Alexander Koshetz

Koshetz was born on 12 September 1875 the village of Romashky in Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire (now Obukhiv Raion, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine). His father, Anton Hnatovych Koshyts, was a priest who descended from a long line of priests himself. and had a daughter named Todosya whom Shevchenko attempted to start a relationship with but was denied. According to Oleksandr, while he did not know Shevchenko personally, he did know Shevchenko's nephew, Petro, and was friends with Petro's son, Hryhoriy. In Bohuslav, he first became interested in music, and he said he "began to quietly compose" there. Immediately upon graduating from the bursa, he attended the Kiev Theological Academy. At the school, he was part of the small seminary orchestra and the choir, which performed predominantly Ukrainian repertoire. He later recalled in his memoir that he only took the teaching post because he did not want to do military service or take on a state position or even become a priest. He was recommended to the post by his older brother Mytrofan, a priest for the village of Kozychanka at the time, who was friends with the village priest for Hruzke, Mykhailo Stelmashenko. On 25 June 1901 he graduated with the academic degree of Candidate of Theology, which was confirmed by, per tradition, the Metropolitan of Kiev, Theognostus. He also collected Ukrainian folk songs from central Ukrainian areas (notably around Kiev itself). His candidate thesis was entitled "Monastic Obikhodnyks of the 16th–17th Centuries and Their Significance in the History of the Church Charter". The thesis is currently preserved by the Institute of Manuscripts of the National Library of Ukraine (IR NBUV). == Early career ==

in a performance of the Ukrainian national anthem in 1917. Following his graduation with a Candidate of Theology degree, he went to the city of Stavropol. There, he worked as a teacher at the Theological Women’s Gymnasium. During this time, he recorded and submitted over 400 recordings to the committee, which, in 1908, earned him a gold medal from the Ethnographic Economic Exhibition of Kuban. In 1904, Koshetz returned to Kiev from Stavropol. He worked various teaching jobs upon returning: at his alma mater (the Kiev Theological Academy), the Second Women's School, and also the First Commercial School. During this time, the fame of the conductor grew astronomically. From 1916 to 1917 he was choirmaster and conductor of the Kyiv Opera. He later called that the opera had a "creative swamp" and he did not like his time there, and quickly left the position as a result. == Ukrainian Republican Capella ==

, c. 1922-1924 In 1917, he was invited to be a member of the Musical Theatre Commission by the Central Rada in the newly formed Ukrainian People's Republic. However, they were not initially received well. The concert marked the first world premiere of "Shchedryk" (earlier premieres had been made in Kyiv in 1916). Shchedryk would later become the most well-known of the capella's repertoire due to its widespread praise, with German academics calling it "the sweetest of poisons", Punch called it a beautiful piece, and Warsaw's press comparing it to Homer. Czech composer Jaroslav Křička, who initially was hostile to the Ukrainians, also reversed his views upon hearing it. The tour would become so famous that the Queen of the Belgians, Elisabeth of Bavaria stated that her sympathies were with the Ukrainian people upon hearing it. Petliura, however, had still been hoping for support in 1922, and contacted Koshetz to appeal to the Ukrainians abroad. In 1936, Wilhousky, an arranger for the NBC Symphony Orchestra, rediscovered the performance when he was looking for music to air for the network on Christmas. He would then rewrite it into English-language lyrics, and it became immensely popular worldwide. == Emigration ==

In 1926, barred from returning to Ukraine due to his support for the UPR following the Soviet victory in the Ukrainian War of Independence, he settled in New York in the United States. In the New York area, he supplemented his income by leading the "Seven", which was a group of seven Ukrainian church choirs in the area. Koshetz also documented the Ukrainian Republican Capella's travels in the memoir With Song, Around the World (З піснею через світ). He also conducted music courses for conductors, etc. He composed church music (5 liturgies, some chants), and arranged folk songs. In New York, he continued to popularize Ukrainian music with his compositions, arrangements, and gramophone recordings, and the music publishing house Witmark & Son published massive editions of forty-two Ukrainian folk songs arranged by Oleksandr Koshyts in English. From 1941 Koshetz spent the summer months teaching in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, where he died in 1944 at age 69. == Personal life ==

In 1917 Koshetz married a former student and singer in his choirs Tetyana Koshetz (1892–1966) who was later to become a vocalist in the Ukrainian National Chorus, voice teacher, and after 1944 curator of the Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre in Winnipeg. == Commemoration ==

Within Canada (NBU) from 2023 commemorating Koshetz's performance of Shchedryk in 1922 in Carnegie Hall. The O. Koshetz Choir in Winnipeg has been named in his memory since 1967. Previously, it was known as the Winnipeg UNYF Choir from its inception in 1946, but it was decided to rename the choir for Canada's centennial and to honour Koshetz. Within Ukraine On his 130th birthday, a commemorative concert was held in Uspenskyi Cathedral of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra by the best graduates of the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy under patronage of President Yuschenko and under blessing of Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Since 1993, Surikov Street (named after Vasily Surikov) within the Shevchenkivskyi District of Lviv was renamed Koshytsya Street in honour of Koshetz. In December 2021, two commemorative plaques were unveiled on Andriivskyi Descent within Kyiv in honour of Koshetz. They were placed on the houses where Koshetz lived during his time in Kyiv. It had a circulation of up to 50,000 pieces and on the obverse had a composition symbolizing the tour route the Ukrainian Republican Capella took in the 1920s, and on the reverse a stylised portrait of Koshetz. == Music ==

Although Koshetz was mostly known as a conductor, he also did his share of composing and arranging music. In the 1920s, after the creation of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, Koshetz composed his liturgy, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, as well as ten Ukrainian religious chants. Later in emigration, he composed much more religious music. == Notes ==