Myroslav Skoryk


Myroslav Skoryk was a Ukrainian composer and teacher. His music is contemporary in style and contains idioms from diverse sources including German, Welsh, English, and Eastern European artistic traditions.
Skoryk was awarded the titles People's Artist of Ukraine and Hero of Ukraine.

Early life

Myroslav Skoryk was born in Lviv, Ukraine, then a part of Poland. His parents were both educated in Austria at the University of Vienna and subsequently became educators. His father was a historian and an ethnographer, while his mother was a chemist. Although his parents did not have special musical training, his mother played piano and his father played the violin. Skoryk was exposed to music in the household from an early age. No less important was the fact that in his family was a well-known diva of the 20th century – Skoryk's great aunt was the Ukrainian soprano Solomiya Krushelnytska.
In 1947 Skoryk's family were deported to Siberia, where Myroslav grew up: they did not return to Lviv until 1955.

Graduate studies and early works

Between 1955 and 1960 Skoryk studied at the Lviv Conservatory, and there he received training in composition and theory. Skoryk states: "My teachers were well-known composers and educators, including Stanislav Liudkevych, a graduate of the Vienna Conservatory, Roman Simovych a graduate from the Prague Conservatory in 1933, and Adam Soltys, a graduate of the Berlin Conservatory." Skoryk’s final exam piece was a Cantata 'Vesna', on verses of Ivan Franko for soloists, mixed choir and symphonic orchestra. Skoryk also wrote some piano music during this time, including a cycle of piano pieces 'V Karpatakh'.
In 1960, Skoryk enrolled in the postgraduate research program at the Moscow Conservatory where he studied with the composer Dmitri Kabalevsky. During this time, Skoryk composed music in a vast array of styles: symphonic, chamber, and vocal. Some works from this period include the 'Suite in D Major for Strings', 'Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano', and 'Partita No. 1 for Strings' which soon became a popular piece. In addition, Skoryk also wrote several piano works such as the 'Variations', 'Blues', and the 'Burlesque which gained much popularity and has been widely performed throughout concert halls around the world. His 'Burlesque' came to be a required work in piano competitions, most notably the Vladimir Horowitz Piano Competition in Kiev, Ukraine, and as pedagogical practice.

Teaching career

Skoryk graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 1964 and took a teaching job at the Lviv Conservatory where he remained until 1966. Shortly after, he accepted a position at the Kiev Conservatory where he said, "Along with teaching composition classes, I also lectured theory classes that focused on contemporary harmony techniques." The subject of Skoryk’s dissertation, which he completed in 1964, concentrated on Prokofiev’s music, its title reads "Osoblyvosti ladu muzyky S. Prokofieva". Skoryk also wrote a book, "Struktura i vyrazhalna pryroda akordyky v muzitsi XX stolittia" as well as numerous articles. Notable students include the composers Osvaldas Balakauskas, Ivan Karabyts and Yevhen Stankovych, as well as Hanna Havrylets' and Bohdana Frolyak.
In 1996 Skoryk lived for a time with his family in Australia and received Australian citizenship, but later he returned to live in Ukraine.
In April 2011 Skoryk was appointed artistic director of Kyiv Opera, a position he held until 2016. He also taught at the Lviv and Kyiv conservatory.

Death

Skoryk died on 1 June 2020.

Works

Myroslav Skoryk was a composer, pianist and conductor. Many works by Skoryk have been performed by leading ensembles and soloists including Leontovych Quartet, Oleh Krysa, Volodymyr Vynnytsky, Oleg Chmyr, Mykola Suk, Victor Markiw, and Alexander Slobodyanik.
Victor Markiw has written the first English language book on the composer titled The Life and Solo Piano Works of the Ukrainian Composer Myroslav Skoryk, published in 2010 by the Edwin Mellen Press.

Partial list of works