, M. Musorsky, S. Rachmaninov, P. Tchaikovsky, including 40 opera arias: Ukrainian composers — V. Homolyaka, S. Gulak-Artemovsky, K. Dankevich, M. Lysenko, B. Lyatoshinsky; Western European - V. Bellini, A. Boito, G. Verdi, S. Gounod, V. A. Mozart, A. Ponchielli, G. Puccini, G. Rossini, A. Tomy.
In addition, the concert repertoire includes more than 60 Ukrainian folk songs and pearls of the epic genre: Dumas, Chumat and Cossack songs, ballads.
He had a special regard for the legacy of Taras Shevchenko, was the most active and representative propagandist of musical works based on the words of Shevchenko, having in his repertoire 40 works of various styles by Ukrainian composers. He also performed numerous works based on Ivan Franko's poetry (18 pieces).
He returned to Ukraine rare musical works such as "Psalm of David 94" (P. Kulish, V. Barvinskyi) and monologue poem "Monk" (T. Shevchenko, M. Verikivskyi).
Concert activity
He took part in concerts organized by the Ukrainian communities of Canada and the USA, less so in the English-speaking world. The singer's first solo concert took place in Toronto (March 30, 1969, accompanied by L. Barkin). The program includes musical works by J. Verdi, L. Beethoven, P. Tchaikovsky, M. Verikyvskyi, M. Lysenko, A. Kos-Anatolskyi, as well as Ukrainian folk songs. Had an extremely successful concert tour of Western Canada (November 12–26, 1972). He gave concerts in Ukraine with great success: Lviv, Chernivtsi, Ternopil, Kyiv (1980). In the concerts, accompanied by N. Shulman on the piano, international and Ukrainian classics were played, including the forgotten, hushed up, and even banned by the Soviet regime solo singing by M. Lysenko and S. Lyudkevich. Here are the reviews of music critics of Ukraine:
From the first phrase of Alvise's aria from the opera "Gioconde" by Ponchielli, the hall felt that a high-class master was on the stage. To the last note in Y. Goshulyak's complex and interesting program, one could feel a thorough vocal school, deep musicality, bright talent of a fine interpreter, clear and expressive diction, and as a result of the artist's fruitful creativity - lively musical phrases, warmed by inner lyricism and beauty of timbre.
— singer Serhiy Kozak,
...Josyp Goshulyak has a beautiful, lyrical, strong bass that sounds very well and evenly throughout the range. His excellent vocal school complements all of his vocal abilities. His great musicality and the highest performing manner give the listeners a real pleasure.
— pianist Nathan Shulman,
In 1990, he sang in concerts of diaspora music groups in many cities of Galicia and in Kyiv; had a charity Shevchenko concert in Lviv.
After a concert tour of Ukraine (1980), the Ukrainian diaspora accused J. Hoshulyak of being a slave to the Soviet regime. For more than 10 years, she boycotted, in particular, his solo concert in the premises of the Royal Conservatory (Toronto, February 12, 1982). For the same reasons, the singer is not included in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine.
Among the huge number of concerts of J. Goshulyak, in which he participated, it is worth distinguishing the following:
to the 50th anniversary of the death of the composer M. Lysenko (New York, USA, November 24, 1963),
at the opening of the monument to T. Shevchenko (Washington, June 26, 27, 1964);
anniversary concerts for the 150th anniversary of the birth of T. Shevchenko (Hamilton, Ottawa, Toronto, Canada, November 22, 28, 29, 1964);
memorial concert of S. Bandera (Cleveland, USA, 10/18/1964),
before the arrival of Patriarch Joseph the Blind in Canada (Toronto, June 17, 1968),
at the thematic evening "Shevchenko in word and song" (Toronto, March 28, 1971),
in a concert of vocalists accompanied by the Canadian mixed symphony orchestra conducted by E. Barbini (Toronto, 1972), thematic concert "Thoughts in words and songs" (Toronto, 10.06.1972), a literary and artistic concert dedicated to the memory of the writers of the Shot Renaissance (Toronto, 22.02.1976),
to the anniversaries of Zluk of Ukraine (Rochester, USA, 29.01.1977), the 60th anniversary of the Ukrainian National Revolution (Philadelphia, USA, 26.03.1977), the 90th anniversary of the composers L. Revutskyi and the 100th anniversary of S. Ludkevich (Toronto, 21.10.1979), the 90th anniversary of Lyceums Y. Hirnyak and O. Dobrovolska (Toronto, 31.03.1985), the 5thanniversary of the reburial of V. Stus, Yu. Lytvyn, O. Tyho (Toronto, November 20, 1994) and others.
In concerts, he included Ukrainian musical classics and Ukrainian romances, arias from Ukrainian operas, as well as chamber works and opera arias from the world musical treasury. In each of his concerts or performances there were musical pieces set to the poetry of T. Shevchenko. In addition, he promoted the best examples of Ukrainian folklore in concerts: folk songs, Dumas, Chumat and Cossack songs.
Discography
The first records with Goshulyak's voice are "Rhapsody with Romanoff", 1959, two solos on the record "Mykola Fomenka", 1966.
