A leading Ukrainian musician is making a return visit to Totnes to play a concert on Friday 30th June. 

Distinguished Ukrainian pianist, Ivan Hovorun gave a spellbinding performance at St Mary’s Parish Church, Totnes last Summer and is coming back to the historic Church on Friday 30th June for another recital starting at 7.30pm. Ivan is forging a reputation as one of the most acutely perceptive and intelligent musicians of our time. The programme will include works by Mendelssohn, Liszt, Schumann and

Horowitz, among others.

With Ukraine continuing to be in the news as fighting continues into a second year, close relatives of Ivan suffered severe damage to their house last winter during the incessant Russian bombardment of Ukraine’s cities. Their roof was struck during the night and the occupants had to repair it themselves in freezing weather with no electric power available. Mr Hovorun sees it as his personal mission to raise as much awareness and funding for Ukraine’s beleaguered population as possible, and his dazzling talents have enabled him to do this in style. Accordingly, there will be a retiring collection solely for Ukraine after the performance.

Born in Ukraine, Ivan’s piano studies began with his mother, herself a talented professional musician, at the age of five and at the age of six went on to study at the Krushelnytska Music High School. He first performed for the public of his native city at the age of nine and was only eleven when he first performed with a full orchestra, since when he has been invited to perform annually with the Lviv Symphony Orchestra.

Mr Hovorun chose to pursue his higher musical studies in England, having been awarded a scholarship in 2004 to study at the Royal Northern College of Music, from which he graduated with a Master of Music degree in 2011.

Participating in masterclasses led by Howard Shelley, Barry Douglas, Stephen Hough, Charles Rosen, Peter Donohoe, Imogen Cooper, Stephen Kovacevich, Vovka Ashkenazy, Jean Efflam Bavouzet, Francois- Joel Thiollier, Boris Petrushansky, Eliso Virsaladze, Dmitry Bashkirov and Arie Vardi , Ivan Hovorun has also studied with Graham Scott, Nelson Goerner, Alexander Melnikov and Michel Beroff.

Ivan has performed with major Eastern and Western European orchestras as diverse as the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine and the Manchester Camerata, Collegium Musicum. His extensive list of artistic collaborations has seen him work with Kenneth Woods, John Traill, Andre de Ridder, Clarc Rudell, Gordan Nikolitch.

In past seasons Mr Hovorun’s festival and orchestral appearances have included Scarlatti, Haydn, Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, Chopin and Rachmaninov Festivals at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester; the International Rachmaninov Conference in the same city; and the James Macmillan Festival, Alexander Goehr Festival and Judith Weir Festival at the Wigmore Hall in London and at the RNCM; Buckingham Summer Festival.

Ivan Hovorun’s tally of solo recitals is truly impressive, encompassing a diverse collection of venues including: Italy’s Saluzzo, Sermoneta, Imola and Ragusa Ibla, Sicily; London’s St Martin-in-the-Fields, St James’s Piccadilly, St Lawrence Jewry and One Moorgate Place; Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall and Chetham’s School of Music; and a wealth of English cathedrals including Lincoln, Blackburn, Chichester, Ripon, Chichester and Southwell Minster.

Ivan loves the Yamaha C5 grand piano at St Mary’s, Totnes, describing it as a very fine instrument that is perfect for the performance space at St Mary’s, with its superb acoustics. St Mary’s is, in turn, delighted to welcome Ivan back again for what will, surely, be a memorable performance.

A limited number of tickets are currently available from £12 in advance (or £18 at the door) from:

https://ttm.churchsuite.com/events/kwupsvia

Enquiries to: Mr J Hall, e: [email protected], t: 07495 676896