Nazariy Yaremchuk
Daughter Mariya Yaremchuk became a well-known recording artist and represented Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014.
In fact, Nazariy's half-brother Dmytro (born 1924) then resided in Winnipeg, Canada, after he had fled there at the end of World War II due to his activities the UPA.
[9] In 1969, Yaremchuk finished secondary school and tried to enroll himself at the Faculty of Geography of Chernivtsi State University, but his attempt was unsuccessful.
[11] After a driver's course class, Yaremchuk stayed in the House of Culture and attended a rehearsal of the VIA Smerichka as a spectator.
After Levko Dutkivskiy, the musical director of Smerichka, heard his voice, he was invited to become a singer alongside Vasyl Zinkevych.
[12] In September 1970, Yaremchuk successfully enrolled himself in the Faculty of Geography at the Chernivtsi State University after all and started studying.
[16] The regional television station proposed to shoot a musical film with the group taking the main role.
Plans however changed quickly and instead, several ensembles were incorporated in the film, including VIAs Karpaty, Evrika and young singer Sofia Rotaru, who had acclaimed regional fame at that point.
In this film, he eventually played a soloist of the ensemble that Ivasyuk leads and performed "Незрівнянний світ краси" (The uncomparable world of beauty).
Quickly after that, "Chervona Ruta" composer Ivasyuk was invited to present the song at the first edition of Pesnya goda in Moscow.
[18] The group was invited to participate in the Ukrainian version of television music contest Allo, my ishchem talanty!
The film, Vistupaye ansamble "SMERICHKA" Levka Dutkovkskoho, was banned until the end of the Soviet Union for being too nationalistic.
"Due to Levko Dutkivskiy's pressure, Yaremchuk was eventually given an apartment again and could return to his work at the Philharmonic if he wished.
[29] Noticing that the group needed better musical direction, Yaremchuk requested Dutkivskiy to return to the Philharmonic.
Not thinking about the potential consequences for his career, Yaremchuk (together with Dutkivskiy) attended the protests around Ivasyuk funeral in Lviv and were among the first to lay flowers.
[32] A year later, Yaremchuk released his first full-length LP Nezrivyannyy svit krasy, titled after the same song he sang in Chervona ruta.
[33] In 1981, Yaremchuk starred in the film Chervonta ruta: Ten years since with Vasyl Zinkevych and Sofia Rotaru.
Yaremchuk played in the 1982 Soviet television film Usmishky Nechyporivkky (Ukrainian: Усмішки Нечипорівки), portraying a sailor.
In the film, he performed songs written by both Raimonds Pauls, Oleksandr Zlotnyk and Yuriy Rybchynskyy.
[37] The local television broadcaster of Lviv shot several music videos and performances for Yaremchuk throughout that time.
When dosimetrists were checking on his house a year later, they found that protective suit hanging on the wall was heavily contaminated with radiation and had to be removed.
[43] Yaremchuk's songs, which were melodramatic rather than patriotic, brought many soldiers to tears, even if they could not understand Ukrainian.
[46][47] On 19 August 1991, Ukraine declared its independence from the Soviet Union, which Yaremchuk later referred to as "the happiest day of his life".
[48] The new independence and the end of the Cold War enabled Yaremchuk to travel overseas and outside of the former Warsaw Pact area.
[49] During one of his concerts in Canada, Yaremchuk first met his older half-brother Dmytro, who had been living in Winnipeg for half a century already at that time.
Yaremchuk mostly worked together with Oleksandr Zlotnyk, Vadym Kyryshenko and Mykhailo Tkach at this stage, releasing heartbreaking songs such as "Chuyesh mamo", "Batko i maty" and "Rodyna".
Friend and composer Yuriy Rybchynskyy noticed that Yaremchuk was ill during a concert in early 1995 when appeared weak and thin.
A diagnosis was not made then yet, and Rybchynksyy helped Yaremchuk to travel to Canada, where they believed they could find better healthcare.
There was a certain unity with nature, the universe, and its symbol - the Cheremosh, and the desire for that river, for a living unique eternity, the conquest of the mountains, the knowledge of the greatness of the creator.
"Back in Ukraine, Yaremchuk performed at several stages and he recorded his last song, an honour to Volodymyr Ivasyuk.
