On January 24, news broke of the passing of Anatoliy Voytiuk, a renowned guitarist from Lviv and a member of popular vocal and instrumental ensembles such as “Buzhany,” “Zakarpattya,” “Rekrut,” and the legendary “Vatra” led by Ihor Bilozir.
A farewell ceremony for the musician will take place on January 25 at 12:00 PM at the Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist in Vynnyky. This information was shared by Anatoliy Voytiuk’s friends and Lviv music historian Mykhailo Masliy.
Memories of the Musician’s Life and Career
Mykhailo Masliy highlighted that Anatoliy Voytiuk joined “Vatra” in 1984, taking over from bassist Borys Sorokin.
Anatoliy himself recalled how his musical perspective shifted after joining the ensemble:
“I was a rocker, and suddenly, there was this calm folk music and Ihor’s lyrical songs. But I liked it right away. I was also lucky that Bilozir agreed to hire my wife as the group’s costumer. Over coffee, while discussing the employment details, it was Ihor’s father, Yosyp Dmytrovych, who helped finalize the decision. A kind man with great life experience, he concluded: ‘It’s a good thing when a husband and wife can be together.'”
One of Anatoliy Voytiuk’s most memorable experiences was in 1985, when “Vatra” participated in the Moscow Youth and Students Festival and prepared for their first overseas trip to Hungary.
The musician shared:
“In Moscow, we shared the stage with many popular Soviet bands. The organizers insisted we sing in ‘common’ language, but Ihor said, ‘We won’t sing in Russian because I don’t know the language.’ Eventually, they pushed one song on us called ‘Festival.’ I’ll never forget playing football with ‘Smerichka’ and ‘Svityaz’ during a mini-tournament. During such games, men often use foul language, but Ihor stayed true to himself, shouting his iconic phrase: ‘Kick it, kick it, padded jacket!’”
Contribution to Culture
The death of Anatoliy Voytiuk is a significant loss to Ukrainian culture. His talent, dedication to music, and contributions to the development of Ukrainian pop traditions are an enduring part of the country’s musical history.