THE LUTSK OPERA STUDIO AS A UNIQUE PHENOMENON OF AMATEUR CREATIVITY IN THE MIDTWENTIETH CENTURY: REGIONAL STUDIES

Abstract

Relevance of the problem. Contemporary Ukrainian musicology is increasingly incorporating regional studies into its research. This is quite natural. After all, Ukrainian musical culture, having gone through a difficult formation process, paid great attention to amateur creativity, which became a powerful foundation for the development of Ukrainian academic music. Amateurism flourished in Ukraine, with its distinct regional characteristics.
Scientific novelty. This article is the first to present informational material highlighting the history of the creation and creative activity of an opera studio, an unprecedented phenomenon of amateur art, that was established at the City House of Culture in Lutsk in the mid-twentieth century. It is important to note that this phenomenon is unique because there has never been an opera infrastructure in the Volyn region. All of the studio's activities were based on its members' high level of enthusiasm and passion. Additionally, the political situation in the country was tense, so the studio members had to consider it. Party censors were particularly strict about the center's repertoire policy, especially regarding operas by Ukrainian composers.
Conclusions. The opera studio successfully produced ten opera productions from the classical repertoire. The following are notable: «Rigoletto» and «La Traviata» by Verdi, «La Dolce Vita» by Mascagni, and so on. The students' notable achievement was staging opera performances by Ukrainian composers, including: «Kateryna» by M. Arkas, «Cossack Beyond the Danube» by S. Hulak-Artemovsky, and «Forest Song» by V. Kyreiko.