For 39 years the YAVIR Ukrainian Male Chorus of Edmonton (UMCE) has pursued the objective of developing, promoting, and fostering a greater appreciation of the traditions of Ukrainian choral singing.
The UMCE’s first major performance was at Expo ’86 in Vancouver. The choir was proud to represent Canada at the 1996 International Choral Festival in Missoula, Montana. The UMCE toured Poland and Western Ukraine in 2002 and returned to Ukraine in 2011 for a concert tour. The choir also traveled to Australia in 2008 and has performed in all of the major cities in Canada.
In 2014, the UMCE participated in the World Choir Games in Riga, Latvia, and also performed in Poland and Austria. And in 2017, the choir toured Spain and Portugal.
Throughout its existence, the UMCE has hosted and performed at numerous events in the Edmonton area, and every December hosts a Christmas concert called “A Festive Mosaic”. The choir has also performed on several occasions with both the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and Calgary Civic Symphony in the past few years.
The choir has released 4 recordings: That Old Sheepskin Coat, The Ukrainian Male Chorus of Edmonton LIVE!, Malanka Suite and Kateryna.
The current artistic director of the UMCE is Slava Morozow, and the piano accompanist is Roman Soltykevych.