Ukrainian pop singer (lyric-dramatic tenor), People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR (1986), laureate of the Shevchenko Prize (1994), Hero of Ukraine (2009), honorary citizen of Lutsk. Many of his songs were included in the golden fund of Ukrainian music of the 20th century.
Biography
Ivan Kharitonovych's father sang well and was regent of the church choir. According to the recollections of his mother, Anna Prokopivna, Vasyl's abilities and love for art were passed on from his father. As a child, he made a small stage at home and danced on it. During his school years, he participated in artistic amateur activities.
In 1968, after serving in the army, he came to the city of Vyzhnytsia to study at the Art School of Applied Arts (now the Vyzhnytskyi College of Applied Arts named after V. Yu. Shkriblyak).
In 1968–1973, he was the artistic director of the folk amateur dance ensemble "Smerychyna" at the Vyzhnytskyi House of Culture; takes his first steps in the vocal school of Levko Dutkivskyi, head of the Smerichka VIA (Vyzhnytsia, Chernivtsi region) (young Nazarii Yaremchuk also started singing there within a year).
In 1973–1975, he was a soloist of the vocal-instrumental ensemble "Smerichka" under the direction of Levko Dutkivskyi of the Chernivtsi Philharmonic.
Since 1975 he has been a soloist, and since 1980 he has been the artistic director of the Svityaz ensemble of the Volyn Regional Philharmonic (Lutsk).
On October 20, 1978, the singer was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine, and on January 3, 1986, the title of People's Artist of Ukraine.
In 1986-1991, he studied at the Rivne Institute of Culture, where he majored in directing.
Vasyl Zinkevich's children — Vasyl and Bohdan, in their youth participated in the activities of the hip-hop groups "Tartak" and "Osnovnyi rysat" (Bohdan was its founder), respectively. The eldest son, Vasyl, became an artist, and the youngest, Bohdan, became a television director.
The famous composer and singer Vyacheslav Khursenko, repeatedly touring with Vasyl Zinkevich, saw how he himself worried about his children. This impressed him so much that he wrote a song about the fate of Vasyl Zinkevich on the road from Sokal to Lutsk in literally 40 minutes.
Art
In 1971, the first Ukrainian musical television film "Red Ruta" (screenwriter M. Skochilyas, director R. Oleksiv) was filmed in Yaremcha, and then shown on Central Television. The hero of V. Zinkevich is a young miner Borys from Donbass who sings songs to the music of V. Ivasyuk and V. Gromtsev. The culmination of the film was the performance of V. Ivasyuk's song about true and happy love - "Red Ruta". In the same year, V. Zinkevich successfully performed this song (together with N. Yaremchuk and V. Ivasyuk) at the final concert of the TV contest "Song of the Year" in Moscow. The song brings great popularity to the young team and is heard throughout the country.
In 1972, in Moscow, at the TV competition "Hello, we are looking for talents", together with N. Yaremchuk and the ensemble "Smerichka", he performed L. Dutkovsky's song "Horianka", took first place and became a laureate of the All-Union competition. In 1975, he appeared in the Estonian television film "Smerichka Ensemble performs under the direction of Levko Dutkovskii".
In 1975, he moved to Lutsk and worked as part of VIA "Svityaz" under the management of Valery Gromtsev. The group is quickly rising to the wave of popularity. According to D. Gershenzon, "Vasyl Zinkevich is a person who has a rare taste and sense of time. Thanks to him and all the musicians, Svityaz had the honor of being called one of the best bands in Ukraine. And this required a lot of things. Zinkevych never gave the opportunity to relax."
Has a beautiful, bright, sonorous voice. His performance is characterized by a high musical culture, organic nobility, passion, accurately guessed mood of the song. He modeled stage costumes for himself and the ensemble. He starred in the concert films "Red Ruth" (1971), "Melody of Blue Lakes" (1977), "Red Ruth. Ten Years Later" (1981), "Spring Music" (1987), "Echoes of His Life" (1988), "Red Route of Volodymyr Ivasyuk" (1988), "The Lace of His Roads" (1990) and in other musical films of Ukrainian Television .
Vasyl Ivanovych once told, writes Igor Sharov, that in his youth he participated in various creative competitions up to two dozen times and lost in most of them, because the jury from the Moscow musical bohemian categorically did not perceive anything Ukrainian and original. And already with the achievement of independence, people felt involved in their own land, nature and history. And the world saw, says the artist, that not everything on one-sixth of the globe is "resolved".
