Jubilee Folk Ensemble

Sudbury
Ontario
Canada

Meet our Ensemble...New Members Always Welcome!

Who are We?

The Jubilee Folk Ensemble (JFE) is a non-profit community-based musical group that contributes to Greater Sudbury's progressive, bilingual, multicultural life. Our ensemble consists of a diverse group of amateur musicians who play a variety of orchestral instruments under the direction of our conductor, Oryst Sawchuk. 

The group receives support from the City of Greater Sudbury through an annual cultural grant. The ensemble is also loosely affiliated with the local branch of the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians (AUUC). Our practices are held on Monday evenings at the Jubilee Centre on 195 Applegrove St. in Sudbury.

Our Mission

The Jubilee Folk Ensemble, while preserving Ukrainian culture, is committed in its pursuit of how music relates to us all in a multicultural Canada. It is dedicated, in the spirit of Woody Guthrie (the great American folklorist), to learning and playing music rooted in the folk music traditions from around the world and reflecting the rich cultural diversity of both Sudbury and Canada as a whole.

Join the Ensemble

The Jubilee Folk Ensemble always welcomes new members who enjoy performing a diverse repertoire of orchestral multicultural folk music. 

Our membership in the past has ranged in age from approx. 20 to 80. Currently there are no membership dues required in order to join. 

Concert attire normally consists of dark dress pants with a white dress shirt and optional traditional vest (see picture at right).

String players (i.e., both violin & mandolin families) are invited to join us, as are wind players. We would be happy to hear from you--regardless of what instrument you play. Moreover, it doesn't matter how long it's been since you last played your instrument--we encourage you to come out and have some fun!

Our History

The Jubilee Folk Ensemble has roots which can be traced back four generations to various Ukrainian mandolin ensembles which existed in Sudbury in the 1920's and '30's (although the name, "Jubilee Folk Ensemble," was not formally adopted until 1977 --the ensemble getting its name from its landlord, the Jubilee Centre). 

From its humble Ukrainian immigrant beginnings, the ensemble now boasts a membership of Sudburians from numerous cultural backgrounds. 

The JFE gratefully acknowledges the past financial support of the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians and the benefits it has enjoyed as a result of this association; including the generous use of the Jubilee Centre for rehearsals, the musical repertoire of the AUUC's national network of orchestras as well as use of the AUUC's own unique local library of music from Eastern and Central Europe. 

The JFE's collection of sheet music, archived at the Jubilee Centre, actually represents the largest collection of Eastern European folk music found in Ontario north of Toronto. This collection includes many rare out-of-print manuscripts which are difficult to find elsewhere.

Currently, there are approximately 18-20 members in the group. The ensemble is occasionally featured in local news items found in Northern Life as well as the SAC's Artscape column which appears periodically in the Sudbury Star. 

On Nov. 13, 2005, the JFE participated in the "Tsunami Rx Benefit Concert" held at the Sudbury Community Arena. This concert helped to raise funds to build a school in Sri Lanka. During the 2007 Canada Day celebrations, we played to over 3,000 folks in the Sudbury Arena.

In May of 2006, the JFE formally adopted a constitution and set up a 5-member Advisory Board to oversee matters. The ensemble hopes within the next few years to acquire official status as a federally-registered charitable organization.

Our Conductor

Oryst Sawchuk has been the JFE's conductor since 1994 --having taken over the position from Eve Kremyr, who had conducted the group for about 5 years. Prior to Eve, the JFE's original conductor had been Stella Billings. 

Oryst Sawchuk was born in Winnipeg but grew up in Sudbury. He has been active for many years in the AUUC, as well as in numerous other community organizations. 

Oryst studied architecture at the University of Manitoba and is a partner with the local firm of Sawchuk Peach Associates. He is also a visual artist of some note, having taken part in both solo and group exhibits.