In 1967, Yosyp Goshulyak recorded his first music album, "Ukrainian classics I. I see you in a song, native land", for the 100th anniversary of Canada and the 75th anniversary of the settlement of Ukrainians in it. The music album included 10 pearls of Ukrainian classics: M. Lysenko, V. Barvinskyi, K. Stetsenko, M. Hayvoronskyi, Ya. Stepovoy (accompanist — Leo Barkin).
Canadian music critics praised this music album:
Our artist, Yosyp Goshulyak, has a wonderful and rich bass voice. The voice is leveled, its delivery is exemplary, as is the diction. The artist appropriately and plastically deploys textual and musical images, nuances with complete understanding and sensitivity, otherwise, the artist freely and deeply intelligently possesses the entire gamut of singing means of expression. It's just a pity that even the "faidelite grove" can't capture and convey his penetrating piano and even with a gentle accent...
— musicologist Pavlo Matsenko,
One of the desirable possessions of my record library is a record performed by Yosyp Goshulyak p.z. "Ukrainian classics"... On the record, Yosyp Goshulyak demonstrates one of the best voices of today
— music critic David Robertson,
The second music album of J. Goshulyak "Bass Arias and Monologues" accompanied by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra conducted by E. Barbini was published in 1975. The arias of Procida from "Sicilian Vespers", Fiesco from "Nabucco", King Philip from "Don Carlos" by G. Verdi, as well as the Varangian guest from "Sadko" by M. Rymsky-Korsakov, the monologue poem by T. Shevchenko "Cher" were recorded nets" by M. Verikyvskyi and "Oh, what are you, Dnipro" by M. Fomenko.
This music album was enthusiastically received by English- and Ukrainian-speaking music critics:
And now this voice has sounded again in the Italian repertoire, and again it is extremely pure and beautiful. Of Verdi's three arias - "Don Carlos", "Nabucco" and "Sicilian Vespers", the aria from the first named opera is the most beautiful of all recorded so far. This beautiful reproduction and unique interpretation of the broken-hearted Philip will put Goshulyak in the first ranks of the great world basses.
— music critic David Robertson,
I want to thank you for sending my record earlier, which gives me great joy. You are one of the best basses the Ukrainian land has ever known. Proof of this is your brilliant performance of the repertoire on records.
— musicologist Ivan Lysenko,
I, personally, listening to "The Monk" for the first time, was literally petrified by the work itself and its interpretation. A work of incredible power, in which the poetic work of T. Shevchenko, the musical work of M. Verikyvskyi and the performing artist Y. Goshulyak merged into one whole.
— art critic Maria Harasevych,
The singer's third music album "Taras Shevchenko is a Ukrainian bard. Ukrainian Classics II" with 13 compositions (accompanist - Tetyana Tkachenko, 1982) dedicated to the 1500th anniversary of Kyiv. It included the works of M. Lysenko, S. Lyudkevich, D. Sichynskyi, A. Kos-Anatolskyi, and O. Bobykevich. The boycott of Y. Goshulyak was already ongoing, so Ukrainian music criticism was not verbose. But the music album was enthusiastically received by English-speaking musicologists, and with the passage of time also in Ukraine.
In the disc with Shevchenko's works, Yosyp Goshulyak once again showed the fascinating breadth of his voice, a deep sense of words and melody.
— music critic Paul Zarins,
The musical interpretation of "Kobzar" from the mouth of Goshulyak is simply unsurpassed... In general, he prefers the classical music of M. Lysenko to the words of Shevchenko, and not without reason, because it combines brilliant poetry with an equally brilliant presentation of a musical theme. In addition, Lysenko's music is very close to the singer's natural essence and he skillfully supports its dramatic flow.
— researcher of Ukrainian song Hryhoriy Nudga,
... he (Josyp Goshulyak) has a joyous and ingenious synthesis of the native or national with the international. And such a special shine shone on the stage activity and the selection of the repertoire of our singer. That is why Beethoven and Barvinsky, Verdi and Verikovsky are next to him in his programs...
— musicologist Roman Savytskyi,
Subsequently, the singer re-recorded his music albums on audio cassettes and compact discs, supplementing them with recordings from concerts: 1994, Canada - audio cassettes "My thoughts, my flowers", "Ukrainian classics"; 1995, Canada — compact discs "Bass arias and monologues", "Taras Shevchenko in words and songs", "Romance", "Ukrainian thoughts, songs and romances", "With concerts in Ukraine".
For the 200th anniversary of Taras Shevchenko, the singer prepared and released a set of three compact discs under the general title "In homage to Kobzarev" (Kyiv, 2012): the first - "I will sing again", tretii - "I will greet hope in my heart" - with musical works to the words of T. Shevchenko, the second disc - "Bass arias and monologues" (the latter has returned to its full voice).
Family
Marta Onufriv is the wife and editor-compiler of four books by and about Yosyp Goshulyak.
honors
Yosyp Goshulyak:
listed in international and Ukrainian encyclopedias, the directory of the American Biographical Institute "Who's Who" (2004—2005),
awarded with a certificate of the same institute with inclusion in the "world elite" (11.10.2004),
by the Congress of Ukrainians of Canada — awarded the Shevchenko medal "for services to the Ukrainian-Canadian community" (October 9, 2007),
has the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine
