Ihor Sonevytsky

Born on 2 January 1926 in Hadynkivtsi, Galicia (now in Western Ukraine), Ihor Sonevytsky was the son of Dr. Michael Sonevytsky (Ukrainian: Михайло Соневицький), a noted Ukrainian classical philologist, and Olha Sonevytsky, a journalist. He studied at the Vienna Musical Academy and completed his musical studies with a diploma in composition, conducting and piano performance from the Staatliche Hochschule fur Musik, Munich (1950) and the Ukrainian Free University, Munich (1961).^[1]

His family emigrated to the US short after. There he became a cofounder of the Ukrainian Music Institute of America,^[1] and served as its director from 1959 to 1961. In 1983 he established the Grazhda Music and Art Center of Greene County, New York.^[2]

Sonevytsky conducted five different Ukrainian choirs, organized and directed a Ukrainian string orchestra and opera ensemble, taught private students, and lectured at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Rome.

He wrote over 500 music-related articles for various newspapers and periodicals. He wrote several music books, including The Dictionary of Ukrainian Composers, which lists 522 Ukrainian composers from around the world.^[3][4]

He is the author of the opera "Star", the ballet "Cinderella", some chamber music, a series of piano works and a catalogue of choral and vocal music.^[1][5]

Sonevytsky became the first Ukrainian émigré composer to be published in his homeland, when the Ukrainian State Publishing House "Muzychna Ukraina" published a collection of his solo songs in 1993.^[5]

• The music of Ihor Sonevytsky
• «Під Твою милість прибігаєм» (Sub tuum praesidium) by Ihor Sonevytsky, vocal solo and electronic organ, performed by Halyna Wilkha (soprano)
• «Під Твою милість прибігаєм» (Sub tuum praesidium) by Ihor Sonevytsky, choir version (arranged by Rostyslav Demchyshyn)