Membership

 

Brian J. Lynch	Richard Laine	Kathy Reilly
Craig Gilbert	Gerry Closs	Sally Katary
George Schaut	Helen Smilanich	Mel Sekerak
Ilsa Jakelski	John Durjancik	Sandra Faubert
Mary Ryan	Brendan Rodriguez	Brenda Rantala-Sykes
Michel Lafrance	Joanne Rhude	Debra Lariviere
Ron Tough	Donna Moshenko	Dorothy Robidoux

Current Repertoire

 

Fiddler on the Roof (medley).....................	Jerry Bock (arr. S. Rosenhaus)
The Thunderer (march)............................	J. P. Sousa (arr. C.P. Herfurth)
Solidarity Forever...................................	traditional workers' song
Autumn Dream Waltz...............................	arr. Podoliak-Lanoff
In Old Vienna (waltz medley)....................	arr. C.P. Herfurth
Un Canadian Errant.................................	Antoine Gérin-Lajoie
Gems of Italy.........................................	arr. P. Podoliak
French Canadian Favourites: Potpourri.........	arr. P. Podoliak
Something to Sing About..........................	Oscar Brand
Let No Man Call Me a Foreigner.................	arr. B.N.
Jubilee Medley.......................................	arr. C. Dafeff
Brother Can You Spare a Dime?.................	Jay Gorney
Kulkurin Kaiho........................................	traditional Finnish
Zigany (aka "The Gypsy Overture")............	arr. Rudy Wasylenky
Prairie Dances - I,II,III.............................	arr. B. Nuttall
Danube Waves (Waltz).............................	J. Ivanovici
Fantasy On Greensleeves.........................	Old English
Hava Nagila...........................................	traditional Jewish Folk Song
Vorotarchik ("The Gatekeeper")..................	traditional Ukrainian
Metsakukkia ("Forest Flowers")..................	traditional Finnish
Estrellita................................................	Manuel Ponce
Summertime (from "Porgy 'n Bess").............	George Gershwin
Hungarian Dance IV.................................	Brahms
Loch Lomond..........................................	Scotch Air
El Relicario.............................................	Jose Padilla
Come Back to Sorrento............................	Ernesto De Curtis
Oy-ra!..................................................	traditional Ukrainian

Contact Us

The JFE holds its rehearsals on Monday evenings, between approx. 7:15 pm to 9:45 pm, at the Jubilee Centre on 195 Applegrove St. (in downtown Sudbury, behind the courthouse--view map). We invite all interested members from the public to come out and hear us rehearse. During rehearsals, ample refreshments are available.

If you are interested in joining our ensemble, or if you wish to "book" our band for an upcoming gig, or if you simply want to learn more about us, please contact our conductor and musical director, Oryst Sawchuk, at (705) 674-3590 (home), or at 674-9633 (work). You may also reach Oryst by e-mail at: sawchuk@vianet.ca. 

You may reach the Chair of the JFE's Advisory Board, Dr. Brian Lynch, at (705) 525-0607, or by e-mail at: bjlynch21@tyenet.com. Our Webmaster may be contacted at: gbschaut@sympatico.ca. 

Partners/Affiliates

The Jubilee Folk Ensemble actively supports other local organizations which contribute to the cultural life of the community through their support of local amateur musicians. These organizations would include, for example, the Finnish Seniors Choir, the Wild Geese, the Sudbury Symphony, the Sudbury Arts Council, Nickel City Sound, and the No Strings Attached Community Band...among others...

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	Folk songs and ballads is a big subject,
	Just as old and just as young,
	Just as big to talk about
	As this whole humanly race
	Around our planet here.
	-- Woody Guthrie --

-- Return to the No Strings Website --

Photo Gallery

Pictures taken from our June 7th, 2008 outdoor Via Rail concert to commemorate Sudbury's 125th anniversary (photos courtesy of Donna Pasichnyk & Rob).

The Jubilee Folk Ensemble is generously supported by a civic arts grant from the City of Greater Sudbury (Tourism, Culture & Marketing Section) & with logistical support from the AUUC.

If you have any questions about this site, or suggestions for improvement, please contact the Webmaster, George Schaut at gbschaut@sympatico.ca.

This web page was created by G. Schaut using MS FrontPage (the site is best viewed with a 1024 x 768 screen resolution or lower). This page was created & launched on Sept. 14, 2003. The contents of this page are the property of the Jubilee Folk Ensemble and are intended solely for non-commercial use. We encourage webmasters to include a link to our page in their sites. Web hosting is provided by 1sthostweb.com.

[Site last updated: June 27/08]

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