Volodymyr Ivasyuk

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Volodymyr Mykhaylovych Ivasyuk (1949 - 1979) (also Ivasiuk) (Ukrainian: Володимир Михайлович Івасюк) was a very popular composer and poet from Ukraine. He is the author of the widely popular song Chervona Ruta, popularized by Sofia Rotaru but later covered by other singers as well.

Ivasyuk was born in the city of Kitsman, Chernivtsi Oblast, on March 4, 1949. His father Mykhaylo Ivasyuk was a well-known writer from Bukovina. His mother Sofiya Ivasyuk, from the Zaporizhia Oblast by birth, was a teacher in a local school. As early as the age of five, Volodymyr began learning to play the violin at a music school. Later, he learnt to play the piano as well. In 1964 he created an ensemble - "Bukovina" - in his school and wrote their first songs, the first of which was "Lullaby".

After Volodymyr had already graduated from secondary school, his family moved to the city of Chernivtsi where his father was offered a teaching job at the University of Chernivtsi. Volodymyr went to study at a Medical Institute while he continued his musical career.He joined the "Karpaty Ensemble" at a local community centre and played the violin and offered his songs to be performed.

He became immediately famous in Ukraine, when on September 13, 1970 he publicly performed, in a duet with Olena Kuznetsova, the songs "Chervona Ruta" and "Vodohray" in a theatre of Chernivtsi in the presence of a thousands of townsfolk and millions of TV viewers.

Ivasyuk’s fame spread fast indeed. In 1971 his "Chervona Ruta" won the Best Song of the Year award in the whole of the Soviet Union, and his "Vodohray" was the best song of the next year. "Chervona Ruta", sung by the Ukrainian superstar Sofia Rotaru, became a megahit, particularly after it featured in the musical "Chervona Ruta", directed by Roman Oleksiv.

Ivasyuk moved to Lviv and enrolled at the music conservatory, composers department. Upon graduation from the medical institute, he worked as a doctor, and joined the post-graduate courses at the Department of Pathological Physiology to work for his next degree. In Lviv Volodymyr created the canto: "I - your wing" , "Two rings", "Ballad about mallow", "Ballad about two violins". All these canto and many other works of Ivasyuk are performed by Sofia Rotaru.

For his support of Ukrainian culture Ivasyuk drew attention of Soviet authorities. On May 18, 1979 his body was found hanged in a forest near Lviv. The mystery of his death is still unsolved. He is buried at Lychakivskiy Cemetery in Lviv.

Monument of Volodymyr Ivasyuk in Kitsman, Chernivtsi region	The House, in which the composer was born . Kitsman, Chernivtsi region	Memorial Museum of Volodymyr Ivasyuk. Chernivtsi	The Star of Volodymyr Ivasyuk in Theatrical area. Chernivtsi
Tomb of Volodymyr Ivasyuk at Lychakivskiy Cemetery, Lviv