The Prosvita People’s House is one of the structural units of Lviv Polytechnic, which has been operating since 1992. For many years it has been headed by Honored Worker of Culture of Ukraine Stepan Shalata. We asked him what the Prosvita People’s House is like today, how the pandemic affected its activities and what various amateur art bands there are.
– Please, tell us how the pandemic affected the activities of the People’s House?
– The pandemic has seriously derailed us. Of course, today we continue to work and have already developed a model of work that is possible in the current situation. It should be understood that for almost more than a year our students have been studying online and, unfortunately, because of this there is no full-fledged work of all amateur bands. However, we try to hold rehearsals, concerts, try to attract our members who live in Lviv or near the city and can come. Unfortunately, only the Orpheus National Male Choir is currently working in full. Its participants are academic staff, they are all vaccinated and can fully come to rehearsals and perform. The Polyphonia Chamber Orchestra also works. On December 29, their concert «The Night Before Christmas» was held in the organ hall, where carols and many spiritual works were performed. Many honored guests attended the event, and the audience, of course, highly appreciated the concert.
– What are the amateur bands working on today?
– We are currently preparing for the festival «Big Carol», which Orpheus National Male Choir will take part in. We are also planning a traditional event – «Farewell to Carol», previously the event is scheduled for February 14. In addition, we received an invitation to the festival in Poznan (Poland) and we really want to attend it in the summer. In pre-quarantine times, we organized powerful «Shevchenko Evenings». These were some of the largest annual events. Today we are also preparing for them, but we cannot predict the epidemiological situation. I hope that we will still be able to organize this event, because almost all bands always take part in it, and we have 12 of them. A few years ago, we even invited the Telniuk sisters, a famous Ukrainian vocal duo, to this event. They came to us and performed with our symphony orchestra. Obviously, it was a special event for Polytechnic. By the way, they were very surprised to learn that Lviv Polytechnic has a symphony orchestra, as other Ukrainian higher education institutions do not have one. I am happy that the Telniuk sisters were pleased to work with us. We often invite famous artists, we always want to surprise the audience and come up with something new. It is especially gratifying that people understand this and our hall is always full. By the way, not only Polytechnicians come to the concerts, but also a lot of Lviv residents who already know about us and understand that we really organize events at a high level.
– What can the Prosvita People’s House offer students? What opportunities does it open up for them?
– Perhaps the most important thing we can give students is a quality aesthetic development, education in the national-patriotic spirit, knowledge of our customs and traditions, respect for culture and national heritage. In addition, Prosvita People’s House gives the opportunity to travel around the world, meet other bands and make friends. Together with the bands we traveled almost all over Europe, let’s face it, these are incredible opportunities for young people. Also, many students who studied in various technical specialties, and studied with us, later became famous artists, received state titles. Obviously, this is part of our merit, because we helped them develop their talent.
Prior to quarantine, about 800 people from almost all Polytechnic Institutes were involved in Prosvita People’s House activities. There are also many graduates who continue to come the Prosvita People’s House and this is especially gratifying. We haves taken part in thousands of festivals, concerts, and have prestigious awards and diplomas. We feel the support of our Rector Yurii Bobalo, as the bands are provided with all the musical instruments, costumes, etc. And recently, our Suziria Pop Song Ensemble impressed people with its carol. Such things inspire and motivate. I always proudly speak about our students and am sincerely proud of them all.
