Stefan Turchak was born in the village of
Maćkowice, which is now
Subcarpathian Voivodeship in
Poland. He grew up in
Dubliany. In 1955, Stefan graduated from Filaret Kolessa Lviv Music and Pedagogical School. After that, he worked as a teacher of music and sang at the Sokal Pedagogical School. Then he organized a choir, which became famous in Sokal region for its performance of folk songs, and the girls' ensemble, which in 1957 even performed on the Kyiv stage. From 1957 Turchak studied at
Lviv Conservatory (conducting class of Mykola Kolessa), which he successfully finished in 1962. Between 1960 and 1962 he was a conductor of the
Solomiya Krushelnytska Lviv State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet. From 1963 to 1966 and 1973 to 1977 he was a chief conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of the Ukrainian SSR, from 1967 to 1973 and from 1977 - of the Kyiv Opera and Ballet Theater. Since 1966 Stefan Turchak was head of the symphony orchestra and head of the Department of Opera and Symphony Conducting of the
Kyiv Conservatory (since 1973 - Associate Professor). He lived in
Kyiv and died on October 23, 1988. Stefan Turchak was buried in
Baikove Cemetery. The author of his tombstone was the sculptor Valentyn Znoba. == Repertoire ==