Vasyl Slipak
Vasyl Yaroslavovych Slipak (Ukrainian: Василь Ярославович Сліпак, December 20, 1974 – June 29, 2016) was a Ukrainian baritone opera singer. From 1994 he frequently performed in France at such venues as Paris Opera and Opéra de la Bastille.[1] For his opera performance, Slipak received several awards, including "Best Male Performance" for the Toreador Song.[1]
Opera career
Born in 1974 in Lviv Oblast, Slipak liked to sing since his childhood.[1] At the age of 11, Slipak joined the Lviv children's choir group Dudarik. After that, he continued his education at the Lviv Conservatory. During his education, Slipak participated in a vocal contest in the French city of Clermont, winning the contest. In 1996, Slipak received an invitation to perform at Opéra de la Bastille in Paris. In 1997 Slipak graduated from the Lysenko Music Academy in Lviv and then was invited to the Paris Opera where he became an opera singer.[2] By 2011, he was at the top of his field, winning the prize for best male performer at the Armel Opera Competition and Festival in Szeged, Hungary, for his rendering of the Toreador Song from the opera Carmen.[3]
Death
Following the outbreak of the pro-Russian insurgency in Donbass, Slipak returned to Ukraine and participated in the 2014 Ukrainian revolution.[1] In 2015, Slipak joined the fights against pro-Russian insurgents as a member of the 7th Battalion of the Volunteer Ukrainian Corps of the Right Sector. He took the military call sign Mif, a reference to his favorite aria of Mephistopheles from the opera Faust.[1] After the war in Donbass, Slipak planned to continue his career in Paris.
On 29 June 2016, at approximately 6 a.m. Slipak was killed by a sniper shot near Luhanske.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Василий Слипак: биография оперного певца, который погиб за Украину" (in Russian). RBC. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
- ^ "Ukrainian Opera Singer Killed While Fighting In Eastern Ukraine". RFERL. June 29, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
- ^ Wassyl Slipak, Who Left Paris Opera for Ukraine War, Dies at 41
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