Key Events:

Alexander Jacobchuk (Yakovchuk) was born in 1952, Cherche, Ukraine. 

1967-1968 Music School, city of Kamyanets-Podilskiy, Ukraine.

1968-1971 College of Music, city of Khmelnytskiy, Ukraine

1971-1976 Faculty of Composition, Tchaikovsky State Conservatory, city of Kyiv, Ukraine. In 1976 graduated with a degree in composition studying with Anatoliy Kolomiets. He was awarded the qualification of a teacher of composition and theoretical subjects.

In 1981-1988 All-Union Composer's Seminars, city of Ivanovo, Russia under the direction of Professor Yuriy Fortunatov from Moscow State Conservatory, specialized in a symphonic orchestration and instrumentation

1976-1979 Music Editor, Ukrainian State Radio Company, city of Kyiv, Ukraine

1979-1983 Conductor and a Head of a Music Department of the Kyiv Youth Theatre

1983-1990 Composer-in-residence. Performed as a pianist and accompanist to vocalists and instrumentalists at concerts throughout Ukraine and Europe

1990-1992 Accompanist for the soloists at the Opera House, city of Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, choirmaster of "Svetozar Markovich" and "Barvinok"choirs, city of Novi Sad, Yugoslavia

1992-1995 Composer-in-residence, city of Kyiv, Ukraine

1995-2009 Teacher of composition and theoretical subjects at Jacobchuk Studio in Etobicoke, Canada

2009 - present Professor of composition and theoretical subjects at the Faculty of Composition of the National Academy of Music of Ukraine in Kyiv.

Awards:

He has received a number of prizes for his compositions, including Laureates from five National Music Competitions of Ukraine and three International Music Competitions held in Europe in the 1990s. He has recently won many awards in the last decade such as the  Laurate International Prize named after Taras Shevchenko. 

Short Biography:

Alexander Jacobchuk (Oleksandr Yakovchuk) is an Ukrainian-Canadian composer, Honoured Artist of Ukraine, winner of state and international awards, member of the National Union of Composers of Ukraine and the League of Composers of Canada, member of the Canadian Music Centre, professor of the Faculty of Composition at the National Music Academy of Ukraine.

He was born on May 21st, 1952 in the village of Cherche, Smotrytskyi district, Kamyanets-Podilskyi region (now Kamyanets - Podilskyi district, Khmelnytskyi region) in an educated singing family. His father, Mykola Antonovych who was a history teacher. His mother, Hanna Ivanivna who was a doctor. His studies with music began by playing the trumpet in the school brass band. At the age of 14, he started studying piano with his mother. Then he took private lessons from teachers in Kamyanets-Podilskyi.

In 1968 he graduated from the piano department of the Kamyanets-Podilskyi City Music School named after T. Hanitskyi. Next, he entered the theory department at the Khmelnytskyi Music Collage named after V. Zaremba. During his first year, he was influenced by the older colleagues at the college to begin composing.

After graduating early from the music collage he auditioned for Composition Faculty at the Tchaikovsky Kyiv State Conservatory. He was invited to start his studies early at the conservatory prior to graduating from the music collage.

Next, he entered the Composition Faculty at the Kyiv Conservatory where he successfully graduated in 1976. During this time, he wrote the opera “Unforgettable,” which he wrote the libretto based on the story by O. Dovzhenko. Then in 1977, the Opera Studio at the Kyiv Conservatory produced this opera.

From 1976 to 1979, he worked as an editor in the Ukrainian music department at the Republican Radio.

From 1979 to 1983, he was the head of the music department at the newly created Kyiv Youth Theatre.

Beginning in 1990, he has been working as the accompanist for the soloists at the Novi Sad Opera House in the former Yugoslavia. During this work, he was the choirmaster of the famous Serbian choir Svetozar Marković. He revived the Barvinok choir at the Ukrainian Art Society because two years later they won the All-Serbian Festival in Ruma. Due to the political situation in Yugoslavia, he returned to Ukraine in 1992.

From 1992 to 1994, he worked as an accompanist and composer-in-residence for various ensembles throughout Ukraine. Due to the difficult economic situation in Ukraine, he became unemployed and decided to move to Canada in search of work with his family consisting of his wife and three young children.

From 1994 to 2009, he worked in different positions for various musical institutions in Toronto. He has been a member of the League of Composers of Canada and the Canadian Music Centre since 1996. Also, he was the Director of the Kiwanis Music Festival for composition and the President of the Etobicoke Music Festival.

In 2009, he started working at the Faculty of Composition of the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine, where he is currently a professor.

He is the author of many compositions in a variety of genres consisting of ballet, thirty-six cantatas, two operas, two oratorios, eight symphonies, three symphonic poems,  ten instrumental concertos, works for stage - symphony orchestra and Ukrainian folk orchestra, original choral works in both spiritual and secular domains, three hundred sixty  arrangements of Ukrainian folk songs for various a cappella choirs, eight string quartets, four  sonatas, two piano trios, and a large number of various chamber works. In these chamber works he focused on creating a cycle of concert preludes and fugues for piano, music for theatre performances and films. More than 160 of his works have been published in Ukraine, Russia and Canada. He has also released twelve CDs and two DVDs. Also, he has over two hundred compositions which have been recorded by the National Radio Company of Ukraine. Currently, his music is being performed all over the world.