From Paris Opera to Donetsk trenches: today would have been the 48th anniversary of the Hero of Ukraine Vasyl Slipak

Espreso will recall the life and creative path of a long-term volunteer, fighter, Hero of Ukraine.

Twice he was offered French citizenship, and twice he refused

The future opera singer was born on December 20, 1974, in Lviv. The talent for singing was passed down from his grandfather, in whose honor the parents named their son. He started singing in early childhood. At the age of 6, he performed the song "Tysha navkruhy" (Surrounding Silence) by the Marenych trio at a village wedding. When he was 9 years old, his older brother Orest took him to the Dudaryk Lviv Choir Chapel, where Vasyl would sing for more than a decade.

From a young age, he would perform with Nina Matvienko, a renowned Ukrainian singer, on tour in the US and Canada. Together with the famous soloist of the Metropolitan Opera, Pavlo Plishka, he performed Bezmezhne pole (An Endless Field), Chuiesh, brate miy (You hear, my brother) based on the poem by Bohdan Lepkyi, Za tebe, Ukraino (For you, Ukraine) by Stanislav Ludkevich at Carnegie Hall.

Vasyl Slipak as part of the Dudaryk choir performed in the most prestigious concert halls of Ukraine and the world. He performed German, French songs, and Italian arias in the original language, as he was fluent in many foreign languages.

In 1997, young Vasyl Slipak successfully passed the competitive test to join the Paris National Opera. His voice made it possible to start a solo career in France and Europe. By the way, he lived in Paris for 19 years. During this time, he was offered French citizenship twice, and twice refused, wanting to remain a citizen of Ukraine.

At a very young age, together with his brother Orest, he helped organize spiritual shelters for young people. For some time he sang in the choir of the church of St. Volodymyr and Olha, of which he was a parishioner. He organized concerts in colonies for minors in order to morally support those who ended up behind bars.

Organized the international march "Stop Putin War in Ukraine!", encompassing about 30 countries

Since 2004, he has been an active participant in all Ukrainian revolutions. In 2004, during the Orange Revolution, and with the beginning of Euromaidan, he headed the volunteer movement and coordinated public actions in France aimed at supporting Ukraine.

The singer became an active participant in everything that happened in the diaspora: he supported the Paris Euromaidan.

On June 10, 2016, he organized the International March "Stop Putin War in Ukraine!", which was attended by about 30 countries of the world. The campaign had a great influence on the decision to extend European Union sanctions against Russia.

He went to war for the first time in May 2015. He immediately received the call sign Myth because he performed the aria of Mephistopheles from the famous opera Faust. He fought near the Donetsk airport and for Avdiivka as part of the 1st separate assault company of the 7th separate battalion of the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps Right Sector, not because of political beliefs, but because they accepted volunteers. He suffered an injury. He went to the front line for the second time in September 2015, in the village of Vodyane near Mariupol, later returned to Paris in October. On June 18, 2016, he went to Donbas for the third time to deliver aid to volunteer defenders and planned to stay there for 6 months. But on June 29, 2016, while performing a combat mission, he died in battle from a sniper bullet.

Some interesting facts about Vasyl Slipak

At the Opera de Lyon (France) on May 25, 2014, he went on stage with a Ukrainian flag in the Aida performance.

A parcel from the personal belongings of opera singer Vasyl Slipak brought a former anti terrorist operation fighter to tears.

Misiats na nebi (The Moon in the Sky) is Vasyl Slipak's favorite song.

He was the first volunteer who was recognized by the official authorities and awarded by the former president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko.

Ihor Khorosh, flower breeder, bred a new variety of irises and called it "Vasyl Slipak".

The National Bank issued a commemorative coin dedicated to Vasyl Slipak.

On the occasion of Vasyl Slipak's birthday, the famous cartoonist and leader of the Ot Vinta rock band Yuriy Zhuravel showed a new drawing that will be included in the Znai Nashykh (Know Us) book.

"Today is the birthday of the world-famous opera singer, volunteer, fighter, Hero of Ukraine Vasyl Slipak. He died in this Moscow-Ukrainian war, but I decided to paint this very case in Paris to show how he loved the scandal, the extravaganza of feelings and life," Zhuravel wrote on his Facebook page.