Repertoire
V. Zinkevich in the film "Red Ruta" (1971)
Performed songs by composers: L. Dutkovsky ("Snowflakes are falling" (first song), "You come in the blue night", "Highlander"), V. Ivasyuk ("Ballad of mallows", "Summer of late dahlias", "My dear" , "The song will be between us", "The song about you", "The world without you", "Love only blooms once", "Red rue", "I will go to the distant mountains"), V. Gromtseva ("From pass to pass ", "Abandoned Flowers", "Bridge of Hope", "Say, Say"), I. Bilozor ("And I Know", "I Believe", "Mother's Light", "As if Yesterday"), I. Poklad ("Violin is playing", "Flowing water", "Good luck!"), M. Mozgovoi ("Mountaineer", "I'm going to the mountains again", "My first lovein", "Fortunately, by fate", "Bloom love"), O. Zlotnyk ("Grove, green grove", "On the shore of life"), S. Sabadash ("Marichka", "Song from the polony"), I. Perchuk ("Music is Sounding", "My Music", "On the Trap", "The Heart of the Violin"), P. Dvorsky ("Spring Music", "Silver Eyes"), L. Zatulovsky ("Forget Sadness"), O. Bilash ("Two Colors", "Ashes"), E. Shiryaev ("Russian Berezy"), Z. Cholich ("I'm Calling You"), O. Osadchyo ("The Road to Taras"), A. Hammond (" The melody is transparent" ("Se tornassi")), O. Serova ("Where are the clear stars"), B. Kucher ("New day over Ukraine"), Oleg Slobodenko ("Sweet delusion", "Through summer"), written on words of poets V. Babukha, O. Bogachuk, R. Bratun, S. Galyabardy, P. Zapotichny, V. Kryshchenko, D. Pavlychko, Yu. Rybchynskyi, T. Severnyuk, B. Stelmakh, M. Tkacha, G. Dyshinevich and others
Sayings of Vasyl Zinkevich
"We are a force, if only because we have such a song, where three minutes are not just fun, but our essence. Ukrainian song truly embraces the world with its wings. I had to visit many countries. And without translation, not understanding a word, the audience stands up. I say: you don't understand what I was singing about. And they answer: there is something in Ukrainian songs that heals. We cannot do without a song, it is our soul. In general, you need to look into the mirror of your soul more often to recognize yourself. It's a difficult time now, but we will never lose our uniqueness. Because we are Ukrainians. »
"I am happy that I was born in the village, I will never forget that path that ran between the rye, and above it - the high boundless sky; that the Ukrainian village is a kind of academy of high morality. Here they preserve the native word, here they preserve the native song, here they say to everyone: "Good afternoon!". No matter where I've been, no matter in what distant regions I've performed, I'm always proud to say that I was born in a village, studied at a rural conservatory, where my Ukrainian people were my great professor. Truly, my people, you are not just big, you are an ocean. And I am happy that I was born from your ear of corn. »
Tribute
"Zirka" on the Alley of Stars on Theater Square in Chernivtsi.
Awards
The title Hero of Ukraine with the awarding of the Order of the State (August 19, 2009) — for outstanding personal services to the Ukrainian state in the development of musical culture, long-term creative activity in the field of enriching the national song treasury
Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise IV century. (June 27, 2020) — for a significant personal contribution to state building, strengthening of national security, socio-economic, scientific-technical, cultural and educational development of the Ukrainian state, significant labor achievements, many years of conscientious work
Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise V century. (January 16, 2009) — for a significant personal contribution to the cause of the consolidation of Ukrainian society, the development of a democratic, social and legal state and on the occasion of the Day of the National Assembly of Ukraine
Order "For Merit" 1 st. (August 23, 2005) — for a significant personal contribution to the socio-economic, scientific and cultural development of Ukraine, significant labor achievements and active public activity
Order "For Merit" II century. (August 21, 1999) — for selfless work, remarkable personal merits in state construction, socio-economic, scientific, technical and cultural development of Ukraine and on the occasion of the 8th anniversary of Ukraine's independence
Order "For Merit" of the III century. (August 12, 1999) — for personal contribution to the development of national culture and art, significant creative achievements
On October 20, 1978, the singer was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine, and on January 3, 1986, the title of People's Artist of Ukraine
State Prize of Ukraine named after T. Shevchenko in 1994 — for concert programs of recent years
Order of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (1997)
